DOLLINGER & TOVE FAMILY MEDICINE ASSOCIATES, P.A.
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION – HIPPA NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully. If you have any questions about this notice please contact our Privacy Contact who is the Office Manager at (919) 303-1231.
This notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information to carry out treatment, payment of health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information.
“Protected Health Information” is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services. We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We may change the term of our notice, at any time. The new notice will be effective for all protected health information that we maintain at that time. Upon your request, we will provide you with any revised Notice of Privacy Practices by calling the office and requesting that a revised copy be sent to you in the mail or asking for one at the time of your next appointment.
1. Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information
Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information based upon your written consent:
You will be asked by your physician to sign a consent form. Once you have consented to use and disclosure of your protected health information for treatment, payment and health care operations by signing the consent form, your physician will use or disclose your protected health information as described in this section.
Your protected health information may be used and disclosed by your physician, our office staff and others outside of our office that are involved in your care and treatment for the purpose of providing health care services to you. Your protected health information may also be used and disclosed to pay your health care bills and to support the operation of the physician’s practice. Following are examples of the types of uses and disclosures of your protected health care information that the physician’s office is permitted to make once you have signed our consent form. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but describe the types of uses and disclosures that may be made by our office once you have provided consent.
Treatment:
We will use and disclose your protected health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care with a third party that has already obtained your permission to have access to your protected health information. For example, we would disclose you protected health information, as necessary, to a home health agency that provides care to you. We will also disclose protected health information to other physicians who may be treating you when we have the necessary permission from you to disclose your protected health information. For example, your protected health information may be provided to a physician to whom you have been referred to ensure that the physician has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you. In addition, we may disclose your protected health information from time-to-time to another physician or health care provider, (e.g., a specialist or laboratory) who, at the request of your physician, becomes involved in you care by providing assistance with your health care diagnosis or treatment to your physician.
You may request a restriction by providing to the Privacy Contact in writing a request. You have the right to request to receive confidential communications from us by alternative means or at an alternative location. We will accommodate reasonable request. We may also condition this accommodation by asking you for information as to how payment will be handled or specification of an alternative address or other method of contact. We will not request an explanation from you as to the basis for the request. Please make this request in writing to our Privacy Contact. You may have the right to have your physician amend your protected health information. This means you may request an amendment of protected health information about you in a designated record set for as long as we maintain this information. In certain cases, we may deny your request for an amendment. If we deny your request for amendment, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us and we may prepare a rebuttal to your statement and will provide you with a copy of any such rebuttal. Please contact our Privacy Contact to determine if you have questions about amending your medical record. You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made, if any, of your protected health information. This right applies to disclosures for purposes other than treatment, payment of healthcare operation as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. It excludes disclosures we may have made to you, to family members or friends involved in your care, or for notification purposes. You have the right to receive specific information regarding these disclosures that occurred after April 14, 2003. You may request a shorter timeframe. The right to receive this information is subject to certain exceptions, restrictions and limitations. You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this notice from us, upon request, even in you have agreed to accept this notice electronically.
Complaints:
You may complain to us or to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights have been violated by us. You may file a complaint with us by notifying our Privacy Contact of your complaint. We will not retaliate against your for filling a complaint. You may contact our Privacy Contact, the Office Manager at (919) 303-1231 for further information about the complaint process. This notice was published and becomes effective on April 14, 2003.