The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA)

 

New federal legislation, named the “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act,” affects medical information and its disclosure and access. The new law seeks to standardize how medical providers handle patients’ medical information and privacy rights.

The professional staff of Toccoa Clinic Medical Associates, LLP, has undergone specific training to comply with the new law. We are incorporating the law’s provisions into all our services. This brochure is designed to assist you with the highlights of our new policies.

 

Your Health Information Rights

Health and billing records we maintain for all patients are the physical property of the Toccoa Clinic Medical Associates, LLP, and its satellite clinics. The information in these records, however, belongs to you. Under the new federal law, you have the right to the following:

  • Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your health information by requesting so in writing to TCMA. We are not required to grant the request, but we will comply with any request granted.
  • Obtain a copy of the “Notice of Privacy Practices for Protected Health Information” by requesting it.
  • Request that you be allowed to inspect and copy your health and billing records. Requests must be made in writing using a convenient form we can provide.
  • If access to your protected health information is denied, you may appeal the decision, except in certain circumstances.
  • Request that your health care records be amended to correct incomplete or incorrect information. Requests must be made in writing, using a convenient form we can provide. Note:  your physician or other health care provider is not required to make such amendments.
  • File a statement of disagreement if your amendment is denied, and require that the request for amendment and any denial be attached in all future disclosures of your protected health information.
  • Obtain a full accounting of any disclosures of your health information as required to be maintained under the new law. Requests of this accounting must be made in writing using a form we can provide. An accounting will not include internal uses of information for treatment, payment, or operations; disclosures made to you or made at your request; or disclosures made to family members or friends in the course of providing quality care.
  • Request that communications of your health information be made by alternative means or at an alternative means or at an alternative location. Requests must be made in writing using a form we can provide.
  • Revoke authorization that you previously made to use or disclose information except to the extent information or action has already been taken. Requests for a revocation must be made in writing.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact the Director of Professional Services at

706-282-5239 during normal business hours. She will provide you with assistance.

You have the right to review this notice before signing the consent authorizing use and disclosure of your protected health information for the purposes of treatment, payment and healthcare operations.

 

Our Professional  Responsibilities

The new federal law also requires professional responsibilities on our part. Specifically, Toccoa Clinic Medical Associates, LLP, is required to:

  • Maintain the privacy of your health information.
  • Provide you with a notice of our duties and privacy practices regarding the information we collect and maintain.
  • Abide by the terms of this notice.
  • Notify you if we cannot accommodate a request or restriction.
  • Accommodate your reasonable requests regarding methods to communicate health information with you.

We reserve the right to amend, change or eliminate provisions in our privacy and access practices or to enact new provisions regarding the protected heath insurance we maintain. If our information practices change, we will amend our notice. You are entitled to receive a revised copy of the notice upon request.

 

You May Request Information or File a Complaint

If you have questions, need additional information, or want to report a problem regarding the professional handling of your health information, please contact our Director of Professional Services at 706-282-5239.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint at our offices. You may also file a written complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the new law:

 

Office of the Secretary Department of

Health & Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20201

Toll-free telephone: 1-877-696-6775

We cannot and will not require any patient to waive the right to file a complaint with the HHS Secretary as a condition of receiving treatment from the office or hospital. We cannot and will not undertake any retaliation against you for filing a complaint.

A website is maintained by the Department of Health & Human Services to learn more about the new federal law. The website address is:

www.hipadvisory.com