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Privacy Policy
LEWIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH
AND HOSPICE
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective April 14, 2003
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.
We are required by law to
protect the privacy of health information that may reveal your identity,
and to provide you with a copy of this notice which describes the health
information privacy practices of our public health department, our
certified home health agency and our hospice. A copy of our current notice
will always be posted in our reception area. You will also be able to
obtain your own copies by accessing our website at , calling our office at
315-376-5453 or asking for one at the time of your next visit.
WHAT HEALTH INFORMATION IS PROTECTED
We are committed to protecting the privacy of information we gather about
you while providing health-related services. Some examples of protected
health information, or PHI, are:
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information about your health condition (such as a disease you may
have),
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information about health care services you have received or may receive
in the future,
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information about your health care benefits under an insurance plan,
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geographic information (such as where you live or work),
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demographic information (such as your race, gender, ethnicity, or
marital status),
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unique numbers that may identify you (such as your social security
number, your phone number, or your driver’s license number), and
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other types of information that may identify who you are.
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PHI
WITHOUT YOUR WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION
With your one time written consent, the department and its staff may use
your PHI or share it with others in order to provide health services,
obtain payment for the services, and run the department’s normal business
operations. This consent will be in effect indefinitely. You may revoke
your consent at any time, except to the extent that we have already relied
on it.
Treatment We may use and disclose PHI about you to provide, coordinate or
manage your health care and related services. We may consult with other
health care providers regarding your treatment and coordinate and manage
your health care with others.
Payment We may use and disclose PHI so that we can bill and collect
payment for the treatment and services provided to you. We may use and
disclose PHI for billing, claims management, and collection activities. We
might also need to inform your health insurance company about your health
condition in order to obtain pre-approval for your health care, such as
having nurses visit you to provide care at home.
Business Operations We may use your PHI or share it with others in order
to conduct our normal business operations. For example, we may use your
PHI to evaluate the performance of our staff in providing health care for
you, or to educate our staff on how to improve the care they provide for
you. We may also share your PHI with another company that performs
business services for us, such as billing companies.
COMMUNICATIONS FROM OUR OFFICE
You have the right to request that you receive communication regarding PHI
in a certain manner or at a certain location. We may contact you through
the mail or by telephone to remind you of appointments and to provide you
with information about treatment alternatives or other health related
benefits and services.
INFORMATION DISCLOSURE
Uses and disclosures for which you have the opportunity to agree or object
Friends and Family Involved in Your Care or Payment for your Care If you
do not object, we may share your PHI with a family member, relative, or
close personal friend who is involved in your care or payment for that
care. We may also notify a family member, personal representative or
another person responsible for your care about your general condition or
about the need for more care than we can provide through our services. In
some cases we may need to share your PHI with a disaster relief
organization that will help us notify that person.
As Required By Law We may use or disclose your PHI if we are required by
law to do so.
Public Health Activities We may disclose your PHI to authorized public
health officials so they may carry out their public health activities. For
example, we may share your PHI with government officials that are
responsible for controlling disease, injury or disability.
Victims of Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence We may release your PHI to
government officials if we reasonably believe that you have been a victim
of abuse, neglect or domestic violence.
Health Oversight Activities We may release your PHI to government agencies
authorized to conduct audits, investigations, and inspections of our
department or the services we provide. These government agencies monitor
the operation of the health care system, government benefit programs such
as Medicare and Medicaid, and compliance with government regulatory
programs and civil rights laws.
Lawsuits and Disputes We may disclose your PHI if we are ordered to do so
by a court that is handling a lawsuit or other dispute.
Law Enforcement We may disclose your PHI to law enforcement officials for
the following reasons:
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To comply with court orders or laws that we are required to follow;
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To assist law enforcement officers with identifying or locating a
suspect, fugitive, witness, or missing person;
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If you have been the victim of a crime and we determine that (1) we have
been unable to obtain your consent because of an emergency or your
incapacity; (2) law enforcement officials need this information
immediately to carry out their law enforcement duties; and (3) in our
professional judgment disclosure to these officers is in your best
interests;
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If we suspect that your death resulted from criminal conduct;
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If necessary to report a crime that occurred on our property; or
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If necessary to report a crime discovered during an offsite medical
emergency (for example, by emergency medical technicians at the scene of a
crime).
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety We may use your PHI or share
it with others when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health
or safety, or the health or safety of another person or the public. In
such cases, we will only share your PHI with someone able to help prevent
the threat. We may also disclose your PHI to law enforcement officers if
you tell us that you participated in a violent crime that may have caused
serious physical harm to another person (unless you admitted that fact
while in counseling), or if we determine that you escaped from lawful
custody (such as a prison or mental health institution).
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors In the unfortunate event
of your death, we may disclose your PHI to a coroner or medical examiner.
We may also release your PHI to funeral directors as necessary to carry
out their duties.
Research We may use and disclose PHI about you for research purposes under
certain limited circumstances. We must obtain a written authorization to
use and disclose PHI about you for research purposes except in situations
where a research project meets specific, detailed criteria established by
the HIPAA Privacy Rule to ensure the privacy of PHI.
YOUR RIGHTS TO ACCESS AND CONTROL YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
We want you to know that you have the following rights to access and
control your health information. These rights are important because they
will help you make sure that the health information we have about you is
accurate. They may also help you control the way we use your information
and share it with others, or the way we communicate with you about your
medical matters.
Right to Inspect and Copy Records You have the right to inspect and
obtain a copy of any of your PHI in certain records that we maintain. This
includes health and billing records. We may deny your request to inspect
or copy PHI only in limited circumstances. To inspect or copy PHI, please
contact our Privacy Officer. There will be a charge for copies.
Right To Amend Records You have the right to request that we amend PHI
about you as long as such information is kept by or for our Agency. You
must submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. You must give
a reason for your request. We may deny your request.
Right to An Accounting Of Disclosures After April 14, 2003 you have a
right to request an "accounting of disclosures" which is a list with
information about how we have shared your information with others.
Right To Request Additional Privacy Protections You have the right to
request that we further restrict the way we use and disclose your PHI. You
may also request that we limit how we disclose information about you to
family or friends involved in your care. To request restrictions, please
contact our Privacy Officer in writing. We are not required to agree to
your request for a restriction, an in some cases the restriction you
request may not be permitted under law.
Right to Request Confidential Communications You have the right to request
that we communicate with you about your PHI in a more confidential way.
For example, you may ask that we contact you at work instead of at home.
To request more confidential communication, please write to our Privacy
Officer
Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice You have the right to receive a paper
copy of this notice at any time.
If you have any questions about this notice or would like further
information, please contact our Privacy Officer, Michael Wicks, Director
of Patient Services at 315-376-5426.
How to File a Complaint. If you believe your privacy rights have been
violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the
Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with us,
please contact Michael Wicks, Director of Patient Services at Lewis County
Public Health at 7785 N. State Street, Lowville, NY 13367 or phone
315-376-5426. No one will take action against you for filing a complaint.
