Care Around the Block, LLC

Notice of Privacy Practices

 

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.        

 

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 or comments relating to this Notice, please contact our HIPAA Privacy Official, Jeremy Casey Rausin at 151F, Market Place Blvd.  Knoxville, TN  37922. Phone (865-444-6787).

 

Our Commitment to Protecting Health Information About You.

In this Notice, we describe the ways that we may use and disclose health information about our patients. The   HIPAA privacy rule requires that we protect the privacy of health information that identifies a patient, or where there is a reasonable basis to believe the information can be used to identify a patient. The information is called “protected health information” or “PHI.”  This Notice describes your rights as our patient and our obligations regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information or PHI. 

 

Your Rights

You have the right to:   

• Get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record 

• Correct your paper or electronic medical record 

• Request confidential communication 

• Ask us to limit the information we share 

• Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information 

• Get a copy of this privacy notice 

• Choose someone to act for you 

• File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated 

 

 

Your Choices 

You have some choices in the way that we use and share information as we:   

• Tell family and friends about your condition 

• Provide disaster relief 

• Include you in a hospital directory 

• Provide mental health care 

• Market our services and sell your information 

• Raise funds 

 

 

Our Uses and Disclosures  

We may use and share your information as we:   

•  Treat you 

• Run our organization 

• Bill for your services 

• Help with public health and safety issues 

• Do research 

• Comply with the law 

• Respond to organ and tissue donation requests 

• Work with a medical examiner or funeral director 

• Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests 

• Respond to lawsuits and legal actions 

 

 

Your Rights 

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you. 

 

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record   

• You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you.  Ask us how to do this.   

• We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request.  We may charge a reasonable, cost‐based fee. 

 

Ask us to correct your medical record 

• You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete.  Ask us how to do this. 

• We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days. 

 

Request confidential communications 

• You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.   

• We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests. 

 

Ask us to limit what we use or share 

• You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations.  We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care. 

• If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer.  We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information. 

 

Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information 

• You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why. 

• We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make).  We’ll provide one   accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months. 

 

 

Get a copy of this privacy notice 

You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice   electronically.  We will provide you with a paper copy promptly. 

 

Choose someone to act for you 

• If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. 

• We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action. 

 

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated 

• You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting our Privacy Official using the information on page 1. 

• You can file a complaint with the U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.  20201, calling 1-877‐696‐6775, or visiting: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/ . 

• We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint. 

 

 

Your Choices 

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share.  If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us.  Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions. 

 

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to: 

• Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care 

• Share information in a disaster relief situation 

• Include your information in a hospital directory 

 

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest.  We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety. 

 

In these cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission: 

• Marketing purposes 

• Sale of your information 

• Most sharing of psychotherapy notes 

 

In the case of fundraising: 

• We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.                

 

 

Our Uses and Disclosures 

How do we typically use or share your health information?  We typically use or share your health information in the following ways. 

 

 

Treat you 

 

We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.  We may also disclose your health information when you need a prescription, lab work, an x-ray or other health care service, or when we refer you to another health care provider. 

 

Example:  A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.     

 

Run our organization 

 

We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.  By using and disclosing your health information in our health care operations, we are able to improve the quality, efficiency and cost of care that we provide to our patients.  This allows us to better review and evaluate the skills, qualifications, and performance of health care providers that take care of you and other patients.  Additionally, this enables us to cooperate with outside organizations that asses and review the quality of care that we provide. 

 

Example:  We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.       

 

Bill for your services 

 

We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.  We may use and disclose your health information to find out if your health plan will cover the cost of care and services we provide, or to confirm you are receiving the appropriate amount of care to obtain payment for services.  We may use and disclose your health information for billing, claims management, and collection activities as well.        

 

Example:  We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

 

 

 

How else can we use or share your health information?   

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research.  We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.  For more information see:  www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html . 

 

Help with public health and safety issues 

 

We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:   

• Preventing disease 

• Helping with product recalls 

• Reporting adverse reactions to medications 

• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence 

• Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety 

 

 

 Do research 

 

We can use or share your information for health research. 

 

Comply with the law 

 

We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the

Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law. 

 

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests 

 

We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations. 

 

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director 

 

We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies. 

 

Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests 

 

We can use or share health information about you: 

 

• For workers’ compensation claims 

• For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official 

• With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law 

• For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services 

 

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions 

We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.   We may also disclose your health information in response to discovery requests or other required legal processes when efforts have been made to advise you of the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.     

 

 

Our Responsibilities 

 

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.   

• We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information. 

• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.   

• We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing.  If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time.  Let us know in writing if you change your mind.   

 

For more information see:  www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html . 

 

      

Changes to the Terms of this Notice  

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you.  The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website(s) at:  https://www.carearoundtheblock.com

 

 

 

Privacy Official Contact Information  

You may contact our Privacy Official using the following contact information:    

 

 

Care Around the Block HIPAA Privacy Official:  Casey Rausin       

Address:  151 F, Market Place Blvd.  Knoxville, TN  37922 

Telephone:  865-444-6787  

Email:  caseyr@carearoundtheblock.com  

 

 

The Effective Date of this Notice is:  June 2018