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Clinic's Privacy Notice click here
M OWERY
CLINIC,
L.L.C.
737 E. Crawford
Post Office Box 260
Salina, Kansas 674010 -026
(785) 827-7261
Dear Patient,
This letter addresses our Notice of Privacy
Practices. We are required by law to provide this Notice to you
and obtain your acknowledgement of its receipt prior to providing
any non-emergency medical services to you on or after April 14,
2003.
We request that you read our Notice and ask any
questions you may have concerning its contents. Our Notice of
Privacy Practices contains specific details of:
Your Rights Regarding Your Health
Information. This section describes the rights you have
with respect to your health information and tells you how you
may exercise these rights. These include your right
To inspect and copy
To request amendment
To an accounting of disclosures
To request restrictions on certain uses and
disclosures
To request alternative means of communication
To receive a paper copy of our Notice of
Privacy Practices
How To File Complaints Concerning Our
Privacy Practices. This section tells you what you can do
if you believe any of your rights have been violated. You may
be assured that you will not be penalized for filing a
legitimate complaint.
How We May Use and Disclose Health
Information About You Without Your Specific Authorization. This
section describes the different ways we may use or disclose
your health information without first obtaining from you a
specific authorization. These types of uses and disclosures
are specifically permitted by law because it is assumed you
would want us to use or disclose your information for these
purposes, or because such use or disclosure is recognized as
critical to the proper functioning of providing health care.
You will be asked to acknowledge your receipt
of this Notice. Your executed acknowledgement will be maintained
as a part of your permanent record with us. You should keep a copy
of the Notice for your records. Another copy of this Notice will
not be provided automatically at any later visit, but you may
request a copy of it at any time. Also, copies of this Notice will
be posted at various locations of the clinic and on our website
for your review. If there is a material revision to this Notice at
some later date, you again will be provided with a copy of it and
asked to sign another acknowledgement.
Maintaining the privacy of your health
information is very important to us. Again, if you have questions
concerning the attached Notice, please do not hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Darrell E.
Wilson
David T. Dennis, M.D.
Administrator
Privacy Officer
MOWERY CLINIC, L.L.C.
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective Date: 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.
If you have any questions about this notice,
please contact
Privacy Coordinator
737 E. Crawford
Salina, KS 67401
(785) 822-0251
or
(785) 827-7261
Fax (785) 827-6334
privacy@moweryclinic.com
OUR PLEDGE REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION .
Each time you visit a hospital, physician, or
other healthcare provider, a record of your visit is made.
Typically, this record contains your symptoms, examination and
test results, diagnoses, treatment, a plan for your future care or
treatment, and billing-related information. Such records are
necessary for the healthcare provider to provide you with quality
care and to comply with certain legal requirements.
We are committed to protecting the
confidentiality of our records containing information about you.
This notice applies to all records of your care created or
received by Mowery Clinic. Other healthcare providers from whom
you obtain care and treatment may have different policies or
notices regarding the use and disclosure of your health
information created or received by that provider. Also, health
plans in which you participate may have different policies or
notices concerning information they receive about you.
This notice will tell you about the ways in
which we may use and disclose health information about you. We
also describe your rights and certain obligations we have
regarding the use and disclosure of health information.
We are required by law to maintain the privacy
of your health information; give you this notice of our legal
duties and privacy practices and make a good faith effort to
obtain your acknowledgement of receipt of this notice; and follow
the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION.
Right To Inspect and Copy . You
have the right to inspect and copy health information that may be
used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes
medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy
notes.
To inspect and copy your health information,
you must complete a specific form providing information we need to
process your request. To obtain this form or to obtain more
information concerning this process, please contact the person
identified on the first page of this Notice. If you request a copy
of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying,
mailing, or other supplies and services associated with your
request. We may require that you pay such fee prior to receiving
the requested copies.
We may deny your request to inspect and copy in
certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to
health information, you may request that the denial be reviewed.
Another licensed health care professional chosen by Mowery Clinic
will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the
review will not be the person who denied your original request. We
will comply with the outcome of the review.
Right To Request Amendment . If
you believe that our records contain information that is incorrect
or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have
the right to request an amendment for as long as the information
is kept by or for Mowery Clinic.
To request an amendment, you must complete a
specific form providing information we need to process your
request, including the reason that supports your request. To
obtain this form or to obtain more information concerning this
process, please contact the person identified on the first page of
this Notice.
We may deny your request for an amendment if
you fail to complete the required form in its entirety. In
addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend
information that:
Was not created by us, unless the
person or entity that created the information is no longer
available to make the amendment;
Is not part of the health
information kept by or for Mowery Clinic;
Is not part of the information that
you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
Is accurate and complete.
If your request is denied, you will be informed
of the reason for the denial and will have an opportunity to
submit a statement of disagreement to be maintained with your
records.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures .
You have the right to request an "accounting of
disclosures." This is a list of the disclosures we made of
health information about you, with certain exceptions specifically
defined by law.
To request this list or accounting of
disclosures, you must complete a specific form providing
information we need to process your request. To obtain this form
or to obtain more information concerning this process, please
contact the person identified on the first page of this Notice.
Your request must state a time period which may
not be longer than six years and may not include dates before
April 14, 2003. Your request should indicate in what form you want
the list (for example, on paper, electronically). The first list
you request within a 12 month period will be free. For additional
lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We
will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to
withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are
incurred.
Right to Request Restrictions .
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on
the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment,
payment, or health care operations. You also have the right to
request a limit on the health information we disclose about you to
someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care,
like a family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we
not use or disclose information about a surgery you had.
We are not required to agree to your request .
If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless
the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.
To request restrictions, you must complete a
specific form providing information we need to process your
request. To obtain this form or to obtain more information
concerning this process, please contact the person identified on
the first page of this notice.
Right to Request Alternative Methods of
Communications . You have the right to
request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a
certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask
that we only contact you at work or by mail.
To request an alternative method of
communications, you must complete a specific form providing
information we need to process your request. To obtain this form
or to obtain more information concerning this process, please
contact the person identified on the first page of this Notice. We
will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate
all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where
you wish to be contacted.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice .
You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask
us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. Even if you have
agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still
entitled to a paper copy of this notice.
You may obtain a copy of this notice at our
website, www.moweryclinic.com.
To obtain a paper copy of this notice, contact
the person identified on the first page of this Notice.
COMPLAINTS.
If you believe your rights with respect to
health information about you have been violated by Mowery Clinic,
you may file a complaint with Mowery Clinic or with the Secretary
of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a
complaint with Mowery Clinic, contact the person identified on the
first page of this Notice. All complaints must be submitted in
writing.
You may be assured that you will not be
penalized for filing a legitimate complaint .
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION
ABOUT YOU WITHOUT YOUR SPECIFIC AUTHORIZATION.
The following categories describe different
ways that we are permitted to use and disclose health information
without a specific authorization from you. If you desire to
restrict our use of your health information for any of these
purposes, you need to submit a request for restrictions in the
manner described above.
For Treatment . We may use
information about you to provide you with medical treatment or
services. We may disclose health information about you to doctors,
nurses, technicians, medical students, or other personnel who are
involved in taking care of you at Mowery Clinic. For example, a
doctor treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have
diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. Different
departments of Mowery Clinic also may share health information
about you in order to coordinate the different things you need,
such as prescriptions, lab work, and x-rays.
We also may disclose health information about
you to people outside Mowery Clinic who may be involved in your
medical care after you leave Mowery Clinic, such as family
members, friends, or others that either we or you use to provide
services that are part of your care. We will give you an
opportunity, however, to restrict such communications.
We may disclose health information about you to
other health care providers who request such information for
purposes of providing medical treatment to you.
For Payment . We may use
and disclose health information about you so that the treatment
and services you receive at Mowery Clinic may be billed to and
payment may be collected from you, an insurance company, or other
third party. For example, we may need to give your health plan
information about surgery you received so your health plan will
pay us or reimburse you for the surgery. We may also tell your
health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain
prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the
treatment.
We also may provide information about you to
other health care providers to assist them in obtaining payment
for treatment and service provided to you by that provider. We may
also provide information to a health plan for purposes of
arranging payment for treatment and services provided to you.
For Health Care Operations . We
may use and disclose health information about you for our internal
operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to operate
Mowery Clinic and make sure that all of our patients receive
quality care. For example, we may use health information to review
our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our
staff in caring for you. We may also combine health information
about many patients to decide what additional services we should
offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new
treatments are effective. We may also disclose information to
doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, and other
personnel for review and learning purposes. We may also combine
the health information we have with health information from other
health care providers to compare how we are doing and see where we
can make improvements in the care and services we offer. We may
remove information that identifies you from this set of health
information so others may use it to study health care and health
care delivery without learning who the specific patients are.
We may disclose health information about you to
another health care provider or health plan with which you also
have had a relationship for purposes of that providers or plans
internal operations.
Appointment Reminders . We
may use and disclose health information to contact you as a
reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical
care at Mowery Clinic. Unless you direct us to do otherwise, we
may leave messages on your telephone answering machine identifying
Mowery Clinic or a particular physician and asking for you to
return our call. Unless we are specifically instructed by you
otherwise, we will not disclose any health information to any
person other than you who answers your phone except to leave a
message for you to return the call.
Surveys . We may use and
disclose health information to contact you to assess your
satisfaction with our services.
Treatment Alternatives . We may use
and disclose health information to tell you about or recommend
possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest
to you.
Health-Related Benefits and Services .
We may use and disclose health information to tell you about
health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to
you, or to provide you with promotional gifts of nominal value.
Business Associates . There are some
services provided in our organization through contracts or
arrangements with business associates. For example, we may
contract with a copy service to make copies of your health record.
When these services are contracted, we may disclose your health
information to our business associate so they can perform the job
weve asked them to do. To protect your health information,
however, we require our business associates to appropriately
safeguard your information.
Individuals Involved In Your Care or Payment
For Your Care . We may release health
information about you to a friend or family member who is involved
in your medical care. We may also give information to someone who
helps pay for your care. In addition, we may disclose health
information about you to an organization assisting in a disaster
relief effort so that your family can be notified about your
condition, status, and location.
Research . Under certain
circumstances, we may use and disclose health information about
you for research purposes. For example, a research project may
involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who
received one medication to those who received another, for the
same condition. All research projects, however, are subject to a
special approval process. This process evaluates a proposed
research project and its use of health information, trying to
balance the research needs with patients' need for privacy of
their health information. Before we use or disclose health
information for research, the project will have been approved
through this research approval process, but we may, however,
disclose health information about you to people preparing to
conduct a research project, for example, to help them look for
patients with specific medical needs. We will ask for your
specific permission if a researcher will have access to your name,
address, or other information that reveals who you are.
As Required By Law . We
will disclose health information about you when required to do so
by federal, state, or local law.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety .
We may use and disclose health information about you when
necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or
the health and
safety of the public or another person. Any
disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent
the threat.
Organ and Tissue Donation . If
you are an organ donor, we may use or disclose health information
to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or
tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary
to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
Military and Veterans . If you are a
member of the armed forces, we may release health information
about you as required by military command authorities. We may also
release health information about foreign military personnel to the
appropriate foreign military authority.
Employers . We may release
health information about you to your employer if we provide health
care services to you at the request of your employer, and the
health care services are provided either to conduct an evaluation
relating to medical surveillance of the workplace or to evaluate
whether you have a work-related illness or injury. In such
circumstances, we will give you written notice of such release of
information to your employer. Any other disclosures to your
employer will be made only if you execute a specific authorization
for the release of that information to your employer.
Workers' Compensation . We may
release health information about you for workers' compensation or
similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related
injuries or illness.
Public Health Risks . We
may disclose health information about you for public health
activities. These activities generally include the following:
to prevent or control disease,
injury or disability;
to report births and deaths;
to report child abuse or neglect;
to report reactions to medications
or problems with products;
to notify people of recalls of
products they may be using;
to notify a person who may have been
exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or
spreading a disease or condition;
to notify the appropriate government
authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse,
neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if
you agree or when required or authorized by law.
Health Oversight Activities . We
may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for
activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include,
for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure.
These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the
health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil
rights laws.
Lawsuits and Disputes . If you are
involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose health
information about you in response to a court or administrative
order. We may also disclose health information about you in
response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process
by
someone else involved in the dispute, but only
if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to
obtain an order protecting the information requested.
Law Enforcement . We may
release health information to a law enforcement official if
requested to do so:
In response to a court order,
subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;
To identify or locate a suspect,
fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
About the victim of a crime if,
under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the
person's agreement;
About a death we believe may be the
result of criminal conduct;
About criminal conduct at Mowery
Clinic; and
In emergency circumstances to report
a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identity,
description or location of the person who committed the crime.
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral
Directors . We may release health information
to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for
example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of
death. We may also release health information about patients of
Mowery Clinic to funeral directors as necessary for them to carry
out their duties.
National Security and Intelligence Activities .
We may release health information about you to authorized federal
or other officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and
other national security activities authorized by law.
Protective Services for the President and
Others . We may disclose health information
about you to authorized federal officials so they may provide
protection to the President, other authorized persons, or foreign
heads of state, or to conduct special investigations.
Inmates/Persons In Custody . 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.
OTHER USES OF HEALTH INFORMATION .
Other uses and disclosures of health
information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to
us will be made only with your written authorization. If you
provide us authorization to use or disclose health information
about you, you may revoke that authorization, in writing, at any
time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or
disclose health information about you for the reasons covered by
your written authorization. Of course, we are unable to take back
any disclosures we have already made with your permission.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE.
We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the
right to make the revised or changed notice effective for health
information we already have about you as well as any information
we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current
notice at our facility and on our website. The notice will contain
on the first page the effective date. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
You will be asked to provide a written acknowledgement
of your receipt of this Notice. We are required by law to make a
good faith effort to provide you with our Notice and obtain such
acknowledgement from you. However, your receipt of care and
treatment from Mowery Clinic is not conditioned upon you providing
the written acknowledgement. |