MARTIN MEDICAL CENTER, P.C.
117 Kennedy Drive
Martin, TN 382367
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective Date: April 14, 2003.
This Notice was most recently revised on February 25, 2022.
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED OR DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS NOTICE OR IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT OUR PRIVACY OFFICER:
Privacy Officer: Shelly Erwin
Mailing Address: 117 Kennedy Drive, Martin, TN 38237
Phone: (731) 587-9511
Fax: (877) 309-6416 Email: [email protected]
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
We are Martin Medical Center, P.C. understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. Applicable federal and state law requires us to maintain the privacy of your health information. We are also required to give you this Notice about our privacy practice, our legal duties, and your rights concerning your health informatic. We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this Notice while it is in effect. This Notice takes effect 2/25/22, and will remain in effect until we replace it. We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information. We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time, provided such changes are permitted by applicable law. We reserve the right to make the changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our Notice effective for all health information that we maintain, including health information we created or received before we made the changes. Before we make a significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this Notice and make the new Notice available upon request. You may request a copy of our Notice at any time. For more information about our privacy practices, or for additional copies of this Notice, please contact us using the information listed above.
USES AND DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION
We may use and disclose health information about you for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. For example:
To Treat You: We can use or disclose your health information to a physician or other healthcare provider providing treatment to you.
Billing and Payment for Services: We can use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for services we provide to you.
Health Care Operations: We can use and disclose your health information in connection with our healthcare operations which include quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualifications of healthcare professionals, evaluating practitioner and provider performance, conducting training programs, accreditation, certifications, licensing or credentialing activities.
Your Authorization: In addition to our use of your health information for treatment, payment or healthcare operations, you may give us written authorization to use your health information or to disclose it to anyone for any purpose. If you give us an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time; your revocation will not affect any use or disclosure permitted by your authorization while it was in effect. Unless you give us written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health information for any reason except those described in this Notice.
To Your Family and Friends: We must disclose your health information to you as described in the Patient Rights section of this Notice. We may disclose your health information to a family member, friend or another person to the extent necessary to help with your healthcare or with payment for your healthcare, but only if you agree that we may do so.
Persons Involved In Care: We may use or disclose health information to notify, or assist in the notification of (including identifying or locating) a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care, of your location, your general condition, or death. If you are present, then prior to use or disclosure of your health information, we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such uses or disclosures. In the event of your incapacity or emergency circumstances, we will disclose information based on a determination using our professional judgment disclosing only health information that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement in your healthcare. We will also use our professional judgment and experience with common practice to make reasonable inferences of you best interest in allowing person to pick up filled prescriptions, medical supplies, X-rays, or other similar forms of health information.
Marketing Health-Related Services: We will not use your health information for marketing purposes without your written permission.
Required by Law: We may use or disclose your health information when we are required to do so by state or federal law, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we are complying with federal privacy law.
Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your health information to appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence or the possible victim of other crimes. We may disclose your health information to the extent necessary to avert a serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of others.
National Security: We may disclose to military authorities the health information of Armed Forces personnel under certain circumstances. We may disclose to authorize federal officials health information required for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities. We may disclose to correctional institutions or law enforcement official having lawful custody of protective health information of inmate or patient under certain circumstances.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests: We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director: We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
Address workers’ compensation., law enforcement, and other government requests: We can use or share health information about you:
- For workers’ compensation claims
- For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
- With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
- For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services.
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions: We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
Appointment Reminders: We may disclose your health information to provide you with appointment reminders (such as voicemail messages, postcards, text messages or letters).
PATIENT RIGHTS:
Access: You have the right to look at or get copies of your health information, with limited exceptions. You may request that we provide copies in a format other than photocopies. We will use the format you request unless we cannot practicably do so. (You must make a request in writing to obtain access to your health information. You may obtain a form to request access by using the contact information listed at the top of this Notice. We will charge you a reasonable cost-based fee for expense such as copies, mailing and staff time. You may also request access by sending us a letter to the address listed at the top of this Notice. If you request an alternative format, we will charge a cost-based fee for providing your health information in that format. If you prefer, we will prepare a summary or an explanation of your health information for a fee. Contact us using the information listed at the top of this Notice for a full explanation of our fee structure.)
Disclosure Accounting: You have the right to receive a list of instances in which we or our business associates disclosed your health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations and certain other activities, for the last 6 years, but not before April 14, 2003. If you request this accounting more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for responding to these attritional requests.
Restriction: You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your health information. We are not required to agree to these additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement (except in an emergency).
Alternative Communication: you have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or at alternative locations. (You must make your request in writing.) Your request must specify the alternative means or location, and provide a satisfactory explanation how payment will be handled under the alternative means of location you request.
Amendment: You have the right to request that we amend your health information. (Your request must be in writing, and it must explain why the information should be amended.) We may deny your request under certain circumstances.
Electronic Notice: If you receive this Notice on our Website or by electronic mail (e-mail), you are entitled to receive this Notice in written form.
QUESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS:
If you want more information about our privacy practices or have questions or concerns, please contact us.
If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your health information or in response to a request you made to amend or restrict the use or disclosure of your health information or to have us communicate with you by alternative means or at alternative locations, you may complain to us using the contact information at the top of this Notice. You also may submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC, 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
We support your right to the privacy of your health information. We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.