HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective Date October 1, 2017

This Notice Describes How Medical Information About You May Be Used, Disclosed And How You Can Get Access To This Information. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Privacy Officer at the address located in the “Contact Information” section of this Notice.

Our Pledge Regarding Medical Information.

We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information in a reasonable and appropriate manner. We create a record of the care and the services you receive at Colorado Pain Practice, LLC dba Colorado Pain Care (CPP). We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all the records of your care generated by our Practice. This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you, as well as your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.

Our Duties to you regarding Protected Health Information.

We are required by law to:

• make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private;
• give you this notice of our legal duties and practices concerning medical information about you
• follow the terms of this notice that is currently in effect; and
• communicate to you any changes to this Notice.

How We May Use and Disclose YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION. The following describes the ways we may use and disclose proected health information that identifies you (“Health Information”). Except for the purposes described below, we will use and disclose Health Information only with your written permission. You may revoke such permission at any time by writing our Privacy Officer.

• For Treatment. We can use your Health Information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.
• For Payment. We can use and share your Health Information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.
• For Health Care Operations. We can use and share your Health Information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.
• Appointment Reminders, Treatment Alternatives, and Health Related Benefits and Services. We can share and disclose Health Information to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment with us. We may also use and disclose Health Information to tell you about treatment alternatives or health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
• Individuals Involved In Your Care or Payment for Your Care. When appropriate, we can share Health Information with a person who is involved in your medical care or payment for your care, such as your family or a close friend or any other person you identify.
• Research. Under certain circumstances, we can share and disclose Health Information for research. Before we use or disclose Health Information for research, the project will go through a special approval process. Even without special approval, we may permit researchers to look at records to help them identify patients who may be included in their research project or for other similar purposes, as long as they do not remove or take a copy of any Health Information.
• As Required By Law. We can share and disclose Health Information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local laws.
• To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We can share and disclose Health 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.
• For All Other Uses and Disclosures. All other uses and disclosures of information not contained in this Notice of Privacy Practices will not be disclosed without your authorization.
• Organ, EYE, and Tissue Donation. We can share Health Information about you with organ, eye, or tissue procurement organizations.
• Workers’ Compensation, Law Enforcement and Other Government Agencies. We can share Health Information about you for workers’ compensation, for law enforcement purpose and healthcare oversight agencies for activities authorized by the law, or special government functions such as military, national security and presidential protection.
• Public Health Risks. We can share Health Information about you for certain situations:
  • to prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
  • to report births and deaths;
  • to report child abuse or neglect;
  • to report reactions to medications or problems with products;
  • to notify people of recalls of products that they may be using;
  • notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition.
• Lawsuits and Legal Disputes. We can share Health Information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena or other lawful discovery request.
• Comply with the Law. We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services.
• Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors. We can share Health Information to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director when an individual dies.
• Business Associates. We may share your protected Health Information with third-party “business associates” who perform various activities (for example, billing, transcription services, etc.) for us if the information is necessary for such functions or services. These business associates are required to protect your protected Health Information.
• Military Activity and National Security. When the appropriate conditions apply, we may use or disclose protected Health Information on individuals who are Armed Forces personnel (1) for activities believed necessary by appropriate military command authorities to ensure the proper execution of the military mission including determination of fitness for duty, (2) for determination by the Department of Veteran Affairs for eligibility for benefits or (3) to a foreign military authority if you are a member of that foreign military service.
• Inmates. We may disclose your protected Health Information if you are or become an inmate of a correctional facility if necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with health care, (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others, or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional facility.
• Health Oversight Agencies. We may disclose protected Health Information to a health or oversight government agency or regulatory body (or for a regulatory program) for activities authorized by law, including audits, investigations, licensure and inspections.

Uses and Disclosures That Require Us To Give You An Opportunity To Object and Opt Out.

In these cases you can tell us what we can share:

1. Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care.
2. Share information in a disaster relief situation
3. Include your information in a hospital directory
4. Contact you for fundraising efforts. We may contact you, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

Your Written Authorization Is Required For Other Uses And Disclosures.

In these cases we never share your information unless you have given us written permission:

1.  Marketing Purposes
2.  Sale of your information
3.  Sharing of psychotherapy notes

If you do give us an authorization, you may revoke it at any time by submitting a written revocation to our Privacy Officer and we will no longer disclose Protected Health Information under the authorization. But any disclosure that we made in reliance on your authorization before you revoked it will not be affected by the revocation.

Your Rights regarding your health information.

You have the following rights regarding Health Information we have about you:

Right to Inspect and Obtain a Copy of Your Medical Records. You can ask to see or get an electronic copy of your medical record or other Health Information we have about you. If your Health Information is maintained in an electronic format, you have the right to request that an electronic copy of your records be given to you or transmitted to another individual or entity. 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.

Right to Correct Your Medical Records. You can ask us to correct Health Information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. We may also say “no” to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days. To request an amendment, you must make your request, in writing, to our Privacy Officer.

Right to an Account of Disclosures. You can ask us for a list (accounting) of the times we have 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 those about treatment, payment and health care operations, and certain other disclosures. We will provide one accounting per year for free. There will be a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another accounting within the 12 month period. To request an accounting of disclosures, you must make your request, in writing, to our Privacy Officer. The accounting will also not include disclosures of information made: (i) to you or our personal representative; (ii) pursuant to your authorization; (iii) to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials; and (iv) other disclosures for which federal law does not require us to provide an accounting.

Right to Limit Information We Share. You have the right to ask us not to use or share certain Health Information for treatment, payment, or health care operations.  We are required to agree to your request, unless it would affect your care.  If you pay for services out-of-pocket in full, for a specific item or service, you can ask that your Health Information is not shared with your health insurer for the purposes of payment. We will say yes unless a law requires us to share that information. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want restricted; (2) whether you want to restrict our use, disclosure or both; (3) to whom you want the restriction to apply; and (4) an expiration date. We are not required to agree to any requested restriction.

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. You must make your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. We will say yes to all reasonable requests.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice. You have right to a paper copy of this notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this notice. To obtain a paper copy, contact our Privacy Officer. You may obtain a copy of this notice on our websites at https://coloradopain.wpengine.com.

Changes to this Notice. We reserve the right to change this notice and make a new notice that applies to the Health Information we already have as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of our current notice at our office. The notice will contain the effective date on the first page.

Complaints: If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our office by contacting our Privacy Officer at the address provided in the “Contact Information” section of this Notice. The Secretary of Health and Human Services at www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/. All complaints must be in writing. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Fur further information about the complaint process or further explanation of this Notice, please contact:

Privacy Officer
Colorado Pain Practice, LLC
1355 South Colorado Boulevard, Suite 700
Denver, CO 80222
Phone: 303-763-1423