PrivacyPolicy

Notice of Privacy Practices for Protected Health Information

An individual has a right under most circumstances to adequate notice of the uses and disclosures of protected health information that may be made by Greensboro Medical Associates, and of the individual’s rights and Greensboro Medical Associates’ legal duties with respect to protect health information. The Notice of Privacy Practices outlines how medical information about a patient may be used and disclosed and their access to this information.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR HEALTH RECORD/INFORMATION:

Each time you visit a hospital, physician, or other healthcare provider, a record of your visit is made. Typically, this record contains your symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care or treatment. This information, often referred to as your health or medical record, serves as a basis for planning your care and treatment. It is a means of communication among the many health professionals who contribute to your care and is a legal document describing the care you received. It is the means by which you or a third-party payer can verify that services billed were actually provided. It is a tool with which we can assess and continually work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve. Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used helps you to ensure its accuracy, better understand who, what, when, where, and why others may access your health information and make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others.

YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION RIGHTS:

Although your health record is the physical property of the healthcare practitioner or facility that compiled it, the information belongs to you. You have the right to request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information. This includes the right to obtain a paper copy of the Notice of Information practices and, upon request, inspect, and obtain a copy of your health record with charges as per North Carolina law. You also have the right to obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information and revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken.

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES:

This organization is required to maintain the privacy of your health information and provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you. We will abide by the terms of this notice and notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction, and will accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information. We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain. Should our information practices change, you may obtain a copy of the revisions by requesting a copy from the Privacy Officer of Greensboro Medical Associates, P.A. We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REPORT A PROBLEM:

If you have questions or would like additional information, you may contact the Privacy Officer, Greensboro Medical Associates, P.A., 1511 Westover Terrace, Greensboro NC 27408. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with the Privacy Officer or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint.

EXAMPLES OF DISCLOSURES FOR TREATMENT, PAYMENT, AND HEALTH OPERATIONS:

We will use your health 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 document 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 use your health information for payment. For example: A bill may be sent to you or a third-party payer and may include information that identifies you, as well as your diagnosis, procedures, and supplies used.

We will use your health information for regular health 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 continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare and service we provide.

Healthcare Associates. There are some services provided in our organization through contacts with what we call Healthcare Associates. Examples include physician services in the emergency department and radiology and certain laboratory tests. When these services are contracted, we may disclose your health information to our Healthcare Associate so that they can perform the job we have asked them to do and bill you or your third-party payer for services rendered. To protect your health information, however, we require the Healthcare Associate to appropriately safeguard your information.

Notification. We may use or disclose information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative, or another person responsible for your care, your location, and general condition.

Communication with family. 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 or payment related to your care.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects, or post-marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacement.

Workers’ Compensation. We may disclose health information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to Workers’ Compensation or other similar programs established by law.

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.

Correctional Institution. Should you be an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the institution or agents thereof health information necessary for your health and the health and safety of other individuals.

Law Enforcement. We may disclose health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena. Federal law makes provision for your health information to be released to an appropriate health oversight agency, public health authority or attorney, provided that a work force member or business associate believes in good faith that we have engaged in unlawful conduct or have otherwise violated professional or clinical standards and are potentially endangering one or more patients, workers or the public. EFFECTIVE DATE: April 14, 2003

U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

Toll Free (877) 696-6775

200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201

Your Rights to Privacy