Privacy Policy

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get acces to this information. Please review it carefully.

This Notice of Privacy Practices is NOT an authorization. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we, our Business Associates and their subcontractors, may use and disclose your “Protected Health Information” (PHI) to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations, and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your PHI. PHI is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health condition and related health care services. This Notice is provided to you as a requirement of HIPAA. There are several other privacy laws that also apply to HIV-related information, family planning information, mental health information, psychotherapy notes, and substance abuse information. These laws have not been superseded, and the disclosure of such information is specifically subject to more strict privacy standards and most uses and disclosures require express authorization from you.

How we may use and disclose health information:

The following describes the ways we may use and disclose your PHI. Except for the purposes described below, we will use and disclose PHI only with your written permission. You may revoke such permission at any time by writing to our practice Privacy Officer. For Treatment – We may use and disclose PHI for your treatment and to provide you with treatment-related health care services. For example, we may disclose PHI to doctors, nurses, technicians, or other personnel, including people outside our office, who are involved in your medical care and need the information to provide you with medical care. For Payment – We may use and disclose PHI so that we or others may bill and receive payment from you, an insurance company or a third party for the treatment and services you received. For example, we may give your health plan information about you so that they will pay for your treatment. For Health Care Operations – We may use and disclose PHI for health care operations purposes. These uses and disclosures are necessary to make sure that all of our patients receive quality care and to operate and manage our office. For example, we may use and disclose information to make sure the orthopedic or physical therapy care you receive is of the highest quality. We also may share information with other entities that have a relationship with you (for example, your health plan) for their health care operation activities. Appointment Reminders, Treatment Alternatives and Health Related Benefits and Services – We may use and disclose PHI to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment with us. We also may use and disclose PHI to tell you about treatment alternatives or health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

We may also use and disclose phi in the following circumstances:

Required by Law – We may use or disclose your PHI if law or regulations requires the use or disclosure. Public Health – We may disclose your PHI to a public health authority who is permitted by law to collect or receive the information. For example, the disclosure may be necessary to prevent or control disease, injury or disability; report births and deaths; or report reactions to medications or problems with medical products. Communicable Diseases – We may disclose your PHI, if authorized by law, to a person who might have been exposed to a communicable disease or might otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading the disease or condition. Health Oversight – We may disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, and inspections. These health oversight agencies might include government agencies that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, or other regulatory programs. Food and Drug Administration – We may disclose your PHI to a person or company required by the Food and Drug Administration to report adverse events; track products, enable product recalls; make repairs or replacements; or conduct post-marketing reviews. Legal Proceedings – We may disclose PHI during any judicial or administrative proceeding, in response to a court order or administrative tribunal (if such disclosure is expressly authorized), and in certain conditions in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process. Law Enforcement – We may disclose PHI for law enforcement purposes, including information requests for identification and location; and circumstances pertaining to victims of a crime. Coroners, Funeral Directors, and Organ Donations – We may disclose PHI to coroners or medical examiners for identification to determine the cause of death or for the performance of other duties authorized by law. We may also disclose PHI to funeral directors as authorized by law. PHI may be used and disclosed for cadaver organ, eye or tissue donations. Research – We may disclose PHI to researchers when authorized by law, for example, if their research has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your PHI. Threat to Health or Safety – Under applicable Federal and State laws, we may disclose your PHI to law enforcement or another health care professional if we believe in good faith that its use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public. We may also disclose PHI if it is necessary for law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual. Military Activity and National Security – When the appropriate conditions apply, we may use or disclose PHI of individuals who are Armed Forces personnel for activities believed necessary by appropriate military command authorities to ensure the proper execution of the military mission, including determination of fitness for duty; or to a foreign military authority if you are a member of that foreign military service. We may also disclose your PHI, under specified conditions, to authorized Federal officials for conducting national security and intelligence activities including protective services to the President or others. Workers’ Compensation – We may disclose your PHI to comply with workers’ compensation laws and similar government programs. Inmates – We may use or disclose your PHI, under certain circumstances, if you are an inmate of a correctional facility. Parental Access – State laws concerning minors permit or require certain disclosure of PHI to parents, guardians, and persons acting in a similar legal status. We will act consistently with the laws of this State (or, if you are treated by us in another state, the laws of that state) and will make disclosures following such laws. Business Associates – We may disclose PHI to our business associates that perform functions on our behalf or provide us with services if the information is necessary for such functions or services. For example, we may use another company to perform billing services on our behalf. All of our business associates are obligated to protect the privacy of your information and are not allowed to use or disclose any information other than as specified in our contract. Data Breach Notification Purposes – We may use or disclose your PHI to provide legally required notices of unauthorized access to or disclosure of your PHI.