Disclaimer/Privacy
Notice:
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information and advice contained in or made available through this
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professional or to substitute for the medical advice of physicians.
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and Assist One Technologies, Inc. make no representations or warranties
with respect to any treatment, action, or application of medication
or preparation by any person following the information offered or
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special, exemplary, or other damages arising therefrom.
Notice
of Privacy Practices: Understanding Your Health Record Information:
Effective
Date of this Notice: 04/04/03
Each
time you visit a 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 and serves as a means of communication among
the many healthcare professionals who contribute to your care. Understanding
what is in your medical 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 disclosures to
others.
We,
at NWOA pledge to provide you with the highest quality of care and
to build a relationship that is based on trust. This trust includes
our commitment to respect the privacy and confidentiality of your
health information.
This
Notice of our Privacy Practices is being given to you because federal
law gives you the right to be told ahead of time about:
-
How NWOA will handle your medical information;
- What
our legal duties are related to your medical information;
- What
your rights are with regard to your medical information.
- A
method for filing complaints about our privacy practices
HOW
WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION
When you need health care, you give information about yourself and
your health to doctors, nurses, and other health care workers and
staff. This information, along with the record of care your receive,
is "protected health information" (or "health information).
This information is kept in a paper form such as your medical record
and in an electronic form on the computer.
(A)
NWOA uses and discloses (shares) health information for many different
reasons.
For some of these uses and disclosures, we will need to obtain
prior written authorization (permission). However, NWOA may legally
use or disclose your health information for treatment, payment,
and health care operations. We do not need to receive prior authorization
for uses and disclosures described within the following categories:
For
treatment. We may use medical information about you to provide
you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose (share)
medical information about you to other doctors, and health care
providers involved in your care.
For
payment. We may use and disclose (share) your health information
in order to bill and collect payment for the treatment and services
provided you.
For
health care operations. We may disclose (share) your health
information for activities that are known as health care operations.
We may also share your health information with outside parties
("business associates") who perform services on behalf
of NWOA. These business associates must agree to keep your health
information private. Examples of activities that make up health
care operations include; legal counsel, transcription, storage,
auditing, and consulting services.
(B)
Other uses of your health information.
NWOA may use your health information to contact you about;
-
scheduled appointments, registration/insurance updates, pre-procedure
assessment or test results
- with
information about patient care issues and treatment choices;
(C)
Other Specific Uses and Disclosures that DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR CONSENT.
(c)
When disclosure of health information is required by federal,
state, or local law, administrative or legal proceedings, health
oversight activities, or by law enforcement.
(d) For public health activities. 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.
(e)
For business associates. There are some services provided
in our practice through contracts with business associates. Examples
include labs, PT, home health care, etc.. When these services
are contracted, we may disclose your health information to our
business associates so that they can perform the job we have requested
them to do and, bill you or a third party payer for services rendered.
(f)
To avoid harm. In order to avoid a serious threat to the
health or safety of a person or the public, we may provide health
information to law enforcement personnel or persons able to prevent
or lessen such harm.
(g)
For specific government functions. We may disclose health
information of military personnel and veterans in certain situations.
And we may disclose health information for national security purposes,
such as protecting the president of the United States or conducting
intelligence operations.
(h)
For worker's compensation purposes. We may provide health
information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary
to comply with laws relating to worker's compensation or other
similar programs.
(i)
Appointment reminders and health related-benefits or services.
We may use health information to provide appointment reminders
or give you information about, treatment alternatives, or other
health care services or benefits we offer.
(C)
The Use and Disclosure Requiring You to Have the Opportunity to
Object.
Disclosure to family, friends or others.
NWOA using its best judgement, may disclose health information to
a family member, friend, or other person that you indicate, unless
you object in whole or in part, health information relevant to that
person's involvement in your care or payment related to your care.
The opportunity to get your authorization may be obtained retroactively
in emergency situations.
(D)
All Other Uses and Disclosures Require Your Prior Written Authorization.
In any other situation not described in sections 1 (A) through (C),
we will ask for your written authorization before using or disclosing
any of your health information.
2.
OUR LEGAL DUTIES TO PROTECT YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
NWOA
is required by law to;
-
Make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept
private.
- Provide
you with this notice that explains our privacy practices and how,
when,
and why we use and/or disclose (share) your health information.
- Follow
the terms of the Notice currently in effect. However, we reserve
the right to change our privacy policies and the terms of this
notice at any time. Any changes will apply to the health information
we already have. Before any important policy change goes into
effect, we will change this Notice, the new Notice will be posted
on our web site www.NWOA.com and in a clearly visible location
within our practice site(s) for public viewing.
- YOU
MAY REQUEST A COPY OF THIS NOTICE AT ANY TIME FROM OUR PRIVACY
OFFICER, MARY J. KEENAN, R.N., B.S.N. AND YOU CAN VIEW A COPY
OF THE NOTICE ON OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.NWOA.COM
3.
YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION RIGHTS:
Unless otherwise required by law 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:
(B)
Request Limits on Uses and Disclosures of Your Health Information:
You have the right to ask for restrictions on the use and disclosure
(sharing) of your health information for treatment, payment or
health care operations. We will consider your request but are
not legally required to accept it. If we accept your request,
we will put any limits in writing and abide by them except in
emergency situations. You may not limit the uses and disclosures
that are legally required or allowed to make.
(B)
The Right to ask that Your Health Information Be Communicated
to You in a Confidential Manner: You have the right to ask
for your health information to be sent to you in different ways.
For example phone, or only call at your home rather than at work.
Your request must be in writing and explain the method of contact
and location where you wish to be contacted. We will try to honor
your request as long as we can easily provide it in the format
you request.
(C)
The Right to See and Get Copies of Your Health Information:
In most cases, you have the right to look at or get copies of
your PHI that we have, but you must make the request, in writing.
We will respond within thirty (30) days from the receipt of your
request. If you ask for a copy of your records, you may be charged
a nominal fee.
(D)
The Right to Receive an Accounting of Disclosures (a record
of when and to whom, your health information was shared without
your authorization). You have the right to obtain a list
of the instances that we have shared your health information.
You must make this request in writing. You may request as far
back as six years, beginning April 14, 2003.
The
list will not include uses or disclosures that you have already
consented to, such as those made for the treatment, payment, or
health care operations, directly to you or your family. The list
also will not include uses or disclosures made for national security
purposes, to corrections or law enforcement personnel, or before
April 14, 2003.
We
have 60 days to respond to your written request. If we do not
act on your request within the 60 days, we will notify you that
we are extending the response time by 30 days. If we do that we
will explain the delay in writing and give you a new date of when
to expect a response. We will provide this list at no charge,
but if you make more that one request in the same year, we will
charge you a nominal fee for each additional request.
(E)
The Right to Correct or Update your Health Information.
If you believe that there is a mistake in your health information
or that a piece of important information is missing, you have
the right to request that we correct the existing information
or add the missing information. You must provide the request and
your reason for the request in writing.
We
have 60 days to respond to your request. We may deny your request,
in writing, if the health information is; (i) correct and complete,
(ii) not created by us, (iii) not allowed to be disclosed, or
(iv) not part of our records. Our written denial will state the
reasons for the denial and explain your rights to file a written
statement of disagreement with the denial. If you do not file
a written statement of disagreement, you have the right to request
that your request and our denial be attached to all future disclosures
of your health information.
4.
HOW TO COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY PRACTICES
If you think that NWOA may have violated your privacy rights, or
your disagree with a decision we made about access to your health
information, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer,
Mary J. Keenan, R.N., BSN You also may send a written complaint
to either;
Office
for Civil Rights - Region I Office:
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of health and Human Services
Government Center
J.F. Kennedy Federal Building - Room 1875
Boston, Massachusetts 02203
Or
to the:
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue
S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201
Or e-mail the HHS Secretary at HHS.Mail@hhs.gov
NWOA
will take no retaliatory action against you if you file a complaint
about our privacy practices.
PERSON
TO CONTACT FOR INFORMATION
If you have any questions about this notice or any complaints about
our privacy practices, or would like to know how to file a complaint
with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, please contact
our Mary J. Keenan at (617) 964-0024.
Download
our Notice of Privacy Practices as a PDF
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