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SPARTANBURG
REGIONAL HEALTH SERVICES DISTRICT, INC.
NOTICE
OF 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.
Spartanburg
Regional Health Services District, Inc. and all the members of our
medical staff (referred to in this Notice of Privacy Practices as
“we,” “us”, or the “District”) is committed to
respecting the privacy of your protected health information.
Protected health information means information about you that may
identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future
physical or mental health and healthcare services provided to you.
We
are required by law to give you this Notice of Privacy Practices and
to follow its terms. It describes how we may use and disclose your
protected health information to carry out treatment , payment and
healthcare operations. It also tells you how we may use and disclose
your protected health information for other purposes that are
allowed by law, and it describes your rights regarding your
protected health information and this Notice of Privacy Practices.
1.
Understanding Your Health
Record/Information
Each
time you visit the hospital, doctor, or other healthcare provider, a
record of your visit is made. This record contains, among other
things, your symptoms, examination and test results , diagnoses,
treatment and a plan for future treatment. This information is
usually referred to as your health record. We may use or disclose
this information to:
- Plan
your care and treatment
- Communicate
with your doctor and other health professionals who provide care
for you
- Serve
as a legal document that describes the care you received
- Educate
health professionals
- Perform
medical research
- Assess
and work toward improvement of the care we provide and the
results we achieve
- Help
public health agents improve the health of the state and the
nation
- Verify
that services billed were actually provided
- Help
us plan for the future needs of our healthcare system and
communicate those services to the community
Understanding
what is in your medical record and how your protected health
information is used and disclosed helps you to:
- Ensure
the accuracy of your medical record
- Make
informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others
- Better
understand who , what, when, where and why others may access
your protected health information
2.
How We May Use and Disclose Your
Protected Health Information
For
Treatment: We
may use and disclose your protected health information to provide,
coordinate and manage your health care and any related health
services. For example: the information recorded in your health
record by your physician and other members of your healthcare team
will be used to determine the best course of treatment for you. Your
physician will record his or her orders regarding your treatment.
Healthcare team members from various departments will record their
actions and observations in carrying out those orders so that your
physician will know how you are responding to treatment. We may
disclose your protected health information to other healthcare
providers or third parties who are involved in your treatment. For
example: we may disclose your protected health information to a
provider of home health services if you need to have home health
care at discharge. We may also use or disclose your protected health
information in consultation with other healthcare providers relating
to your care or to refer you for health care to another provider.
For
Payment: We
may use and disclose your protected health information to bill and
collect payment for your healthcare services from you, your insurer
or a third party. For example : We will bill your third-party
payer(s) for the healthcare services we provide. The information on
the bill may include information that identifies your diagnoses,
treatment and supplies used. We may also use and disclose your
protected health information to:
- make
eligibility and coverage decisions
- seek
judgment on or subrogate health benefit claims
- perform
risk adjusting activities
- review
services provided to you for
*
medical
necessity determination
*coverage
under a health plan
*
appropriateness
of care
*
justification
of charges
- support
utilization review activities
- report
to consumer reporting agencies.
For
Health Care Operations :
We may use or disclose your protected health information to support
our healthcare operations . Healthcare operations are those
activities necessary to run our facility and to assure that you
receive high quality healthcare services. For example: members of
the risk management team may use your protected health information
to evaluate the performance of our staff in providing your care. We
may use or disclose your protected health information to:
- conduct
quality assessment and improvement activities
- review
the competence or qualification of health care professionals,
evaluate practitioner
performance, conduct training programs for students,
trainees, practitioners or non-health care
professionals
- conduct
accreditation , certification, licensing or credentialing
activities
- conduct
activities related to the creation, renewal or replacement of a
contract of health insurance or health
benefits
- conduct
or arrange for medical review, legal services, and auditing
functions
- provide
for business planning and development
- provide
for business management and general administration.
Appointment
Reminder , Treatment Options or Health-Related Benefits and
Services: We
may contact you to remind you of any appointments, healthcare
treatment options or other health services that may be of interest
to you. For example: We may contact you in advance of a procedure
that has been scheduled by your physician at our facility to remind
you of the scheduled date and time.
As
Required By Law : We
may use or disclose your protected health information to the extent
that federal , state or local law requires such use or disclosure.
For
Public Health Activities:
We may use or disclose your protected health information to a public
health authority to:
- prevent
or control disease, injury or disability
- report
child abuse or neglect
- report
adverse events with respect to food, drugs and product defects
- enable
product recalls , repairs or replacement
We
may also disclose protected health information to your employer, as
allowed by occupational health and safety laws, regarding
work-related illness or injury or concerning medical surveillance
activities.
For
Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence Reporting: If
we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic
violence, we may disclose your protected health information to a
government authority or agency authorized by law to receive such
reports.
For
Health Oversight Activities:
We may disclose your protected health information to a health
oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits,
civil, administrative or criminal investigations , inspections,
licensure or disciplinary actions.
For
Legal Proceedings : We
may disclose your protected health information in the course of any
judicial or administrative proceedings in response to an order of
the court, administrative tribunal, subpoena , discovery request or
other lawful request.
For
Law Enforcement : We
may disclose your protected health information for law enforcement
purposes in response to a court order, court ordered warrant,
subpoena, summons, a grand jury subpoena , administrative request or
similar process.
Coroners,
Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors: We
may disclose your protected health information to coroners, medical
directors or funeral directors as required by law to carry out their
duties.
For
Organ and Tissue Donation:
If you are an organ donor, we may use or disclose your protected
health information to organ procurement organizations or other
organizations that handle procurement , banking or transplantation
of organs for the purpose of tissue donation and transplantation .
For
Research: We
may use or disclose your protected health information to researchers
provided that the use or disclosure has been approved and procedures
have been established to ensure the privacy of your protected health
information.
To
Prevent Serious Threat to Health or Safety: We
may use or disclose your protected health information if, in good
faith, we believe the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or
lessen a serious threat to your health and safety or to the health
and safety of the public or another person.
Military
Activity , Veterans, and National Security: If
you are a member of the Armed Forces, we may use or disclose your
protected health information for activities deemed necessary by
appropriate military command authorities to assure the proper
execution of the military mission. We may disclose protected health
information to authorized federal officials for intelligence,
counterintelligence , and other national security activities
authorized by law.
Workers
Compensation : We
may use or disclose your protected health information to comply with
workers compensation or other similar programs established by law
for work-related injuries or illness .
For
Fundraising:
We may use or disclose your demographic information and the dates on
which health care was provided to you to contact you to raise funds
for the District.
3.
Uses and Disclosures of Health
Information That Require Your Written Authorization
Other
uses and disclosures of your protected health information will be
made only with your written authorization for its use or disclosure.
You may revoke your authorization to use or disclose your health
information at any time except to the extent that your protected
health information has already been used or disclosed before you
revoked your authorization . You must revoke your authorization in
writing.
If
we receive protected health information from a facility covered by
the Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Act, or if we receive or create
certain psychiatric protected health information , we will not
further disclose or disclose that protected health information
without your express permission without a court order.
4.
Other Uses and Disclosures of Your
Protected Health Information That May Be Made if We Provide You with
the Opportunity to Object.
Notification
to Individuals Involved in Your Care: We
may use or disclose protected health information to a family member,
close friend , or any other person you identify to the extent it is
relevant to that person’s involvement in your treatment. We may
also disclose your protected health information to your family or
friends if it is apparent from the circumstances and based on our
professional judgment that you would not object. For example, we may
assume that you do not object to disclosure of your protected health
information to your spouse if you permit your spouse to accompany
you during treatment or to be present while treatment is discussed .
Facility
Directory : Unless
you notify us that you object, we will use and disclose your name,
location in the facility, condition (in general terms) and religious
affiliation for directory purposes . This information, except for
religious affiliation, will be disclosed to people who ask for you
by name. Only members of the clergy will be told of your religious
affiliation.
5.
Your Rights Concerning Your Health
Information and This Notice
Although
the facility is the owner of your health record, you have certain
rights concerning that information . You have the right to:
Amend
Your Health Record: If
you believe the protected health information we have about you is
incorrect or incomplete , you may ask us to amend the information
for as long as we maintain your protected health information. If you
wish to request an amendment, then you must do so in writing and
submit that request to Health Informatics, 101 East Wood Street,
Spartanburg , South Carolina, 29303. The request must provide the
reason(s) you are making the request. Your request may be subject to
certain exceptions and limitations. We may deny your request to
amend your protected health information.
Inspect
and Copy Your Health Information:
You have the right to inspect and copy your protected health
information. You must submit a written request to Health
Informatics, 101 East Wood Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina,
29303 in order to inspect and/or copy your protected health
information . In certain circumstances, we may deny your request to
inspect and/or copy your records. If you request a copy of your
health information, reasonable copying fees may be charged.
Receive
an Accounting of Disclosures:
You have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your
protected health information that we may make after April 14, 2003
but within six (6) years of the date of the request. This right
applies to disclosures for purposes other than treatment, payment or
health care operations as described in this Notice of Privacy
Practices. The right to receive this information is subject to
certain exceptions, restrictions and limitations. If you wish to
request an accounting, then you must do so in writing and submit
that request to Health Informatics, 101 East Wood Street,
Spartanburg , South Carolina, 29303. The first request for an
accounting within any 12 month period will be provided to you at no
charge. We may charge you a reasonable copying fee for additional
requests.
Request
Restrictions :
You have the right to request restrictions or limitations on the
protected health information we use or disclose about you to carry
out treatment, payment and healthcare operations or make
notifications to individuals involved in your care as described in
this Notice of Privacy Practices. If you wish to request a
restriction, then you must do so in writing and submit that request
to Health Informatics, 101 East Wood Street, Spartanburg , South
Carolina, 29303. The written request must include the protected
health information you wish to restrict, whether you want to
restrict its use or disclosure or both , and to whom you wish the
restrictions to apply. We are not required to agree to your request
for restriction. If the restricted protected health information is
needed to provide emergency treatment, we may disclose such
information to your healthcare provider for the purpose of providing
treatment.
Request
Confidential Communications:
You may request that we communicate with you about your protected
health information in a certain way or at a certain location. We
will accommodate reasonable requests . For example, you may request
that we contact you at work. If you wish to request confidential
communications, you must make the request in writing and submit it
to Health Informatics, 101 East Wood Street, Spartanburg, South
Carolina, 29303. The request must include how and where you wish to
be contacted.
Obtain
a Paper Copy of This Notice:
You have a right to obtain a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy
Practices even if you have agreed to receive it electronically. We
will provide you with a Notice upon your request.
6.
Requirements of Our Facility:
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health
information and to abide by the terms of this Notice. We reserve the
right to change the terms of this Notice and to make the new Notice
provisions effective for all the protected health information that
we maintain. We will inform you of changes as required by law. Upon
your request, we will provide you with a revised Notice. You may
request a revised Notice be sent to you in the mail or you may ask
for a revised copy at the time of your next visit. You may also
obtain a revised Notice by accessing our web site at www.srhs.com.
7.
For More Information or to
Report a Problem:
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated,
you
may file a complaint with our Corporate Integrity Department by
contacting the Privacy Officer at (864) 560-2114. You may also
complain to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human
Services. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint. Should
you wish to communicate in writing, please mail your complaint to:
ATTN:
Privacy Officer
Spartanburg
Regional Healthcare District, Inc.
101
East Wood Street
Spartanburg,
SC 29303
If
you have any questions or need further information about this Notice
of Privacy Practices, you may contact the Privacy Officer at (864)
560-2114.
This
Notice Becomes Effective April 14, 2003
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