NOTICE OF PATIENT PRIVACY PRACTICES

Rheumatologist OnCall, PC has developed this Notice of Patient Privacy Practices to help you understand how medical information about you may be used and disclosed, and how you can access this information. Please review this notice carefully and entirely.

YOUR RIGHTS

You have the right to:

• Have real-time access to your electronic health records.
• Get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record.
• Correct your paper or electronic medical record.
• Request confidential communication.
• Ask us to limit the information we share.
• Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information.
• Get a copy of this privacy notice.
• Choose someone to act for you.
• File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

YOUR CHOICES

You have some choices in the way that we use and share information if we:

• Tell family and friends about your condition.
• Provide disaster relief.
• Include you in a hospital directory.
• Provide mental health care

OUR USES AND DISCLOSURES

We may use and share your information as we:

• Treat you.
• Run our practice.
• Bill for your services.
• Help with public health and safety issues.
• Do research.
• Comply with the law.
• Respond to organ and tissue donation requests.
• Work with a medical examiner or a funeral director.
• Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests.
• Respond to lawsuits and legal actions.
• State law limits certain other disclosures to only the information that is relevant and necessary to the purpose for which the information is sought. Mental health and other sensitive records may be subject to a heightened security standard.

YOUR RIGHTS

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights.  This section explains those rights.

• You have real-time access to your electronic health records.
• The federal 21st Century CURES Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder compel electronic health record technology companies to help you securely and easily access your structured electronic health information. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) has developed a few exceptions that include:^[1]

• Get a paper copy of your medical record.
• You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
• We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
• Ask us to correct your medical record.
• You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
• We may say “no” to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.
• Request confidential communications.
• You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone), or to send mail to a different address.
• We will agree to reasonable requests.
• Ask us to limit what we use or share.
• You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it could affect your care.
• If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.
• Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information.
• You can ask for a list (an accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
• We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, as well as certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make).
• We will provide one accounting a year for free, but charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you request another within 12 months.
• Get a copy of this privacy notice.  You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically.  We will promptly provide you with a paper copy.
• Choose someone to act for you.
• If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
• We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.
• File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated.
• Please let us know if you feel we have not upheld our obligations. Use the information on this page of this Notice to contact us.
• You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to

200 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, D.C.    20201,

calling 1-877-696-6775,

or

visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints

• We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

YOUR CHOICES

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share.  Talk to us if you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below.  Please tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and the choice to tell us to:

• Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care.
• Share information in a disaster relief situation.
• Include your information in a hospital directory.

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example, if you are unconscious, we may share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when necessary to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission.

In the case of fundraising, we may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

SMS Terms and Conditions

By providing your mobile phone number, you consent to receive SMS messages from Rheumatologist OnCall. These messages may include appointment reminders, date changes, forms to sign, or other important information related to your care and services provided by our clinic.

Message Frequency
Message frequency may vary depending on your care plan and communication preferences.
You may receive multiple messages per month depending on your appointment schedule and service updates.

Message and Data Rates
Standard message and data rates may apply, depending on your mobile carrier plan.

Opting Out
You can opt out of receiving SMS messages from Rheumatologist OnCall at any time by replying “STOP” to any of our messages. After you send “STOP,” you will receive a confirmation message and will no longer receive SMS communications from us.

Help and Support
If you need help or have questions regarding our SMS service, reply with “HELP” to any SMS message, or contact our support team at [email protected].

Privacy Policy
Your mobile number and SMS consent will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. We do not share mobile information with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.
Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties.

OUR USES AND DISCLOSURES

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways:

• We never market or sell personal information. No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties
• We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.
• We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.
• We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from your bank, card other entities.

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways, usually in ways that contribute to the public good.

We must meet many legal obligations before we can share your information for these purposes that include:

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 and national security.

Legal Actions:  We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

Legal Compliance:  We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we comply with federal privacy law.

For more information, visit: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html

Medical Examiners & Funeral Directors: When an individual dies, we can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director.

Organ and Tissue Donation:  We can share your health information with organ procurement organizations.

Public Health & Safety:  We can share health information about you to help with

• Preventing disease;
• Product recalls;
• Reporting adverse reactions to medications;
• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence; and
• Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.

Research:  We can use or share your information for health research.

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.^**
• We will promptly let you know if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this Notice and give you a copy of it.
• We will not use or share your information other than as described in this Notice, unless you give us written permission to do so. If you give us such permission, you may change your mind anytime.  Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

Your California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, California law provides you with additional rights regarding our collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information. To learn about the personal information we collect, use, and disclose, along with information regarding your additional California privacy rights, to learn more please visit https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa .

For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html

Changes in Our Privacy Policy

We can change the terms of this Notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you.  The new Notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website https://rheumatologistoncall.com/

If you are browsing or partially using our website, please make sure you read the Web and Mobile Privacy Policy carefully and entirely. If you are using our telemedicine services, please read the Telehealth Consent carefully and entirely. If you have additional questions, you can email us at [email protected].

[1] For more information about the ONC rules and its exceptions, visit https://www.healthit.gov/curesrule/.