Your health data is yours—we are just the custodians.
Private Medical will never sell or share your data with anyone who is not explicitly involved in your health. We value your trust in us.
Notice of Privacy Policies
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.
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.
Get more information or file a complaint
- You can request more information regarding your information (such as an accounting of disclosures of your information) or file a complaint if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting Private Medical’s Compliance Officer, Nicole Lewis.
- 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.
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 5 days of your request.
Request confidential communications
- You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home, cell or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
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 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.
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.
File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated
- You can request more information regarding your information (such as an accounting of disclosures of your information) or file a complaint if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting Private Medical’s Compliance Officer, Nicole Lewis.
- 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.
We never share your information unless you give us written permission.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.
Help with public health and safety issues
We can share health information about you for certain situations that the law requires.
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.
Our Responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain a level of privacy and security of your protected health information and we also take additional cyber security measures at Private Medical.
- 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.
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 and we will mail a copy to you.
Effective Date of this Notice: January 1, 2020
