HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices (“NPP”)
This Joint Notice of Privacy Practices describes how medical information about you may be used And disclosed and how you can get access to this information. This NPP described the privacy practices between Total Health & Wellness Medical (“Practice”) and your various retail and mail order pharmacies as part of an Organized Health Care Arrangement (“OHCA”). Practice will use and disclose your health information with other covered entities such as but not limited to pharmacies, clinical laboratories, imaging centers, specialist consultants, and medical supply companies, that may be relevant to your treatment, payment, or other healthcare operation.
The law requires us to:
Keep your health information private.
Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information.
Follow the terms of the Notice while it is in effect.
Notify you of any changes to this Notice.
Notify you if there is a breach of your unsecured health information as required by law.
You have the right to:
Access your health information.
A copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices.
Choose how we contact you, within reason.
Request restrictions on the information we share, but Practice is not required to agree to the request and may not be able to limit sharing If needed for emergency treatment.
Ask us to review and amend any information you believe is incorrect.
Know with whom we have shared your health information.
This Notice may be changed at any time.
New versions of this will be posted on our website, and by paper copy upon request.
Situations where your information may be shared:
Treatment. For example, a physician treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process.
Payment. For example, Practice may need to provide your health plan with information about a service to receive payment or reimburse you for the service.
Healthcare operations. For example, we may combine health information about many patients to evaluate the need for new services or treatments.
We use your information to help provide you care. Unless required by law, we will always get your consent before sharing any health information outside of the reasons stated above.
You can revoke your consent at any time, however, please be aware that we cannot take back any information that was shared beforehand.
We may use or share your information to communicate with you via newsletters, mailings, or other means regarding treatment options, health related information, appointment reminders, or other community-based initiative or activities in which practice participates.
Certain personal health information documents cannot be shared without your authorization beforehand
Some examples include:
Psychotherapy notes
Marketing activities
Receipts from healthcare related purchases, such as a visit to the doctor or pharmacy
Selling of your health information
We are required by law to share your health information under certain circumstances:
Law Enforcement:
To report suspected cases of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
To help identify, locate, or report criminal suspects/activities, victims on Practice premises.
To respond to a judicial process, such as a court order.
Government Entities:
To report certain diseases, wounds, births, or deaths.
To report suspected cases of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
To assist in federal disaster relief efforts.
To assist coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors.
If you are a member of the military, respond to a request from your military command authority.
To respond to an audit, inspection, or investigation by a health-related government agency.
To assist in federal intelligence, counterintelligence, and national security issues.
Payment Purposes:
For product recalls, repairs, or replacements.
To provide information to workers’ compensation programs.
Others Involved in Your Care:
To report certain diseases, wounds, births, or deaths.
For organ and tissue donations.
Others who may have access to your health information include:
Business Associates: Sometimes we hire third parties to help us with some of our services. When we do, we give them the minimum information needed and make sure that the same restrictions that apply to us regarding your information apply to them as well.
Researchers: For a research study or to recruit research subjects after approval an Institutional Review Board.
Future Communications:
We may use or share your information to communicate with you via newsletters, mailings, or other means regarding treatment options, health related information, appointment reminders, disease management programs, wellness programs, or other community-based initiatives or activities in Practice participates.
Health Information Exchanges:Health information Exchanges (“HIE”) are typically run by the state and support the delivery of safer and better coordinated patient care. Your participation in the information exchange is voluntary and you may opt out. We may make your health information available to the HIE if you do not opt out.
SMS Messaging
By opting into SMS from a web form or other medium, patients are agreeing to receive SMS messages from Total Health & Wellness Medical. This includes SMS messages for appointment scheduling, appointment reminders, post-visit instructions, lab notifications, and billing notifications. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply.
Patients may Message HELP for help. Reply STOP to any message to opt out.
SMS consent is not shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes
No Protected Health Information (PHI) will be sent by text or collected from incoming text messages
Patients will have the option to use secure online forms and / or their secure Athena patient portal to communicate protected health information