Patient Privacy Practices
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.
Our Legal Duty to Protect Your Privacy
WorkWell Onsite Provider is required by law to protect the privacy of your personal and health information, provide notice about our information management practices, and follow the information protocols described below. We are required to comply with federal health information privacy regulations by maintaining the privacy of your protected health information (PHI). These rules require us to provide you with this document, our Notice of Privacy Practices. We reserve the right to update this notice if required by law. If we do update this notice at any time in the future, you will receive a revised notice when you next seek treatment from us.
Uses and Disclosures
We will use your PHI for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations.
Treatment includes the disclosures of health information to other providers who have referred you for services or are involved in your care. This may include doctors, nurses, technicians, and other physical therapists. For example, we may feel that a stroke patient we are treating would benefit from the evaluation by a speech-language pathologist to address a swallowing difficulty. The health information we share with the speech–language pathologist would be considered a treatment related disclosure.
Payment includes the disclosure of health information to your insurance company, including Private Insurance, Worker’s Compensation, Medicare, and Medicaid, so payment can be obtained for services rendered. Your insurance company may make a request to review your medical record to determine that your care was necessary.
Health Care Operations include the utilization of your records to monitor the quality of care being given at our facility or for business planning activities.
Uses and Disclosures Required by Law
The federal health information privacy regulations either permit or require us to use or disclose your PHI in the following ways: we share some of your PHI with a family member or friend involved in your care if you do not object, we may use your PHI in an emergency situation when you may not be able to express yourself, and we may use or disclose your PHI for research purposes if we are provided with specific assurances that your privacy will be protected. We may also disclose your PHI when we are required to do so by law, for example by court subpoena. Disclosures to health oversight agencies are sometimes required by law to report certain diseases or adverse drug reactions. We may use and disclose health information about you to avert a serious threat to your health or safety or the health of your safety of the public or others. If you are in the Armed Forces, we may release health information about you when it is determined to be necessary by the appropriate military command authorities.
Worker’s Compensation
We may also release information about you for workers’ compensation or other similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness as allowed by law.
Employers. If you receive occupational health-related services directed by your employer, we may maintain PHI related to those occupational health services. We may disclose your PHI to your employer if it concerns a work-related illness or injury, or workplace medical surveillance where the provision of healthcare comes as result of employer sponsorship or direction, such as pre-employment physicals, occupational health screenings, or wellness services, to the employer-sponsor or their designee upon giving you notice. If you do not want us to make such disclosures, you have the right to refuse. However, refusal may preclude you from the assessment itself, or related participation-dependent employer incentives.
Restrictions
You have the right to request personal restrictions on how your PHI issued, however, we are not required to agree with your request. If we do agree, we must abide by your request.
Confidential Communications
You have the right to request confidential communication from us at a location of your choosing. This request must be in writing.
Access to PHI
You have the right to request a copy of your medical record. You must make this request in writing and we may charge a fee to cover the costs of copying and mailing.
Amendments
You have the right to request an amendment to be made to your PHI, if you disagree with what it says about you. This request must be made in writing. If we disagree with you, we are not required to make the change. You do have the right to submit a written statement about why you disagree that will become part of you record. We may not amend parts of your medical record that we did not create.
Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request an accounting of the disclosures made in the previous six years. These disclosures will not include those made for treatment, payment, or health care operations or for which we have not obtained authorization.
Complaints
If you feel that your privacy might have been violated, or if you are reporting a privacy breach, please contact our HIPAA compliance office. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may bring your complaint directly to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
WorkWell Onsite Provider is required by law to protect the privacy of your personal and health information, provide notice about our information management practices, and follow the information protocols described below. We are required to comply with federal health information privacy regulations by maintaining the privacy of your protected health information (PHI). These rules require us to provide you with this document, our Notice of Privacy Practices. We reserve the right to update this notice if required by law. If we do update this notice at any time in the future, you will receive a revised notice when you next seek treatment from us.
Uses and Disclosures
We will use your PHI for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations.
Treatment includes the disclosures of health information to other providers who have referred you for services or are involved in your care. This may include doctors, nurses, technicians, and other physical therapists. For example, we may feel that a stroke patient we are treating would benefit from the evaluation by a speech-language pathologist to address a swallowing difficulty. The health information we share with the speech–language pathologist would be considered a treatment related disclosure.
Payment includes the disclosure of health information to your insurance company, including Private Insurance, Worker’s Compensation, Medicare, and Medicaid, so payment can be obtained for services rendered. Your insurance company may make a request to review your medical record to determine that your care was necessary.
Health Care Operations include the utilization of your records to monitor the quality of care being given at our facility or for business planning activities.
Uses and Disclosures Required by Law
The federal health information privacy regulations either permit or require us to use or disclose your PHI in the following ways: we share some of your PHI with a family member or friend involved in your care if you do not object, we may use your PHI in an emergency situation when you may not be able to express yourself, and we may use or disclose your PHI for research purposes if we are provided with specific assurances that your privacy will be protected. We may also disclose your PHI when we are required to do so by law, for example by court subpoena. Disclosures to health oversight agencies are sometimes required by law to report certain diseases or adverse drug reactions. We may use and disclose health information about you to avert a serious threat to your health or safety or the health of your safety of the public or others. If you are in the Armed Forces, we may release health information about you when it is determined to be necessary by the appropriate military command authorities.
Worker’s Compensation
We may also release information about you for workers’ compensation or other similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness as allowed by law.
Employers. If you receive occupational health-related services directed by your employer, we may maintain PHI related to those occupational health services. We may disclose your PHI to your employer if it concerns a work-related illness or injury, or workplace medical surveillance where the provision of healthcare comes as result of employer sponsorship or direction, such as pre-employment physicals, occupational health screenings, or wellness services, to the employer-sponsor or their designee upon giving you notice. If you do not want us to make such disclosures, you have the right to refuse. However, refusal may preclude you from the assessment itself, or related participation-dependent employer incentives.
Restrictions
You have the right to request personal restrictions on how your PHI issued, however, we are not required to agree with your request. If we do agree, we must abide by your request.
Confidential Communications
You have the right to request confidential communication from us at a location of your choosing. This request must be in writing.
Access to PHI
You have the right to request a copy of your medical record. You must make this request in writing and we may charge a fee to cover the costs of copying and mailing.
Amendments
You have the right to request an amendment to be made to your PHI, if you disagree with what it says about you. This request must be made in writing. If we disagree with you, we are not required to make the change. You do have the right to submit a written statement about why you disagree that will become part of you record. We may not amend parts of your medical record that we did not create.
Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request an accounting of the disclosures made in the previous six years. These disclosures will not include those made for treatment, payment, or health care operations or for which we have not obtained authorization.
Complaints
If you feel that your privacy might have been violated, or if you are reporting a privacy breach, please contact our HIPAA compliance office. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may bring your complaint directly to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
WorkWell Prevention & Care
HIPAA Compliance Office
Attention: Brandon Johnson 306 W. Michigan St, Ste. 301
Duluth, MN 55802
Duluth, MN 55802