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 this notice carefully.
This Notice of Privacy Practices (the “Notice”) applies to information and records regarding your health care. This Notice will be followed by all United Helpers entities. All healthcare professionals, (including students) authorized to enter information into your health record will follow this notice.
United Helpers is committed to protecting your medical information. A record of the services we deliver is kept in accordance with the regulatory requirements for medical records retention. This notice applies to this information; we are required by law to protect your medical information, describe our legal duties, follow the terms of the notice and notify you of any breach of unsecured protected health information.
Use and disclosure
We may disclose information about you while performing and coordinating care, treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. HIV-related, genetic, and mental health information may be subject to more stringent disclosure requirements under state law; we will follow such requirements.
During treatment, we may use medical information about you to provide healthcare services. Disclosures of medical information may include doctors, nurses, aides, students or other personnel who are involved in your care. For example, an interdisciplinary team involving doctors, nurses, dieticians, therapists, and lab personnel may be included in developing or adjusting a plan of care to provide appropriate services.
The United Helpers finance department may use and disclose medication information so the care and services delivered can be billed appropriately.
United Helpers may use and disclose medical information about you for the purpose of maintaining operations. Examples include quality of care reviews, auditing, and education. Your information may also be used or disclosed to comply with law and regulations, for contractual obligations, grievances, lawsuits,
health care contracting, legal services, business planning and development, business management, and administration.
We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal or state law. For example, as required by law, we may disclose medical information about you for public health purposes. These purposes generally include the following:
- preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability;
- reporting and notifying the appropriate government authority of vital events such as abuse, neglect, and deaths;
- reporting adverse events or surveillance related medications or defects or problems with equipment;
- notifying a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or condition.
During the course of regulatory activity, we may disclose your medical information to governmental, licensing, auditing, and accrediting agencies as authorized or required by law.
Incidental usage and disclosures: In order to ensure that communications essential to providing quality healthcare would not be hindered, incidental disclosures may occur. An example of this would be another person overhearing a confidential communication between providers at a nurse’s station in the emergency room.
Your rights regarding your medical information
Your medical record is the property of United Helpers. You have the following rights, regarding medical information we maintain about you:
Right to Inspect and Copy: With certain exceptions, you have the right to inspect and/or receive a copy of your medical information. To inspect and/or to receive a copy of your medical information, you must submit your request in writing. If you request a copy of the information, there is a fee for these services. If your medical information is maintained in an electronic health record, you also have the right to request that an electronic copy of your record be sent to you or to another individual or entity. We may charge you a reasonable cost-based fee limited to the labor costs associated with transmitting the electronic health record.
Right to Receive Notice of a Breach: We are required to notify you by first class mail or by e-mail (if you have indicated a preference to receive information by e-mail), of any breaches of Unsecured Protected Health Information as soon as possible, but in any event, no later than 60 days following the discovery of the breach. “Unsecured Protected Health Information” is information that is not secured through the use of a technology or methodology identified by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to render the Protected Health Information unusable, unreadable, and undecipherable to unauthorized users. United Helpers reserve the right to change the privacy practices and this Notice.
Questions or complaints
If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact United Helpers Compliance Department at (315) 393-3072 ext. 306. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with United Helpers or with the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights, Hubert H. Humphrey Bldg., 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 509F HHH Building, Washington, DC 20201.
To file a complaint with United Helpers, please contact the Compliance Officer at (315) 393-3072 ext. 306. To file an anonymous complaint, call (315) 800- 5982. To file a complaint via electronically, please email [email protected]. You will not be penalized or subject to retaliation in any manner for filing a complaint.