Privacy policy
HIPAA 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 CAREFULLY.
This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information (PHI) to carry our treatment, payment or health care operations (TPO) and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information. “Protected health information” is information about you, including demographic information that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services.
1. USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION: Your PHI may be used and disclosed by your physician, our staff and others outside of our office that are involved in your care and treatment for the purpose of providing health care service to you, to pay your health care bills, to support the operation of the physician’s practice, and any other use required by law.
Treatment: We will use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services. This includes the coordination of management of your health care with a third party. For example, we would disclose your PHI, as necessary, to a home health agency that provides care to you or to a physician to whom you have been referred or to a laboratory to ensure that the physician or laboratory have the necessary information to diagnose or treat you.
Payment: We may use and disclose PHI so that we can bill and collect payment for the treatment and services provided to you. Before providing treatment or services, we may share details with your health plan concerning the services you are scheduled to receive. We may disclose PHI to insurance companies providing you with additional coverage. We may disclose limited PHI to consumer reporting agencies relating to collection of payments owed to us.
Health Care Operations: We may use or disclose, as needed, your PHI to support the business activities of your physician’s practice. These activities include, but not limited to, business planning, management and licensing health care providers and staff; in resolving grievances within the practice; and cooperating with various people who review our activities such as another physician, our accountant or lawyer. We may use a sign-in sheet at the registration desk where you will be asked to sign your name and provide other identifying information. We may also call you by name in the waiting room when your physician is ready to see you. We may use or disclose PHI, if necessary to contact you to remind you of your appointment, fill or deny prescriptions, discuss diagnosis and treatment plans, and other test results.
Other Uses and Disclosures: We may use or disclose your PHI in the following situations without your authorization. These situations include: as required by Law; Public Health issues as required by law; Communicable Diseases; Health Oversight Activities; Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence; Food and Drug Administration requirements; Lawsuits and other Legal Proceedings; Law Enforcement; Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors; Organ and Tissue Donations; Research pursuant with specific detailed criteria established by the HIPAA Privacy Rule; Specialized Government Functions specifically defined by the HIPAA Privacy Rule; Worker’s Compensation; Secretary of the United Stated Department of Health and Human Services to review our compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
Other Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information Require Your Authorization: All other used and disclosures will only be made with your written authorization. If you have authorized us to use or disclose your PHI, you may revoke your authorization at any time, except to the extent we have taken action based on the authorization.
2. YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION: Under federal law you have the following rights regarding protected health information about you.
Right to Inspect and Copy Your Personal Health Information: You have the right to request the opportunity to inspect and receive a copy of your PHI in certain records that we maintain. This includes your medical and billing records but does not include psychotherapy notes, notes or information gathered or prepared for civil, criminal or administrative proceedings. We may deny your request to inspect and copy protected health information about you only in limited circumstances. To inspect and copy your PHI, you will be required to complete a written request, and we may charge a reasonable fee for the copying, postage, labor and supplies used in meeting your request.
Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request additional restrictions on the PHI that we may use for treatment, payment and health care operations. You may also request additional restrictions on our disclosure of protected health information to certain individuals involved in your care that otherwise are permitted by the HIPAA Privacy Rule. We are not required to agree with your request. If we do, we are required to comply with our agreement except in certain cases, including where the information is needed to treat you in the case of an emergency. Your request must be submitted in writing to our office which will be reviewed by our Privacy Official. In your request please include the information you want restricted, how you want to restrict the information, and to whom you want the restrictions to apply.
Right to Amend: You have the right request that we amend your PHI. Your request must be submitted in writing to our office which will be reviewed by the Privacy Official. You must include a reason for your request. We may deny your request in certain cases. You have the right to submit a written statement disagreeing with the denial and we may prepare a rebuttal to your statement.
Right to Receive Confidential Communications: You have the right to request that you receive communications regarding PHI in a certain manner or at a certain location. For example, you may request that we contact you at home rather than work. You must make your request in writing and you must clearly specify how you would like to be contacted. We are required to accommodate reasonable requests.
Right to Receive an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request an accounting of certain disclosures that we have made of protected health information about you. This is a list of disclosures made by us during a specific period up to six (6) years except for those used and disclosures discussed on the first page of this HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices and those made prior to April 14, 2003. Your request must be submitted in writing to our office and will be reviewed by our Privacy Official. This first list that you request during a twelve (12) month period. You will be informed in advance of this fee and will be given the opportunity to withdraw your request.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You have a right to receive a paper copy of this Notice at any time.
3. COMPLAINTS, QUESTIONS AND PRIVACY OFFICIAL CONTACT INFORMATION
Complaints: If you feel that your privacy rights have been violated you may file a complaint with the Privacy Official at our office at the address and telephone listed below. You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. We will not retaliate or take action against you for filing a complaint.
Questions: If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact our Privacy Official at the address and telephone number listed below.
Privacy Official Contact Information: You may contact our Privacy Official at the following address and telephone number listed below.
Marissa Terrazas, Privacy Official
11410 Vista del Sol
El Paso, TX 79936
(915)592-6269
Aviso de Practicas de Privacidad HIPAA
ESTE AVISO DESCRIBE COMO SE PUEDE USAR Y REVELAR LA INFORMACION MEDICA DE USTED Y COMO USTED PUEDE OBTENER ESTA INFORMACION. FAVOR DE EXAMINARLO CON CUIDADO.
1. PROPOSITO: Southwest Allergy & Asthma Associates, P.A. y sus empleados siguen las practicas de privacidad descritas en este aviso. Esta oficina guarda su informacion medica en documentos que se guardan de manera confidencial, como se require por ley. Sin embargo la oficina tiene que usar y revelar su informacion medica hasta el punto necesario para proporcionarle cuidado de salud de calidad. Para hacer esto, la oficina tiene que compartir su informacion medica como se require para tratamiento, pago y operaciones de cuidado de salud.
2. QUE SON TRATAMIENTO, PAGO Y OPERACIONES DE CUIDADO DE SALUD?: El tratamiento incluye compartir informacion entre los proveedores de cuidado de la salud que participan en su atencion. Por ejemplo, su medico puede compartir informacion en cuanto a su condicion con el farmaceutico para discutir medicamentos apropiados, con radiologos o con otros especialistas para poder hacer un diagnostic. Es posible que la oficina use su informacion medica como se require por su asegurador o su HMO (Organizacion de Mantenimiento de Salud) para obtener pago por su tratamiento. Es posible que tambien usemos y revelemos su informacion medica para mejorar la calidad de atencion. Eg: para propositos de estudio y capacitacion.
3. COMO USARA LA OFICINA MI INFORMACION MEDICA?: Se puede usar su infomacion medica para propositos a continuacion, a menos que usted pida restricciones sobre un uso o revelacion especifica:
a. Familiares o amigos cercanos que participan en su cidado o en el pago de su tratamiento
b. Recordatorios de citas
c. Para informarle a usted de beneficios o servicios de tratamiento relacionados con su salud (se le dara oportunidad de rechazar recibir esta informacion)
d. Cuando requiere por ley
e. Actividades de salud publica, reportar abuso or negligencia de niños, reportar reacciones a medicamentos o problemas de productos, control de enfermedades infecciosas, avisar a autoridades gubernamentales de abuso, negligencia o violencia domestica sospechosa (si usted esta de acuerdo o si se require por ley).
f. Actividades de vigilancia de salud (e.g.: auditoria, inspecciones, investigaciones y licenciatura)
g. Juicios y litigio. (Intentaremos proveerle a usted aviso anterior de citacion antes de revelar la informacion.)
h. Cumplimiento de la ley (e.g.: como respuesta a resolucion judicial o otro proceso legal para indentificar o localizer a un individuo buscado por las autoridades.
i. Medicos forenses o investigadores y directores de funerarias.
j. Donacion de organos y tejidos.
k. Ciertos proyectos de investigacion.
l. A autoridades de mando militar si usted es miembro de las fuerzas armadas o miembro de una autoridad militar extranjera.
m. Actividades de inteligencia y seguridad nacional.
n. Proteccion del Presidente o otras personas autorizadas para jefes de estado extranjero o para realizar investigaciones especiales.
o. Compensacion de trabajadores. (Se puede divulger su informacion medica con respect a beneficios por enfermedades relacionadas con el trabajo si es apropiado.)
p. Para realizar operaciones de tratamiento, pago o cuidado de salud a traves de socios de negocios. e.g.: para instalar un sistema de computo nuevo.
4. SE REQUIERE SU AUTORIZACION PARA OTRAS REVELACIONES: Con excepcion de lo descrito anteriormente, no usaremos ni revelaremos su informacion medica a menos que usted autorize (permita) a la oficina por escrito divulger su informacion. Usted puede revocar su permiso en cual entrata en vigor solo despues de la fecha de su revocacion escrita.
5. USTED TIENE DERECHOS CON RESPECTO A SU INFORMACION MEDICA: Usted tiene los siguientes derechos con respecto a su informacion medica, con tal que usted solicite por escrito acoger el derecho en la forma porvista por la oficina:
a. Derecho de restriccion de pedidos. Usted puede pedir limitaciones en su informacion medica que usemos o divulgemos para tratamiento, pago o operaciones de cuidado de salud, pero no se require accede a su pedido. Si aceptamos, cumplir con su pedido a menos que la informacion se necesite para proveerle a usted tratamiento de urgencia.
b. Derecho a comunicaciones confidenciales. Usted puede pedir comunicacion de cierta manera o en cierto local, per ousted tiene que especificar como y cuando desea que lo contacten.
c. Derecho a examinar y copiar. Usted tiene el Derecho a examiner y recibir una copa del papel de su infomacion medica con respecto a decisiones de su cuidado. Los apuntes de psicoterapia no se pueden examinar o copiar, enviar por correo o por materiales. Bajo circunstancias limitadas, se puede negar su pedido; usted puede pedir examinar la denegacion por otro profecional titulado de cuidado de la salud escogido por la oficina. La oficina aceptara el resultado del examen.
d. Derecho a pedir correccion. Si usted cree que la informacion medica que tenemos de usted no esta correcta o complete, usted puede solicitor una correccion en la forma provista por la oficina, la cual require cierta informacion especifica. No se require a la oficina aceptar la correccion.
e. Derecho a informe de revelaciones. Usted puede pedir una lista de revelaciones de su informacion medica que se han hecho a personal o entidades aparte de tratamiento, pago y operaciones de cuidado de salud en los seis (6) años anteriores, pero no antes de 14 de Abril, 2003. Puede cobrarse despues del primer pedido.
6. REQUISITOS CON RESPECTO A ESTE AVISO: Se require por ley proveerle a usted este aviso. Nos regula este aviso mientras este vigente. Es posible que la oficina cambie este aviso; estos cambios estaran en vigor en cuanto a informacion medica que tengamos de usted asi como de informacion que recibamos en el futuro. Cada vez que usted se registre en la oficina para servicios de cuidado de salud como paciente internado o no internado, usted podra recibir una copia del aviso vigente en ese momento.
7. QUEJAS: Si usted piensa que se han violado sus derechos de privacidad, usted puede presentar una queja con la oficina o con el Ministro del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos. No se prejudicara usted de ninguna manera ni se tomaran represalias en su contra por presentar una queja a la oficina o al Deparatamiento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de los Estados Unidos.
8. PREGUNTAS: Si usted tiene alguna pregunta sobre este aviso porfavor comuniquese con nuestro Administrador de Privacidad en la direccion y numero de telefono indicados al final de este documento.
Marissa Terrazas, Administrador de Privacidad
11410 Vista del Sol
El Paso, TX 79936
(915)592-6269