NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

CHILD HEALTH ASSOCIATES OF MADISON COUNTY

1145 GLENWOOD AVE

ONEIDA, NY 13421

 

November 1, 2024

 

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.  PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

 

1. How This Medical Practice May Use or Disclose Your Health Information

This medical practice collects health information about you and stores it in a chart and/or in an electronic health record. This is your medical record. This medical record is the property of this practice, but the information in the medical records belongs to you. The law permits us to use or disclose your health information for the following purposes:

1. Treatment. We use medical information about you to provide your medical care. We disclose medical information to our employees and other who are involved in providing the care you need. For example, we may share your medical information with other physicians or other health care providers who provide services we do not provide. Or we share this information with a pharmacist who needs it to dispense a prescription to you, or a laboratory that performs a test.

2. Payment. We use and disclose medical information about you to obtain payment for the services we provide. For example, we give your health plan the information it requires before it will pay us. We may also disclose information to other health care providers to assist them in obtaining payment for services they have provided to you.

3. Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose medical information about you to operate this medical practice. For example, we may use and disclose this information  to review and improve the quality of care we provide. We may also share your information with other health care providers, health care clearinghouses or health plans that have a relationship with you.

4. Appointment Reminders. We may use and disclose medical information to contact and remind you about appointments. If you are not home we may leave this information on your answering machine or in a message left with the person answering the phone.

5. Required by Law. As required by law, we will use and disclose your health information but we will limit our use or disclosure to the relevant requirements of the law. When the law requires us to report abuse, neglect or domestic  violence, or respond to judicial or administrative proceedings, or to law enforcement officials, we will further comply with the requirement set forth below concerning those activities.

6. Public Health. We may and are sometimes required by law to disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to: preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability; reporting child adult 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. Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. We may and are sometimes required by law to disclose your health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding to the extent expressly authorized by a court or administrative order.

8. Proof of Immunization. We will disclose proof of immunization to a school that is required to have it before admitting a student where you have agreed to the disclosure of behalf of yourself or your dependant

9. Worker’s Compensation. We may disclose your health information as necessary to comply with worker’s compensation laws.

10. Change of Ownership. In the event that this medical practice is sold or merged with another organization, your health information/record will become the property of the new owner, although you will maintain the right to request that copies of your information be transferred to another physician or medical group.

11. Breach Notification. In the case of a breach of unsecured protected health information, we will notify you as required by law.

12. When This Medical Practice May Not Use or Disclose Your Health Information. Except as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices, this medical practice will, consistent with its legal obligations not use or disclose health information which identifies you without your written authorization. If you do authorize this medical practice to use or disclose your health information for another purpose, you may revoke your authorization in writing at any time.

1.          Your Health Information Rights

1. Right to Request Special Privacy Protections. You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of  your health information by  written request specifying what information you want to limit and what limitations on our use or disclosure of that information you wish to have imposed. If you tell us not to disclose information to your commercial health plan concerning health care items or services for which you paid in full out-of-pocket, we will abide by your request, unless we must disclose the information for treatment or legal reasons. We reserve the right to accept or reject any other request and will notify you of our decision.

2. Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to inspect and receive a copy of your health information with limited exceptions. To access your medical information, you must submit a written request detailing whether you want to inspect it or get a copy of it. We also send a copy to any other person you designate in writing.

3. Right to Amend or Supplement. You have a right to request that we amend you health information that you believe is incorrect or incomplete. You must make a request to amend in writing and include the reasons you believe the information is inaccurate or incomplete. We are not required to change your health information and will provide you with information about this medical practice’s denial.  All information related to any request to amend will be maintained and disclosed in conjunction with any subsequent disclosure of the disputed information.

4. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by this medical practice.

5. Right to a Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice. You have a right to notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information, including a right to a paper copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices.

1.          Changes to this Notice of Privacy Practices

We reserve the right to mend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future. Until such amendment is made, we are required by law to comply with the terms of this Notice.

1.           Complaints

Complaints about this Notice of Privacy Practices or how this medical practice handles your health information should be directed to our Privacy Officer list at the bottom of this Notice of Privacy Practices.

If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles a complaint you may submit a formal complaint to:

 

The complaint form may be found at

www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hippa/compaints/hiscomplaint.pdf

You will not be penalized in any way for filing a complaint.

 

Barbara Brown Privacy Officer (315) 363-4070