HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

HIPAA NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Effective date: July 1, 2018

You can download and print a copy of these policies by Clicking Here.

For additional information, contact Trisha Sawyer, (814) 664-4641.

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.

If you have any questions about this notice, please ask the contact listed on the final page of this Notice.

Who Will Follow This Notice

This notice describes our hospital’s practices and that of:

• Any health care professional authorized to enter information into your hospital chart.

• All departments and units of the hospital.

• Any member of a volunteer group we allow to help you while you are a patient of the hospital.

• All employees, staff, and contracted service personnel.

• When this notice refers to “hospital,” “we”, or “us,” it is referring to Corry Memorial Hospital Rural Health Clinic, Corry Memorial Hospital, Corry Medical Services, and Corry Health Services. All these entities, sites and locations follow the terms of this notice. In addition, these entities, sites and locations may share medical information with each other for treatment, payment or hospital operations purposes described in this notice.

Notice of Organized Health Care Arrangement Between LECOM Health Corry Memorial Hospital and Corry Memorial Hospital Association’s Medical Staff

The Hospital, the independent contractor members of its Medical Staff (including your physician), and other health care providers affiliated with the Hospital have agreed, as permitted by law, to share your health information among themselves for purposes of treatment, payment or health care operations. This enables us to better address your health care needs.

Our Pledge Regarding Medical Information:

We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive at the hospital. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by the hospital, whether made by hospital personnel or your personal doctor. Your personal doctor may have different policies or notices regarding the doctor’s use and disclosure of your medical information created in the doctor’s office or clinic.

This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.

We are required by law to:

• make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private;

• give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you;

• follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect; and

• notify you in writing if we improperly use or disclose your health information in a manner that meets the definition of a “breach” under federal law. Although there are some exceptions, a breach generally occurs when health information about you is not encrypted and is accessed by, or disclosed to, an unauthorized person.

How We May Use and Disclose Medical Information About You

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

• For Treatment. We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other hospital personnel who are involved in taking care of you at the hospital. For example, a doctor treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. In addition, the doctor may need to tell the dietitian if you have diabetes so that we can arrange for appropriate meals. Different departments of the hospital also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need, such as prescriptions, lab work and x-rays. We may disclose medical information about you to people outside the hospital who may be involved in your medical care after you leave the hospital, such as family members, clergy or others we use to provide services that are part of your care.
• For Payment. We may use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at the hospital may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company or a third party. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about surgery you received at the hospital so your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the surgery. We may also tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.
• For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose medical information about you for hospital operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the hospital and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use medical information to review our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We may also combine medical information about many hospital patients to decide what additional services the hospital should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments are effective. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, and other hospital personnel for review and learning purposes. We may also combine the medical information we have with medical information from other hospitals to compare how we are doing and see where we can make improvements in the care and services we offer. We may remove information that identifies you from this set of medical information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without learning who the specific patients are.
• Appointment Reminders. We may use and disclose medical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at the hospital.
• Treatment Alternatives. We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.
• Health-Related Benefits and Services. We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
• Fundraising Activities. We may contact you as part of our efforts to raise funds for the hospital. All fundraising communications will include information about how you may opt out of future fundraising communications.
• Hospital Directory. We may include certain limited information about you in the hospital directory while you are a patient at the hospital. This information may include your name, location in the hospital, your general condition (e.g., fair, stable, etc.) and your religious affiliation. The directory information, except for your religious affiliation, may also be released to people who ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation may be given to a member of the clergy, such as a priest or rabbi, even if they don’t ask for you by name. This is so your family, friends, and clergy can visit you in the hospital and generally know how you are doing. We will inform you of this at the time of admission and give you the opportunity to object.
• Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. We may release to your relatives or close personal friends any health information that is directly related to that person’s involvement in the provision of, or payment for, your care. We may also use and release your health information for the purpose of locating and notifying your relatives or close personal friends of your location and general condition or death, and to Organizations that are involved in those tasks during disaster situations.
• Research. Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose medical information about you for research purposes. For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one medication to those who received another, for the same condition. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process.
• As Required By Law. We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
• To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may use and disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.

Special Situations

• Organ and Tissue Donation. If you are an organ donor, we may release medical information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
• Military and Veterans. If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release medical information about you as required by military command authorities. We may also release medical information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.
• Workers’ Compensation. We may release medical information about you for workers’ compensation as permitted by law.
• Public Health Risks. We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities and/or as required or authorized by law. These activities generally include the following:

  • to prevent or control disease, injury or disability;

  • to report births and deaths;

  • to report reactions to medications or problems with products;

  • to notify people of recalls of products they may be using;

  • to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;

  • to notify the appropriate authorities if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence.

• Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose medical information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure.  These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
• Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose medical information about you in response to a court or administrative order.
• Law Enforcement. We may release medical information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official.
• Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors. We may release medical information to a coroner or medical examiner.
• Security Activities. We may release medical information about you for specialized governmental functions, such as military national security, criminal correction, or public benefit as permitted by law. 

Your Rights Regarding Medical Information About You

You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:

• Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes.

  To inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to the Contact listed on the final page of this Notice. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request.

  We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to medical information, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen by the hospital will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.

• Right to Amend. If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for the hospital.

  To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to the Contact listed on the final page of this Notice. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request.

  We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:

  • • Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;

  • Is not part of the medical information kept by or for the hospital;

  • Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or

  • Is accurate and complete.

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• Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an “accounting of disclosures.” This is a list of the disclosures we made of medical information about you. However, the following disclosures will not be accounted for: (i) disclosures made for the purpose of carrying out treatment, payment or health care operations, (ii) disclosures made to you, (iii) disclosures of information maintained in our patient directory, or disclosure made to persons involved in your care, or for the purpose of notifying your family or friends about your whereabouts, (iv) disclosures for national security or intelligence purposes, (v) disclosures to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials who had you in custody at the time of disclosure, (vi) disclosures that occurred prior to April 14, 2003, (vii) disclosures made pursuant to an authorization signed by you, (viii) disclosures for research, public health, or health care operations in which identifiable data will be deleted, (ix) disclosures that are incidental to another permissible use or disclosure, or (x) disclosures made to a health oversight agency or law enforcement official, but only if the agency or official asks us not to account to you for such disclosures and only for the limited period of time covered by that request.

  To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to the Contact listed on the final page of this Notice. Your request must state a time period which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before April 14, 2003. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper, electronically). The first list you request within a 12 month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.

• Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or friend.  For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had.

  We are not required to agree to your request, with one exception: If you have paid out of pocket and in full for a health care item or service, you may request that we not disclose your health information related to that item or service to a health plan for purposes of payment or health care operations. If you make such a request, we will not disclose your information to the health plan unless the disclosure is otherwise required by law.

  If we do agree to your request for a restriction, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.

  To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to the Contact listed on the final page of this Notice. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.

• Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail.

  To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to the Contact listed on the final page of this Notice. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.

• Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice. You have the right to request an additional or updated paper copy of this notice.

Changes to This Notice

• We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for medical information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice in the hospital. The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right-hand corner, the effective date.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Contact listed on the final page of this Notice. You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. All complaints must be submitted in writing.

You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

Other Uses of Medical Information

Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. In particular:

• Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes require your written authorization. “Psychotherapy notes” are the personal notes of a mental health professional that analyze the contents of conversations during a counseling session. They are treated differently under federal law than other mental health records.

• Uses and disclosures for marketing require your written authorization. “Marketing” is a communication that encourages you to purchase a product or service. However, it is not marketing if we communicate with you about health-related products or services we offer, as long as we are not paid by a third party for making that communication.

• A disclosure that qualifies as a sale of your health information under federal law may not occur without your written authorization.

If you provide us permission to use or disclose medical information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.

Designated Contact:

Trisha Sawyer
Director of Quality and Human Resources
(814) 664-4641
Corry Memorial Hospital
965 Shamrock Lane
Corry, PA 16407

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