PRIVACY NOTICE
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION MAY
BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND
HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO
THIS INFORMATION.
PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY
About This Notice
This notice
tells you about your privacy rights, HCPHES’ duty to protect the health
information that identifies you, and how HCPHES may use or disclose health
information that identifies you without your written permission. This notice does not apply to health
information that does not identify you or anyone else.
Your Rights
You have the right to:
·
Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your
information. However, HCPHES is not
required to agree to a
requested
restriction.
·
Receive confidential communications of protected
health information.
·
Inspect and obtain a copy of your health
record. HCPHES may charge a reasonable
fee to cover costs.
·
Request changes to your health record. Requests for changes must be in writing.
·
Obtain an accounting of disclosures of your
health information.
·
Request communications of your health
information by alternative means or at alternative locations. For example, only send appointment messages
by mail, no telephone messages.
·
Revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information
except to the extent that action has already been taken. Revocations must be in writing.
HCPHES’
Duty to Protect Your Health Information
* HCPHES is required by law to protect the privacy of your health
information. This means that HCPHES will
not use or disclose your health information without your authorization except
in the ways we explain to you in this notice. We must abide by this notice.
* HCPHES will ask you for a written authorization to use or
disclose your health information in ways other than those stated in this
notice. If you give such an
authorization, you may revoke it at any time, but HCPHES will not be liable for
uses or disclosures made before you revoked your authorization.
* If
HCPHES changes the content of this notice, the new
notice will be made available at our facilities and on our website. www.hcphes.org
within 30 days of the effective date of the changed notice. The new notice will
apply to all health information maintained by HCPHES, no matter when we
received or created the information.
How
HCPHES Uses and Discloses Your Information
1. Treatment
HCPHES may use or disclose your health
information to provide, coordinate, or manage health care or related
services. This includes providing care
to you, consulting with another health care provider about you, and referring
you to another health care provider. For
example, HCPHES can disclose your health information to refer you to a high-risk
clinic or a hospital for services.
HCPHES may also contact you to remind you of an appointment or to tell
you about other health-related information that may be of interest to you.
2. Payment
HCPHES may use or disclose health
information about you to pay or collect payment for your health care. For example, HCPHES can use or disclose your
health information to bill your insurance company, Medicaid, or other funding
sources such as The Texas Department of Health, for health care provided to
you.
3. Health
Care Operations
HCPHES may use or disclose health
information about you for health care operations. Health care operations include:
· ·
Conducting quality
assessment, improvement activities, training health-care professionals; and
· ·
The general
administrative activities of HCPHES.
4. Family
Member, Other relative, or Close Personal Friend
HCPHES may disclose health information
about you to a family member, other relative or close personal friend when the
health information is related to that person’s involvement with your care or
payment for your care and you have had an opportunity to stop or limit the
disclosure before it happens.
5. Health
Oversight Activities
HCPHES may sometimes use or disclose
health information about you for health oversight activities. Health oversight activities include audits,
inspections, and investigations of possible fraud.
6. Public
Health
HCPHES may disclose health information
about you to a public health authority for purposes of preventing or
controlling disease, injury, or disability, or to report vital statistics; and
problems with FDA-regulated products or activities.
7. Victims
of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence
If HCPHES believes you are the victim
of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence we may disclose health information
about you to a governmental agency that requires reports of abuse, neglect, or
domestic violence as mandated by
8. Serious
Threat to Health or Safety
HCPHES may use or disclose health
information about you if we believe the use or disclosure is needed to prevent
or lessen a serious and immediate threat to the health and safety of a person
or the public.
9. As
Required by
HCPHES may use or disclose health
information about you when a law requires the use or disclosure.
10. Contractors
HCPHES may disclose health information
about you to a contractor if the contractor needs the information to perform
services for us and agrees to protect the privacy of your information.
11. Purposes
Relating to Death
HCPHES may disclose health information
about you to hospitals for the purpose of organ transplants, coroners, medical
examiners, and funeral directors.
12. Research
HCPHES may use or disclose health
information about you for research if the HCPHES Research Review Committee
approves the use. The committee will
ensure that your privacy is protected when your health information is used in
research.
13. HCPHES
Does Not Use Your Information For Marketing Purposes.
Complaint
Process
If you believe that HCPHES has violated your privacy rights,
you have the right to file a complaint within 180 days of when you learned of
the violation. Complaints can be filed
with any of the agencies listed below.
·
HCPHES
Privacy Officer at 2223
·
Harris
County Privacy Officer at 1310 Prairie, Suite 200 Houston, Texas 77002, telephone 713/755-5349
·
Region
VI, Office of Civil Rights,
You
can also file a complaint on-line at OCRComplaint@hhs.gov.