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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.
We understand that your health information is personal to
you, and we are committed to protecting the information about
you. This Notice of Privacy Practices (or "Notice")
describes how we will use and disclose protected information
and data that we receive or create related to your health
care.
Our Duties
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health
information, and to give you this Notice describing our legal
duties and privacy practices. We are also required to follow
the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
How We May Use And Disclose Health
Information About You,
We will not use or disclose your health information without
your authorization, except in the following situations:
Treatment: We will use and disclose you health
information while providing, coordinating or managing your
health care. For example, information obtained by a nurse,
physician, or other member of your healthcare team will be
recorded in your record and used to determine the course of
treatment that should work best for you. Your physician will
put in your record his or her expectations of the members
of your healthcare team. Members of your healthcare team will
then record the actions they took and their observations.
In that way, the physician will know how you are responding
to treatment. We may also provide other healthcare providers
with your information to assist him or her in treating you.
Payment: We will use and
disclose your medical information to obtain or provide compensation
or reimbursement for providing your health care. For example,
we may send a bill to you or your health plan. The information
on or accompanying the bill may include information that identifies
you, as well as your diagnosis, procedures, and supplies used.
As another example, we may disclose information about you
to your health plan so that the health plan may determine
your eligibility for payment for certain benefits.
Health Care Operations:
We will use and disclose your health information to deal with
certain administrative aspects of your health care, and to
manage our business more efficiently. For example, members
of our medical staff may use information in your health record
to assess the quality of care and outcomes in your case and
others like it This information will then be used in an effort
to improve the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare
and services we provide.
Business Associates: There are some services
provided in our organization through contracts with business
associates. We may disclose your health information to our
business associate so they can perform the job we've asked
them to do. However, we require the business associate to
take precautions to protect your health information.
Facility Directory: Unless
you notify us that you object, we will use your name, location
in the facility, general condition, [and religious affiliation)
for directory purposes. This information may be provided to
members of the clergy and, except for religious affiliation,
to other people who ask for you by name.
Notification of Family: We may use or disclose information
to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal
representative, or other person responsible for your care
of your location and general condition.
Communication With Family:
We may disclose to a family member, other relative, close
personal friend or any other person you identify, health information
relevant to that person's involvement in your care.
Research: Consistent with applicable law
we may disclose information to researchers when their research
has been approved by an institutional review board that has
reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to
ensure the privacy of your health information.
Funeral Director, Coroner, and Medical
Examiner: Consistent with applicable law we may disclose
health information to funeral directors, coroners, and medical
examiners to help them carry out their duties.
Organ Procurement Organizations: Consistent with applicable
law, we may disclose health information to organ procurement
organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement,
banking, or transplantation of organs for the purpose of tissue
donation and transplant.
Fundraising: We may use
certain information for purposes of raising funds.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA): We may disclose to the
FDA health information relative to adverse events, product
defects, or post marketing surveillance information to enable
product recalls, repairs, or replacement.
Public Health: As required by law, we may disclose your health
information to public health or legal authorities charged
with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability,
including child abuse and neglect.
Victims of Abuse, Neglect or Domestic
Violence: We may disclose your health information
to appropriate governmental agencies, such as adult protective
or social services agencies, if we reasonably believe you
are a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
Health Oversight: In order
to oversee the health care system, government benefits programs,
entities subject to governmental regulation and civil rights
laws for which health information is necessary to determine
compliance, we may disclose your health information for oversight
activities authorized by law, such as audits and civil, administrative,
or criminal investigations.
Court Proceeding: We may disclose your health
information in response to requests made during judicial and
administrative proceedings, such as court orders or subpoenas.
Law Enforcement: Under certain circumstances, we
may disclose your health information to law enforcement officials.
These circumstances include reporting required by certain
laws (such as the reporting of certain types of wounds), pursuant
to certain subpoenas or court orders, reporting limited information
concerning identification and location at the request of a
law enforcement official, reports regarding suspected victims
of crimes at the request of a law enforcement official, reporting
death, crimes on our premises, and crimes in emergencies.
Inmates: If you are an inmate
of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law
enforcement official, we may release health information about
you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official.
This release would be necessary (1) for the institution to
provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and
safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the
safety and security of the correctional institution.
Threats to Public Health or Safety:
We may disclose or use health information when it is our good
faith belief, consistent with ethical and legal standards,
that it is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent
threat or is necessary to identify or apprehend an individual.
Specialized Government Functions: Subject to certain
requirements, we may disclose or use health information for
military personnel and veterans, for national security and
intelligence activities, for protective services for the President
and others, for medical suitability determinations for the
Department of State, for correctional institutions and other
law enforcement custodial situations, and for government programs
providing public benefits.
Workers Compensation: We may disclose health information
when authorized and necessary to comply with laws relating
to workers compensation or other similar programs.
Other Uses: We may also
use and disclose your personal health information for the
following purposes:
• To contact you to remind you of
an appointment for treatment;
• To describe or recommend treatment alternatives
to you;
• To furnish information about health-related benefits
and services that may be of interest to you; or
• For certain charitable fundraising purposes.
Prohibition on Other Uses or Disclosures
We may not make any other use or disclosure of your personal
health information without your written authorization. Once
given, you may revoke the authorization by writing to the
contact person listed below. Understandably, we are unable
to take back any disclosure we have already made with your
permission.
Individual Rights
You have many rights concerning the confidentiality of your
health information. You have the right:
• To request restrictions on the
health information we may use and disclose for treatment,
payment, and health care operations. We are not required
to agree to these requests. To request restrictions, please
send a written request to the address below.
• To receive confidential communications
of health information about you in a certain manner or at
a certain location. For instance, you may request that we
only contact you at work or by mail. To make such a request,
you must write to us at the address below, and tell us how
or where you wish to be contacted.
• To inspect or copy your health
information. You must submit your request in writing to
the address below. If you request a copy of your health
information we may charge you a fee for the cost of copying,
mailing or other supplies. In certain circumstances we may
deny your request to inspect or copy your health information.
If you are denied access to your health information, you
may request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed
health care professional will then review your request and
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.
• To amend health information. If
you feel that health information we have about you is incorrect
or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information.
To request an amendment, you must write to us at the address
below. You must also give us a reason to support your request.
We may deny your request to amend your health information
if it is not in writing or does not provide a reason to
support your request. We may also deny your request if
• The information was not created by us, unless the
person that created the information is no longer available
to make the amendment,
- • The information is not part of the health information
kept by or for us,
- • Is not part of the information you would be
permitted to inspect or copy, or
- • Is accurate and complete
• To receive an, accounting of disclosures of your
health information_ You must submit a request in writing
to the address below. Not all health information is subject
to this request. Your request must state a time period,
no longer than 6 years and may not include dates before
April 14, 2003. Your request must state how you would like
to receive the report (paper, electronically). The first
accounting you request within a 12-month period is free.
For additional accountings, we may charge you the cost of
providing the accounting. We will notify you of this cost
and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request before
charges are incurred.
- To receive a paper copy of this Notice upon request, even
if you have agreed to receive the Notice electronically.
You must submit a request for a paper notice in writing
to the address below.
All requests to restrict use of your health information for
treatment, payment, and health care operations, to inspect
and copy health information, to amend your health information,
or to receive an accounting of disclosures of health information
must be made in writing to the contact person listed below.
Complaints
If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated,
a complaint may be made to our privacy officer at (321) 726-9785
or the address listed below. You may also submit a complaint
to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Contact Person
Our contact person for all questions, requests or for further
information related to the privacy of your health information
is:
Bassin Center for Eyelid and Facial Plastic Surgery
1600 W. Eau Gallie Boulevard
Suite 104
Melbourne, FL 32935
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Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and to
apply the revised practices to health information about you
that we already have. Any revision to our privacy practices
will be described in a revised Notice that will be posted
prominently in our facility.
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