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Notice
Regarding Compliance By Mercy Iowa City With
HIPAA Privacy, Security and Other Regulations
This notice describes
how medical information about you may be used
and disclosed and how you can get access to this information.
Please review it carefully.
Your
Privacy Is Important to Us
We are committed to providing our patients with Exceptional Medicine,
Extraordinary Care. An important part of our commitment is our pledge
to protect your nonpublic personal medical and financial information.
This notice, which is required by the federal Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), informs you about our privacy
practices.
Pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act of 1996 (HIPAA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) is promulgating regulations that address, among other things;
1) standards for the privacy of individually identifiable health
information; 2) security standards to protect the confidentiality
and integrity of health information and the information technology
used to store, process, and transmit such data; and 3) standards
for administrative transactions and data elements exchanged electronically
that are consistent with the goals of improving the operation of
the health care system and reducing administrative costs.
Please note that HHS has released some final regulations, with varying
dates for compliance, and some proposed, but not final, regulations.
After HHS has issued final HIPAA regulations, Mercy Iowa City will
undertake a review of its policies, practices, and standards to
ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.
Who
Is Covered by This Notice
This notice describes our hospital's practices and that of:
- Any health
care professional authorized to enter information into your hospital
chart.
- All departments
and units of the hospital, including off-site and on-campus clinics
and offices.
- Any member
of a volunteer group we allow to help you while you are in the
hospital.
- All employees,
staff, and other hospital personnel.
All of the
above entities will follow the terms of this notice. In addition,
these entities, sites, and locations may share medical information
with each other for the treatment, payment, or hospital operations
purposes described in this notice.
Our
Privacy Pledge
We do not disclose your nonpublic personal medical and financial
information, except as required or permitted by law. Mercy Iowa
City does not sell patient information. We do not disclose this
information, even when our patient relationships end, except as
required or permitted by law.
We will ensure that our practices and standards comply with HIPAA
and other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. We
will work with appropriate regulatory and accreditation agencies
to ensure consistency between Mercy Iowa City's policies and HIPAA.
Consistent with Mercy Iowa City's policy on statutory variances,
we will uphold the higher privacy standard when there is a conflict
between applicable state and federal regulations.
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Information
We Receive
We receive nonpublic personal medical and financial information
about patients from the following sources:
- Applications,
consents, authorizations and other forms you or your representative
provides;
- Documentation
collected during your care (test results, physician orders, etc.);
- Billing
and payment transactions (such as claims submission with insurance
companies and payment) with us, our affiliates or others; and
- Outside
sources pertaining to your care, such as health care providers,
insurance companies and federal and state agencies.
As of April
14, 2003, we are required by law to document the receipt of this
privacy notice to all patients.
How
We Protect Your Information
Our policies restrict access of your information to hospital employees
and staff who need this information to provide care and services
to you and as permitted by law. We maintain physical, electronic,
and procedural safeguards that comply with legal requirements to
protect your nonpublic personal medical and financial information.
We have undertaken an initiative to educate our Board, officers,
employees, medical staff, volunteers, and others about HIPAA compliance.
This training includes an annual refresher course in privacy and
confidentiality.
How
We Use Patient Information
We use patient medical and financial information to provide and
facilitate treatment, collect payment for services, and conduct
hospital operations.
We may, as permitted or required by law, make discretionary use
or disclosures of protected health information.
We may use patient medical and financial information for contacting
you to provide appointment reminders, describing or recommending
treatment alternatives, providing information about health-related
benefits and services that may be of interest to you, or soliciting
funds to benefit Mercy Iowa City and its Foundation.
Other uses of your information may require separate written authorizations
from you.
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Your
Rights
With Mercy Iowa City and its affiliates, you have the following
rights: 1) the right to authorize disclosure of your protected health
information to third parties, 2) the right to revoke previously
authorized disclosures, 3) the right to request limited disclosure
of your health information, 4) the right to inspect and copy your
protected health information, 5) the right to request to amend information,
and 6) the right to request a listing of personnel who have accessed
your information for reasons other than treatment, payment, or health
care operations (after April 14, 2003). You also have the right
to request to be placed on a mailing list to receive notice of updates
to Mercy Iowa City's Privacy Notices.
Questions
If you have any questions about this privacy notice, wish to request
personal disclosure documentation, or to confidentially report an
incident, please call the Compliance Hotline at 319-887-2964 or
1-888-771-0872 or send an e-mail to <hipaa@mercyic.org>. You
may also contact your personal health care provider. Mercy Iowa
City or your health care provider will respond to your request.
Requesting information or reporting an incident will not adversely
affect your care at Mercy Iowa City.
For more information on HIPAA or in the event of a complaint, you
may also contact the HHS Office Inspector General Hotline:
By Phone: 1-800-HHS-TIPS
(1-800-447-8477)
By Fax: 1-800-223-8164
By E-Mail: HTips@os.dhhs.gov
By TTY: 1-800-377-4950
By Mail: Office
of Inspector General
Department of Health and Human Services
Attn: HOTLINE
330 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20201
For more information
on HIPAA, please refer to: <http://cms.hhs.gov/hipaa>.
Copyright 2002
Mercy Iowa City
Revised 03/25/02, 3/10/03
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