HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (1996)
Notice of Privacy Policy (NPP) and Practices for Protected Health Information (PHI)
Effective April 14, 2003
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
Please direct any questions about this Notice to the Director of Communications at Crane Rehab Center, LLC, 101 River Road, Suite 112, Jefferson, LA 70121, 504-828-7696
PURPOSE OF THIS NOTICE
Crane Rehab Center understands the importance of keeping our patients’ protected health information (PHI) private. We have always been careful with confidential patient health information, however, the new federal HIPAA laws require healthcare providers to provide written notice of how we may use and disclose PHI records. Please be assured of our commitment to confidentiality and privacy.
Types of Personal Health Information (PHI) We Collect
Each time you visit Crane Rehab Center, LLC our therapists and staff make a record of your visit. Typically, your chart contains your initial evaluation, diagnosis, plan of treatment, recommended exercises, and modalities and frequency performed. This Protected Health Information (PHI) is referred to as your medical record or chart and serves as a basis for planning your care and treatment.
Your PHI may also include authorizations, correspondence, health insurance forms, billing information, as well as identifying information for both our patients and their parents or guarantors. Identifying information includes name, date of birth, sex, social security number, address, and numbers for home, work, or cell phones, etc. These records may also include reports, test results, and correspondence of consultations obtained at other medical facilities.
We retain this information as required by law for a minimum of 6 years. We limit the collection of personal information to only that which is necessary to provide quality medical care and for insurance and reimbursement purposes.
How We Protect Personal Information
We protect PHI by limiting access to our patient’s information to only those persons who need to know that information to effectively provide treatment, and to provide required documentation for reimbursement and insurance purposes. Each Crane Rehab Center, LLC employee must sign a Confidentiality Statement assuring that they understand their responsibilities and the importance of complying with our policies designed to protect your privacy.
Disclosure and Uses of PHI for Treatment, Payment, and Healthcare Operations
Treatment
Within the law, we may share and or disclose any of the personal information we collect for the purposes of treatment, reimbursement document and healthcare operations. Our therapists may share the patient’s information with personnel within Crane Rehab Center involved in coordinating patient medical care and treatment. An example of this would be the type and frequency of modalities to be performed. Our therapists may provide information to the referring physician and other healthcare providers so that they may assist us in treating our patients.
Payment
As a courtesy, we will bill our patient’s insurance or any 3rd party for medical services we provide. We disclose PHI in billing because the payers require diagnosis and procedure codes before they will process your claim for payment We may disclose PHI information with affiliates such as health insurance companies with whom we are contracted, licensed and for audits.
Healthcare Operations
Because we treat patients of all ages, we may communicate their health information to their parent or guardian, or the person acting in authority on behalf of a minor child. We may contact the patient, parent, or guardian at their home, office, or cell phone to relay information such as appointment reminders or referral questions. We may contact the referring physician regarding a patient’s progress and plan of treatment.
We follow government regulations in instances of serious situations such as public health risk, to prevent or lessen the risk of patient or public safety, and for disaster relief efforts.
We may disclose PHI as required by law to judicial or administrative proceedings, licensures or disciplinary actions and in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process. We may disclose PHI for peer review and operations assessment.
We do not disclose information to any third party without the written permission of the patient, parent or guardian. We may disclose authorized written information via copy, fax, or mail.
Individual Rights to your Personal Health Information
We have procedures for our patients, their parents, or guardians to access or inspect the PHI we collect. We will make this information available to you upon written request, by appointment only, and under employee supervision. You have the right to request amendment or correction the patient’s health record by delivering a written request to our office. Our therapists are not required to make such amendments. If an amendment is denied, you may file a statement of disagreement and request that the request for amendment and any denial be attached in all future disclosures of your PHI.
Privacy Policy Amendment
We reserve the right to amend our privacy policy from time to time. Any revisions will be available to you upon your next office visit.
Posting our Privacy Notice
Our Privacy Notice is displayed prominently in our lobby. It is also handed individually to each patient for signature. Additional copies are available for parents not present in the office who should review, sign and acknowledge receipt by return mail.
Filing a Complaint
If you have any questions, need further information, or want to file a written complaint regarding the handling of your PHI, please call Crane Rehab Center at 504-828-7696 or write to 101 River Rd., Suite 112, Jefferson, LA 70121. If you feel the patient’s rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services of the Federal Government.