Notice of Privacy Practices. How we may use and disclose your protected health information under federal law.
This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how Medcare ("we," "us," or "our") may use and disclose your Protected Health Information (PHI) to carry out treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your health information.
"Protected Health Information" is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and related healthcare services.
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information, to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to notify you following a breach of your unsecured Protected Health Information.
We may use and disclose your Protected Health Information for the following purposes:
We may use your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and related services. This may include sharing information with your primary care provider or other healthcare professionals involved in your care, with your consent. For example, a clinician may share information about your visit with your primary care physician to coordinate your treatment.
We may use and disclose your health information so that the treatment and services you receive may be billed to and payment collected from you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, we may need to provide Medicare with information about a service you received so it will pay us for that service.
We may use and disclose your health information for our healthcare operations. These uses are necessary to operate our practice and ensure that all patients receive quality care. For example, we may use health information to review our treatment and services and evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you.
We may use and disclose your health information to contact you with appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
We may use and disclose your health information to verify your eligibility for Medicare coverage or other benefits, with your consent. This may involve sharing your name, date of birth, and other identifying information with a third-party eligibility verification service.
We may also use or disclose your health information in the following situations:
We will disclose your health information when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
We may disclose your health information for public health activities, such as reporting disease outbreaks, births, deaths, child abuse or neglect, and adverse reactions to medications or products.
We may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the healthcare system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
We may disclose your health information in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.
We may disclose your health information to law enforcement officials in certain circumstances, such as to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person.
We may use and disclose your health information when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.
We may disclose your health information to a family member, friend, or other person involved in your care or payment for your care, provided you do not object or in an emergency situation where we use our professional judgment.
We may disclose your health information to a coroner or medical examiner to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also disclose information to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.
We may disclose your health information to organizations that handle organ procurement, tissue donation, and transplantation.
Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose your health information for research purposes, subject to institutional review board approval and applicable privacy protections.
We may disclose your health information as authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers' compensation or similar programs.
Any other uses and disclosures of your 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 authorization, you may revoke it at any time by writing to us. We will not use or disclose your health information for marketing purposes or sell your health information without your written authorization.
You have the following rights regarding the health information we maintain about you:
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your health information that we maintain. Your request must be in writing. We may charge a reasonable fee for the cost of copying, mailing, or other supplies associated with your request. We may deny your request in certain limited circumstances; if we deny your request, we will provide a written explanation and tell you how to request a review of the denial.
You have the right to request that we amend your health information if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete. Your request must be in writing and include a reason for the request. We may deny your request if the information was not created by us, is not part of the records you are permitted to inspect and copy, or is already accurate and complete.
You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and certain other authorized disclosures. Your request must be in writing and state a time period (which may not be longer than six years). The first list you request within a 12-month period is free; we may charge a fee for additional lists within the same period.
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the health information we disclose to someone involved in your care or the payment for your care. We are not required to agree to your request, with one exception: if you pay for a service or healthcare item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information with your health insurer for the purpose of payment or our operations, and we will honor that request.
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 contact you only at work or by mail. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have previously agreed to receive it electronically. You may request a copy by contacting us using the information in Section 8 below.
You have the right to receive written notification if there is a breach of your unsecured Protected Health Information, in accordance with applicable federal and state laws.
We are required by law to:
We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this Notice or as required or permitted by law.
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 on our website at medcaretelehealth.org/hipaa/. The Notice will contain the effective date.
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights.
To file a complaint with us, contact us using the information in Section 8 below. All complaints must be submitted in writing.
To file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, visit hhs.gov/ocr or call 1-877-696-6775.
If you have questions about this Notice, would like to exercise any of your rights described above, or would like to request a paper copy of this Notice, please contact us:
Medcare Telehealth
☎ Phone: (800) 303-1766
✉ Email: outreach@medcaretelehealth.org
🌐 Website: medcaretelehealth.org
To file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, visit hhs.gov/ocr or call 1-877-696-6775.