Your Rights
About your health information, you have certain rights.
- Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record
- Request a correction of your information if it is incorrect
- Request confidential contact option(s) via specific contact numbers or alternative mail address
- Decide a limit to what we use and share
- Get a list of entities to whom we have disclosure your information
- Get a copy of this Privacy Policy notice
- Select someone to make your health-related choices
- File a complaint in case of violation of your rights
Your Choices
Mention your choices and preferences regarding the disclosure of your information.
- Inform family, close friends, and caregivers about your health status
- Disclose information during disaster relief situation
- Add your information to a hospital directory
- Include mental health and HIV care
- Use your information for marketing purposes and sales
Our Uses and Disclosures
Stipulated guidelines on how to use and share your information are mentioned on the following website:
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/consumer_rights.pdf
Use and disclosure of your information can be done while we:
- Treat you
- Run our practice
- Bill, for your services
- Assist with public health and safety problems
- Do research
- Comply with the law
- Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
- Share information with a medical examiner or funeral director
- Address worker’s compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
- Respond to lawsuits and litigations
- Provide appointment reminders, alternative treatment information, and health-related benefits and services sent to your phone’s voicemail
Your Rights
Mentioned below is a statement of your rights and our responsibilities concerning the use and disclosure of your medical information.
Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record
- Request for a copy (electronic or paper) of your health information
- You will receive a copy or a summary of the information within 30 days of your request at a reasonable cost
Ask for amendments to your medical record
- Ask us how to complete or correct your medical record in case of discrepancies
- If we say “no,” we will offer a reason for doing so within 60 days
Request confidential communications
- You may provide alternative phone numbers and email addresses as contact options
- For all reasonable requests, we say “yes.”
Decide a limit to what we use and share
- We may say “no” to your request not to share specific health information for treatment, payment, or our healthcare operations if it impacts your care.
- We will say “yes” to your request not to share specific health information for in-full out-of-pocket service or medical care unless required by law to share the information.
Get a list of entities to whom we have disclosure your information
- You can ask for a list (accounting) of the concerned parties with whom we have shared your data in the last six years and the reason for sharing.
- We will include all disclosures, with exceptions to details about treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or any of your previously mentioned specifications.
- We provide one list free per year. For added accounting requests within the same year, we will charge cost-based fees for the additional list(s).
Get a copy of this Privacy Policy notice
- You can ask for a paper copy of this Privacy Policy notice even if you had earlier asked for an electronic copy only
- We will provide you with the said copy right away
Select someone to make your health-related choices
- If you authorize a local guardian or someone with your medical power of attorney to act for you, they can step in to make choices on your behalf.
- We will authorize them to act in your place before we execute any action.
File a complaint in case of violation of your rights
- You can complain to us by using our contact information if you feel we have violated your rights
- You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. You may:
- We will not take any action against you for filing a complaint against us.
Your Choices
For certain medical information, you can specify your preferences on what we can share and how to share the information. You can give us instructions on the use and disclosure of information about:
- Inform family, close friends, and caregivers about your health status
- Disclose information during disaster relief situation
- Add your information to a hospital directory
For the above, if, for some reason, you are unable to specify your choices, we may proceed to share your information if:
- It is in your best interest
- To reduce a serious and imminent health or security threat
However, we will not share information unless permitted, for the following:
- Marketing purposes
- Sale of your information
Our Uses and Disclosures
Typically, we use or share your medical information in the following ways:
- Your treatment
- Running our practice
- Payment for your services
What are the other ways we use or share your medical information?
We are permitted to use or share your medical information for the public good, including:
We share your health information in situations such as:
- Preventing disease
- Helping with product recalls
- Reporting adverse reactions to medications
- Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
- Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
- Comply with the law
- We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services, if they want to ensure we comply with federal privacy laws.
- Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
- Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
We may use or disclose your health information for:
- Workers’ compensation claims
- For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
- With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
- Special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
- Responding to lawsuits and litigation
- Responding to a court or administrative order or in response to a subpoena
Our Responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
- We will inform you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
- We will follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy.
- We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you specifically give it in writing. If you change your mind anytime, let us know in writing.
- For more information, see: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/consumer_rights.pdf
Changes to the Terms of this Notice
If the terms of this notice change, it will apply to all your health information. On request, you can access the new notice on our website. We can also mail a copy to your address.
This Notice of Privacy applies to all concerned parties doing business as Greater Atlanta Pain & Spine.
Compliance/Privacy Officer
Greater Atlanta Pain & Spine
3840 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Ste 225, Duluth, GA
Phone: 678-730-9202
Email: admin@greateratlantapain.com
