We
will use your medical information for Treatment.
For example:
Information obtained by a nurse, physician, or other member
of your healthcare team will be recorded in your record and
used to determine the course of treatment that should work
best for you. Your physician will put in your record his or
her expectations of the members of your healthcare team. Members
of your healthcare team will then record the actions they
took and their observations. In that way, the physician will
know how you are responding to treatment.
We will
also provide your subsequent healthcare provider with copies
of reports to assist him or her in treating you. For example:
If you receive treatment in the emergency department and provide
the hospital with the name of your family physician, the emergency
report will be forwarded to your family physician in order
to provide information needed for follow-up care at the physician’s
office.
We
will use your medical information for Payment.
For example:
A bill may be sent to you, your guarantor if specified or
a third party payer. The information on or accompanying the
bill may include information that identifies you, as well
as your diagnosis, procedures, and supplies used.
We
will use your medical information for Health Care Operations.
For example:
Members of the medical staff, the risk or quality improvement
manager, or members of the quality improvement team may use
information in your health record to assess the care and outcomes
in your case and others like it. This information will then
be used in an effort to improve the quality and effectiveness
of the healthcare and services we provide.
Business
Associates: There are some services provided in our organization
through contracts with business associates. Examples include
a copy service we use when making copies of your health record.
We may disclose your health information to our business associate
so they can perform the job we’ve asked them to do. However,
we require the business associate to take precautions to protect
your medical information.
Facility
Directory: Unless you notify us that you object, we will
use your name, location in the facility, general condition,
and religious affiliation for directory purposes. This information
may be provided to members of the clergy and, except for religious
affiliation, to other people who ask for you by name.
Notification
and Communication: We may use or disclose information
to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal
representative, or other person responsible for your care,
of your location and general condition. Health professionals,
using their best judgment, may disclose to a family member,
other relative, close personal friend, or any other person
you identify, health information relevant to that person’s
involvement in your care.
Research:
We may disclose information to researchers when their research
has been approved by an institutional review board that has
reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to
ensure the privacy of your medical information.
Funeral
Director, Coroner, and Medical Examiner: Consistent with
applicable law we may disclose health information to funeral
directors, coroners, and medical examiners to help them carry
out their duties.
Organ
Procurement Organizations: Consistent with applicable
law, we may disclose health information to organ procurement
organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement,
banking, or transplantation of organs for the purpose of tissue
donation and transplant.
Fundraising:
We may use certain medical information for purposes of raising
funds for the facility and its operations.
Food
and Drug Administration (FDA): We may disclose to the
FDA health information relative to adverse events, product
defects, or post marketing surveillance information to enable
product recalls, repairs, or replacement.
Public
Health: As required by law, we may disclose your health
information to public health or legal authorities charged
with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability,
including child abuse and neglect.
Victims
of Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence: We may disclose
to appropriate governmental agencies, such as adult protective
or social services agencies, your health information, if we
reasonably believe you are a victim of abuse, neglect, or
domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you
agree or when required or authorized by law.
Health
Oversight: In order to oversee the health care system,
government benefits programs, entities subject to governmental
regulation and civil rights laws for which health information
is necessary to determine compliance, we may disclose health
information for oversight activities authorized by law, such
as audits and civil, administrative, or criminal investigations.
Court
Proceeding: We may disclose health information in response
to requests made during judicial and administrative proceedings,
such as court orders or subpoenas.
Law
Enforcement: Under certain circumstances, we may disclose
health information to law enforcement officials. These circumstances
include reporting required by certain laws (such as the reporting
of certain types of wounds), pursuant to certain subpoenas
or court orders, reporting limited information concerning
identification and location at the request of a law enforcement
official, reports regarding suspected victims of crimes at
the request of a law enforcement official, reporting death,
crimes on our premises, and crimes in emergencies.
Inmates:
If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or
under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release
medical information about you to the correctional institution
or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary
(1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2)
to protect your health and safety or the health and safety
of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional
institution.
Threats
to Public Health or Safety: We may disclose or use health
information when it is our good faith belief, consistent with
ethical and legal standards, that it is necessary to prevent
or lessen a serious and imminent threat or is necessary to
identify or apprehend an individual.
Specialized
Government Functions: Subject to certain requirements,
we may disclose or use health information for military personnel
and veterans, for national security and intelligence activities,
for protective services for the President and others, for
medical suitability determinations for the Department of State,
for correctional institutions and other law enforcement custodial
situations, and for government programs providing public benefits.
Workers
Compensation: We may disclose health information when
authorized and necessary to comply with laws relating to workers
compensation or other similar programs.
Other
Uses
We
may also use and disclose your personal health information
for the following purposes:
- to
contact you to remind you of an appointment for treatment,
- to
describe or recommend treatment alternatives to you,
- to
furnish information about health-related benefits and services
that may be of interest to you, or
- for
certain of our charitable fundraising purposes.