Privacy

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. If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact our Privacy Contact at 336-765-6181 ext. 122

This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your Protected Health Information (PHI) to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law.   It also describes your rights to access and control your PHI.   PHI is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health condition and related health care services. This notice applies to all of the records of your care and billing for care that are created at The Center for Clinical Research, LLC

We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices.   We may change the terms of our notice at any time.   The new notice will be effective for all PHI that we maintain at that time.   Upon your request, we will provide you with any revised Notice of Privacy Practices by calling the Privacy Contact and requesting that a revised copy be sent to you in the mail or asking for one at the time of your next appointment.

1.       Uses and Disclosures of PHI

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

Treatment :   We will use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services.   This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party.   For example, we would disclose your PHI, as necessary, to a home health agency that provides care to you.   We will also disclose PHI to other physicians who may be treating you.   For example, your PHI may be provided to a physician to whom you have been referred to ensure that the physician has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you.

In addition, we may disclose your PHI from time-to-time to another physician or health care provider (e.g., a specialist or laboratory) who, at the request of your physician, becomes involved in your care by providing assistance with your health care diagnosis or treatment to your physician. We also may need to disclose medical information about you to people outside The Center for Clinical Research, LLC 
such as family members or others who provide services (such as home health agencies) that are part of your care. We will only disclose medical information about you to people outside The Center for Clinical Research, LLC who are not currently involved in your care at The Center for Clinical Research, LLC with your authorization or if such disclosure are required or permitted by law.

Payment :   Your PHI will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services.   This may include certain activities that your health insurance plan may undertake before it approves or pays for the health care services we recommend for you, such as making a determination of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits, reviewing services provided to you for medical necessity, and undertaking utilization review activities.   For example, obtaining approval for a certain treatment plan may require that your relevant PHI be disclosed to the health plan to obtain approval for the treatment. To obtain payment, we will only disclose medical information about you to people outside The Center for Clinical Research, LLC
with your consent or if such disclosures are required or permitted by law.

Healthcare Operations :   We may use or disclose, as needed, your PHI in order to support the business activities of your physician's practice.   These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment activities, employee review activities, training of medical students, licensing, marketing and fundraising activities, and conducting or arranging for other business activities.

For example, we may disclose your PHI to medical school students, residents or fellows that see patients at our office.   In addition, we may use a sign-in sheet at the registration desk where you will be asked to sign your name and indicate your physician.   We may also call you by name in the waiting room when your physician is ready to see you.   We may use or disclose your PHI, as necessary, to contact you to remind you of your appointment. We will leave a message for you at any telephone number you give us stating the time of the appointment and the name of the person with whom you have the appointment unless we have agreed in writing to your written request to handle appointment reminders differently.

We will share your PHI with third party "business associates" that perform various activities (e.g., billing, computer services) for the practice.   Whenever an arrangement between our office and a business associate involves the use or disclosure of your PHI, we will have a written contract that contains terms that will protect the privacy of your PHI.

We may use or disclose your PHI, as necessary, to provide you with information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.   We may also use and disclose your PHI for other marketing activities.   For example, your name and address may be used to send you a newsletter about our practice and the services we offer.   We may also send you information about products or services that we believe may be beneficial to you.   You may contact our Privacy Contact to request that these materials not be sent to you. We do not, however, "sell" your PHI to other individuals or companies.

Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures That May Be Made With Your Consent, Authorization or Opportunity to Object

We may use and disclose your PHI in the following instances.   You have the opportunity to agree or object to the use or disclosure of all or part of your PHI.   If you are not present or able to agree or object to the use or disclosure of the PHI, then your physician may, using professional judgment, determine whether the disclosure is in your best interest.   In this case, only the PHI that is relevant to your health care will be disclosed.

Others Involved in Your Healthcare :   Unless you object, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend or any other person you identify, your PHI that directly relates to that person's involvement in your health care.   We may use or disclose PHI to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative or any other person that is responsible for your care, of your location, general condition or death.   Finally, we may use or disclose your PHI to an authorized public or private entity to assist in disaster relief efforts and to coordinate uses and disclosures to family or other individuals involved in your health care.

Emergencies :   We may use or disclose your PHI in an emergency treatment situation.   If this happens, your physician shall try to obtain your consent as soon as reasonably practicable after the delivery of treatment.   If your physician or another physician in the practice is required by law to treat you and the physician has attempted to obtain your consent but is unable to obtain your consent, he or she may still use or disclose your PHI to treat you.

Communication Barriers :   We may use and disclose your PHI if your physician or another physician in the practice attempts to obtain consent from you, but is unable to do so due to substantial communication barriers, and the physician determines, using professional judgment, that you intend to consent to use or disclosure under the circumstances. 
Individuals Involved in the Payment for Your Care (spouse or other responsible party) : If you have consented to our disclosure of medical information for the purpose of obtaining payment for the care provided to you, such disclosure may also entail giving information to other family members who are insured on your policy or to someone who helps pay for your care.

Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures That May Be Made Without Your Consent, Authorization or Opportunity to Object

We may use or disclose your PHI in the following situations without your consent or authorization.   These situations include:

Required by Law :   We may use or disclose your PHI to the extent that the use or disclosure is required by law.   The use or disclosure will be made in compliance with the law and will be limited to the relevant requirements of the law.   You will be notified, as required by law, of any such uses or disclosures.

Public Health :   We may disclose your PHI for public health activities and purposes to a public health authority that is permitted by law to collect or receive the information.   The disclosure will be made for the purpose of controlling disease, injury or disability.   We may also disclose your PHI, if directed by the public health authority, to a foreign government agency that is collaborating with the public health authority.

Communicable Diseases :   We may disclose your PHI, if authorized by law, to a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading the disease or condition.

Health Oversight :   We may disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, and inspections.   Oversight agencies seeking this information include government agencies that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, other government regulatory programs and civil rights laws.

Abuse or Neglect :   We may disclose your PHI to a public health authority that is authorized by law to receive reports of child abuse or neglect.   In addition, we may disclose your PHI if we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence to the governmental entity or agency authorized to receive such information.   In this case, the disclosure will be made consistent with the requirements of applicable federal and state laws.

Food and Drug Administration :   We may disclose your PHI to a person or company required by the Food and Drug Administration to report adverse events, product defects or problems, biologic product deviations, and to track products; to enable product recalls; to make repairs or replacements, or to conduct post marketing surveillance, as required.

Legal Proceedings :   We may disclose PHI in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding, in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal (to the extent such disclosure is expressly authorized), in certain conditions in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process.

Law Enforcement :   We may also disclose PHI, so long as applicable legal requirements are met, for law enforcement purposes.   These law enforcement purposes include:   (1) legal processes and other required by law, (2) limited information requests for identification and location purposes, (3) pertaining to victims of a crime, (4) suspicion that death has occurred as a result of criminal conduct, (5) in the event that a crime occurs on the premises of the practice, and (6) medical emergency in which it is likely that a crime has occurred.

Coroners, Funeral Directors, and Organ Donation :   We may disclose PHI to a coroner or medical examiner for identification purposes, determining cause of death or for the coroner or medical examiner to perform other duties authorized by law.   We may also disclose PHI to a funeral director, as authorized by law, in order to permit the funeral director to carry out their duties.   We may disclose such information in reasonable anticipation of death.   PHI may be used and disclosed for cadaveric organ, eye, or tissue donation purposes.

Criminal Activity :   Consistent with applicable federal and state laws, we may disclose your PHI, if we believe that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.   We may also disclose PHI if it is necessary for law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual.

Military Activity and National Security :   When the appropriate conditions apply, we may use or disclose PHI of individuals who are Armed Forces personnel: (1) for activities deemed necessary by appropriate military command authorities; (2) for the purpose of a determination by the Department of Veterans Affairs of your eligibility for benefits, or (3) to foreign military authority if you are a member of that foreign military service.   We may also disclose your PHI to authorized federal officials for conducting national security and intelligence activities, including for the provision of protective services to the President or others legally authorized.

Workers' Compensation :   Your PHI may be disclosed by us as authorized to comply with workers' compensation laws and other similar legally-established programs.

Inmates :   We may use or disclose your PHI if you are an inmate of a correctional facility, and your physician created or received your PHI in the course of providing care to you.

Required Uses and Disclosures :   Under the law, we must make disclosures to you and, when required, to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with the requirements of CFR Section 164.

Minors : A parent, guardian, or other person with authority to act in loco parentis has authority to have access to and decide the use and disclosure of protected health information concerning a minor patient, except when: 
(1)           A custody order or agreement provides otherwise; 
(2)           A court order provides otherwise; 
(3)           There is a reasonable basis to suspect abuse or neglect of the minor and providing such information or authority to the parent, guardian, or other person acting in loco parentis is reasonably believed to present a risk of injury or harm to the minor; 
(4)           The minor has the right to obtain health care on his or her own behalf as is permitted in the following cases: 
(a)        For outpatient diagnosis or treatment of emotional illness; 
(b)        For diagnosis or treatment of pregnancy (not abortion); 
(c)        For diagnosis or treatment of sexually transmitted diseases; 
In these circumstances, however, The Center for Clinical Research, LLC may choose to disclose such information to the parent or guardian if the parent or guardian contacts The Center for Clinical Research, LLC and requests such information.

  • The parent or guardian has agreed that such information will be confidential between the minor and The Center for Clinical Research, LLC.

Uses and Disclosure of PHI Based on Your Written Authorization : Other uses and disclosures of your PHI will be made only with your written authorization unless otherwise permitted or required by law. You may revoke an authorization at any time, in writing, except to the extent that The Center for Clinical Research, LLC has taken action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.

2.   Your Rights

Following is a statement of your rights with respect to your PHI and a brief description of how you may exercise these rights.

You have the right to inspect and copy your PHI.   This means you may inspect and obtain a copy of PHI about you that is contained in a designated record set for as long as we maintain the PHI.   A "designated record set" contains medical and billing records and any other records that your physician and the practice uses for making decisions about you.

Under federal law, however, you may not inspect or copy the following records: psychotherapy notes; information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or use in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding; and PHI that is subject to law that prohibits access to PHI.   Depending on the circumstances, a decision to deny access may be appealed.   In some circumstances, you may have a right to have this decision reviewed.   Please contact our Privacy Contact if you have questions about access to your medical record.

You have the right to request a restriction of your PHI.   Even though all disclosures we make are minimally necessary, you have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care. However, 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 with emergency treatment. You may request a restriction by contacting our Privacy Contact.

You have the right to request to receive confidential communications from us by alternative means or at an alternative location.  We will accommodate reasonable requests.   We may also condition this accommodation by asking you for information as to how payment will be handled or specification of an alternative address or other method of contact.   We will not request an explanation from you as to the basis for the request.   Please make this request in writing to our Privacy Contact.

You may have the right to have your physician amend your PHI.  You may request an amendment of PHI about you in records we maintain.   In certain cases, we may deny your request for an amendment.   If we deny your request for amendment, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us, and you have the right to file a complaint.   Please contact our Privacy Contact if you have questions about amending your records.

You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made, if any, of your PHI.   This right applies to disclosures for purposes other than treatment, payment or healthcare operations as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices.   It excludes disclosures we may have made to you, to family members or friends involved in your care, for notification purposes, or for other purposes for which the federal regulations specifically provide no accounting is necessary.   You have the right to receive specific information regarding these disclosures that occurred after April 14, 2003 up to a six year period. The right to receive this information is subject to certain exceptions, restrictions and limitations.

3.   Complaints

You may complain to us or to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights have been violated by us.   You may file a complaint with us in writing to our Privacy Contact.   We will not refuse to treat you if you file a complaint.

You may contact our Privacy contact at (336) 765-6181 ext. 122 or jpsouthern@ccrpain.com for further information about the complaint process.

This notice was published and becomes effective on April 14, 2003.