ProAction Physical Therapy Privacy Policy

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ProAction Physical Therapy Privacy Policy

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.

This notice is followed by:

• Health care professionals who enter information into your chart

• All departments and locations of the ProAction Physical Therapy, including billing personnel

• Any volunteer or student we allow to help you while you are at ProAction Physical Therapy

This notice applies to the information and records we have about your health, health status, and the health care and services you receive at ProAction Physical Therapy. Your health information may include information created and received by this office, it may be in the form of written or electronic records, images or spoken words, and it may include information about your health history, health status, symptoms, examinations, test results, diagnoses, treatments, procedures, prescriptions, related billing activity, and similar types of health-related information.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to give you this notice. It will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose health information about you and describes your rights and our obligations regarding the use and disclosure of that information. We are required to abide by the terms of this notice, and to notify you of a breach of your unsecured health information.

Examples of Use and Disclosures of Your Protected Health Information

On behalf of ProAction Physical Therapy, patients may receive written correspondence (for example, billing statements, welcome letters, and/or newsletters). We may call patients to remind them of their appointment date and time, for scheduling purposes, and to confirm/inquire about information necessary to provide accurate and timely billing services. We may also leave messages for you at your provided contact numbers. We may also schedule, change, modify, and/or cancel appointments for you that are made by your spouse, immediate family member(s), or designated personal representative(s). We will also send electronic fax and email transmissions between our clinic and billing office for billing purposes.

We may use and disclose health information for the following purposes:

For Treatment: We may use health information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose health information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, office staff, or other personnel who are involved in your care. Information obtained by a physical therapist, or other member of our health care team will be recorded in your medical record and used to help decide what care may be right for you. We may also provide information to others providing you care. This will help them stay informed about your care. For example, the doctor who referred you for physical therapy may be treating you for a medical or orthopedic condition, and we may need to know about that and any other health problems that could complicate your treatment. We may use your medical history to decide what treatment is best for you. We will consult with your doctor and send reports about your treatment to the doctor. We do this to provide the most appropriate care for you.

Different personnel in our office may share information about you and disclose information to people who do not work in our office in order to coordinate your care, such as telephoning your doctor and getting needed information. Family members and other health care providers may be part of your physical therapy outside this office and that may require us to provide information about you.

For Payment: We may use or disclose medical information about you in order to obtain payment for our health care services. For example, we may bill your health plan or insurance company for your treatment in this clinic. We may also need to tell your health plan or insurance company about a treatment you are going to receive in order to obtain prior approval, or to determine whether your plan will pay for the treatment.

For Health Care Operations: We may use and disclose health information about you in order to manage the clinic and ensure that you and our other patients receive quality care. For example, we may use medical information to review our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We may also combine health information about many patients to decide what additional services we should offer, how we can become more efficient, or whether certain treatments are effective for certain problems.

We may also disclose your health information to your health plan and other health care providers that care for you in order to help these plans and providers evaluate or improve care, reduce cost, coordinate and manage health care and services, train staff, and comply with the law. We will remove information that identifies you from this set of medical information so others may use it to study healthcare delivery.

YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION RIGHTS

Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and copy your health information, such as medical and billing records, that we keep and use to make decisions about your care. You must submit a written request to our office in order to inspect and/or copy records of your health information. If you request a copy of the information, we charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing, or other associated supplies.

Right to Correct: If you believe health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request a correction as long as the information is kept by this office.

We may deny your request for an amendment if your request is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to correct information that:

• We did not create, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the correction
• Is not part of the health information that we keep
• You would not be permitted to inspect and copy
• Is accurate and complete

Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request, in writing, a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the health information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for it, like a family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had.

If you or someone on your behalf pays for a service in full and you request that we not disclose information about the service to your health plan for purposes of payment of health care operations, we are required to agree to your request unless the disclosure is required by law. For all other types of restriction requests, we are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment or we are required by law to use or disclose the information.

Right to Request Confidential Communications: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail or e-mail. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive it electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy.

OTHER DISCLOSURES AND USES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

We may use or disclose health information about you for the following purposes, in accordance with the requirements and limitations of state and other law:

Family and Friends: We may disclose health information about you to your family members, friends, or others involved in your care or payment if we obtain your verbal agreement to do so or if we give you an opportunity to object to such a disclosure and you do not raise an objection. We may also disclose health information to your family or friends if we can infer from the circumstances, based on our professional judgment, that you would not object. For example, we may assume you agree to our disclosure of your personal health information to your spouse when you bring your spouse with you into the room during treatment or while treatment is discussed.

In situations where you are not capable of giving consent (due to your incapacity or medical emergency), we may, using our professional judgment, determine that a disclosure to your family member or friend is in your best interest. In that situation, we will disclose only health information relevant to the person’s involvement in your care.

We may use and disclose your protected health information without you authorization as follows:

Research: We may use and disclose health information about you for research projects that are subject to a special approval process or under certain other limited circumstances.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors: We may release health information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may release health information to funeral directors as necessary for them to carry out their duties.

Required By Law: We will disclose health information about you when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.

Personal Representative: If you have a personal representative who has authority to make health care decisions on your behalf, such as a parent or guardian, we may disclose your health information to such a personal guardian.

Public Health and Safety Purposes: to prevent or reduce serious, immediate threat to the safety of a person or the public; to public health or legal authorities to protect public health and safely; to prevent or control disease, injury, or disability; to report vital statistics such as birth or deaths; to report suspected abuse or neglect to public authorities.

Military, Veterans, National Security, and Intelligence: If you are or were a member of the armed forces, or part of the national security or intelligence communities, we may be required by military command or other government authorities to release health information about you.

Workers’ Compensation: We may release health information about you for workers’ compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

Lawsuits and Disputes: We may disclose your health information in response to a court or administrative order, subpoena, discovery request, or other legal process, subject to certain restrictions.

Health Oversight Activities: We may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for audits, investigations, inspections, or licensing purposes. These disclosures may be necessary for certain state and federal agencies to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

Law Enforcement: We may release health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons, or similar process subject to all applicable legal requirements.

Information Not Personally Identifiable: We may use or disclose health information about you in a way that does not personally identify you or reveal who you are.

To Ask for Help or Complain:

If you have questions, want more information, or to report a problem about the handling of your protected health information, you may contact our Privacy Officer. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our office or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Tamsie Aalbu, Privacy Officer

ProAction Physical Therapy, PLLC

6618 64th St NE, Suite D

Marysville, WA 98270

phone 360.653.5800 fax 360.653.5880

ProAction Physical Therapy, PLLC reserves the right to modify this Notice without prior notification to our patients. (07/2018)

ProAction Physical Therapy Privacy Policy

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