Commitment
Garden City Pediatric Associates is committed to providing you with health care, information and medical services of the highest quality, while at the same time protecting your privacy.
Policy
We insist that every staff member observe patient confidentiality, respecting your right to privacy about your medical records and experience with us. We will only share data outside our patient care team for legal purposes or clinical necessity at your direction. While you may be asked to provide personal data in using this Web site, we can assure you this information will be treated with the same care with which we treat patient records. Any data we collect about you will be used only to help us with your medical needs and interests. We will not share your individual identity or personal contact information with anybody.
Garden City Pediatric Associates will undertake to honor or exceed the legal and governmental requirements of medical and health information privacy as required by our membership in the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct ( HONcode ) . This includes the recently announced US regulation for the privacy provisions of the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ( HIPAA ) . We will seek to provide information in the clearest possible manner from various medical information sources. Any medical or health information on this site will only come from medically trained and qualified professionals approved by Garden City Pediatric Associates.
HIPAA
Notice of Privacy Practices
Introduction
The practice provides this notice to comply with the Privacy regulations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act of 1996 (HIPAA).
We understand that health information about you is personal. We are committed to protecting your health information. This notice applies to all records of your care generated in this practice. This information is referred to us as your medical record or Protected Health Information (PHI).
We are required by law to:
- Make sure that health information that identifies you is private;
- Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices; and
- Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
Please read it carefully.
How is PHI Used and Disclosed?
For treatment. We may disclose your PHI to physicians, nurses, students and other health care personnel who provide you with health care services or who are involved in your care. For example, a doctor treating you for a sore on your leg may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes can slow the healing process. Your health care team will record observations in your medical record, which describes your symptoms, examinations, test results, diagnosis and treatment plan. We may need to speak to other health care professionals who may be treating you or to who we can refer you.
For payment. We may disclose PHI in order to bill and collect payment from your insurance company or other third party. For example, we may need to give you health plan information about your visit so that your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the visit. We may also tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive prior approval or to determine if your plan will cover a treatment.
For Health Care Operations. We strive to run our practice efficiently and to ensure that you receive the highest quality of care. This may include reviewing whether new or existing treatments are effective, evaluating the performance of our staff, deciding what additional services to offer, or eliminating services, which we may currently provide. Identifying information is removed when it is removed with staff or for learning purposes.
Appointment Reminders. We may contact you as a reminder of an appointment.
As Required By Law. We will disclose PHI about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law or to avert a serious threat to health or safety or to the Department of Veterans Affair, or for Workers Compensation or to avert public health risks or subpoenas, discovery requests or other lawful processes or for law enforcement officials or Coroners, Health Examiners and Funeral Directors. National Security and Intelligence Activities, Protective Services for the President and Other and Correctional Institutions or under the custody of a law enforcement Official.
For Health Oversight. We may disclose PHI to health oversight agencies for activities authorized by the law. These may include audits, investigations, inspections and licensure.
What Are Your Rights?
The following will summarize you rights regarding the health information we maintain about you. All requests must be made in writing, attention to the Privacy Officer. A form will be provided upon request.
Right to Inspect and Copy your PHI which may be used to make decisions about you. We may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies and services associated with this request. We have the right to deny this request under limited circumstances.
Right to Amend. If you feel the information about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. Your request must detail the intended amendment and a reason supporting this change. If your request is denied, we will notify you in writing.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures with an exception for treatment, payment and health care operations as previously described. Your request must state a time period, which may commence no earlier than 4/14/03 and not exceed six years. We will notify you of the cost involved. You may choose to withdraw or modify your request.
Right to Request Restrictions on PHI for payment, treatment, health care operations or the people that are exposed to this information. We are not required to agree with your request if it is not feasible for us to ensure compliance or believe it will be harmful to your health.
Right to Request Confidential Communications, which means we will make a reasonable effort to communicate with you in the manner you request (i.e. Phone, mail).
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice. A paper copy of this notice will be given to you.
Acknowledgment of Receipt. We will request you sign a separate form acknowledging you have received a copy of this notice. If you choose, or are not able to sign, a staff member will sign their name and date and the acknowledgment will become part of your medical record.
privacy@gardencitypediatrics.com