Notice of Privacy Practices
THIS
NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW PROTECTED MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY
BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GAIN ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.
PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
1. St
Luke Community Healthcare Network is permitted to make uses and
disclosures of protected health information (PHI) for treatment,
payment and health care operations, as described in the following
examples:
-
a.
For treatment - If you're being treated for a knee injury, we
may disclose your PHI to the physical therapy department in order
to coordinate your care.
b. For payment - We may provide portions of your PHI to the billing
department and your health plan to get paid for the health services
we provide to you. We may also provide your PHI to our business
associates, such as billing companies, and others that process
our health care claims
c. For health care operations -We may use your PHI in order to
evaluate the quality of health care services that you received
or to evaluate the performance of the health care professionals
who provided health care services to you. We may also provide
your PHI to our accountants, attorneys, consultants, and other
in order to make sure we're complying with the laws that affect
us.
2. St Luke
Community Healthcare Network is permitted or required, under specific
circumstances, to use or disclose PHI without the individual's written
authorization.
- a. When
a disclosure is required by federal, state, or local law, judicial
or administrative proceedings, or law enforcement. For example, we
make disclosures when a law requires that we report information to
government agencies and law enforcement personnel about victims of
abuse, neglect, or domestic violence; when dealing with gunshot and
other wounds; or when ordered in a judicial or administrative hearing.
b. For public health activities. For example, we report information
about births, deaths, and various diseases, to government officials
in charge of collecting that information, and we provide coroners,
medical examiners, and funeral directors necessary information relating
to an individual's death.
c. For health oversight activities. For example, we will provide information
to assist the government when it conducts an investigation or inspection
of a health care provider or organization.
d. For purposes of organ donation. We may notify organ procurement
organizations to assist them in organ, eye, or tissue donation and
transplants
e. For research purposes. In certain circumstances we may provide
PHI in order to conduct medical research.
f. To avoid harm. In order to avoid a serious threat to the health
and safety of a person or the public, we may provide PHI to law enforcement
personnel or persons able to prevent or lessen such harm.
g. For specific government functions. We may disclose PHI of military
personnel and veterans in certain situations. And we may disclose
PHI for national security purposes, such as protecting the President
of the United States or conducting intelligence operations; or
h. For worker's compensation purposes. We may provide PHI in order
to comply with worker's compensation laws.
3. Other uses
and disclosures will be made only with the Individual's written authorization,
and the individual may revoke such authorization.
4. St Luke
Community Healthcare Network intends to engage in one or more of the
following activities:
- a. St Luke
Community Healthcare Network may contact the individual to provide
appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives
or other heath-related benefits and services that may be of interest
to the individual or patient; or
b. St Luke Community Healthcare Network may contact the individual/Patient
to raise funds for St Luke Community Healthcare Network.
5. The Individual
has the following rights regarding PHI:
- a. The
right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of PHI.
St Luke Community Healthcare Network is not required to agree to a
requested restriction, however.
- b. The
right to receive confidential communications of PHI, as applicable.
- c. The
right to inspect and copy PHI, as provided in the Privacy Regulation.
- d. The
right to amend PHI, as provided in the Privacy Regulation.
- e. The
right to receive an accounting of disclosures of PHI.
- f. The
right to obtain a paper copy of the Notice from the covered entity
upon request. This right extends to an individual who has agreed to
receive the Notice electronically.
6. St Luke
Community Healthcare Network is required by law to maintain the privacy
of PHI and to provide individuals with notice of its legal duties and
Privacy practices with respect to PHI
7. St Luke Community Healthcare Network is required to abide by the
terms of the Notice currently in effect.
8. St Luke Community Healthcare Network reserves the right to change
the terms of this Notice. The new Notice provisions will be effective
for all PHI that it maintains.
9. St Luke Community Healthcare Network will provide individuals or
patients with a revised Notice by verbal or written requests and by
posting it on Networks web page.
10. Individuals may complain to St Luke Community Healthcare Network
and to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services,
without fear of retaliation by the organization, if they believe their
privacy rights have been violated. A brief description of how the individual
may file a complaint follows:
- . You may
send a written complaint to the person listed in section 11 below;
or
- You
may send a written complaint to the Secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Ave S. W., Washington
D. C. 20201
11. St Luke
Community Healthcare Network's contact person for matters relating to
complaints is: Medical Records Manager, 406-676-4441, 107 6th Ave S.
W. Ronan, Mt 59864
12. This Notice is first in effect on April 14, 2003
