NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES REGARDING YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION
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.
Your health information is private. Ozarks Wellness understands that the information it collects about you and your health is personal. Ozarks Wellness is required by state and federal law to protect your health information from being improperly used or released. This notice will tell you what Ozarks Wellness may legally do with your protected health information. It will also tell you your rights about such information kept by Ozarks Wellness.
Ozarks Wellness is required to provide you this notice regarding your protected health information. Ozarks Wellness will follow the requirements described in this notice. Ozarks Wellness reserves the right to change this notice. All changes to this notice will apply to all of your protected health information. If this notice is changed, the new notice will be available on the Ozarks Wellness’ website, in our office or it will be mailed to you upon request.
Information Handling
In our normal business operations, Ozarks Wellness may receive protected health information, which is information identifying you and which includes some indication of your medical condition. This information may be about you or your family members and the law requires that it be protected. Ozarks Wellness is allowed to use this information and share it with others, if the protected health information is being used for your treatment, the payment of your medical expenses, or for health care operations. Examples of this include:
to medical professionals and health information networks about Medicaid eligibility as part of health care operations; or
- to insurance companies and health care providers about paying claims; and/or
- to hospitals, medical professionals, and health information networks for your treatment.
A health information network is a group of hospitals and caregivers who share health information. Ozarks Wellness is part of the network.
Ozarks Wellness follows the laws that tell us when we must share health information and when we can share health information, without your permission. Ozarks Wellness will share information:
- to protect your life (suicidal intentions) or the life of someone else (homicidal intentions)
- for court only when ordered by the court with subpeona
- to protect individuals from abuse (children, elderly etc.)
- to health oversight authorities to see that government programs are being run properly
Sometimes, health information that can normally be released cannot be released. For example, if state law says the information will not be released and federal law allows it to be released, it will not be released. The same is true if federal law says the information cannot be released, but state law allows it to be released. Whichever law is more restrictive is the one that will apply.
Other than the examples listed Ozarks Wellness may not share any of your information without your written permission. You can authorize Ozarks Wellness to share as much of your information as you wish. You can also cancel your permission for Ozarks Wellness to share that information.
Your Rights
- You have the right to request that Ozarks Wellness limit the information it shares about you, but Ozarks Wellness does not have to agree to such requests.
- You have the right to receive your information from Ozarks Wellness privately. Ozarks Wellness will provide it to whatever address you choose and in the form you choose. Ozarks Wellness will charge for providing a copy of your records unless it is being sent to an exempt organization or an organization that does not charge Ozarks Wellness for records. No charge will be imposed on requests by foster children for a copy of their foster care records.
- You have the right to inspect and copy your information that Ozarks Wellness has. This right may be limited if the information contains notes taken by a mental health provider during treatment sessions.
- You have the right to ask that the information in Ozarks Wellness’ file be changed. However, there are limits regarding what may be changed.
- You have the right to receive a list of the parties outside Ozarks Wellness that have received your information.
- If an unauthorized disclosure of Ozarks Wellness records containing your PHI occurs and it is deemed a breach because there is a possibility the disclosure might lead to harm, you have the right to be notified by Ozarks Wellness and informed of what happened and how best to protect yourself.
- You also have the right to request this notice on paper, electronically or both.
These protections and rights became effective at Ozarks Wellness on December 9, 2014. Electronic copies of this notice are available at http://www.ozarkswellness.com. If you have questions or complaints, or want to make a request, contact:
Region VII – Kansas City (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska)
Regional Manager
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
601 East 12th Street – Room 353
Kansas City, MO 64106
Voice Phone (800) 368-1019
FAX (816) 426-3686
TDD (800) 537-7697
Director
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 509F HHH Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Your health care services will not be affected by any complaint made to Ozarks Wellness or the offices listed above.
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