Notice of Privacy Practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN (AS A PATIENT IN THIS PRACTICE) MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO YOUR INDIVIDUALLY INDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.  PLEASE REVIEW THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY.

1)  Our practice is dedicated to maintaining the privacy of your individually identifiable information.  In conducting our business, we are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of your personal health information, including the means by which we may use and disclose your personal health information, your privacy rights to this information, and our obligations concerning the use and disclosure of your personal health information.  We are required by law to abide by these privacy regulations. 

2)  According to the rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) we may use and disclose your individually identifiable health information (IIHI) in the following ways:
           Treatment means providing, coordinating, or managing health care and related services by one or more health care providers.  An example would be providing information to a consultant.
           Payment means such activities as obtaining reimbursement for services, confirming coverage, billing or collection activities, and utilization review.  An example of this would be sending a bill for your visit to your insurance company for payment.
           Health Care Operations include the business aspects of running our practice, such as conducting quality assessment and improvement activities, auditing functions, cost-management analysis, and customer service.  An example would be an internal chart review.
        Certain Special Circumstances:
·         Public Health Risks                          
·         Health Oversight Activities
·         Law suits and similar proceedings
·         Law Enforcement/Social Services

3)  Your Rights Regarding Your Personal Health Information:
       -You have the right to confidential communication of your personal health information.
       -You have the right to request in writing that our practice communicate with you at a particular location, or in a particular manner.  For example you may request that we contact you at home instead of work.  Our practice will accommodate reasonable requests.  You do not need to give a reason for such requests.
      -You have the right to request restrictions to the use and disclosure of your individually identifiable health information.  We are not required to agree to such restrictions, except if your request to restrict disclosure of protected health information is to a health plan for payment and pertains to a service for which you have paid out of pocket in full.  However, if we do agree, we are bound by our agreement except when otherwise required by law, in emergencies or when the information is necessary to treat you. 
      -You have the right to inspect and retain a copy of our individually identifiable health information.
     -You have the right to ask for an amendment to your health information if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete.
     -You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures of protected health information for purposes other than for treatment, payment, or operations thus not otherwise allowed by HIPAA.
     -You have the right to receive notice of a breach. We will notify you if your unsecured protected health information has been breached.
     -You have the right to file a complaint with our privacy officer or with the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services if you feel that your privacy rights have been violated.  You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

4)  Our practice may contact you either by mail or telephone to remind you about an upcoming appointment or need for follow-up.  We may also contact you to discuss lab, x-ray, or other medical reports.  We may contact you about billing or financial information.  You have the right to change the way we contact you about these such issues.

5)  Any other uses and disclosures (those not allowed by HIPAA, as above) will be made only with your written authorization.  You may revoke such authorization in writing and we are required to honor that request, except to the extent that we have already taken actions relying on your authorizations. Examples of such disclosures would include mailing or faxing personal health information to a school nurse or to the directors or staff of a camp.

6)  Without your authorization, we are prohibited to use or disclose your protected health information for marketing purposes. We may not sell your protected health information without your authorization. We may not use or disclose most psychotherapy notes contained in your protected health information. We will not use or disclose any of your protected health information that contains genetic information that will be used for underwriting purposes

7) Any of our patients who are considered by state law to be emancipated minors will have the same rights with respect to the privacy of their protected health information.  They will be entitled to their own copy of our privacy policies, and will be asked to sign an acknowledgement that they received such a copy.  An example of an emancipated minor would include patients under eighteen years of age who are serving in a branch of the military, have offspring of their own, are seeking medical care for pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual abuse, substance abuse, or medical care regarding birth control issues.

8)  We reserve the right to revise or amend this notice of Privacy Practices.  Please check our Privacy Practices Notice, posted in our waiting rooms.

9)  If you have questions about this notice, please contact our practice’s Privacy Officer, Dr. Mark Ryan at 321 Fortune Blvd., Milford, MA 01757 
Phone (508) 478-599