Privacy Notice
Effective date of notice: 2/14/03
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED, AND HOW YOU CAN OBTAIN ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
GENERAL RULE
We respect our legal obligation to keep health information, that identifies you, private. The law obligates us to give you notice of our privacy practices.
Generally, we can only use your health information in our office or disclose it outside of our office, without your written permission, for purposes of TREATMENT, PAYMENT, or HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS. In most other situations, we will not use or disclose your health information unless you sign a written authorization form. In some limited situations, the law allows or requires us to disclose your health information without written authorization.
USES OR DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION
Examples of how we use information for TREATMENT purposes- when the doctor prescribes glasses or contact lenses or medications.
We may disclose your health information outside of our office for TREATMENT purposes, for example, if we refer you to a specialist for eye care or services.
We may use your health information within our office or disclose your helath information outside of our office for PAYMENT purposes. An example would be when our staff asks you about health or vision care plans that you may belong to, or about other sources of payment for our services.
We may use and disclose your health information for HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS, which include administrative and managerial functions that we have to do in order to run our office. For example, for financial or billing audits.
APPOINTMENT REMINDERS
We may call to remind you of scheduled appointments. We may also call to notify you of other treatments or services available at our office that might help you.
USES OR DISCLOSURES WITHOUT AN AUTHORIZATION
In some limited situations, the law allows or requires us to use or disclose your health information without your permission. Examples are: state or federal law that mandates certain health information be reported for a specific purpose disclosures to governmental authorities about victims of suspected abuse or neglect disclosures for judical proceedings such as subpoenas or orders of courts disclosures relating to workers' compensation programs.
OTHER DISCLOSURES
We will not make any other uses or disclosures of your health information unless you sign a written authorization form. If you do sign one, you may revoke it at any time.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
You can ask us to restrict our uses and disclosures for purposes of treatment (except emergency treatment), payment or healthcare operations. We do not have to agree to do this, but if we agree, we must honor the restrictions that you want.
You can ask us to communicate with you in a confidential way, such as by phoning you at work rather than at home, or by mailing health information to a different address.
You can ask to see or get photocopies of your health information.
You can ask us to amend your health information if you think that it is incorrect or incomplete. If we do not agree, you can write a statement of your position, and we will include it with you health information along with any rebuttal statement that we may write.
You can get a list of the disclosures that we have made of your health information within the past six years, except disclosures for purposes of treatment, payment or healthcare operations.
OUR NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
By law, we must abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices until we choose to change it. We reserve the right to change this notice at any time in compliance with and as allowed by law. If we change this notice, the new privacy practices will apply to your health information that we already have, as well as to such information that we generate in the future. If we change our Notice of Privacy Practices, we will post the new notice in our office, have copies available in our office, and post in on our website.
COMPLAINTS
If you think that we have not properly respected the privacy of your health information, you are free to complain to us or to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you if you make a complaint. If you want to complain to us, send a written complaint to Sandee Scimeca, Contact Person, to our office address. Or you may discuss your complaint in person or by phone.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
If you want more information about our privacy practices, call or visit Sandee Scimeca, Contact Person, at the address or phone number shown on the home page.
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED, AND HOW YOU CAN OBTAIN ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
GENERAL RULE
We respect our legal obligation to keep health information, that identifies you, private. The law obligates us to give you notice of our privacy practices.
Generally, we can only use your health information in our office or disclose it outside of our office, without your written permission, for purposes of TREATMENT, PAYMENT, or HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS. In most other situations, we will not use or disclose your health information unless you sign a written authorization form. In some limited situations, the law allows or requires us to disclose your health information without written authorization.
USES OR DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION
Examples of how we use information for TREATMENT purposes- when the doctor prescribes glasses or contact lenses or medications.
We may disclose your health information outside of our office for TREATMENT purposes, for example, if we refer you to a specialist for eye care or services.
We may use your health information within our office or disclose your helath information outside of our office for PAYMENT purposes. An example would be when our staff asks you about health or vision care plans that you may belong to, or about other sources of payment for our services.
We may use and disclose your health information for HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS, which include administrative and managerial functions that we have to do in order to run our office. For example, for financial or billing audits.
APPOINTMENT REMINDERS
We may call to remind you of scheduled appointments. We may also call to notify you of other treatments or services available at our office that might help you.
USES OR DISCLOSURES WITHOUT AN AUTHORIZATION
In some limited situations, the law allows or requires us to use or disclose your health information without your permission. Examples are: state or federal law that mandates certain health information be reported for a specific purpose disclosures to governmental authorities about victims of suspected abuse or neglect disclosures for judical proceedings such as subpoenas or orders of courts disclosures relating to workers' compensation programs.
OTHER DISCLOSURES
We will not make any other uses or disclosures of your health information unless you sign a written authorization form. If you do sign one, you may revoke it at any time.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
You can ask us to restrict our uses and disclosures for purposes of treatment (except emergency treatment), payment or healthcare operations. We do not have to agree to do this, but if we agree, we must honor the restrictions that you want.
You can ask us to communicate with you in a confidential way, such as by phoning you at work rather than at home, or by mailing health information to a different address.
You can ask to see or get photocopies of your health information.
You can ask us to amend your health information if you think that it is incorrect or incomplete. If we do not agree, you can write a statement of your position, and we will include it with you health information along with any rebuttal statement that we may write.
You can get a list of the disclosures that we have made of your health information within the past six years, except disclosures for purposes of treatment, payment or healthcare operations.
OUR NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
By law, we must abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices until we choose to change it. We reserve the right to change this notice at any time in compliance with and as allowed by law. If we change this notice, the new privacy practices will apply to your health information that we already have, as well as to such information that we generate in the future. If we change our Notice of Privacy Practices, we will post the new notice in our office, have copies available in our office, and post in on our website.
COMPLAINTS
If you think that we have not properly respected the privacy of your health information, you are free to complain to us or to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you if you make a complaint. If you want to complain to us, send a written complaint to Sandee Scimeca, Contact Person, to our office address. Or you may discuss your complaint in person or by phone.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
If you want more information about our privacy practices, call or visit Sandee Scimeca, Contact Person, at the address or phone number shown on the home page.