M. Felix Freshwater MD PA d/b/a
Miami Institute of Hand & Microsurgery HIPAA NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective Date (January 01, 2003)
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. If you have any questions about
this notice, please contact : Records Custodian at (305) 670-9988. This notice
describes the privacy practices at our office.
We are required by law to:
* Maintain the privacy of protected
health information
* Give you this notice of our legal
duties and privacy practices regarding your health information
* Follow the terms of the notice
currently in effect.
How we may use and disclose your health
information
Described as follows are the ways we
may use and disclose your health information. Except for the following purposes
we will use and disclose your health information only with your written
permission. You may revoke such permission at any time by writing to Records
Custodian.
Treatment. We may use and disclose your
health information for your treatment and to provide you with treatment-
related health care services. For example, we may disclose your health
information 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.
Payment. We may use and disclose your
health information so that others or we 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 information to your health plan so that they
will pay for your treatment.
Health Care Operations. We may use and
disclose your health information to evaluate and improve our medical care and
to operate and manage our office. For example, we may use and disclose
information to a peer review organization or a health plan that is evaluating
our care. We may also share information with others that have a relationship
with you for their health care operation activities.
Appointment Reminders, Treatment
Alternatives, and Health- Related Benefits and Services. We may use and
disclose your health information to contact you and remind you of your
appointment, to tell you about treatment alternatives or health-related
benefits and services you could use.
Individuals Involved in Your Care or
Payment for Your Care. When appropriate, we may share your health information
with a person involved in, or paying for, your care (such as your family or a
close friend). We may notify your family about your location or condition or
disclose such information to an entity assisting in disaster relief.
Research. We may use and disclose your
health information for research. For example, a research project may involve
comparing the health of patients who received one treatment to those who
received another for the same condition. Before we do so, the project needs to
go through a special approval process. Even without special approval, we may
permit researchers to look at records to help identify patients who may be
included in their research, as long as they do not remove or copy any of your
health information.
As Required by Law. We will disclose
your health information when required to do so by international, federal, state
or local law.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or
Safety. We may use and disclose your health information when necessary to
prevent a serious threat to the health and safety of you, another person, or
the public. Disclosures will be made only to someone who can prevent the
threat.
Business Associates. We may disclose
your health information to our business associates that perform functions on
our behalf or provide us with services if necessary. 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 the
information for any other purpose than
appears in their contract with us.
Military and Veterans. If you are a
member of the armed forces, we may release your health information as required
by military command authorities. If you are a member of a foreign military we
may release your health information to the foreign military command authority.
Worker's Compensation. We may release
your health information for worker's compensation or similar programs that
provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.
Public Health Risks. We may disclose
your health information for public health activities to prevent or control
disease, injury or disability. We may use your health information in reporting
births or deaths, suspected child abuse or neglect, medication reactions or
product malfunctions or injuries, and product recall notifications. We may use
your health information to notify someone who may have been exposed to a
disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition.
If we are concerned that a patient may have been a victim of abuse, neglect, or
domestic violence we may ask your permission to make a disclosure to an
appropriate government authority. We will make that disclosure only when you
agree or when required or authorized to do so by law.
Health Oversight Activities. We may
disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities
authorized by law. These may include audits, investigations, inspections, and
licensure. These activities are necessary to for the government to monitor the
health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are
involved in a lawsuit or dispute, we may disclose your health information in
response to a court or administrative order. We may disclose your health
information in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful
process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been
made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the
information requested.
Law Enforcement. We may release your
health information request by law enforcement official if 1) there is a court
order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process; 2) if the request is
limited to information needed to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive,
material witness, or missing person; 3) the information is about the victim of
a crime even if, under certain very limited circumstances, we are unable to
obtain your agreement; 4) the information is about a death that may be the
result of criminal conduct; 5) the information is relevant to criminal conduct
on our premises; and 6) it is needed in an emergency to report a crime, the
location of a crime or victims, or the identity, description, or location of
the person who may have committed the crime.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, and
Funeral Directors. We may release your health information to a coroner, medical
examiner, or funeral director to identify a deceased person or cause of death,
or other similar circumstance.
National Security and Intelligence
Activities. We may disclose your health information to authorized federal
officials for intelligence and other national security activities authorized by
law.
Inmates or Individuals in Custody. If
you are an inmate of a correctional institution or in custody we may disclose
your information 1) for the institution to provide you with health care, 2) to
protect your health and safety or that of others, and 3) for the safety and
security of the institution.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH
INFORMATION
Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the
right to inspect and copy your medical and billing records by written request
to: Records Custodian M Felix Freshwater MD PA.
Right to Amend. You have the right to
request an amendment to your records by written request to the Records
Custodian.
Right to an Accounting Of Disclosures.
You have a right to an accounting of certain disclosures by written request to
the Records Custodian.
Right to Request Restrictions. You have
the right to request restriction or limitation on your health information used
for treatment, payment or health care operations. You may request us to limit
disclosure to someone involved in your care or in payment for your care (such
as a spouse) by written request to the Records Custodian. We are not required
to agree with your request, but we will try to comply.
Right to Request Confidential
Communication. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about
medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. You can ask, for
example, that we contact you only by mail or at work. Your written request must
specify how or where you wish to be contacted and be addressed to the Records
Custodian. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
We may change this notice and make it
effective for medical information we already have about you as well as new
information. The current notice will be posted and available at all times. You
have a right to request a paper copy of the current notice at any visit or by
written request to the Records Custodian.
Records Custodian Miami Institute of
Hand & Microsurgery 9100 S. Dadeland Blvd Suite 502 Miami, FL, 33156-7815
(305) 670-9988