Privacy Statement
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.
WE HAVE A LEGAL DUTY TO SAFEGUARD YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION ("PHI")
The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires all healthcare records and other individually identifiable health information used or disclosed to us in any form, whether electronically, on paper, or orally, be kept confidential. Federal law requires that we provide you with this notice of our Privacy Practices and that we comply with the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We are required by law to protect the privacy and health information that identifies, or can be used to identify, a client. This notice describes your rights as our client and will help you to understand and control how your PHI is used.
We reserve the right to make changes to this notice to comply with HIPAA requirements as they may change. If and when this notice is changed, we will post a copy in our Agency and provide you with a revised notice upon your request to our Privacy Officer. If the change in policy or procedure does not materially affect our Notice of Privacy Practices, then changes to policy and procedure may be made as soon as they are documented.
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION
Individual:
We may use and disclose PHI about you or your child, directly to you, in person (face to face).
Treatment:
We may use and disclose PHI about you to provide you with treatment or related services (within Meeting Street). We may disclose information about you to other qualified personnel within Meeting Street who are involved in your direct care, the coordination of services for you, or have special expertise in the issue presented. This would also include your personal physician or other healthcare provider that we may refer you to. We may disclose health information about you to individuals outside Meeting Street who may be involved in your care after you leave Meeting Street, such as family members, or others we use to provide services that are part of your care.
Payment:
We may use and disclose your PHI to bill and collect payment for treatment or services that we provide. For example, before providing therapy services we may need to share information with your health plan to obtain authorization of payment prior to treatment. We may also use and disclose your PHI to confirm you are receiving the appropriate amount of service to obtain payment for services; for billing, claims management, and collection activities; or to insurance companies providing you with additional coverage. We may also disclose PHI to consumer reporting agencies relating to the collection of payments owed us, or to another healthcare provider for the payment activities of that healthcare provider.
Healthcare Operations:
We may use and disclose your PHI to perform routine business activities ("healthcare operations"), which include such things as quality assurance, utilization review, peer review, clinical training, credentialing, accreditation, licensing, insurance underwriting, and general management activities. For example, we may use and disclose your PHI to review and evaluate the skills and performance of healthcare providers who provide services to you; to provide training programs for students, volunteers, trainees, or healthcare providers for learning purposes and review; to cooperate with outside organizations that assess the quality of the services we provide or evaluate, certify, or license healthcare providers or staff in a particular field or specialty; to cooperate with various professionals who review our activities, including doctors that review the services provided to you, accountants, lawyers, and others who assist us in complying with the law and managing Meeting Street; to assist us in making plans for future operations; to resolving complaints within Meeting Street; for business planning and development, such as cost-management analyses; and for use in sign-in sheets where you may be asked to sign your name. We may also call you by name in the waiting room when your service provider is ready to see you and call you to remind you of an appointment.
Minimum Necessary:
We will limit the use and disclosure or request of PHI to the minimum amount necessary for its purpose.
Appointment Reminders:
We may use and disclose PHI to contact you as a reminder of an appointment for services at Meeting Street.
Treatment Alternatives:
We may use and disclose PHI to inform you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives.
Health-Related Benefits/Services:
We may use and disclose PHI to inform you about other related services that may be of interest to you.
Fundraising:
We may use PHI about you to contact you in an effort to raise money for Meeting Street. We may disclose PHI to an entity related to Meeting Street so that the entity may contact you in raising money for Meeting Street. We would only release contact information, such as name, address, and number, and the dates you received service at Meeting Street. If you do not want Meeting Street to contact you for fundraising efforts, you must notify our Privacy Officer in writing.
Marketing:
We may initiate a marketing communication in a face-to-face encounter with an individual. We may also provide sample products during a face-to-face communication, or distribute calendars, pens and the like, that displays the name of a product or provider, without requiring an authorization.
Public Health Activities:
We may use and disclose PHI to public health authorities or other authorized persons to carry out certain activities related to public health, including activities to prevent or control disease, injury or disability, to report births and deaths, to report child abuse or neglect, to report reactions to medications or problems with products, to notify people of recalls of products they may be using, to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition, and to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a client has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety:
We may use or disclose PHI about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure would be made to a person or organization that is able to help prevent the threat.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, Funeral Directors:
We may disclose PHI to a coroner or medical examiner to identify a deceased person and determine the cause of death, or to funeral directors so that they may carry out their duties.
Lawsuits and Disputes:
We may use or disclose your PHI when required by a court or administrative order. We may also disclose your PHI in response to subpoenas, discovery requests, or as otherwise required by law.
Law Enforcement:
We may disclose your PHI to law enforcement officials and in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process. We may also disclose your PHI to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person and about a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct or about criminal conduct at Meeting Street. We may disclose PHI about the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person's agreement and in emergency circumstances to report a crime, the location of the crime or victims or the identity, description or location of the person who committed the crime.
Disclosures Required by Law:
We are required to disclose PHI to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, upon request, to review our compliance with the privacy regulations.
All Other Uses and Disclosures of PHI Require Your Authorization:
You may revoke your authorization at any time, except to the extent we have taken action based on the authorization.
Research: We must obtain an authorization for all other use and disclosure of PHI for research purposes. Authorization may be combined with consent to participate in the research or with any other legal permission related to the study. Authorization does not need to expire.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI)
Right to Request Restrictions:
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the PHI we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or healthcare operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a test result or a treatment you had. We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment. To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to the Privacy Officer. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure, or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.
Right to Receive Confidential Communications:
You have the right to request that you receive communications regarding your PHI in a certain manner or at a certain location. For example, you may request that we contact you at work or by mail. You must make your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.
Right to Inspect and Copy:
You have the right to inspect and receive a copy of your PHI in certain records that we maintain. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes. To inspect and receive a copy of your PHI you must submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. If you request a copy of your PHI, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request. We may deny your request to inspect and receive a copy in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to your PHI, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another professional chosen by Meeting Street will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your initial request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.
Right to Amend:
If you feel that the PHI we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the PHI is kept by or for Meeting Street. Your request for amendment must be made in writing and submitted to the Privacy Officer. You must also provide a reason that supports your request.
We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that: was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment; is not part of the medical information kept by or for Meeting Street; is not part of the PHI which you would be permitted to inspect and receive a copy; or is accurate and complete.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures:
You have a right to request an "accounting of disclosures." This is a list of disclosures we have made of your PHI. It excludes disclosures made by us regarding treatment, payment, and healthcare operations and disclosures made to you or to family members and friends that are involved in your care. You have the right to receive specific information regarding these disclosures that occurred after April 14, 2003.
To request an accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to the Privacy Officer. Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six years. The first accounting that you request in a 12-month period will be free. For additional requests in the same 12-month period we may charge you for the costs of providing the accounting of disclosures. We will inform you about these costs, and you may choose to cancel or modify your request at any time before costs are incurred.
Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice:
You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You are entitled to a paper copy of this notice even if you have previously received this notice electronically. To obtain a paper copy of this notice contact the Privacy Officer. You may obtain a copy of this notice at our website, www.meetingstreet.org.
Consent to Treat:
All clients or their representatives will be required to sign a consent for evaluation and/or treat prior to the start of service.
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION and to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION.
We are required to abide by the terms of the Notice of Privacy Practices currently in effect. We reserve the right to change the terms of our Notice of Privacy Practices and to make the new notice provisions effective for all PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION that we maintain. Revisions to our Notice of Privacy Practices will be posted on the effective date and you may request a written copy of the Revised Notice from Meeting Street.
You have the right to file a formal, written complaint with us at the address below, or with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Civil Rights, in the event you feel your privacy rights have been violated. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
For more information about our Privacy Practices or to file a complaint please contact:
Elaine Kirwin, Compliance Officer
Meeting Street
1000 Eddy Street
Providence, RI 02905
401-533-9205
For more information about HIPAA or to file a complaint:
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Office of Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201 877-696-6775 (toll free)