This Notice of Privacy Practices ("Notice") describes the ways in which we may use and disclose your Protected Health Information ("PHI") and how you can get access to this information. "PHI" is information about you that is contained in your medical and billing records maintained by this organization. It includes demographic information and information that relates to your present, past, and/or future physical or mental health and related healthcare services.
Questions For questions regarding this Notice, please contact our Privacy Officer at:
Prime Care Family Care
Attention: Privacy Officer
2511 Salem Church Road
Fredericksburg, Virginia 22407
Uses and Disclosures of PHI We may use and disclose your PHI for purposes of healthcare treatment, payment and healthcare operations as described below.
For Treatment We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate or manage your healthcare and any related services. Examples of how we will disclose information for treatment may include sharing information about you with: referring physicians, your primary care physician, specialists, hospitals, ambulatory care centers, pharmacies, or home health agencies.
For Payment Your PHI will be used and disclosed as required, so that we can bill and receive payment for the treatment and services you receive from us. Examples of how we will disclose information for payment include: contacting your health plan to confirm your coverage or obtain precertification of a service, or we ay provide information to any other healthcare provider who requests information necessary for them to collect payment.
For Healthcare Operations We may use and disclose your PHI in performing business activities that we call "healthcare operations". This includes internal operations, such as for general administrative activities and to monitor the quality of care you receive at our facility. Examples include: quality of care assessments, training of medical staff, assessing certain services that we may want to offer in the future, evaluating the performance of our employees, licensing, or conducting or arranging other business activities. Other examples include: leaving messages on your answering machine; leaving messages at your place of employment or sending out recall notices. We may use or disclose your PHI when making calls to remind you of your appointment. We will use a sign-in sheet at the receptionist’s desk where you will be asked to sign your name and the name of the provider you are seeing. We will also call you by name when you are in our waiting room.
Other Use/Disclosure We May Make Without Your Written Authorization Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Regulations, we may use and disclose your PHI in which you do not have to give authorization. These situations include: those Required by Law, Public Health Risk Issues as required by Law, Communicable Diseases, Health Oversight Activities, reporting Victims of Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence, Legal Proceedings, Law Enforcement, Coroners, Medical Examiners, Funeral Directors, Organ/Tissue Donation Organizations, Research; Criminal Activity; Military Activity and National Security, Inmates/Law Enforcement Custody, and Worker’s Compensation.
Other Use/Disclosure of Your PHI Requires Your Written Authorization Use/disclosure of your PHI will only be made with your consent, authorization, and/or opportunity to object, unless required by law.
Your Rights Regarding Your PHI You have the right to access your personal PHI. Under federal law, however, you may not inspect or copy the following records; psychotherapy notes, information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or use in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding, and PHI that is subject to law that prohibits access to PHI.
You Have the Right to Request Restrictions You have the right to request a restriction on the way we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, and/or healthcare operations. You may make this request in writing, at any time. If we do agree to the restriction, we will honor that restriction except in the event of an emergency and will only disclose the restricted information to the extent necessary for your emergency treatment.
You Have the Right to Request Confidential Communications You have the right to request that we communicate with you concerning your health matter sin a certain manner or at a certain location. For example, you can request that we contact you only at a certain phone number or a specific address. We will accommodate your reasonable requests, but may deny the request if you are unable to provide us with appropriate methods of contacting you.
You Have the Right to Request We Amend your PHI If we deny your request; we will give you a written notice, including the reasons for the denial. You can submit a written statement disagreeing with this denial. Your letter of disagreement will be attached to your medical record.
Accounting of Certain Disclosures You have the right to request an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI.
You Have the Right to Obtain a Paper Copy of This Notice, even if you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically. You may request a copy of this Notice at any time by contacting our office in writing or by phone.
You May Issue a Complaint to our Privacy Officer or to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you believe that your privacy rights have been violated. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
We Reserve the Right to Change the Terms of This Notice We reserve the right to modify the privacy practices outlined in this notice and to make the new provisions effective for all PHI we already have about you as well as any PHI we create or receive in the future. If we make any changes, we will:
A) Post the revised Notice in our office(s), which will contain the new effective date;
B) Make copies of the revised Notice available to you upon request
Notice revised and effective January 1, 2013