{"id":51,"date":"2018-10-11T23:33:56","date_gmt":"2018-10-11T23:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entofga.fm1.dev\/?page_id=51"},"modified":"2019-12-03T19:22:13","modified_gmt":"2019-12-04T00:22:13","slug":"hipaa-statement","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.entofga.com\/resources\/hipaa-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"HIPAA Statement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ENT OF GEORGIA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.\u00a0 PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The practice provides this Notice to comply with the Privacy\nRegulations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services in accordance\nwith the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996\n(HIPAA).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201cprotected health information,\u201d means any health\ninformation about your health and health care services that you have received\nor may receive in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Notice of Privacy Practices applies to any health care\nprofessional or administrative staff employed by ENT of Georgia.  It also applies to our business associates\n(including billing services or facilities to which we refer patients), on-call\nphysicians, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We understand that your medical information is personal to\nyou, and we are committed to protecting your health information.  As your health care provider, we create\nmedical records about your health and the services and\/or items we provide to\nyou as our patient.  We need this record\nto provide your care and to comply with certain legal requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The following are examples of different ways that we use and\ndisclose protected health information. \nEach type of use or disclosure provides a general explanation and\nprovides some examples of uses.  This\nlist does not include every potential use or disclosure of information in a\ncategory.  The explanation is provided\nonly to help you understand how the practice may use or disclose your protected\ninformation in compliance with any authorizations or consents required by law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical Treatment<\/strong>  We will use medical information about you to\nprovide, coordinate or manage your health care and any related services.  This includes the coordination or management\nof your health care with a third party that has already obtained your permission\nto have access to your protected health information.  Therefore we often disclose medical\ninformation about you to doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory or imaging\ntechnicians, hospital or home health personnel who are involved in taking care\nof you.  We may also disclose information\nto other health care providers who may be treating you or to whom we may refer\nyou for care.  These doctors may need\ninformation from your medical record to provide appropriate care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also may disclose medical information about you to people\noutside our practice who may be involved in your medical care after you leave\nour practice; this may include your family members, or other personal\nrepresentatives authorized by you or by a legal mandate (a guardian or other\nperson who has been named to handle your medical decisions, should you become\nincompetent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Payment<\/strong> \nWe may use and disclose medical information about you for services and\nprocedures so we may obtain payment from you, an insurance company, or any\nother third party.  For example, we may\nneed to give your health care information to obtain payment or reimbursement\nfor the care.  We may also tell your\nhealth plan and\/or referring physician about a treatment you are going to\nreceive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover\nthe treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health Care Operations<\/strong>  We may use and disclose medical information\nabout you so that we can run our Practice more efficiently and make sure that\nall of our patients receive quality care. \nThese uses may include reviewing your treatment to evaluate the\nperformance of our staff, to decide what additional services to offer, to\ndecide what services are not needed, and to evaluate new treatments.  We may also disclose information to doctors,\nphysician assistants \/ nurse practitioners, nurses, technicians, and other\npersonnel for review and learning purposes. \nWe may also combine the medical information we have with medical\ninformation from other Practices to evaluate and improve our performance.  Where possible we will remove information\nthat identifies you so others may use it to study health care and health care\ndelivery without learning the identity of individual patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We may also share information about you to external entities\nfor utilization review and\/or quality assurance, for compliance with legal\nrequirements, to verify our records.  We\nshall endeavor, at all times when business associates are used, to advise them\nof their continued obligation to maintain the privacy of your medical records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appointment and Patient Recall Reminders <\/strong>  We may ask that you sign in at the\nReceptionists\u2019 Desk, a \u201cSign In\u201d log on the day of your appointment with the\nPractice.  We may use and disclose\nmedical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment\nfor medical care with the Practice or that you are due to receive periodic care\nfrom the Practice.  This contact may be\nby phone, in writing, e-mail, or otherwise and may involve the leaving an\ne-mail, a message on an answering machines, or otherwise which could\n(potentially) be received or intercepted by others.  Please let us know in writing if this is not\nacceptable or if there is another telephone number, e-mail address, or method\nof notification you prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emergency Situations<\/strong>  In addition, we may disclose medical\ninformation about you to an organization assisting in an emergency situation so\nthat your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research<\/strong> \nUnder certain circumstances, we may use and disclose medical information\nabout you for research purposes such as medications, efficiency of treatment\nprotocols.    Before we use or disclose\nmedical information for research, the project will have been reviewed and\napproved.  If possible, we will make the\ninformation non-identifiable to a specific patient.   We will obtain an Authorization from you\nbefore using or disclosing your individually identifiable health information\nunless the authorization requirement has been waived. If the information has\nbeen sufficiently de-identified, an authorization for the use of disclosure is\nnot required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Required By Law<\/strong>  We will disclose medical information about\nyou when required to do so by federal, state or local law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety<\/strong>  We may use and disclose medical information\nabout you when necessary to prevent a serious threat either to your specific\nhealth and safety or the health and safety of the public or another\nperson.  Any disclosure, however, would\nonly be to someone able to help prevent the threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organ and Tissue Donation<\/strong>  If you are an organ donor, we may release\nmedical information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ,\neye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to\nfacilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worker\u2019s Compensation<\/strong>  We may release medical information about you\nfor workers\u2019 compensation or similar programs. \nThese programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public Health Risks<\/strong>  Law or public policy may require us to\ndisclose medical information about you for public health activities.  These activities generally include the\nfollowing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • To prevent or control a disease, injury or\ndisability<\/li>
  • To report births and deaths<\/li>
  • To report child abuse or neglect<\/li>
  • To report reactions to medications or problems\nwith products<\/li>
  • To notify people of recalls of products they may\nbe using<\/li>
  • To notify a person who may have been exposed to\na disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition<\/li>
  • To notify the appropriate government authority if\nwe believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic\nviolence.  We will only make this\ndisclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Investigation and Government Activities<\/strong>  We may disclose medical information to a local,\nstate or federal agency for activities authorized by law.  These oversight activities include, for\nexample, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure.  These activities are necessary for the payor,\nthe government and other regulatory agencies to monitor the health care system,\ngovernment programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Lawsuits and Disputes<\/strong>  If you are involved in a lawsuit or a\ndispute, we may disclose medical information about you in response to a court\nor administrative order.  This is\nparticularly true if you make your health an issue.  We may also disclose medical information\nabout you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process\nby someone else involved in the dispute. \nWe shall attempt in these cases to tell you about the request so that\nyou may obtain an order protecting the information requested if you so\ndesire.  We may also use such information\nto defend ourselves or any member of our Practice in any actual or threatened\naction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Law Enforcement<\/strong>  We may release medical information if asked\nto do so by a law enforcement official:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant,\nsummons or similar process<\/li>
    • To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive,\nmaterial witness, or missing person<\/li>
    • About the victim of a crime if, under certain\nlimited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person\u2019s agreement<\/li>
    • About a death we believe may be the result of\ncriminal conduct<\/li>
    • About criminal conduct at the Practice; and<\/li>
    • In emergency circumstances to report a crime;\nthe location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description or location\nof the person who committed the crime.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors<\/strong>  We may release medical information to a\ncoroner, medical examiner, or funeral director. \nThis may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or\ndetermine the cause of death.  We may\nalso release medical information about patients of the Practice to funeral\ndirectors as necessary to carry out their duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Inmates<\/strong> \nIf you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody\nof a law enforcement official, we may release medical information about you to\nthe correctional institution or law enforcement official.  This release would be necessary (1) for the\ninstitution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and\nsafety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security\nof the correctional institution<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      COMPLAINTS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you\nmay file a complaint with the Practice or with the Secretary of the Department\nof Health and Human Services.  To file a\ncomplaint with the Practice, contact our office manger, who will direct you on\nhow to file an office complaint.  All\ncomplaints must be submitted in writing, and all complaints shall be\ninvestigated, without repercussion to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      OTHER USES OF MEDICAL INFORMATION<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Other uses and disclosures of medical information not\ncovered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your\nwritten permission, unless those uses can be reasonably inferred from the\nintended uses above.  If you have\nprovided us with your permission to use or disclose medical information about\nyou, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time.  If you revoke your permission, we will no\nlonger use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by\nyour written authorization.  We are\nunable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission,\nand that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to\nyou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      CHANGES TO OUR NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      The practice may change the terms of this Notice at any\ntime.  The new notice will be effective\nfor all protected health information that we maintain at that time with the\nlast revision date in the lower left corner. \nThe current notice will always be posted in our office and on our\npractice website {www.entofga.com}.  To\nrequest a revised Notice of Privacy Practices you may:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. Call\n the office and request a copy be sent to you at your mailing address.<\/li>
      2. Ask\n for a copy at your next visit to our office<\/li>
      3. Open\n our website and read and\/or print a copy of the current notice<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        PATIENT RIGHTS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        You have the following rights regarding medical information\nwe maintain about you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        • Right to Inspect and Copy<\/strong> You have\nthe right to inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make\ndecisions about your care.  This includes\nyour own medical and billing records. \nUpon proof of an appropriate legal relationship, records of others\nrelated to you or under your care (guardian or custodial) may also be\ndisclosed.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          To inspect and copy your medical record, you must\nsubmit your request in writing to our Compliance Officer.  Ask the front desk person for the name of the\nCompliance Officer.  If you request a\ncopy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing\nor other supplies (tapes, disks, etc.) associated with your request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          We may deny your request to inspect\nand copy in certain very limited circumstances. \nIf you are denied access to medical information, you may request that\nour Compliance Committee review the denial. \nAnother licensed health care professional chosen by the Practice will\nreview your request and the denial.  The\nperson conducting the review will not be the person who denied your\nrequest.  We will comply with the outcome\nand recommendations from that review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          • Right to Amend<\/strong>  If you feel that the medical information we\nhave about you in your record is incorrect or incomplete, then you may ask us\nto amend the information, following the procedure below.  You have the right to request an amendment\nfor as long as the Practice maintains your medical record.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            To request an amendment, your request must be\nsubmitted in writing, along with your intended amendment and a reason that\nsupports your request to amend.  The\namendment must be dated and signed by you and notarized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            We may deny your request for an\namendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the\nrequest.  In addition, we may deny your\nrequest if you ask us to amend information that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            1. Was\nnot created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is\nno longer available to make the amendment<\/li>
            2. Is\nnot part of the medical information kept by or for the Practice<\/li>
            3. Is\nnot part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy;\nor<\/li>
            4. Is\ninaccurate and incomplete.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              • Right to an Accounting of Disclosures<\/strong>\nYou have the right to request an \u201caccounting of disclosures\u201d made by this\npractice after April 14, 2003.  This is a\nlist of the disclosures we made of medical information about you to others that\nare not involved with your treatment, payments of services rendered to you or\nhealth care operations as previously defined in this Notice of Privacy\nPractices.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                To request this list, you must submit your request\nin writing.  Your request must state a\ntime period not longer than six (6) years back and may not include dates before\nApril 14, 2003.  Your request should\nindicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper,\nelectronically).  We will notify you of\nthe cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that\ntime before any cost are incurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                • Right to Request Restrictions<\/strong>  You have the right to request a restriction\nor limitation on the medical information we use or disclose about you for\ntreatment, payment or health care operations. \nYou also have the right to request a limit on the medical information we\ndisclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for\nyour care (a family member or friend). \nFor example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about\na particular treatment you received.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  We are not required to agree to your request and we\nmay not be able to comply with your request. \nIf we do agree, we will comply with your request except that we shall\nnot comply, even with a written request, if the information is accepted from\nthe consent requirement or we are otherwise required to disclose the\ninformation by law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  To request restrictions, you must\nmake your request in writing.  In your\nrequest, you indicate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  1. What\ninformation you want to limit<\/li>
                  2. Whether\nyou want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and<\/li>
                  3. To\nwhom you want the limits to apply, (e.g. disclosures to your children)
                    \n
                    \n<\/li>
                  4. Right to Request Confidential\nCommunications<\/strong>  You have the\nright to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a\ncertain way or at a certain location. \nFor example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail,\nthat we not leave voice mail or e-mail, or the like.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    To request confidential communications, you must\nmake your request in writing.  We will\nnot ask you the reason for your request. \nWe will accommodate all reasonable requests.  Your request must specify how or where you\nwish us to contact you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    • Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice<\/strong>  You have the right to a paper copy of this\nnotice.  You may ask us to give you a\ncopy of this notice at any time.  Even if\nyou have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still entitled\nto a paper copy of this notice.
                      \n
                      \n<\/li>
                    • Contact Information \u2013 <\/strong>For more\ninformation, please contact ENT of Georgia\u2019s Privacy & Compliance Officer\nat (770) 220-8400 or the Office of Civil Rights at (404) 347-3125.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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