Uses and Disclosures
Treatment: Your health information may be used by staff members or disclosed to other health care professionals for the purpose of evaluating your health, diagnosing medical conditions, and providing treatment. For example, results of laboratory tests and procedures will be available in your medical record to all health professionals who may provide treatment or who may be consulted by staff members.
Payment: Your health information may be used to seek payment from your health plan, from other sources of coverage such as an employer or other fiduciary, or from credit card companies that you may use to pay for services. For example, your health plan may request and receive information on dates of service, the services provided, and the medical condition being treated.
Health care operations: Your health information may be used as necessary to support the day-to-day activities and management of Pulmonary Physicians of Gainesville. For example, information on the services you received may be used to support budgeting and financial reporting, and activities to evaluate and promote quality.
Law enforcement: Your health information may be disclosed to law enforcement agencies, without your permission, to support government audits and inspections, to facilitate law-enforcement investigations, and to comply with government mandated reporting.
Public health reporting: Your health information may be disclosed to public health agencies as required by law. For example, we are required to report certain communicable diseases to the state’s public health department.
Other uses and disclosures require your authorization. Disclosure of your health information or its use for any purpose other than those listed above requires your specific written authorization, whic is why we ahve you complete a PHI Waiver. PHI Waivers are NOT required for us to communicate with other medical professionals participating in your care. If you change your mind after authorizing a use or disclosure of your information you may submit a written revocation of the authorization. Be advised: your decision to revoke an authorization will not affect or undo any use or disclosure of information that occurred before you notified us of your revocation.
Additional Uses of Information
Appointment reminders: Your health information will be used by our staff to send you appointment reminders.
Information about treatments: Your health information may be used to send you information on the treatment and management of your medical condition that you may find to be of interest. We may also send you information describing other health-related goods and service that we believe may interest you.
Individual Rights
You have certain rights under the federal privacy standards. These include:
- The right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of protected health information. We are not required to agree, however, to the requested restriction(s).
- The right to review and obtain copies of your medical records and to request amendments to the records.
- The right to obtain an accounting of disclosure of your records.
- The right to complain about privacy violations.
Pulmonary Physicians of Gainesville Duties: We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information and to provide you with this notice of privacy practices.
We also are required to abide by the privacy policies and practices that are outlined in this notice.
Right to Revise Privacy Practices
As permitted by law, we reserve the right to amend or modify our privacy policies and practices. These changes in our policies and practices may be required by changes in federal and state laws and regulations. Whatever the reason for these revisions, we will provide you with a revised notice on your next office visit. The revised policies and practices will be applied to all protected health information that we maintain.
Requests to Inspect Protected Health Information
As permitted by federal regulation, we require that requests to inspect or copy protected health information be submitted in writing. You may obtain a form to request access to your records from our receptionist.
Complaints
If you would like to submit a comment or complaint about our privacy practices, you can do so by sending a letter outlining your concerns to:
Pulmonary Physicians of Gainesville
Attention: Privacy Officer
4741 NW 8 Avenue, Suite C
Gainesville, FL 32605
If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you should call the matter to our attention by sending a letter describing the cause of your concern to the same address.
You will not be penalized or otherwise retaliated against for filing a complaint.
Effective Date This notice is effective on and after April 14, 2003.
