McGuire Memorial
NOTICE
OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective: April
14, 2003
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.
This notice will tell you how we may use and disclose protected health information. Protected health information means any health information that identifies your child for which there is a reasonable basis to believe the information can be used to identify your child. In the header above, that information is referred to as “medical information.” In this notice, we call all of that protected health information, “medical information.”
This notice also will tell you about your rights and our duties with respect to health information. In addition, it will tell you how to complain to us if you believe we have violated your privacy rights.
A. How We May Use and Disclose Health Information
We will share health information about your child with each other as necessary to carry out treatment, payment, or our health care operations.
We use and disclose health information for a number of different purposes. Each of those purposes are described below:
1. For Treatment. We may use health information to provide, coordinate, or manage the services, supports, and health care received from us and other providers. We may disclose health information to doctors, nurses, qualified mental retardation professionals (QMRPs), psychologists, social workers, direct support staff and other agency staff, volunteers and other persons who are involved in supporting or providing care. We may consult with other health care providers concerning your child and, as part of the consultation, share health information with them. For example, staff may discuss your child’s information to develop and carry out the individual service plan. Staff may share information to coordinate needed services, such as medical tests, transportation to a doctor’s visit, physical therapy, etc. Staff may need to disclose health information to entities outside of our organization (for example, another provider or a state/local agency) to obtain new services for your child.
2. For Payment. We may use and disclose health information so we can be paid for the services we provide. This can include billing a third party payer, such as Medicaid or other state agency (for example, the state’s Office of Mental Retardation), or your insurance company. For example, we may need to provide the state Medicaid program information about the services we provide so we will be reimbursed for those services. We also may need to provide the state Medicaid program with information to ensure eligibility for the medical assistance program.
3. For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose health information for our own operations. These are necessary for us to operate McGuire Memorial and to maintain quality health for our individuals. For example, we may use health information about your child to review the services we provide and the performance of our employees. We may disclose health information to train our staff and volunteers. We also may use the information to study ways to more effectively manage our organization, for accreditation or licensing activities, or four our compliance program.
4. Appointment Reminders. We may use and disclose health information about your child to contact you to remind you of an appointment for treatment of services.
5. Treatment and Service Alternatives. We may use and disclose health information about your child to contact you about treatment and service alternatives that may be of interest to you.
6. Health Related Benefits and Services. We may use and disclose health information about your child to contact you about health related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
7. Marketing Communications. We may use and disclose health information about your child to communicate with you about a new service. This may be:
- To describe a health-related service that is provided by us;
- For treatment;
- For case management or care coordination for you;
- To direct or recommend alternative treatments, therapies, health care providers, or settings or care.
We may communicate to your about services in a face-to-face communication by us to you.
All other uses and disclosure of health information about your child to encourage the purchase and use of a product or service will be done only with your written authorization.
8. Fundraising. We may use and disclose health information about your child to raise fund for McGuire Memorial. We may disclose health information to our Foundation related to McGuire Memorial or the Foundation may contact you to raise money. We will only release demographic information, such as your name and address, and the dates treatment or services were received from McGuire Memorial. If you do not want McGuire Memorial or its Foundation to contact you for fundraising, you must notify the Foundation Director in writing.
9. Disclosures to Family and Others. We may disclose to a parent/guardian, personal representative, family member, other relative, a close personal friend, or any other person identified by you, health information about your child that is directly relevant to that person’s involvement with the services and supports received or payment for those services and supports. We also may use or disclose health information to notify, or assist in notifying, those persons of your location, general condition, or death. If there is a family member, other relative, or close personal friend that you do not want us to disclose health information about your child to, please notify Director of Social Service, 2119 Mercer Road , New Brighton , PA 15066 , 724-843-3400.
10. Disaster Relief. We may use or disclose health information to a public or private entity authorized by law or by its charter to assist in disaster relief efforts. This will be done to coordinate with those entities in notifying a parent/guardian, personal representative, family member, other relative, close personal friend, or other person identified by you of your location, general condition or death.
11. Required by Law. We may use or disclose health information about your child when we are required to do so by law.
a. Public Health Activities. This includes reporting
health information to a public health authority by law
to collect or receive information for purposes of preventing
or controlling disease. Or, one that is authorized to
receive reports of child abuse and neglect. It also includes
reporting for purposes of activities related to the quality,
safety or effectiveness of a United States Food and Drug
administration regulated product or activity.
b. Victims of Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence. To
a government authority authorized by law to receive reports
of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. This will occur
to the extent the disclosure is (a) required by law;
(b) agreed to by you or your personal representative;
or, (c) authorized by law and we believe the disclosure
is necessary to prevent serious harm to your child, to
other potential victims, or, if you are incapacitated
and certain other conditions are met, a law enforcement
or other public official represents that immediate enforcement
activity depends on the disclosure.
c. Health Oversight Activities. Oversight agency for activities
authorized by law, including audits, investigators, inspections,
licensure or disciplinary actions. These and similar
types of activities are necessary for appropriate oversight
of the health care system, government benefit programs,
and entities subject to various government regulations.
d. Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. Any judicial
or administrative proceeding in response to an order
of the court or administrative tribunal. We also may
disclose health information in response to a subpoena,
discovery request, or other legal process but only if
efforts have been made to tell you about the request
or to obtain an order protecting the information to be
disclosed.
e. Disclosure for Law Enforcement Purposes.
- As required by law.
- In response to a court, grand jury or administrative order, warrant or subpoena.
13. Funeral Directors. We may discuss health information to funeral directors as necessary for them to carry out their duties.
14. Organ, Eye, or Tissue Donation. To facilitate organ, eye or tissue donation and transplantation, we may disclose health information about your child to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking or transplantation of organs, eyes or tissue.
15. To Avert Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may use or disclose protected health information if we believe the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious or imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public. We also may release information if we believe the disclosure is necessary for law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual who admitted participation in a violent crime or who is an escapee from a correctional institution or from lawful custody.
16. National Security and Intelligence. We may disclose health information to authorized federal officials for the conduct of intelligence, counter-intelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.
17. Protective Services for the President. We may disclose health information to authorized federal officials so they can provide protection to the President of the United States, certain other federal officials, or foreign heads of state.
18. Workers Compensation. We may disclose health information to the extent necessary to comply with workers’ compensation and similar laws that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness without regard to fault.
19. Other Uses and Disclosures. Other uses and disclosures will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke such an authorization at any time by notifying Director of Social Service, 2119 Mercer Road , New Brighton , PA 15066 , 724-843-3400 in writing of your desire to revoke it. However, if you revoke such an authorization, it will not have any affect on actions taken by us in reliance on it.
To request a restriction, you may do so at any time. If you request a restriction, you should do so to Director of Social Service, 2119 Mercer Road, New Brighton, PA 15066, 724-843-3400 and tell us: (a) what information you want to limit; (b) whether you want to limit use or disclosure or both; and, (c) to whom you want the limits to apply (for example, disclosures to your spouse).
We are not required to agree to any requested restriction.
However, if we do not agree, we will follow that restriction
unless the information is needed to provide emergency treatment.
Even if we agree to a restriction, either you or we can later
terminate the restriction.
2. Right to Receive Confidential Communications.
You have the right to request that we communicate health
information about your child to you in a certain way
or at a certain location. For example, you can ask
that we only contact you by mail or at work. We will
not require you to tell us why you are asking for the
confidential communication.
If you want to request confidential communication, you must do so in writing to Director of Social Service, 2119 Mercer Road , New Brighton , PA 15066 , 724-843-3400. Your request must state how or where you can be contacted.
We will accommodate your request. However, we may, if necessary,
require information from you concerning how payment will be
handled. We also may require an alternate address or other
method to contact you.
3. Right to Inspect and Copy. With
a few very limited exceptions, such as psychotherapy
notes, you have the right to inspect and obtain a copy
of health information about your child.
To inspect and/or copy health information about you, you must submit your request in writing to Director of Social Service, 2119 Mercer Road, New Brighton , PA 15066 , 724-843-3400. Your request should state specifically what health information you want to inspect or copy. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying and, if you ask that it be mailed to you, the cost of mailing.
We will act on your request within thirty (30) calendar days after we receive your request. If we grant your request, in whole or in part, we will inform you of our acceptance of your request and provide access and copying.
We may deny your request to inspect and/or copy health information if the health information involved is:
a. Psychotherapy notes;
b. Information compiled
in anticipation of, or use in, a civil, criminal or administrative
action or proceeding;
4. Right to Amend. You have the right to ask us to amend health information. You have this right for so long as the health information is maintained by us.
To request an amendment, you must submit your request in writing to Director of Social Service, 2119 Mercer Road , New Brighton , PA 15066 , 724-843-3400. Your request must state the amendment desired and provide a reason in support of that amendment.
We will act on your request within sixty (60) calendar days after we receive your request. If we grant your request, in whole or in part, we will inform you of our acceptance of your request and provide access and copying.
If we grant the request, in whole or in part, we will seek your identification of and agreement to share the amendment with relevant other persons. We also will make the appropriate amendment to the health information by appending or otherwise providing a link to the amendment.
We may deny your request to amend health information. We may
deny your request if it is not in writing and does not provide
a reason in support of the amendment. In addition, we may deny
your request to amend health information if we determine that
the information:
b. Is not part of the health information maintained by us;
c. Would not be available for you to inspect or copy; or,
d. Is accurate and complete.
If we deny your request, we will inform you of the basis for the denial. You will have the right to submit a statement of disagreeing with our denial. We may prepare a rebuttal to that statement. Your request for amendment, our denial of the request, your statement of disagreement, if any, and our rebuttal, if any, will then be appended to the health information involved or otherwise linked to it. All of that will then be included with any subsequent disclosure of the information, or, at our election, we may include a summary of any of that information.
If you do not submit a statement of disagreement, you may
ask that we include your request for amendment and our denial
with any future disclosures of the information. We will include
your request for amendment and our denial (or a summary of
that information) with any subsequent disclosure of the health
information involved. You also will have the right to complain
about our denial of your request.
5. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You
have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of
health information about your child. The accounting may be
up for up to six (6) years prior to the date on which you
request the accounting but not before April 14, 2003.
Certain types of disclosures are not included in such an accounting:
a.
Disclosures
to carry out treatment, payment and health care operations;
b. Disclosures of your child’s health information made to you;
c. Disclosures that are incident to another’s use or disclosure;
d. Disclosures that you have authorized;
e. Disclosure for our
facility directory or to person involved in your care;
f. Disclosures
for disaster relief purposes;
g. Disclosures for nation security
or intelligence purposes;
h. Disclosures to correctional institutions
or law enforcement officials;
i. Disclosures that are part of a
limited data set for purposes of research, public health, or
health care operations (a limited data set is where things
that would directly identify you have been removed).
j.
Disclosures
made prior to April 14, 2003.
Under certain circumstances your right to an accounting of disclosures to a law enforcement official or a health oversight agency may be suspended. Should you request an accounting during the period of time your right is suspended the accounting would not include the disclosure or disclosures to a law enforcement official or to a health oversight agency.
To request an accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing Director of Social Service, 2119 Mercer Road , New Brighton , PA15066 , 724-843-3400. Your request must state a time period for the disclosures. It may not be longer than six (6) years from the date we receive your request and may not include dates before April 14, 2003.
Usually, we will act on your request within sixty (60) calendar days after we receive your request. Within that time, we will either provide the accounting of disclosures to you or give you a written statement of when we will provide the accounting and why the delay is necessary.
There is no charge for the first accounting we provide to you in any twelve (12) month period. For additional accountings, we may charge you for the cost of providing the list. If there will be a charge, we will notify you of the cost involved and give you an opportunity to withdraw or modify your request to avoid or reduce the fee.
C. Right to Copy of this Notice. You have the right to obtain a paper copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices. You may request a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices at any time.You may obtain a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices over the Internet at our Web site, www.mcguirememorial.org.
D. Our Duties- Generally. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of health information about your child and to provide individuals with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information.
- Our Right to Change Notice of Privacy Practices. We reserve the right to change this Notice of Privacy Practices. We reserve the right to make the new notice’s provisions effective for all health information that we maintain, including that created or received by us prior to the effective date of the new notice.
- Availability of Notice of Privacy Practices. A copy of our current Notice of Privacy Practices will be posted in our front lobby. A copy of the current notice also will be posted on our Web site, www.mcguirememorial.org.
- Complaints. You may complain to us and to the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights have been violated by us.
- Questions and Information. If you have any questions or want more information concerning this Notice of Privacy Practices, please contact (Privacy Compliance Officer, 2119 Mercer Road , New Brighton , PA 15066 , 724-843-3400, Extension 138.)
At any time, you may obtain a copy of the current Notice of Privacy Practices by contacting Director of Social Service, 2119 Mercer Road , New Brighton , PA 15066 , 724-843-3400.
To file a complaint with us, contact Director of Social Service, 2119 Mercer Road , New Brighton , PA 15066 , 724-843-3400. All complaints should be submitted in writing.
To file a complaint with the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, send your complaint to: Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20201.
You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.