Regional Paramedical Services
Notice of
Privacy Practices
Effective Date: 4/14/2003
THIS NOTICE
DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION information YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW
YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.
PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
WHO MUST
FOLLOW THIS NOTICE:
This
notice describes the privacy practices of Regional Paramedical Services.
We
are required by law to:
·
Maintain the privacy of protected health
information;
·
Give
you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices regarding health
information information you; and
·
Follow
the terms of our notice that is currently in effect.
q For Treatment. We may use Health Information to treat you or provide you with
health care services. We may disclose
Health Information to doctors, nurses, technicians, or other personnel,
including people outside our facility who may be involved in your medical
care. For example, we may tell your
primary physician information the care we provided you or give Health Information to
a specialist to provide you with additional services.
q For Payment. We may use and disclose Health Information so that we or others may
bill or receive payment from you, an insurance company or a third party for the
treatment and services you received.
For example, we may give your health plan information information your
treatment so that they will pay for such treatment. We also may tell your health plan information a treatment you are going
to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will
cover the treatment.
q For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose Health Information for health care
operations purposes. These uses and
disclosures are necessary to make sure that all of our patients receive quality
care and for our operation and management purposes. For example, we may use Health Information to review the
treatment and services we provide to ensure that the care you receive is of the
highest quality.
q Individuals Involved in
Your Care or Payment for Your Care. We may
release Health Information to a person who is involved in your medical care or
helps pay for your care, such as a family member or friend. We also may notify your family information your
location or general condition or disclose such information to an entity
assisting in a disaster relief effort.
q Research. Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose Health Information
for research purposes. For example, a
research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients
who received one medication or treatment to those who received another, for the
same condition. Before we use or
disclose Health Information for research, though, the project will go through a
special approval process. This process
evaluates a proposed research project and its use of Health Information to
balance the benefits of research with the need for privacy of Health Information. Even without special approval, we may permit
researchers to look at records to help them identify patients who may be
included in their research project or for other similar purposes, so long as
they do not remove or take a copy of any Health Information.
SPECIAL
CIRCUMSTANCES
q As Required by Law. We will disclose Health Information when required to do so by
international, federal, state or local law.
q To Avert a Serious Threat
to Health or Safety. We may use and
disclose Health Information when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious
threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or
another person. Any disclosure,
however, will be to someone who may be able to help prevent the threat.
q Business Associates. We may disclose Health Information to our business associates
that perform functions on our behalf or provide us with services if the
information is necessary for such functions or services. For example, we may use another company to
perform billing services on our behalf.
All of our business associates are obligated, under contract with us, to
protect the privacy of your information and are not allowed to use or disclose
any information other than as specified in our contract.
q Military and Veterans. If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release Health
Information as required by military command authorities. We also may release Health Information to
the appropriate foreign military authority if you are a member of a foreign
military.
q Workers’ Compensation. We may release Health Information for workers’ compensation or
similar programs. These programs
provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.
q Public Health Risks. We may disclose Health Information for public health
activities. These activities generally
include disclosures to prevent or control disease, injury or disability; report
births and deaths; report child abuse or neglect; report reactions to
medications or problems with products; notify people of recalls of products
they may be using; track certain products and monitor their use and
effectiveness; notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be
at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition; and conduct
medical surveillance of the hospital in certain limited circumstances
concerning workplace illness or injury.
We also may release Health Information to an appropriate government
authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or
domestic violence; however, we will only release this information if you agree
or when we are required or authorized by law.
q State Health Oversight. We will disclose your Health Information to Alabama Department of
Public Health, Emergency Medical Services division, as required by state EMS
rules for licensure.
q Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose
Health Information in response to a court or administrative order. We also may disclose Health Information in
response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone
else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you
information the request or to obtain an order protecting the information
requested.
q Law Enforcement. We may release Health Information if asked by a law enforcement
official for the following reasons: (1) in response to a court order, subpoena,
warrant, summons or similar process; (2) limited information to identify or
locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person; (3) information the
victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to
obtain the person’s agreement; (4) information a death we believe may be the result
of criminal conduct; (5) information criminal conduct on our premises; and (6) in
emergency circumstances to report a crime, the location of the crime or
victims, or the identity, description, or location of the person who committed
the crime.
q Coroners, Medical Examiners
and Funeral Directors. We may release Health
Information to a coroner or medical examiner.
This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or
determine the cause of death. We also
may release Health Information to funeral directors as necessary for their
duties.
q National Security and
Intelligence Activities. We may release Health
Information to authorized federal officials for intelligence,
counter-intelligence, and other national security activities authorized by
law.
q Protective Services for the
President and Others. We may disclose
Health Information to authorized federal officials so they may provide
protection to the President, other authorized persons or foreign heads of state
or conduct special investigations.
q Inmates or Individuals in
Custody. If you are an inmate of a correctional
institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release
Health Information to the appropriate correctional institution or law
enforcement official. This release
would be made only if necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with
health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of
others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.
YOUR
RIGHTS:
You have the following rights regarding Health Information we
maintain information you:
q Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to inspect and copy Health Information that
may be used to make decisions information your care or payment for your care. To inspect and copy this Health Information,
you must make your request, in writing, to Regional Paramedical Services Attn:
Privacy Officer 4701 Hwy 78 E., Jasper, AL 35501.
q Right to Amend. If you feel that Health Information we have is incorrect or
incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the
information is kept by or for us. To
request an amendment, you must make your request, in writing, to Regional
Paramedical Services Attn: Privacy Officer 4701 Hwy 78 E. Jasper, AL
35501.
q Right to an Accounting of
Disclosures. You have the right to request an accounting
of certain disclosures of Health Information we made. To request an accounting of disclosures, you must make your
request, in writing, to Regional Paramedical Services Attn: Privacy Officer
4701 Hwy 78 E. Jasper, AL 35501.
q Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the
Health Information we use or disclose for treatment, payment, or health care
operations. In addition, you have the
right to request a limit on the Health Information we disclose information you to
someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a
family member or friend. For example,
you could ask that we not share information information your surgery with your
spouse. To request a restriction, you
must make your request, in writing, to Regional Paramedical Services Attn:
Privacy Officer 4701 Hwy 78 E. Jasper, AL 35501. We are not required to
agree to your request. If we
agree, we will comply with your request unless we need to use the information
in certain emergency treatment situations.
q Right to Request
Confidential Communications. You have
the right to request that we communicate with you information medical matters in a
certain way or at a certain location.
For example, you can ask that we contact you only by mail or at
work. To request confidential
communications, you must make your request, in writing, to Regional Paramedical
Services Attn: Privacy Officer 4701 Hwy 78 E. Jasper, AL 35501. Your request must specify how or where you
wish to be contacted. We will accommodate
reasonable requests.
q Right to a Paper Copy of
This Notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this
notice. You may ask us to give you a
copy of this notice at any time. Even
if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still
entitled to a paper copy of this notice.
·
You
may obtain a copy of this notice at our web site, www.regionalparamedics.com
·
To
obtain a paper copy of this notice, send your request to:
Regional Paramedical Services Attn: Privacy Officer 4701 Hwy 78 E.
Jasper, AL 35501.
CHANGES TO
THIS NOTICE:
We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or
changed notice effective for Health Information we already have as well as any
information we receive in the future.
We will post a copy of the current notice at the hospital. The notice will contain the effective date
on the first page, in the top right-hand corner.
COMPLAINTS:
If you believe your privacy
rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or the Secretary of
the Department of Health and Human Services.
To file a complaint with us, send your complaint to Regional Paramedical
Services Attn: Privacy Officer 4701 Hwy 78 E. Jasper, AL 35501. All complaints
must be made in writing. You will not be penalized for filing a
complaint.