Patient Health Information Notice of Privacy Practices
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.
OUR PLEDGE REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
Superior Rehabilitation is dedicated to protecting your personal health information. We take those precautions reasonably necessary to ensure your health information is held in confidence and only used by and disclosed to those who have a justifiable need to know. When you receive care at Superior Rehabilitation we create a record set necessary for: your care and treatment; our actions related to receiving payment for your treatment; and the management of our operations related to your treatment.
REQUIRED BY LAW
This notice applies to how we may use and disclose your health information in connection with receiving care at Superior Rehabilitation. It also describes your rights with respect to your personal health information. We are required by law to: make sure that medical information that identifies you is treated confidentially; give you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your medical information; and follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE
All Superior Rehabilitation employees and volunteers.
Attending physicians, contract physicians and other health care professional contract services.
Health care professionals and others who are not employees of Superior Rehabilitation but who are authorized to enter information into the Superior Rehabilitation records system, or authorized to use your health information already contained in the Superior Rehabilitation records system, for treatment, payment or operations.
Health records may be created, used and disclosed by your personal doctor and other health care professionals who treat you at Superior Rehabilitation but who are not Superior Rehabilitation employees. These direct care providers have agreed to follow Superior Rehabilitation’s privacy practices while you are a patient at the facility. However, they may have different policies regarding use and disclosure of your health information created, used or stored in their personal offices or clinics.
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
The following categories describe different ways we use and disclose medical information. For each category of uses or disclosures we explain what we mean and give some examples. The ways we use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.
For Treatment
We may use health information about you to provide medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, therapists or other Superior Rehabilitation personnel who are involved in taking care of you. With your authorization, we also may disclose your health information to new providers outside Superior Rehabilitation who may be involved in your health care after you leave the facility, such as home care service or others you chose to provide services.
We may also provide your physician or a subsequent healthcare provider with copies of various reports to assist in treating you once you are no longer receiving care from Superior Rehabilitation.
For Payment
We may use and disclose health information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at Superior Rehabilitation may be billed and payment collected from you, an insurance company or a third party. For example, we may need to give your health insurance plan information about treatment you received at Superior Rehabilitation so your health insurance plan will pay us for the treatment. We also may tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the proposed treatment.
For Health Care Operations
We may use and disclose your health information for Superior Rehabilitation operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run Superior Rehabilitation and to ensure all of our patients receive quality care. This may include an assessment of your satisfaction with our services. For example, we may use medical information to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We may also combine health information about many Superior Rehabilitation patients to decide what additional services we should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments are effective. We also may disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, therapists and other Superior Rehabilitation personnel for review and learning purposes. We may remove the information that personally identifies you from this set of health information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without knowing anything about you.
Appointment Reminders
We may use and disclose health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment at Superior Rehabilitation.
Treatment Alternatives
We may use and disclose health information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.
Health-Related Benefits and Services
We may use and disclose health information to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
Future Communications
We may communicate with you via newsletters, mail or other means regarding treatment options, health related information, disease- management programs, wellness programs or other community-based initiatives or activities our facility is participating in.
Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care
We may release health information about you to a family member or friend who is involved in your care. We also may give information to someone who helps pay for your care. You have the right to object to such disclosures. If you are incapacitated, we will exercise professional judgment and act in your best interest in making disclosure of your health information to family members or friends involved in your care.
Business Associates
There are some services provided in our organization through contracts with business associates. Some examples of these may include, but are not limited to, physician services for certain tests, a billing service for our practice, and a copy service we use when making copies of your health record. These business associates may have access to your health information so that they can perform the job we’ve asked them to do on our behalf. To protect your health information, however, we require them to agree to safeguard your information in their possession.
Disaster Relief
We may disclose health information about you to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.
Research
Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose health information about you for research purposes. For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients with the same medical condition who received one type of treatment to those who received another type of treatment. All research projects are subject to a special approval process. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of health information to ensure patient health information is only used and disclosed as necessary for the research project. Normally we use or disclose health information for research only after the project has been approved through the research approval process. However, we may disclose health information about you to researchers to help them identify patients with specific medical needs. In these pre-research actions, we will not allow researchers to copy or otherwise transmit your identifiable health information outside Superior Rehabilitation.
As Required By Law
We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We may use and disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone authorized to receive it.
SPECIAL SITUATIONS FOR RELEASE OF HEALTH INFORMATION
Military and Veterans
If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release health information about you as required by military command authorities. We may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority. If you are a member of the Armed Forces, we may disclose health information about you to the Department of Veterans Affairs upon your separation or discharge from military services. This disclosure is necessary for the Department of Veterans Affairs to determine if you are eligible for certain benefits.
Workers’ Compensation and Disability Insurance
We may release medical information about you for workers’ compensation, disability insurance or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.
Public Health Risks
We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities. These activities generally include the following:
- to prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
- to report child or elder abuse or neglect;
- to report reactions to medications or problems with products;
- to notify people of recalls of products they may be using;
- to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
- to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree, or when required or authorized by law.
Health Oversight Activities
We may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs and compliance with civil rights laws.
Lawsuits and Disputes
If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose health information about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose health information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you or your representative to afford you the opportunity to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
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;
- To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
- About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person’s agreement;
- About a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
- About criminal conduct at or affecting Superior Rehabilitation;
- In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description or location of the person who committed the crime.
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 also release health information about a deceased person to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.
National Security and Intelligence Activities
We may release health information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.
Protective Services for the President and Others
We may disclose medical information about you to authorized federal officials so they may provide protection to the President, other authorized persons or foreign heads of state or conduct special investigations.
Inmates
If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release health information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary for the following:
- for the institution to provide you with health care;
- to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or
- for the safety and security of the correctional institution.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:
Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records. To inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to Superior Rehabilitation, 6820 Veterans Boulevard, Ste A., Metairie, LA 70003. You do not have to provide any justification to exercise this right. If you request a copy of your health information, Superior Rehabilitation may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other expenses associated with your request. We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to your health information you may appeal the denial. Your appeal will be considered by a licensed health care professional chosen by Superior Rehabilitation and not previously involved in the denial of your original request for inspection and copy. Superior Rehabilitation will abide by the decision of the appeal reviewer.
Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or 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 your care, like a family member or friend. To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to Superior Rehabilitation, 6820 Veterans Boulevard, Ste A., Metairie, LA 70003. In your request, you must tell us:
- what information you want to limit;
- whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and
- to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.
We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request, but only to the extent that we have not already acted or unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.
Right to Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about health 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. To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to Superior Rehabilitation. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted. You do not have to provide the reason for your request. Superior Rehabilitation will honor all reasonable requests. Your request will not be accepted, however, if it unreasonably interferes with our efforts to collect for services already rendered.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask for a copy of this notice at any time. To obtain a paper copy of this notice, contact Superior Rehabilitation, 6820 Veterans Boulevard, Ste A., Metairie, LA 70003. Even if you have an electronic version of the Notice, you are still entitled to a paper copy.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for health information we already have about you, as well as any health information we create in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice at appropriate patient access points in our treatment facilities and on our website. The notice will contain its effective date on all pages. In addition, each time you register at Superior Rehabilitation for treatment, you will have an opportunity to receive a copy of the current notice.
COMPLAINTS
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Superior Rehabilitation or with the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Complaints submitted to Superior Rehabilitation must be in writing and may be mailed or hand delivered to Superior Rehabilitation. You must include your contact information in your request. We will contact you about the complaint promptly after it is received. Your complaint actions will be held in the strictest confidence. Additionally, Superior Rehabilitation will not take any actions to discourage you from filing a complaint, nor will we act against you in any way if you file a complaint.
AUTHORIZATION FOR OTHER USES OF YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION
Other uses and disclosures of medical information, not covered by this notice or otherwise required by law will be made only with your written authorization.
Superior Rehabilitation has a specific authorization form that identifies all of the required information necessary for a valid authorization to release your health information that requires your signature or the signature of your legally authorized personal representative.
We caution you about authorizing release of your health information. You should always make sure you fully understand the purposes for the authorization and how your health information will be protected by the organization or individual you authorize to receive your health information. When Superior Rehabilitation acts on your authorization for use and disclosure of your health information, we are not responsible for how that information may be used by others after it is disclosed.
Superior Rehabilitation will require detailed justification for any authorization that requests the disclosure of your complete medical record. We are required to do this by law.
If you provide us authorization to use or disclose your medical information you may revoke the authorization at any time. You may revoke your authorization by writing to Superior Rehabilitation. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your original written authorization except to the extent we have already acted. We will be unable to take back any disclosures already made based on your original authorization.
Questions about this notice should be directed to Superior Rehabilitation.
