Treatment. We may use and disclose your PHI to provide treatment, coordinate & manage your health care or for medical referrals or consultations. This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party that has already obtained your permission to have access to your PHI. For example, we may use and disclose PHI to physicians, nurses, technicians, and other medical personnel who are involved in your care and treatment. We may use and disclose PHI to people outside our facility who may be assisting in your care, such as family members, home health agencies, nursing homes, therapists, pharmacists, clergy and others. We may use and disclose PHI to your health plan to coordinate authorization, a referral, consultations and health care related activities.

Payment. We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for health care services rendered. We may use and disclose PHI when contacting your insurance company or another third party to verify benefits, verify eligibility, and obtain authorization.We may use and disclose PHI to your insurance company, a third party or the facility where services were rendered, if different than our office, that assist us to process payments, such as billing companies, claims processing companies and collection companies. We may use and disclose PHI to third parties who are responsible for payment such as family members or personal billing services.

 

Notification and communication with family. We may use and disclose PHI to notify or assist in notifying a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care, about your location, your general condition, or in the event of your death. If you are able and available to agree or object, we will give you the opportunity to object prior to making this notification. If you are unable or unavailable to agree or object, our health professionals will use their best judgment in communication with your family and others.

Required by law. We will use and disclose PHI when we are required to do so by Federal, State, and other law. There are other laws we will follow that provide additional protections, such as laws related to mental health, alcohol, and other substance abuse and HIV /Aids.

Judicial and administrative proceedings. We may use and disclose PHI in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding.

Public health. We may use and disclose PHI to public health authorities for purposes related to: preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability; reporting child abuse or neglect; reporting domestic violence; reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications; and reporting to the Centers for Disease Control of disease or infection exposure.

Law enforcement. We may use and disclose PHI to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order or subpoena and other law enforcement purposes.

Deceased person information. We may use and disclose PHI to executors, coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors to enable them to carry out their lawful duties..

Organ donation. We may use and disclose PHI to organizations involved in procuring, banking or transplanting organs and tissues.

Research. We may use and disclose PHI to researchers conducting research that has been approved by an Institutional Review or Privacy Board of a participating hospital(s).

Public safety. We may use and disclose PHI to appropriate persons in order to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or the general public.

Armed Forces & National Security: We may use and disclose PHI of members of the armed forces for activities deemed necessary by appropriate military command authorities to assure proper execution of the military mission. We may use and disclose PHI to certain federal officials for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence and other national security activities.

Worker’s compensation: We may use and disclose PHI as authorized by, and to the extent necessary, to comply with Federal and State Worker’s compensation laws.

Change of Ownership. In the event that Foxhall Surgical Associates, P.C./Women’s Center for Breast Diagnosis is sold or merged with another organization, we may use and disclose PHI which will become the property of the new owner.

III. When Specific Patient Written Authorization will be required to disclose PHI:

As stated above, under the Federal HIPPA guidelines our practice may use and disclose PHI without your prior authorization for only three purposes: 1) treatment, 2) payment, and 3) healthcare operations. All other uses and disclosures not covered by this Notice, or the laws that govern us, will require your specific, written authorization. Specific requests may include health, life or disability insurance eligibility and application; medical-legal; transfer of care to another provider not listed as a treating physician in our record, research; marketing; and to other third parties not meeting conditions outlined in this Notice. You may request to amend or restrict your authorization in writing at any time. We are unable to take back any PHI that we may have already made with your authorization, and we are required to retain the records of care that we provided to you.

IV Changes to This Notice of Privacy Practices:

We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make revised notice effective for PHI we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. Upon substantive changes to the privacy notice, additional privacy notifications will be provided in writing to patients and posted on our web page. Due to the need for and legislation regarding patient privacy, these policies will be strictly adhered to by the Practice.

Upon your request, we will provide you with any revised Notice of Privacy Practices by accessing our website, www.foxhall.com, or by calling the office and requesting a revised copy be sent to you in the mail, or asking for one at the time of your next appointment.

V Your Privacy Rights Regarding Your Health Information

1. Right to Obtain a Copy of the Practice’s Privacy Notice.

We will request you to sign a written acknowledgment of receipt of our Notice of Privacy Practices. We may periodically amend this Notice and you may obtain an updated Notice from our website or calling in your request.

2. Right to Inspect and Copy their PHI.

You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI in a "designated record set" (medical and billing records) as long as we maintain the PHI in such a format. However, you do not have a right to psychotherapy notes, information prepared for legal proceedings, and / or information that may endanger the health or safety of yourself or others.

To request access to inspect or copy your PHI, please put your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. We will respond to your request as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days from the date of receipt of your request. There will be a reasonable fee for these services.

3. Right to Request Amendment to their PHI.

To amend your records, please put your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. We will respond to your request as soon as possible, but no later than 60 days from the date of receipt of the request. If we deny your request for amendment, you have the right to submit a written statement of reasonable length disagreeing with the denial. We have the right to submit a rebuttal statement. A record of any disagreement about amendment will become part of your medical record and may be included in subsequent disclosures of your PHI.

4. Right to Request List of Disclosures made of PHI for non-routine purposes.

To request a list of non-routine disclosures of PHI, please put your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. We will respond to your request as soon as possible, but no later than 60 days from the date of receipt of the request. Subject to certain limitations, you have the right to a written accounting on non-routine disclosures by us for not more than 6 years prior to the date of your request. We will provide you with an accounting every 12 months free of charge. Any additional requests, there will be a reasonable fee for these services.

5. Right to Request Restriction of Certain Use & Disclosure of your PHI.

You have this right unless it is a use and disclosure required by law. Please put your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. We are not required to agree to your restriction request, but if we do agree to the request, we will not use or disclose the PHI unless it is necessary for emergency treatment. In that case, we will ask that the recipient no longer use or disclose the PHI.

6. Right to Choose How You Receive your PHI.

You have the right to reasonable accommodation of a request to receive communication of PHI by alternative means or at alternative locations. Please put your request in writing to the Privacy Officer. We will not require an explanation or reason for the request, but we will request you to specify the alternative address or other method of contact. There will be a reasonable fee for these services.