Revised October 20, 2016

 

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.

 

This Notice of Privacy Practices is NOT an authorization. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we, our Business Associates and their subcontractors, may use and disclose your protected health information (PHI) to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations (TPO) 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 condition and related health care services.

 

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

 

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, to pay your health care bills, to support the operation of the physician’s practice, and any other use required by law.

 

Treatment: We will use and disclose your protected health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party. For example, your protected health information may be provided to a physician to whom you have been referred, Durable Medical Equipment vendors, surgery centers/hospitals, referring physicians, family practitioner, physical therapists, home health providers, laboratories, worker comp adjusters and nurse case managers, etc to ensure that the healthcare provider has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you.

 

Payment: Your protected health information will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services. For example, obtaining approval for a hospital stay, surgery, MRI or other diagnostic test, injection procedures, injection series, physical therapy, etc., may require that your relevant protected health information be disclosed to the health plan to obtain approval for the procedure.

 

Healthcare Operations: We may use or disclose, as-needed, your protected health information in order to support the business activities of your physician’s practice. These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment, employee review, training of medical students, licensing, fundraising, and conducting or arranging for other business activities. For example, we may disclose your protected health information to medical school students that see patients at our office. In addition, we may use a sign-in sheet at the registration desk where you will be asked to sign your name and indicate your physician. We may call you by name in the waiting room when your physician is ready to see you. We may use or disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to contact you to remind you of your appointment, and inform you about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. If you are not home, we may leave a message with this information with the person answering the phone or on a voice mail or answering machine. If we use or disclose your protected health information for fundraising activities, we will provide you the choice to opt out of those activities. You may also choose to opt back in.

 

We may use or disclose your protected health information in the following situations without your authorization. These situations include: as required by law, public health issues as required by law, communicable diseases, health oversight, abuse or neglect, food and drug administration requirements, legal proceedings, law enforcement, coroners, funeral directors, organ donation, research, criminal activity, military activity and national security, workers’ compensation, inmates, and other required uses and disclosures. Under the law, we must make disclosures to you upon your request. Under the law, we must also disclose your protected health information when required by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with requirements.

 

USES AND DISCLOSURES THAT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION

 

Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures will be made only with your consent, authorization or opportunity to object unless required by law. Without your authorization, we are expressly prohibited to use or disclose your protected health information for marketing purposes. We may not sell your protected health information without your authorization. We may not use or disclose most psychotherapy notes contained in your protected health information. We will not use or disclose any of your protected health information that contains genetic information that will be used for underwriting purposes.

 

You may revoke the authorization, at any time, in writing, except to the extent that your physician or the physician’s practice has taken an action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.

 

YOUR RIGHTS

 

The following are statements of your rights with respect to your protected health information.

 

You have the right to inspect and copy your protected health information (we have up to 30 days to make your PHI available to you and fees may apply) – Pursuant to your written request, you have the right to inspect or copy your protected health information whether in paper or electronic format. Under federal law, however, you may not inspect or copy the following records: Psychotherapy notes, information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or used in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding, protected health information restricted by law, information that is related to medical research in which you have agreed to participate, information whose disclosure may result in harm or injury to you or to another person, or information that was obtained under a promise of confidentiality.

 

You have the right to request a restriction of your protected health information – This means you may ask us not to use or disclose any part of your protected health information for the purposes of treatment, payment or healthcare operations. You may also request that any part of your protected health information not be disclosed to family members or friends who may be involved in your care or for notification purposes as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. Your request must state the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply. Your physician is not required to agree to your requested restriction except if you request that the physician not disclose protected health information to your health plan with respect to healthcare for which you have paid in full out of pocket.

 

You have the right to request to receive confidential communications – You have the right to request confidential communication from us by alternative means or at an alternative location. You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this notice from us, upon request, even if you have agreed to accept this notice alternatively i.e. electronically.

 

You have the right to request an amendment to your protected health information – 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.

 

You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures – You have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures, paper or electronic, except for disclosures: pursuant to an authorization, for purposes of treatment, payment, healthcare operations; required by law, that occurred prior to April 14, 2003, or six years prior to the date of the request.

 

You have the right to receive notice of a breach – We will notify you if your unsecured protected health information has been breached.

 

You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this notice from us even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and we will notify you of such changes on the following appointment. We will also make available copies of our new notice if you wish to obtain one.

 

COMPLAINTS

 

You may file a complaint with us by notifying our Compliance Officer of your complaint. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

 

HIPAA COMPLIANCE OFFICER:       

 

If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles a complaint, you may submit a formal complaint to:

 

Regional address for the Office of Civil Rights:

 

Celeste Davis, Regional Manager
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
233 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 240
Chicago, IL 60601
Voice Phone (800) 368-1019
FAX (312) 886-1807
TDD (800) 537-7697

                   

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of, and provide individuals with, this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information. We are also required to abide by the terms of the notice currently in effect. If you have any questions in reference to this form, please ask to speak with our HIPAA Compliance Officer in person or by phone at our main phone number.

 

Please sign the accompanying “Acknowledgment” form (In all offices). Please note that by signing the Acknowledgment form you are only acknowledging that you have received or been given the opportunity to receive a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices.            

 

Non Discrimination Statement:

     

Toledo cardiology Consultants (TCC) complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.  TCC does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

Toledo Cardiology Consultants (TCC):

            • Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:

                      ○ Qualified sign language interpreters

            ○ Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats)

            • Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as:

                        ○ Qualified interpreters

                        ○ Information written in other languages

If you need these services, contact Kelley B, at 419-517-8121

If you believe that TCC has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with: TCC Civil Rights Coordinator, 2409 Cherry St, Suite 100, Toledo, OH 43608. Or Email us at tcc@toledocardiology.com. You can file a grievance in person or by mail, or email. If you need help filing a grievance.

You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at

 

https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, SW

Room 509F, HHH Building

Washington, D.C. 20201

1-800-368-1019, 800-537-7697 (TDD)

Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html. 

 

PRIVACY OFFICER: Ameer Kabour, M.D.