|
Home
Flu Vaccines
Forms
Women's Clinic
Hours
Immunization Requirements
Mental Health Staff
Notice of Privacy Practices
Primary Care Providers
Records Request
Services Available
Student Health Insurance
email Student Health Service
Urgent Care
|
|
|
|
HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
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.
Understanding your health information
This notice of Privacy Practices describes how the University of
Tennessee Student Health Service may use and disclose your protected
health information to carry out treatment, payment or health care
operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by
law. It also describes your rights to access and control your Protected
Health Information (PHI). "Protected Health Information" is information
about you, including demographic information that may identify you and
that relates to your past, present, or future physical condition and
related health care services.
Each time you visit a University of Tennessee Student Health Service a
record of your visit is made. This record contains information about
your symptoms, examinations, test results, medications you take, your
allergies and the plan for your care. We refer to this information as
your health or medical record. It is an essential part of the
healthcare we provide for you. Your health record contains personal
health information and there are state and federal laws to protect the
privacy of your health information.
Uses and Disclosures of Health Information
We will use your information for treatment
The physicians, nurses and clinical staff involved in your care will
document in your record about your examination and the care planned for
you. If you were referred to us from another provider, your University
of Tennessee Student Health Service provider may send copies of your
medical record to the doctor who referred you to us so your doctor will
have updated treatment information about your care. We will disclose
your PHI, as necessary, to another physician to whom you have been
referred to ensure that the physician has the necessary information to
treat you.
We will provide your future physicians or subsequent healthcare
providers with copies of various reports that should assist him or her
in treating you.
We may also use health information about you to call you or send you a
letter to remind you about an appointment, to follow up with diagnostic
tests results, or to provide you with information about other treatment
and care that could benefit your health.
We will use your health information for payment.
A bill will be sent to you or your third party payor (insurance). The
information on or accompanying the bill may include information that
identifies you, as well as your diagnoses, procedures, healthcare
providers and supplies used. We also may contact your insurance company
to determine if they will pay for your medical care as part of their
certification process.
We will use your health information for regular healthcare operations.
The University of Tennessee Student Health Service physicians, nurses,
managers and staff may look at your health information to complete a
quality review to assess the care and results in your case and others
like yours. Our clinic is part of a teaching facility so we may use
your information in the process of educating and training students and
resident physicians.
You have the right to request a restriction on the above uses and
disclosures of your protected health information for treatment, payment
and health care operations; however, we are not required to agree to
your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless
the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment. We may,
however, also end the agreement at any time after informing you of such.
We use a sign-in sheet at the Registration Desk where you will be asked
to sign your name and indicate your physician of choice. We will also
call you by name in the waiting room when you are to be sent to your
physician's office.
Other Disclosures
Business Associates
We will share your PHI with third party associates that perform various
activities for the clinic. Whenever any arrangement between our clinic
and a business associate involves the use of disclosure of your PHI, we
will have a written contract that contains terms that will protect the
privacy of your PHI.
Communication with others involved with your care
Our health professionals may, in the event you are incapacitated or in
an emergency circumstance, using their judgment, disclose to a family
member, or other relative, close personal friend or any other person you
identify, health information directly relevant to that person's
involvement in your care or payment related to your care.
Research
Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose health information
about you from your medical record for research purposes. All research
projects, however, are subject to a special approval process designed to
protect the privacy of your health information.
We may also disclose health information required by law to the following
entities or types of entities that includes, but not limited to:
Required by law: We may use or disclose your PHI to the extent that the
use or disclosure is required by law. The use or disclosure will be
made in compliance with the law and will be limited to the relevant
requirements of the law. You will be notified, as required by law, of
any such disclosures.
Public Health: We may disclose your PHI for public health activities and
purposes to a public health authority that is permitted by law to
collect or receive the information.
Health Oversight: We may disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for
activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, and
inspections. Oversight agencies seeking this information include
government agencies that oversee the health care system, government
benefit programs, other government regulatory programs and civil rights
laws.
Legal Proceedings: We may disclose your PHI in the course of any
judicial or administrative proceeding, in response to an order of a
court or administrative tribunal, in certain conditions in response to a
subpoena, discovery request or other lawful purpose.
Workers Compensation: Your PHI may be disclosed to comply with workers'
compensation laws and other similar legally established programs.
Required Uses and Disclosures: Under the law, we must make disclosures
to you and, when required by the Secretary of the Department of Health
and Human Services, to investigate or determine our compliance with the
requirement of Section 164.500 et. seq.
We will not use information in your records for marketing purposes.
Other uses and disclosures from your medical record will be made only
with your written authorization or approval.
Patient Rights
You have the right to:
- Inspect and obtain a copy of your health record. There may be a
charge to cover the cost of copying your record.
- Request an amendment of your health records.
- Obtain an accounting of disclosures of your protected health
information.
- Request communication of your health information in a certain
way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we
contact you by mail and not by telephone, or that we contact you at
a specific telephone number, or that we use an alternative address
for billing purposes, or that we not leave messages on certain
answering machines.
- Revoke your authorization to use or disclosure health
information except to the extent that action has already been
taken.
To exercise any of these rights, your request must be in writing.
Please obtain the required form from the Medical Records Department of
the Student Health Services (865) 974-2337.
Our duties are to:
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected
health information;
- Provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy
practices with respect to information we collect about you through
this notice;
- Abide by the terms of the notice currently in effect;
- Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested
restriction;
- Follow reasonable requests you make to communicate with you as
you instruct- for example, contact you at a certain telephone number
or address.
- Provide you a paper copy of this notice of privacy practices
upon request.
The University of Tennessee Student Health Service serves the right to
change this Notice of Privacy Practices and its policies and procedures
for privacy practices at any time and to make the changes effective for
all protected health information created or received prior to the new
effective date and then currently maintained by the practice location.
The revised Notice will be posted in waiting room or patient lobby and
reasonable efforts will be made to advise you of the change(s) in the
Notice, policies and procedures at your next service visit. You may
also obtain a copy of the revised Notice upon request.
For More Information or to Report a Problem
If you have any questions about your rights, or duties, or our practices
and procedures regarding protected health information, please call the
University of Tennessee Student Health Service's Privacy Officer at
(865) 974-3135.
If you believe your privacy rights have been or are being violated, you
may complain to the University of Tennessee Student Health Service and
to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Complaints to the Secretary must be filed in writing on paper or
electronically and must be made within 180 days of when you became aware
of, or should have been aware of, the incident giving rise to your
complains.
At the University of Tennessee, you may contact our privacy officer at
(865) 974-3061. By law, you cannot be penalized for filing a complaint.
The University of Tennessee, does not discriminate on the basis of race,
sex, color, religion, national origin, age, handicap, or veteran status
in provision of educational opportunities or employment opportunities
and benefits.
UT does not discriminate on the basis of sex or handicap in its
educational programs and activities, pursuant to requirements of Title
IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Public Law 92-318; Section 504
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Public Law 93-112; and the Americans
With Disabilities Act of 1990, Public Law 101-336, respectively. This
policy extends both to employment by and admission to the University.
Inquiries concerning Title IX, Section 504, and the Americans With
Disabilities Act of 1990 should be directed to the Office of Diversity
Resources, 1818 Lake Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3650; (865)
974-2498. Charges of violation of the above policy also should be
directed to the Office of Diversity Resources.
Effective 4/14/2003
|
|
