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NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIPAA COMPLIANCESummary
One of our most important concerns as a medical practice is maintaining confidentiality of patient
records. This is to ensure that your health information remains private and is disclosed only to those authorized to receive it, as for instance, if you are changing doctors, taking out life insurance, seeing a
specialist who needs access to your lab work, X-rays etc.As of April 14, 2003 these concerns will translate into a formal law called the HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1996 (HIPAA
for short). By April 14, 2003, we, and all medical practices across the country will have to show compliance with this law. For you, the patients, this means that we have to show you the actual 'Notice of Privacy
Practices' and ask you to sign a form saying that we have done so. The Notice covers the following areas, which require using the information we have on you (also known as INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFIABLE HEALTH INFORMATION
(IIHI for short) for purposes such as the following: 1. Treatment. 2. Payment for Services you may receive from us. 3. General Health Care Operations. 4. Appointment Reminders. 5. Treatment Options. 6. Health-Related
Benefits and Services. 6. Release of Information to Family/Friends. 7. Disclosures Required by Law. We may also need to use your IIHI in certain special circumstances such as 1. Public Health Risks. 2. Health
Oversight Activities. 3. Lawsuits and Similar Proceedings. 4. Law Enforcement. 5. Deceased patients. 6. Organ and Tissue Donation. 7. Workers' Compensation. The above does not state every single category for which we
may need to use your IIHI. For a more complete list and to read the full text of the Notice, please refer to our Website, yafferuden.com or ask at the Front Desk, or Vera, our Privacy Compliance Officer, to give you a
copy. Since the law is very specific on these matters, you will now be required to request, sign for, and, in certain instances, pay, to have records picked up, mailed or faxed somewhere else. In every case, our
concern is to ensure the privacy of your medical information and comply with the law. We ask for your cooperation in doing this. NOTICE TO PATIENTS
REGARDING REQUESTS TO COPY RECORDS In accordance with new HIPAA regulations,
copies of patient lab tests and other medical reports will be mailed or faxed ONLY to the doctor's office that requests them or to the hospital where pre-operative test results have to be sent prior to surgery.
If patients desire copies for their own records, or if they want them forwarded elsewhere for 2nd opinions etc, they must sign a release form (which can be downloaded
here) and pay $10 for anything over 10 pages, prior to picking up the
records or having them sent.This notice is effective as of April 1, 2003. Thank you very much for you attention. |
