Privacy Practices

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.

On the last page of this document you will find the effective date of this document and, in addition to the hospital, the other healthcare providers that may follow this notice.

Who Will Follow This Notice This notice describes our hospital’s practices and the physicians who provide services to patients at this hospital. It will also apply to any healthcare professional authorized to provide you with treatment and/or authorized to enter information into your hospital chart.

Understanding Your Health Record/Information

Each time you visit a hospital, 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
• means of communication among the many health professionals who contribute to your care
• legal document describing the care you received
• means by which you or a third party payer can verify that services billed were actually provided
• a tool in educating heath professionals;
• a source of data for medical research;
• a source of information for public health officials charged with improving the health of the nation;
• a source of data for facility planning and marketing and
• a tool with which we can assess and continually work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve.

Your Health Information Rights

You have the following rights with regard to your health information. To exercise these rights or to obtain the appropriate request forms, please contact the Health Information Management Department at (334) 418 4148 or 4145. Although your health record is the physical property of the healthcare provider that compiled it, the information belongs to you.

 You have the right to:

• request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information. The law states that the facility is not required to agree to a requested restriction.
• inspect and copy your health record. The law states that in limited circumstances you are to be denied access to the information, but if you are denied access, then you may request that the denial be reviewed. To inspect and/or obtain a copy of medical information, you must submit a request in writing. A fee may be charged if you obtain a copy of your records.
• Request an amendment to your health record. The request must be submitted in writing and must provide a reason for the request.
• obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information that take place after April 14, 2003 (the facility is not required to provide you with an accounting for matters related to treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or patient directory releases or to exceed certain time periods). The request must be submitted in writing.
• request communications of your health information by alternative means or at alternative locations. You are not allowed to limit the way a facility may contact you in order to avoid your responsibility to pay for services rendered.

Our Responsibilities

This organization is required to:

• maintain the privacy of your health information
• provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you
• abide by the terms of this notice

We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain. The current notice will be posted in a public place in the facility and will include the effective date. If changes are made to the notice and you return to the facility, a new copy of the notice will be provided.

We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice. You may revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken.

Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Operations

Treatment: We will use and disclose your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party. For example: Information obtained by a nurse, physician or other member of your healthcare team will be recorded in your record and used to determine the course of treatment that should work best for you. Your physician will document in your record his expectations of the members of your healthcare team. Members of your healthcare team will then record the actions they took and their observations. In that way the physician will know how you are responding to treatment. We may provide your physician or a subsequent healthcare provider with copies of various reports that should assist in treating you.

Payment: Your protected health information will be used or disclosed, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services. For example: A bill may be sent to you or a third party. The bill will include information that identifies you, your diagnosis and the procedures and supplies used. We may disclose information about you for the payment activities of another healthcare provider.

Health Care Operations: We will use your health information for regular health operations. We may use or disclose your protected health information to support the daily activities related to health care. These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment activities, investigations, oversight or staff performance reviews, training of students, licensing, and conducting or arranging for other health care related activities. Other examples of uses or disclosures of medical information for the facility's day to day operations include: To assess your satisfaction with other services; to remind you of appointments; to tell you of possible treatment alternatives; to allow staff to evaluate the treatment you received; to work with health oversight agencies which would include audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure; and to combine your information into aggregate data to determine what additional services should be provided; we will share your health information with third-party "business associates" who perform various activities (for example billing services). These parties are also required to protect your health information.

Other Uses or Disclosures

Directory: Unless you notify us that you object, we will use your name, location in the facility, and general condition, for directory purposes. This information may be provided to people who ask for you by name.

Notification/Communication with Family: We may use or disclose information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative, or another person responsible for your care. Health professionals, using their best judgment, may disclose to a family member, other relative, close personal friend or any other person you identify, health information relevant to that person's involvement in your care or payment related to your care.

Research: We may disclose information to researchers when their research has been approved by an Institutional Review Board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your health information.

Medical Examiners, Coroners, & Funeral Directors: We may disclose health information to these entities when necessary for them to carry out their duties.

Organ Procurement Organizations: Consistent with applicable law, we may disclose health information to organ procurement organizations.

Marketing: We may contact you to provide information about treatment alternatives or other health related benefits and services that may be of interest.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA): We may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs or replacement.

Workers Compensation: We may disclose health information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers compensation or other similar programs established by law.

Public Health: We may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability. In this category, information may be disclosed: to report child or other abuse; to report reactions to medications or medical products; to notify people of recalls; to notify people who may have been exposed to a disease or are at risk of contracting or spreading a disease; and to report certain injuries. Another example of a case in which information will be disclosed in accordance with state law is in reporting to the state all births and deaths.

Law Enforcement: We may disclose health information required by law enforcement or to comply with state and federal laws. For example, information will be released to comply with or in response to a subpoena, court order, or other administrative process. w is in reporting to the state all births and deaths.

Military and Veterans: If you are, or have been, a member of the armed forces we may disclose information in response to military authorities.

Serious Threats to Health or Safety: We may disclose information about you to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety as well as the health and safety of the public.

Complaints

If you are concerned that we have violated your privacy rights or have questions, you may file a complaint with the VRMC Privacy Officer at (334) 418 4417 or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint. All complaints must be submitted in writing.

Independent Contractors

VRMC and the physicians who practice at the hospital are independent contractors and do not hereby assume any liability for the services or conduct of each other.

The Effective Date of this Notice is April 14, 2003.

Other Providers Who Will Follow This Notice