Privacy Practices

This important notice describes how medical information about you may be sued and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review this document carefully!

Understanding your health record: A record is made each time you visit a hospital, physician, or other health care provider. Your symptoms examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care are recorded. All of this health information is sometimes referred to as your health or medical record, and such content serves as a basis for planning your care and treatment. It also serves as a means of communication between any and all other health professionals who may contribute to your care. Understanding what information is retained in your record and how that information may be used will help you to ensure its accuracy, and to enable you to understand who, what , when, where and why others may be allowed access to your health information. This effort is important to assist you in making informed decisions before authorizing the disclosure of your medial information to others.

Understanding your health information rights: Your health record is the physical property of the health care practitioner or facility that compiled it, but the content is about you and therefore belongs to you. You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your information, and to request amendments to your health record. Your rights include being able to review or obtain a copy of your health information, and to be given an account of all disclosures. Your may also request communications of your health information to be made by alternative means or to alternative locations. Other than activity that has already occurred, you may revoke any further authorizations to use or disclose your health information.

Our responsibilities: We are required to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of our legal commitment and privacy practices with respect to the information we collect and maintain about you. We are also required to abide by the terms of this notice and to notify you if we are unable to grant your requested restrictions or reasonable desires to communicate your health information by alternative means or to alternative locations. We reserve the right to deny your request to amend your health record if we reasonably believe the amendments to be false, illegal, or inappropriate. We also reserve the right to change our practices and effect new provisions that enhance the privacy standards of all patient medical information. Our current policy for privacy practices will always be available to our office. Other than for information described in this notice, the medical practice agrees not to use or disclose any of your health information without your authorization.

Your health information will be used for Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations.

Treatment: Information obtained by the staff and health practitioners in our office will be recorded in your medical record and used to determine the course of treatment that we expect to work best for you. Each practitioner will include his or her own findings, expectations and impressions, as well as those of others involved in providing health services to you. The sharing of your health information may likely extend to additional parties involved in your care, such as other physicians, medical or lab technicians, and other legitimate hospital, medical office and healthcare workers who are not members of our medical practice staff. For example, to facilitate your Medicare care, we may often have to share certain of your health information with designated pharmacies or with health insurance carriers or other outside parties who may require prior authorization of your medical care or treatment plan. We, or our designated agents or business associates, will also probably contact you at times for various purposes, such as reminding your of your household about your appointments.