Notice of Privacy Practices
Your Privacy is important to us!
We are required by law to protect the privacy of your health information, to provide you a copy of our legal obligations and privacy practices explaining how we may use information about you and when we can share or disclose your health information to others. Each time you order supplies or services, and a claim submitted to your insurance carrier, a medical record is created or updated. Your record includes your prescription, list of supplies, supporting medical records for reimbursement, date of birth, name and phone number. While your medical record is the property of InTouch Med Supply the information in the medical record belongs to you. The law permits us to use or disclose your health information for the following purposes:
Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment & Health Operations
Treatment
We use medical information about you to provide your medical supplies and care. We disclose medical information to our employees and others who are involved in providing the care you need. For example, we may share your medical information with medical equipment suppliers who will provide services that we do not provide. We may also disclose medical information to members of your family or others who can help you when you are sick, injured or deceased.
Payment
We use and disclose medical information about you to obtain payment for the services we provide. For example, we give your health plan the information it requires before it pays us.
Health Care Operations
We may use and disclose medical information about you through our daily operational functions. For example, we may use and disclose this information to review and improve the quality of care we provide, or the competence and qualifications of our professional staff. Or we may use and disclose this information to get your health plan to authorize services or equipment. We may also use and disclose this information as necessary for medical reviews, legal services and audits, including fraud and abuse detection and compliance programs and business planning and management. We may also share your medical information with our “business associates,” such as our billing service, that perform administrative services for us. We have a written contract with each of these business associates that contain terms requiring them and their subcontractors to protect the confidentiality and security of your protected health information. We may also share your information with other health care providers, health care clearinghouses or health plans that have a relationship with you, when they request this information to help them with their quality assessment and improvement activities, by providing de-identified data which is stripped of your personal information and no longer identifies you.
Order Reminders
We may use and disclose medical information to contact and remind you about appointments. If you are not home, we may leave this information on your answering machine or in a message left with the person answering the phone.
Notification and Communication
We may disclose your health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care about your location, your general condition or, unless you had instructed us otherwise, in the event of your death. In the event of a disaster, we may disclose information to a relief organization so that they may coordinate these notification efforts. We may also disclose information to someone who is involved with your care or helps pay for your care. If you are able and available to agree or object, we will give you the opportunity to object prior to making these disclosures, although we may disclose this information in a disaster even over your objection if we believe it is necessary to respond to the emergency circumstances. If you are unable or unavailable to agree or object, our health professionals will use their best judgment in communication with your family and others. You have the right to give authorization before the use of your protected health information for marketing that constitutes a sale of your protected health information not included in this notice is used for marketing purposes.
Other Uses & Disclosures
As required by law, we will use and disclose your health information, but we will limit our use or disclosure to the relevant requirements of the law. When the law requires us to report abuse, neglect or domestic violence, or respond to judicial or administrative proceedings, or to law enforcement officials, we will further comply with the requirement set forth below concerning those activities.
Public Health Activities related to
preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability; reporting child, elder or dependent adult abuse or neglect; reporting domestic violence; reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications or recalls.
Health Oversight Activities
during the course of audits, investigations, inspections, licensure and other proceedings, subject to the limitations imposed by law.
For Judicial and Administrative Proceedings
authorized by a court or administrative, in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process.
To Law Enforcement
for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order, warrant, grand jury subpoena and other law enforcement purposes.
Specialized Government Functions
Information for military or national security purposes or to correctional institutions or law enforcement officers that have you in their lawful custody.
Workers’ Compensation
We may disclose your health information as necessary to comply with workers’ compensation laws. For example, to the extent your care is covered by workers’ compensation, we will make periodic reports to your employer about your condition.
Change of Ownership: In the event that this company is sold or merged with another organization, your health information/record will become the property of the new owner.
Breach Notification: In the case of a breach of unsecured protected health information, we will notify you as required by law. In some circumstances our business associate may provide the notification.
When We May Not Use or Disclose Your Health Information
Except as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices we will not use or disclose health information which identifies you without your written authorization. If you do authorize this medical practice to use or disclose your health information for another purpose, you may revoke your authorization in writing at any time.
Your Health Information Rights
Request Special Privacy Protections
You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information by a written request specifying what information you want to limit, and what limitations on our use or disclosure of that information you wish to have imposed. We reserve the right to accept or reject any other request, and will notify you of our decision.
Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that you receive your health information in a specific way or at a specific location. We will comply with all reasonable requests submitted in writing which specify how or where you wish to receive these communications.
Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and copy your health information, with limited exceptions. To access your medical information, you must submit a written request detailing what information you want access to, whether you want to inspect it or get a copy of it, and if you want a copy, your preferred form and format. We will provide copies in your requested form and format if it is readily producible, or we will provide you with an alternative format you find acceptable, or if we can’t agree and we maintain the record in an electronic format, your choice of a readable electronic or hardcopy format. We will also send a copy to any other person you designate in writing. We will charge a reasonable fee which covers our costs for labor, supplies, postage, and if requested and agreed to in advance, the cost of preparing an explanation or summary. We may deny your request under limited circumstances. In most cases you have a right to request the denial is reviewed.
Amend or Supplement
You have a right to request that we amend your health information that you believe is incorrect or incomplete. You must make a request to amend it in writing, and include the reasons you believe the information is inaccurate or incomplete. We are not required to change your health information. We may deny your request if we do not have the information, if we did not create the information (unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment), if you would not be permitted to inspect or copy the information at issue, or if the information is accurate and complete as is. If we deny your request, you may submit a written statement of your disagreement with that decision, and we may, in turn, prepare a written rebuttal. All information related to any request to amend will be maintained and disclosed in conjunction with any subsequent disclosure of the disputed information.
Accounting of Disclosures
You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by us except for disclosures provided to you or pursuant to your written authorization, or as it relates to treatment, payment, health care operations. notification and communication with family and specialized government functions or other exceptions listed herein.
Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice
You have a right to notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information.
Complaints & Communication
If you have any questions about this notice of Privacy Practices or want to exercise any of your rights, please call or submit a written requests including; how we handle your information, changing, modifying or canceling a confidential communication, copies of your records, amendments to your record or complaint to:
InTouch Med Supply, Attn: Privacy Officer, 215 West Church Road, Suite 102, King Of Prussia PA, 19406 or by email at Info@intouchmedsupply.com
If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles a complaint, you may submit a formal complaint without penalization or fear of retribution to:
Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-368-1019 or the Accreditation Commission for Healthcare (ACHC) at 1-855-937-2242
When We May Not Use or Disclose Your Health Information
We reserve the right to amend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future. Until such amendment is made, we are required by law to comply with the terms of this Notice currently in effect. After an amendment is made, the revised Notice of Privacy Protections will apply to all protected health information that we maintain, regardless of when it was created or received. We will keep a copy of the current notice posted in our reception area, and posted online at www.intouchmedsupply.com/Privacy.