Notice Of Privacy Practices
Notice of Privacy Practices
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective Date: 2-27-23
This Notice of Privacy Practices for Aegis Health Solutions & its affiliated entities/ partners describes how your medical information may be used, disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.
OUR DUTIES TO PROTECT YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
We are required by law to protect the privacy of your health information, which includes information about your health condition, the care and treatment you receive from us, and payment for that care.
We are also required to provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices upon your request. You may obtain a paper copy of the privacy notice by contacting us at compliance@aegishealthsolutions.com
We will use and disclose your health information only as allowed by law or as described in this Notice.
The following are required by law to:
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Notify you if there is a breach of your unsecured health information.
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Ensure that medical information that identifies to you is kept private (with certain exceptions)
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Provide you a notice of our legal duties and privacy practice with respect to you & your health information
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Abide by the terms of this notice that is currently in effect.
USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
We may use or disclose your health information in certain situations without your consent or authorization. Such uses and disclosures may be in oral, paper or electronic format. Below are examples of how we may use or disclose your health information as permitted under or required by federal law, including instances where we will obtain your consent or authorization. The following describes different ways that we use and disclose medical information. Not every use or disclosure will be listed in a category. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories:
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Treatment: We may use and disclose your health information to provide medical treatment to you. For example, we may disclose your health information to a specialist if we believe you need specialized medical care, in addition a health care provider such as our physicians, nurse or other individual providing healthcare services to you will record information in our records that is related to your treatment.
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Payment: We may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for the medical treatment and services we provide to you. For example, we may disclose to your employer that you are one of our patients so that your employer will pay your monthly fees for care.
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Healthcare operations: We may use and disclose your health information to carry out our healthcare operations. For example, we may use your health information to evaluate the quality of care we provide and to train our staff, asses the quality of your care & results for similar cases, feedback on how to improve our services and facilities, notification to your employer that you have reached certain requirements within our programs to qualify for a discount on your insurance premiums.
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Business Associates: We may disclose your health information to our business associates who perform services on our behalf. For example, we may disclose your health information to a billing company that assists us in processing your claims.
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Health Information Exchange (HIE): We may participate in HIE, which allows us to share your health information with other healthcare providers involved in your care. We will only share your health information for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations.
6. We may utilize and reveal information about you as mandated or allowed by law, and any such usage or revelation will conform to applicable legal regulations. If such usage or revelation is legally required, we will notify you accordingly. Examples of situations where we may use and/or reveal your information include:
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In judicial and administrative proceedings in accordance with legal authority;
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To report any information related to abuse, neglect, or domestic violence victims;
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To assist law enforcement officials with their official duties;
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In the event of a breach involving your unsecured health information, to notify you, law enforcement and regulatory authorities, as necessary, and other appropriate parties to help resolve the matter.
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To report to health oversight agencies responsible for monitoring the health care system and government programs.
1. Communication: Your information may be utilized and revealed by us for purposes such as appointment reminders, leaving messages on your answering machine, or with someone who answers your phone. We may also occasionally communicate with you to offer information about treatment options or other health-related advantages and services that could be beneficial to you.
2. Public Health Activities: We may use or reveal your health information for public health activities, which may include: - Assisting public health authorities or other legal authorities in preventing or controlling diseases, injuries, or disabilities. - Report child abuse or neglect to a public health or governmental authority authorized to receive such reports. - Report information to individuals under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for public health purposes related to FDA-regulated products' quality, safety, or effectiveness, such as collecting or reporting adverse events, harmful products, and defects or issues with FDA-regulated products - Notify individuals who may be at risk of contracting or transmitting a disease, if permitted by law - Report information to your employer to evaluate workplace medical surveillance or to assess if you have a work-related illness or injury. - Revealing proof of immunization to your school or your child's school if it's required by law, and we will obtain and record your approval for such immunization disclosures.
3. People Involved in your healthcare: We may reveal information about you to a family member, friend, or other person who is involved in your healthcare or paying for your healthcare, unless you object, or in an emergency situation. In the event of your death, we may disclose relevant medical information about you to a friend or family member who was involved in your medical care before your death, but only information that is pertinent to that person's involvement, unless it conflicts with any written instructions you have previously given us. When we reveal information to a family member, relative, or close friend, we will only disclose information that we consider relevant to that person's involvement in your healthcare or related payment.
4. Safety & Health: Aegis Health Solutions may use or disclose your health information if we believe, in accordance with applicable law and ethical standards, that it is necessary to prevent or reduce a serious threat to a person's or the public's health and safety. However, if we make a disclosure, we will only reveal the information to a person or group of individuals that are reasonably capable of preventing or reducing the threat. Additionally, we may use or reveal your health information if we believe it is necessary for law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual who: (i) has confessed to being involved in a violent crime that we reasonably believe resulted in severe physical harm to the victim or (ii) appears to have escaped from a correctional institution or lawful custody.
5. Business Partner’s / Associates: As part of our business operations, we may engage one or more third-party entities (known as our business partners / associates). We may share your health information with our business associates so that they can carry out the work we have assigned to them. We mandate that our business associates sign a business associate agreement and commit to protecting the privacy and security of your health information.
6. Workmans Compensation: Your health and safety information may be disclosed or used in regards to compliance with the laws and regulations regarding Workmans compensation.
7. Government Functions: Aegis Health solutions may disclose your information for certain government functions (military & veterans activities, national security, intelligence activities, protection of public officials) and so on if necessary and or required but law.
8. Organ / Tissue Donors: Your health information can potentially be disclosed or used for eye, tissue of cadaveric organ donations and transplants.
9. Notification: Aegis Health Solutions may disclose or utilize your health information to assist and or notify your family, or another person responsible / representing you for your care, condition, death or your location.
10. Disaster relief: Aegis Health Solutions may disclose or utilize your health information to disaster relief authorities so that your family or person representing you can be notified of your location and condition.
11. Decedents: Aegis Health Solutions potentially will release your medical information to a coroner or medical examiner if deemed necessary to identify a deceased person and or determine the cause of death. In addition we may release your medical information to a funeral director if deemed necessary to allow them to carry out their lawful duties. Once you have been dead for such period as may be specified by law we may utilize and disclose your health information without regard to the restrictions outlined in this notice.
12. Correction Institutions: A patient of Aegis Health Solutions that is an inmate or in the custody of law enforcement may have their health information disclosed to a correctional institution or law enforcement for purposes as providing care, the health and safety of the patient or others, for law enforcement at the correction facility, maintenance of safety, or security and ordered at said facility in accordance with state and or federal regulations.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
You have the following rights regarding your health information:
1. Right to Access: You have the right to inspect and copy your health information. We may charge you a reasonable fee for the cost of copying and mailing your records.
2. Right to Amend: If you believe that your health information is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to request that we amend your records.
3. Right to an Accounting: You have the right to request an accounting of the disclosures we have made of your health information.
4. Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request restrictions on how your health information is used and disclosed. We are not required to agree to your request.
5. Right to Request Confidential Communications: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information in a certain way or at a certain location.
6. Right to File a Complaint: If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
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We reserve the right to change this Notice of Privacy Practices. We will post a copy of the current notice in our office and on our website. You may request a copy of the current notice at any time.
CONTACT INFORMATION
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If you have any questions about this Notice of Privacy Practices or about how we use and disclose your health information, please contact us at compliance@aegishealthsolutions.com