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En Espanol
Your Rights
Memorial University Medical Center (MUMC) works hard to
protect your privacy. There are federal laws outlining the ways that healthcare providers can use and share medical
information about patients. The law says that we need your permission
(authorization) for certain uses, but not for others.
Your personal medical information is called Protected Health Information or
"PHI."
MUMC and our medical staff can use your PHI or share it with each other only in
certain ways. We must also follow rules about sharing your PHI outside of our
system.
Using Your PHI Without Your Permission
The law allows us to use your PHI without your permission in these ways. We give
some examples of each use to help you understand it.
For Your Treatment -- Any of our medical staff involved in treating you
can use your PHI. They can also share it with others involved in your care. For
example, your doctor may share your PHI with another doctor whom he or she asks
about your condition.
For Payment -- We may use and share your PHI to collect payment for
services. For example, we may give your PHI to the companies that send out
bills. We may also give your PHI to other health plans or providers for
billing.
For Our Business Operations -- We do many things that businesses do. We
check on the quality of care we give. We train our staff. We manage budgets. We
raise funds for our programs, and much more. We may use PHI to help us do these
things better. We can share PHI with doctors, nurses, other medical staff, and
others. This can help them learn how to do their jobs better. We can also share
PHI with lawyers. They help us follow the laws. We may also share PHI with
other health care providers and health plans where you've been a patient in the
past. We would do this only to help them with things such as giving better care
or watching for fraud or abuse.
To Follow the Law -- We may share PHI to follow the law, to report or
solve crimes, or to help law enforcement.
To Protect Public Health -- We can give PHI to people who work to stop
the spread of diseases. And we must report abuse and neglect.
To Oversee Health Care Systems -- We can give PHI to government agencies
that inspect health care systems.
To Help Coroners or Medical Examiners -- We may need to give PHI to help
identify a body or the cause of death.
For Organ or Tissue Donation -- We may give PHI to help agencies who
match organ donors with people on waiting lists.
For Research -- We may use PHI for medical research.
To Avoid a Serious Threat to Others -- We can give PHI to people working
to prevent a threat to the health or safety of other people.
Special Government Functions -- We may share PHI with federal officials
for national security reasons.
Workers' Compensation -- We can release PHI to comply with laws that
protect you if you are hurt or get sick on the job.
For Fundraising -- We may use your PHI to contact you for our fundraising
efforts. If you don't want us to contact you for this, please contact the
Memorial Health Foundation, 4750 Waters Avenue, PMOB Suite 212, Savannah, GA
31404, or call 912-350-6370.
Appointment Reminders and Other Items of Interest -- We can use your PHI
to contact you about an appointment. We can also contact you about other
treatments, services, and programs that may interest you.
Your Access to Your Own PHI -- We may share your PHI with you or someone
you choose to represent you.
Government Offices -- We must give your PHI to certain federal workers
when they are checking on how we follow the privacy laws.
You Can Ask That We Not Share the Following PHI
Normally, we can use your PHI in the two ways below. But if you object, you can
ask us to keep your PHI private. Then we cannot give out this information.
Lists of Patients and Their Status -- We keep lists of all patients who
are in our facilities. We keep track of names, room numbers, their condition
(e.g., stable, fair, etc.), and religion. We can share some of this information
with people who ask about you by name.
People Involved in Your Care or Paying for Your Care -- We can give your
PHI to a family member, a friend, another person you say is involved in your
care, or another person who is involved in paying for your care.
We Must Have Your Permission to Use Your PHI In the Following Ways
Before we can use or share your PHI in other ways, we must ask for your written
permission. This Notice tells you our rules for using PHI. We have to follow
what we say in this Notice. The law says we must keep your PHI private. It also
says that we must tell you in writing what the law says we can and cannot do
with your PHI and our privacy policies regarding PHI.
We Have to Let You Know if We Make a Change
We have the right to change information in this Notice. We can change how we use
PHI and make new rules. Before we make any big changes, we will give you a new
Notice. We will post the new Notice in all registration areas.
These Are Your Rights
You can ask us not to share your PHI with a person or group. We
don't have to do what you ask. But we must do what we say we will do. No matter
what, we can always share your PHI in an emergency.
You can ask us to contact you in certain ways or at certain places. For
example, you may want us to call you at work instead of at home. Or you may
want us to use e-mail instead of regular mail. You must ask in writing. Send
your requests to Patient Financial Services at MUMC.
Usually, you can read and copy your PHI. You must ask for it by writing
to the Health Information Management Department at MUMC. We will try to get
back to you within thirty (30) days after we get your letter. We will tell you
if we can let you see and/or get a copy of your PHI. Sometimes we will give you
a summary of the information you ask for, but only if you agree to that. If we
make a copy or summary of your PHI, we may charge you for copying, mailing, and
other costs. If we decide not to let you see your PHI, we will explain
why. We will also explain that you can get another health care professional to
look at your request. Sometimes we don't have the PHI you want. If we know
where your PHI is, we will tell you where to write for it.
You can ask that we fix mistakes or add new facts to your PHI. You must
ask us in writing. Write to the Health Information Management Department at
MUMC. In your letter, explain why you are asking us to add to or change your
PHI. We will try to get back to you within sixty (60) days after we get your
letter. We will tell you whether we agree to make a change. We will tell you
what changes we will make, if any. We can usually turn you down if the
information wasn't written by us; is not part of our records; is not something
you are allowed to see; is not correct and complete. If we turn you down, we
will tell you why in writing. We will also explain what other steps you can
take, such as saying in writing that you don't agree with us; or asking in
writing that we include a copy of your letter and our answer with your PHI from
now on; and complaining about being turned down.
You can ask for a list of people and groups who have seen your PHI in the past
six (6) years. (But we can only give information about what has
happened since April 14, 2003.) The list will not include times when you gave
your written permission. And it won't include things already covered in this
Notice. These include giving out your PHI for treatment, payment, and health
care operations; to you; for lists of patients; people involved in your care;
government functions; or to law enforcement. You must ask for the list by
writing to the Health Information Management at MUMC. We will try to get back
to you within sixty (60) days after we get your letter. We will give you one
list each year at no charge. But we will charge you a fee of $25 for each list
after that in a single year.
You can ask for a paper copy of this notice. Please contact Patient
Financial Services to get another copy of this notice.
You may complain to us if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. Contact the Corporate Ethics and Compliance Office at MUMC and put your
complaint in writing. We will not punish you or do anything against you for
complaining. You also have the right to complain to the Secretary of the
Department of Health and Human Services.
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Corporate Ethics
and Compliance Office at MUMC.
Contact Information
Corporate Ethics and Compliance
912-350-8681
Patient Financial Services
912-350-8677
Health Information Management
912-350-8262
Memorial Health Foundation
912-350-6370
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