Notice of privacy practices
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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.
OUR COMMITMENT
Our principal goal at Aurora Health Care, Inc. is to keep you healthy
and to offer services that will meet your needs. In order to perform
these services, we collect, create, use, and disclose information about
you. We are dedicated to keeping your health information private, in
accordance with federal and state law. As required by the federal Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"), we
provide you with this notice of our legal duties with respect to health
information. We are required to follow the terms of this notice or any
revision to it that is in effect. We reserve the right to make changes
to this notice as allowed by law. Changes to our privacy practices will
apply to all health information we maintain.
If we change this notice, you can access the revised notice using one
of these options:
- At any of the registration areas of our hospitals and clinics;
- From home health, hospice, nursing home, retail pharmacy, or
optical staff; or
- From this website (www.AuroraHealthCare.org).
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
We may use your health information and disclose it to appropriate
persons, authorities and agencies, as allowed by federal and state law.
We may do this without your written permission for the following
purposes:
Treatment. As we treat you, we may need to use and disclose
your health information to other health care providers within or outside
of Aurora Health Care, Inc. For example, a doctor may use the
information in your medical record to find the best treatment option for
you or a pharmacist may call your doctor to ask questions about a
prescription. In some cases, our staff may use or disclose your health
information to help your doctor and our health care team manage your
disease.
Payment. We may use your health information and disclose it to
insurance companies or employer health plans, and to others in order to
receive payment for your bill. For example, we must submit a bill to
your insurance company that states your name, what is wrong with you,
how we are treating you, and other information in order for us to
receive payment. In certain situations, we may disclose your health
information to a collection agency if a bill is not paid.
Health Care Operations. We may use the information in your
medical record to help us improve the quality or cost of the care we
give or to respond to appropriate questions about the care provided. For
example, we may study how doctors and nurses manage patient treatment
after surgery, to learn the best way to help patients recover. We may
use your health information to look at the care you received from
doctors, nurses, pharmacists, or other health care professionals. We may
disclose your health information to another health care professional
that you have seen so they may improve their quality or cost.
Reminders and Information Sharing. We may use your health
information to remind you of an appointment or to tell you about
treatment options or health products and services that may be of
interest to you. For example, we may send you a letter telling you about
a new health care facility that is opening in your area.
Fundraising. In support of our charitable mission, we may use
your health information (for example, your name, address, phone number
and treatment dates) to contact you about supporting our fundraising
efforts. Through philanthropy, we seek to advance our patient care
programs and services. For example, we use charitable gifts to fund
heart and cancer research and needed charity care.
OTHER WAYS WE MAY DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
We may also use and disclose your health information without your
written permission for the following purposes:
Hospital and Nursing Home Patient Directory. If you are
hospitalized or a resident in a nursing home, we may keep brief
information about you in our directory. Unless you tell us otherwise, we
may disclose where you are in our facility (for example, your room or
phone number) and your general health condition (for example "stable" or
"good") to anyone who asks for you by name. We will also disclose your
religious affiliation to clergy, even if they do not ask for you by
name.
Family and Friends for Care and Payment. Unless you request
otherwise and in emergency situations, we may disclose information to
your family members, relatives, close friends, or others who are helping
care for you or helping you pay your medical bills. For example, we may
tell these persons where you are and how you are doing.
Disaster Relief Efforts. We may disclose your health
information to organizations for the purpose of disaster relief efforts.
Required by Law. We may disclose your health information when
required by law to do so.
Public Health. We may disclose your health information with
authorities to help prevent or control disease, injury, or disability.
For example, we are required to report certain diseases (for example,
cancer), injuries, birth or death information, and information of
concern to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the State of
Wisconsin. We may also report work-related illnesses and injuries to
your employer for workplace safety purposes.
Reporting Victims of Abuse or Neglect. We may disclose your
health information, if we believe you have been a victim of abuse or
neglect, to a government authority if required or allowed by law, or if
you agree to the disclosure.
Health Care Oversight. We may disclose your health information
to authorities and agencies for oversight activities allowed by law,
including audits, investigations, inspections, licensing, disciplinary
actions, or legal proceedings. These activities are necessary for
oversight of the health care system, government programs and civil
rights laws.
Legal Proceedings. We may disclose your health information in
the course of certain legal proceedings. For example, we may disclose
your information in response to a court order.
Law Enforcement. We may disclose your health information to
law enforcement officials for specific purposes. For example, we may
disclose your health information when required by law to report certain
injuries.
Death. We may disclose your health information to coroners,
medical examiners (for example, to find out the cause of death) and
funeral directors so they can carry out their duties.
Organ, Eye, or Tissue Donation. We may disclose information to
people involved in obtaining, storing or transplanting donated organs,
eyes or tissue.
Research. We may disclose your health information to
researchers who have received approval from the Aurora Health Care, Inc.
Institutional Review Board to conduct a specific research project. These
researchers agree not to disclose information that would allow you to be
identified, except as allowed by law. For example, a research study may
measure the success of a treatment or medication in treating or curing a
targeted illness or condition.
Serious Threats to Health or Safety. We may disclose your
health information to the proper authorities if we believe in good faith
that this will help prevent or lessen a serious threat to your or the
public's health or safety. We do so as allowed by law and standards of
ethical conduct.
Military, National Security, Law Enforcement Custody. We may
disclose your health information with the proper authorities so they may
carry out their duties under the law. This applies if you are or were
involved with the military, national security or intelligence
activities. It also applies if you are in the custody of law enforcement
officials or an inmate in a correctional institution.
Workers' compensation. We may disclose your information in
order to comply with the laws related to workers' compensation or
similar programs. These programs may provide benefits for work-related
injuries or illness.
We may use or disclose your information only with your written
permission, except as described in the previous sections. If you give us
your permission, you may withdraw such permission at any time by
notifying us in writing, except if we have already taken action based
upon your permission.
A NOTE ON OTHER RESTRICTIONS
Please be aware that state and federal law may have more requirements
than HIPAA on how we use and disclose your health information. If there
are specific more restrictive requirements, even for some of the
purposes listed above, we may not disclose your health information
without your written permission as required by such laws. For example,
we will not disclose your HIV test results without obtaining your
written permission, except as permitted by state law. We may also be
required by law to obtain your written permission to use and disclose
your information related to treatment for a mental illness,
developmental disability, or alcohol or drug abuse.
There may be other restrictions on how we use and disclose your
health information than those listed above. We believe state and federal
laws discussing such restrictions are Wisconsin Statutes Sections
146.82, 51.30, 252.15, 895.50 and 905.04; Wisconsin Administrative Code
HFS 92 and 124.14; and 42 C.F.R. Part 2 and 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164.
If you would like a copy of these laws, please contact our Chief Privacy
Officer at (414)647-6404.
YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION RIGHTS
As a patient or customer who receives health care services from
Aurora Health Care, Inc., you have the right to:
Read and copy your health information. With a few exceptions, you
have the right to read and obtain a copy of your health information. We
may charge you a reasonable fee if you want a copy of your health
information. If we deny your request to review or obtain a copy, you may
submit a written request for a review of that decision.
- To obtain your health information, contact the Health
Information/Medical Record Department of the facility where you
were treated.
- To obtain your billing information, contact the Central
Business Office.
- To request information from a retail pharmacy or optical shop,
inquire at the counter.
Request to correct your health information. If you believe there is
an error in your health information or something has been left out, you
may ask us to correct the information. You must make the request in
writing and give the reason why your health information should be
changed. If we did not create the information you believe is incorrect,
or if we disagree with you and believe your health information is
correct, we will deny your request. You may appeal to us in writing if
we deny your request.
- To request a correction to your health information, contact
the Health Information/Medical Record Department of the facility
where you were treated.
- To request a correction from a retail pharmacy or optical
shop, inquire at the counter.
Request to restrict certain uses and disclosures of your information.
You have the right to ask that we restrict how your health information
is used or disclosed. Under the law, we are not required to agree to
your request. In some cases, we may not be able to agree to your request
because we do not have a way to tell everyone who would need to know
about the restriction. There are other instances in which we are not
required to agree with your request. We will inform you when we cannot
find a way to carry out your request. You may request a restriction in
these ways:
- Ask during the registration or sign-in process;
- Ask the person giving you care (e.g., physician, nurse,
pharmacist);
- Contact the Health Information/Medical Record Department; or
- Contact the business office for billing-related requests.
Receive information at a different place or by different means. You
have the right to ask that we send information to you in different ways
or at different places. For example, you may wish to receive a test
result at an address other than your home address. We will grant
reasonable requests.
Receive a record of how we disclosed your health information. You
have the right to ask us in writing for a list of places or persons with
whom your health information was disclosed during the past six years.
The list will contain the date your health information was disclosed to
others, who received the information, a brief description of what was
disclosed and why. However, the list will not include disclosures for
the following purposes: treatment, payment, health care operations,
hospital/nursing home patient directories, family and friends for care
and payment, national security or intelligence, and law
enforcement/corrections. In addition, the list will not include
information that was disclosed to you and to others with your
permission, incidental disclosures and disclosures of limited or
de-identified health information. We must provide you the list within 60
days of your request, unless you agree to a 30-day extension. You will
not be charged for this list, unless you request more than one list per
year.
- The request must be for health information disclosed on or
after April 14, 2003.
- To request this list, contact the Health Information/Medical
Record Department at the facility where you were treated.
- If you wish to request a list from a pharmacy or optical
store, inquire at the counter.
Obtain a paper copy of this notice. Upon your request, you may at any
time receive a paper copy of this notice. This notice is available at
the registration desks and customer service counters of all our
facilities. It is also on our website at
www.AuroraHealthCare.org.
File a complaint. You have the right to file a complaint with us if
you believe your privacy rights have been violated. To file a complaint,
call the Chief Privacy Officer at (414) 647-6404. You also have the
right to complain to the United States Secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Services. We will not take any action against you for
filing a complaint.
CONTACT FOR INFORMATION, QUESTIONS, OR CONCERNS
If you have questions or concerns about your privacy rights, Aurora
Health Care, Inc.'s privacy-related policies or the information
contained in this notice, please contact our Chief Privacy Officer at
(414) 647-6404.
WHO WILL USE THIS NOTICE TO MEET FEDERAL LAW NOTICE REQUIREMENTS
Aurora Health Care, Inc., through owned and controlled corporate and
limited liability affiliates and employees of such entities, provides
health care to patients, residents and clients jointly with health care
providers and other organizations. The following persons and entities,
who have agreed to be bound by this notice, will jointly use this notice
for convenience to meet federal law requirements; provided that, each
person and entity is solely and separately responsible and liable for
complying with this notice and applicable law (and Aurora Health Care,
Inc. and its affiliates are only liable for their own violations):
- All employed staff or volunteers of Aurora Health Care, Inc.,
including staff of other affiliated entities.
- Any health care professional who agrees to be bound by this
notice and who treats you at any of our facilities with respect to
your information stored at the facility. Please be aware that many
health care professionals are independent contractors, which means
they are not employed or controlled by Aurora Health Care, Inc.
Such independent health care professionals may have different
policies or notices regarding the use or disclosure of your health
information stored at their office and that each person or entity
is independently responsible for their own compliance with this
notice and federal and state law. You should determine if your
health care professional is employed or controlled by Aurora
Health Care, Inc. or one of its controlled entities.
- Any of our business partners or associates with whom we share
health information and who agree to be bound by this notice.
This notice is effective on and after April 14, 2003, unless and
until it is revised by Aurora Health Care, Inc.
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