Privacy Policy
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED
This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your Protected Health Information to carry out treatment, payment or healthcare operations, and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your Protected Health Information. "Protected Health Information" is information about you, including demographic information that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and related healthcare services.
We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you and we are required to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices.
TREATMENT: We may use Protected Health Information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. When required, we will obtain your authorization before disclosing any of your information. Only the minimal amount of information will be revealed during any disclosures.
PAYMENT: Your Protected Health Information will be used, as needed, to obtain payment of your healthcare services. This may include certain activities that your health insurance plan may undertake before it approves or pays for the healthcare services we recommend for you such as: making a determination of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits, reviewing services provided to you for medical necessity, and undertaking utilization review activities.
HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS: We may use or disclose as needed, your Protected Health Information in order to support the business activities of your healthcare provider and Reliant. Whenever an arrangement between our facility and a business associated involves the use or disclosure of your Protected Health Information, we will have a written contract that contains terms that will protect the privacy of your Protected Health Information.
OTHER PERMITTED AND REQUIRED USES AND DISCLOSURES THAT MAY BE MADE WITH YOUR AUTHORIZATION, OR OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT: You have the opportunity to agree or object to the use or disclosure of all or part of your Protected Health Information. If you are not present or able to agree or object to the use or disclosure of the Protected Health Information, then your healthcare provider may, using professional judgment, determine whether the disclosure is in your best interest. In this case, only the Protected Health Information that is relevant to your healthcare will be disclosed.
OTHERS INVOLVED IN YOUR HEALTHCARE: Unless you object, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend or any other person you identify, your Protected Health Information that directly relates to that person’s involvement in your healthcare. If you are unable to agree or object to such a disclosure, we may disclose such information as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest based on our professional judgment. We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information to an authorized public or private entity to assist in disaster relief efforts.
OTHER PERMITTED AND REQUIRED USES AND DISCLOSURES THAT MAY BE MADE WITHOUT YOUR AUTHORIZATION OR OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT: We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information without your authorization in the following situations:
- REQUIRED BY LAW: We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information to the extent that the use or disclosure is required by law. The use or disclosure will be made in compliance with the law and will be limited to the relevant requirements of the law. You will be notified, as required by law, of any such uses or disclosures.
- PUBLIC HEALTH: We may disclose your Protected Health Information for public health activities and purposes to a public health authority that is permitted by law to collect or receive the information.
- COMMUNICABLE DISEASES: We may disclose your Protected Health Information, if authorized by law, to a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading the disease or condition.
- HEALTH OVERSIGHT: We may disclose Protected Health Information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations and inspections.
- ABUSE OR NEGLECT: We may disclose your Protected Health Information to the governmental entity or agency authorized to receive such information if we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. In this case, the disclosure will be made consistent with the requirements of applicable federal and state laws.
- FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: We may disclose your Protected Health Information to a person or company required by the Food and Drug Administration to report adverse events, product defects, or problems.
- LEGAL PROCEEDINGS: We may disclose Protected Health Information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding, in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal (to the extent such disclosure is expressly authorized, in certain conditions) in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process.
- LAW ENFORCEMENT: We may disclose Protected Health Information so long as applicable legal requirements are met, for law enforcement purposes.
- CORONERS, FUNERAL DIRECTORS AND ORGAN DONATION: We may disclose Protected Health Information to a coroner or medical examiner for identification purposes, determining cause of death or for the coroner or medical examiner to perform other duties authorized by law, to funeral directors and for organ donation information.
- RESEARCH: We may disclose your Protected Health Information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your Protected Health Information.
- CRIMINAL ACTIVITY: Consistent with applicable federal and state laws, we may disclose your Protected Health Information if we believe that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.
- MILITARY ACTIVITY AND NATIONAL SECURITY: When the appropriate conditions apply, we may use or disclose Protected Health Information of individuals who are Armed Forces personnel (1) for activities deemed necessary by appropriate military command authorities (2) for the purpose of a determination by the Department of Veterans Affairs of eligibility for benefits or (3) to foreign military services. We may also disclose your Protected Health Information to authorized federal officials for conducting national security and intelligence activities, including for the provision of protective services to the president or others legally authorized.
- WORKERS' COMPENSATION: Your Protected Health Information may be disclosed by us as authorized to comply with workers' compensation laws and other similar legally established programs.
- REQUIRED USES AND DISCLOSURES: Under the law, we must make disclosures to you, and when required by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services as required by the Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information.
YOUR RIGHTS
You have the right to inspect and copy your Protected Health Information. This means you may inspect and obtain a copy of Protected Health Information about you for as long as we maintain the Protected Health Information. Under federal law, however, you may not inspect or copy the following records: psychotherapy notes; information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or use in, a civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding; and protected health information that is subject to law that prohibits access to Protected Health Information.
You have the right to request a restriction of your Protected Health Information. This means you may ask us not to use or disclose any part of your Protected Health Information for the purposes of treatment, payment or healthcare operations. In addition, you may request that any part of your Protected Health Information not be disclosed to family members or friends who may be involved in your care, or for notification purposes as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices. Your request must state the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply.
COMPLAINTS
You may file a complaint with us by notifying our Privacy Officer, with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, or with the Office of Civil Rights if you believe we have violated your privacy rights. No action will be taken against you for filing a complaint.
Reliant North Texas
3351 Waterview Parkway
Richardson, Texas 75080
Phone: 972.398.5700
Fax: 972.398.5751
Contact us for more information
