Privacy Policy
Health Star, INC. DBA Health Star Chiropractic
Silver Group Chiropractic, Inc DBA Health Star Chiropractic
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 IT CAREFULLY.
This notice talks about the privacy of your Protected Health Information. That’s nothing new – we’ve always taken great care to guard our patients’ privacy. What is new is a government regulation requiring us to spell out your rights. That’s what you’ll find on the following pages, and that’s why we asked for your signature indicating that you received this notice.
Health Star Chiropractic. is required, by law, to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of your protected health information and to provide our patients with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your protected health information.
This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose Protected Health Information to carry out treatment, payment, or other healthcare operations and for other specified purposes that are permitted or required by law. This notice also describes your rights with respect to your Protected Health Information. We are required to provide this notice to you by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).
Health Star Chiropractic is required to follow the terms of this notice. We will not use or disclose your Protected Health Information. We will not use or disclose your Protected Health Information without your written authorization, except as described or otherwise permitted by this notice. We reserve the right to change our practices and this notice, and to make the new notice effective for all Protected Health Information we maintain. Upon request, we will provide any revised notice to you.
Normally, the privacy of a patient’s personal health information is protected. However, under certain circumstances government rules and regulations supercede the patient’s right of privacy. For instance, doctors are required by law to report certain communicable diseases to the appropriate government agencies. Child abuse is another area where government regulations supercede the patient’s right to privacy.
Effective April 14, 2003, all physicians are required, by law, to provide their patients with a written notice listing the situations in which the patient’s right of privacy may be superceded by, or secondary to, other government regulations and/or Health Star Chiropractic’s privacy practices. The following is your notice, which we are required to give to every patient, and also to have each patient acknowledge the fact that they received the notice.
Disclosure of Your Health Care Information
The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose your Protected Health Information. We have also provided examples in certain categories; however, not ever use or disclosure in a category will be listed. Under certain circumstances, your protected Health Information may be disclosed as outlined below:
1. Disclosure for Treatment Purposes
We may disclose your health care information to other healthcare professionals within our practice for the purpose of treatment, payment or healthcare operations. Examples:
On occasion, it may be necessary to seek consultation regarding your condition from other health care providers associated with Health Star Chiropractic.
It is our policy to provide a substitute health care provider, authorized by Health Star, Inc. DBA Health Star Chiropractic to provide assessment and/or treatment to our patients, without advanced notice, in the event of your primary health care provider’s absence due to vacation, sickness, or other emergency situation”
2. Inadvertent Disclosures
In our clinic, some of the treatment areas are used to provide treatment to more than one patient at the same time. For this reason, we try to talk to the patient quietly but, it is possible that other patients might, from time to time, overhear parts of our conversations with you, or be able to see portions of your x-rays or medical records. Therefore, if you feel a need for additional privacy at any time, you may make this request and we will make every attempt to honor your request.
3. Disclosure for Payment Purposes
We may disclose your health information to your insurance provider for the purpose of payment or health care operations. Example:
“As a courtesy to our patients, we will submit an itemized billing statement to your insurance carrier for the purpose of payment to Health Star Chiropractic.for health care services rendered. If you pay for your health care services personally, we will, as a courtesy, provide an itemized billing to your insurance carrier for the purpose of reimbursement to you. The billing statement contains medical information, including diagnosis, date of injury or condition, and codes which describe the health care services received.”
Under certain circumstances we are also permitted to use or disclose your Protected Health Information for the following purposes. However, Health Star Chiropractic. may never have reason to make some of these disclosures
4. Disclosure for Workers’ Compensation Purposes
We may disclose your health information as necessary to comply with State Workers’ Compensation Laws.
5. Disclosure for Emergency Purposes
We may disclose your health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, or another person responsible for your care about your medical condition or in the event of an emergency or of your death.
6. Disclosure for Public Health Purposes
As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to: preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting domestic violence, reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications, and reporting disease or infection exposure.
7. Disclosure for Judicial and Administrative Proceedings.
We may disclose your health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding.
8. Disclosure for Law Enforcement Purposes
We may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order or subpoena, and other law enforcement purposes.
9. Disclosure for Deceased Persons.
We may disclose your health information to coroners or medical examiners.
10. Disclosure for Public Safety Purposes.
It may be necessary to disclose your health information to appropriate persons in order to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or to the general public.
11. Disclosure for Specialized Government Agencies Purposes.
We may disclose your health information for military, national security, prisoner and government benefits purposes.
12. Disclosure for Appointment Reminders, Marketing & Fundraising Purposes
We may contact you for appointment reminders, marketing purposes or fundraising purposes, as described below: Examples:
A) Appointment Reminders – Our policy is to remind you of scheduled or missed appointments. Typically, we may call your home concerning a scheduled appointment or missed appointment. If you are not at home, we may leave a reminder message on your answering machine or with the person answering the phone. We may also call you at your work number. If you are not available, we may leave a reminder on your voice mail or with the person who takes your messages. No personal health information will be disclosed during this recording or message other than the date and time of your scheduled appointment along with a request to call our office if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment.
B) Marketing & Fundraising - It is our practice to participate in charitable events ( such as Patient Appreciation Days) to raise awareness, food donations, gifts, money, etc. In doing so, we may send you a letter, post card, invitation or call your home to invite you to participate in the charitable activity. We will provide you with information about the type of activity, the dates and times, and invite you to participate. It is not our policy to disclose any personal health information about your condition for the purpose of Health Star Chiropractic. sponsored or co-sponsored fundraising events.
13. Lab or Test Results
We may notify you of the availability of lab or test results by calling your home or office. If you are not available, we will leave a message stating that your results are available and asking you to return the call.
14 Emails
We may, from time to time, communicate with you by electronic mail. We will assume your electronic mail is private. If your electronic mail is not private, or if you do not want to receive communications by electronic mail, please let us know.
15. Disclosure In the Event of Change of Ownership.
In the event that Health Star Chiropractic. is sold or merged with another organization, your health information/record will become the property of the new owner.
16. Video Survelliance.
The waiting area, therapy area and common adjusting area of our office are equipped with video cameras. These allow the doctors and staff to see how many patients are in each area. This information helps us to manage the health care operations of our office. We store the last 7-10 days of video in electronic format, but we do not make or keep videotapes of these areas. The only cameras in this office are in the waiting area, hallway, therapy area and common adjusting area.
YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION RIGHTS
You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. Please be advised, however, that Health Star Chiropractic. is not required to agree to the restriction that you requested.
You have the right to have your health information received or communicated through an alternative method or sent to an alternative location other than the usual method of communication or delivery, upon your request.
You have the right to inspect and request a copy of your health information. In most cases, you have the right to access and copy the Protected Health Information that we maintain about you. To inspect or copy your Protected Health Information, you must send a written request to our Privacy Officer at Health Star Chiropractic. Po Box 241467, Montgomery, Al 36124. We may charge you a fee for the costs of copying, mailing and supplies necessary to fulfill your request. By law, Health Star Chiropractic has 60-90 days to respond to your written request. In certain limited circumstances we may deny your request.
You have a right to request that Health Star Chiropractic. amend your Protected Health Information. Please be advised, however, that Health Star Chiropractic. is not required to agree to amend your protected health information. If your request to amend your health information has been denied, you will be provided with an explanation of our denial reason(s)and information about how you can disagree with the denial.
You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your protected health information made by Health Star Chiropractic.
You have a right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time upon request.
Changes to this Notice of Privacy Practices
Health Star Chiropractic. reserves the right to amend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future, and will make the new provisions effective for all information that it maintains. Until such amendment is made, Health Star Chiropractic. is required by law to comply with this Notice.
Health Star Chiropractic. is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information. If you have questions about any part of this notice or if you want more information about your privacy rights, please contact: The Privacy Officer by calling this office at (334) 491-1111. If our Privacy Officer is not available, you may make an appointment for a personal conference in person or by telephone within 2 working days.
Complaints
Complaints about your Privacy rights, or how Health Star Chiropractic has handled your health information should be directed to our Privacy Officer by calling Montgomery at (334) 356-1111 or Prattville at (334) 491-1111. If our Privacy Officer is not available, you may make an appointment for a personal conference in person or by telephone within 2 working days.
If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles your complaint, you may submit a formal complaint to:
DHHS, Office of Civil Rights200 Independence Avenue, S.W.Room 509F HHH BuildingWashington, DC 20201