St. Peter's Hospital ~ Patient Privacy

Patient Privacy

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION . . . PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY

Effective Date: April 14, 2003
We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements.
We keep a record of the health care services we provide for you. You may ask us to see and copy that record. You may also ask us to correct that record. We will not disclose your record to others unless you direct us to do so or unless the law authorizes or compels us to do so. You may see your record or get more information at the Medical Records Department

1. HOW ST. PETER'S MAY USE OR DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE INFORMATION FOR:

1. Treatment: To provide you with medical treatment or services, including doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students or other hospital personnel who are involved in taking care of you. For example: A physician may need to discuss a patient's diabetes with the dietician. Also, we may disclose information to people outside the hospital who may be involved in your care after you leave the facility, such as family members, clergy or others we use to provide services that are part of your care.

2. Payments: To give your health plan information about services you received at the facility so that we may be reimbursed. For example: We may need to give your health plan information about a surgery you received. Also, we may tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine coverage.

3. Operations: To support hospital operations in providing quality care for all patients. For example: We may use the information to review our treatment and services to evaluate the performance of our staff and to support training and education of staff. We may compare information with other facilities to support quality improvement. We may combine medical information about many patients to decide what additional services the hospital should offer. We may use or disclose medical information for audit, business planning, cost management analysis, management and general administrative activities.

4. Appointment Reminders: We may use or disclose medical information to contact you for pre-registration and/or as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care.

5. Treatment Alternatives or Other Health Related Benefits and Services: We may use or disclose medical information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

6. Information provided to you.

7. Directory: We may list your name, where you are located in our facilities, and your general medical condition. This information may be provided to other people who ask for you by name. If you do not want us to list this information in our directory and provide it and others, you must tell us that you object.

8. Notification and communication with family: We may disclose your health information to notify a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care about your location, your general condition or in the event of your death. If you are able and available to agree or object, we will give you the opportunity to object prior to making this notification. If you are unable or unavailable to agree or object, our health professionals will use their best judgment in communicating with your family and others.

9. Required by law: As required by law, we may use and disclose your health information.

10. Public health: As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to: preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability; reporting child abuse or neglect; reporting domestic violence; reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications; and reporting disease or infection exposure.

11. Health oversight activities: We may disclose your health information to health agencies during the course of audits, investigations, inspections, licensure and other proceedings.

12. Judicial and administrative proceedings: We may disclose your health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding pursuant to a properly issued subpoena, or discovery request.

13. Law enforcement: We may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order or subpoena and other law enforcement purposes.

14. Deceased person information: We may disclose your health information to coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors.

15. Organ donation: If you are an organ donor, we may disclose your health information to organizations involved in procuring, banking or transplanting organs and tissues.

16. Research: We may disclose your health information to researchers conducting research that has been approved by an Institutional Review Board.

17. Public safety: We may disclose your health information to appropriate persons in order to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or the general public.

18. Specialized government functions: We may disclose your health information for military and veteran activities, national security and intelligence activities, provision of protection for the President and others, health and safety of inmates in correctional facilities, or for government benefits for health plans purposes.

19. Worker's compensation: We may disclose your health information as necessary to comply with worker's compensation laws.

20. Fundraising Activities/Marketing: We may use protected health information for marketing purposes during face-to-face encounters or communications involving promotional gifts of nominal value.

II. WHEN ST. PETER'S HOSPITAL MAY NOT USE OR DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION EXCEPT AS DESCRIBED IN THIS NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES, WE WILL NOT USE OR DISCLOSE YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION WITHOUT YOUR WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW. IF YOU DO AUTHORIZE THE HOSPITAL TO USE OR DISCLOSE YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION FOR ANOTHER PURPOSE, YOU MAY REVOKE THAT AUTHORIZATION IN WRITING AT ANY TIME.

III. YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO:

* Inspect and Receive Copies of Health Information. You must submit your request in writing to the Medical Records Department.

* Request an Amendment. Your request must be made in writing and submitted to the Medical Records Department. St. Peter's Hospital may deny your request to amend your health information. If it does deny the request, it will provide you with information about the denial and you may disagree with the denial.

* Request an accounting of disclosures. You must submit your request in writing to the Medical Records Department. Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six (6) years. The accounting of disclosures will not include disclosures made for the purposes of treatment, payment, health care operations, information provided to you and certain government functions.

* Request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. You must make a request in writing to the Medical Records Department. If we agree, we will comply with your request to the extent that the hospital has not already taken action or relied on its legal right to use or disclose the information, unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.

* Request Confidential Communications. You must make your request in writing to the Medical Records Department. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.

* Receive a Paper Copy of this Notice. You may ask us to give you a paper copy of this notice at any time.You may obtain a copy of this notice at our Website, www.stpetes.org. To obtain a paper copy of this notice, contact the Medical Records Department.

* Revoke the authorization in writing, except to the extent the hospital has already taken action or relied on its legal right to use or disclose the information.

IV. ST. PETER HOSPITAL REQUIREMENTS

WE ARE REQUIRED TO:

Maintain the privacy of protected health information

To provide individuals with a notice of the Hospital's legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information.

To abide by the terms of the notice currently in effect

V. AMENDING THIS NOTICE

The Hospital reserves the right to amend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time and make the new notice effective for all protected health information, including information that was created or received prior to the date of amendment. The Hospital will provide patients with the revised notice.

VI. COMPLAINTS

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the facility or the Secretary of the Department of Health and

Human Services. To file a complaint with the facility call 447-2566. To file a complaint to the Secretary, submit it in writing to:

Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Civil Righta
Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Room 509F
200 Independence Ave, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201

Or to the regional office in Denver.

VII. FACILITY CONTACT

If you have questions about your rights regarding your health information, please call 447-2566.
This notice was published and first became effective on April 14, 2003.