You have the right to inspect and
copy the protected health information contained in your medical and billing
records and in any other Hospital records used by us to make decisions about
you, except:
(i) for
psychotherapy notes, which are notes that have been recorded by a mental health
professional documenting or analyzing the contents of conversations during a
private counseling session or a group, joint or family counseling session and
that have been separated from the rest of your medical record;
(ii) for
information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or for use in, a civil,
criminal, or administrative action or proceeding;
(iii) for
protected health information involving laboratory tests when your access is
restricted by law;
(iv) if you
are a prison inmate, obtaining a copy of your information may be restricted if
it would jeopardize your health, safety, security, custody, or rehabilitation
or that of other inmates or the safety of any officer, employee, or other
person at the correctional institution or person responsible for transporting
you;
(v) if we
obtained or created protected health information as part of a research study,
your access to the health information may be restricted for as long as the
research is in progress, provided that you agreed to the temporary denial of
access when consenting to participate in the research;
(vi) For
protected health information contained in records kept by a Federal agency or
contractor when your access is restricted by law; and
(vii) For
protected health information obtained from someone other than us under a
promise of confidentiality when the access requested would be reasonably likely
to reveal the source of the information.
In
order to inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make
decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to the Director of
Health Information Management. 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 where appropriate under the
federal government’s rules, 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
Privacy Officer. 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.
· 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. The list will not include
disclosures that we have already made to you or authorized by you, that were
made to identify you in the hospital directory or that were made to people who
were involved in your care. The list will also not include disclosures to
correctional institutions or law enforcement officials as provided by law, and
as part of a limited data set as provided by law, that were made for treatment,
payment or health care operations. In addition, we will not include on the list
medical information about you that will compromise national security.
To request this list of
accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to the
Privacy Officer. 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). We will do our best to honor your request. The first
accounting you request within a twelve (12) month period will be free. For additional
accountings, we may charge you. 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.
We will allow
your family and friends to act on your behalf to pick-up filled prescriptions,
medical supplies, x-rays and similar forms of protected health information,
when we determine, in our professional judgment, that it is in your best
interest to make such disclosures.
We may contact
you as part of our efforts to market our services as permitted by applicable
law.
· 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.
We are not required to
agree to your request. If we do agree to your request, we will comply with your
request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.
· 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 Director of Health
Information Management. 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 a paper copy of this notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of
this notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this notice
electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this notice.
To obtain a paper copy of this notice, please contact
the Admitting Office.
