|
This Notice
describes how health information about you or your child (referred
to hereafter as "you" or "your") may be used
and disclosed and how you can access this information. Please review
it carefully.
If
you have any questions about this Notice, please contact our Privacy
Officer:
Please
visit our web site at www.mch.com
for any additional information.
Our committment to your privacy
We understand
that information about you and your health is very personal and
we are committed to protecting the privacy of this information.
Each time you visit a Miami Children's Hospital facility we create
a record of the care and services you receive. This record is necessary
to provide you with high quality care and to ensure we are in compliance
with certain legal requirements. This Notice applies to all of the
records of your care created by any of the Miami Children's Hospital
facilities listed below, whether made by healthcare personnel or
your physician.
Miami Children's
Hospital
Dan Marino Center
Miami Children's Hospital - South Dade Center
Miami Children's Hospital - Miami Lakes Rehabilitation Center MCH
Research Institute, Inc.
Children's Health Services, Inc.
MCH Pediatric Cardiology, LLC
MCH-Physician Hospital Organization, Inc.
In addition,
Miami Children's Hospital, the independent contractor members of
its Medical Staff, and other healthcare providers affiliated with
Miami Children's Hospital have agreed, as permitted by law, to share
your health information among themselves for purposes of treatment,
payment or healthcare operations. This enables us to better address
your healthcare needs.
This Notice
will describe the ways in which we may use and disclose your medical
information. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice
at any time. Any revision to this Notice will be applicable to all
medical information we already have about you, as well as any of
your medical information that we may receive, create, or maintain
in the future. We will post a copy of our current Notice in prominent
locations in each of our facilities, and it will also be posted
on our web site at www.mch.com.
A copy of the current Notice in effect will be available at the
registration area of each facility.
How we may use and disclose health information
about you
The following
categories describe different ways that we use your health information
within Miami Children's Hospital and disclose your health information
to persons and entities outside of Miami Children's Hospital. Each
description is of a category of uses or disclosures. We have not
listed every use or disclosure within the categories, but all permitted
uses and disclosures will fall within one of the following categories.
Treatment
- We may use health information about you to provide you with medical
treatment and services. We may disclose health information about
you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, interns,
or other personnel who are involved in taking care of you during
your visit with us.
Payment
- We may use and disclose health information about you so the treatment
and services you receive at Miami Children's Hospital may be billed
to and payment collected from you, an insurance company or a third
party. This may also include the disclosure of health information
to obtain prior authorization for treatment and procedures from
your insurance plan.
Healthcare
Operations - We may use and disclose health information about
you for healthcare operations, including quality assurance activities;
granting medical staff credentials to physicians; administrative
activities, including Miami Children's Hospital financial and business
planning and development; customer service activities, including
investigation of complaints; and certain marketing and fundraising
activities, etc. These uses and disclosures are necessary to Miami
Children's Hospital to ensure all of our patients receive quality
care.
Appointment
Reminders - We may use your health information to contact you
as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical
care at Miami Children's Hospital.
Health Related
Products or Services - We may notify you of health related products
and services that may be of interest to you.
Fundraising
- We may use and/or disclose limited information about you and the
dates you received treatment or services at Miami Children's Hospital
in an effort to raise funds to support Miami Children's Hospital,
to organizations such as the Miami Children's Hospital Foundation.
If you do not wish to be contacted for such fundraising purposes
you should notify the Privacy Officer in writing.
Research
That Doesn't Involve Your Treatment - When a research study
does not involve any treatment, we may disclose your health information
to researchers when an Institutional Review Board has reviewed the
research proposal, has established appropriate protocols to ensure
the privacy of your health information, and has approved the research.
Directory
Information - Miami Children's Hospital has a "directory"
of information about hospitalized patients available to anyone who
asks for a patient by name. The directory information may include
four items: 1) the patient's name, 2) room number, 3) general condition
("serious, fair, good, etc."), and 4) available to clergypersons
only, religious affiliation. This directory information allows visitors
to find your room and florists to deliver flowers to you. You will
be asked to agree to have this information disclosed each time you
come to a Miami Children's Hospital facility. You have the right
to refuse to have all or part of your information disclosed for
such purposes. If you do refuse to have all your information released,
we will not be able to tell your family or friends your room number
or that you are in the hospital.
Individuals
Involved in your care or payment for your care - We may disclose
health information about you to a friend or family member who is
involved in your medical care, unless you tell us in advance not
to do so. In addition, we may disclose health information about
you to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort (such as
the Red Cross) so that your family can be notified about your condition,
status and location.
Special Situations that do not Require
your Authorization
The following
disclosures of your health information are permitted by law without
any oral or written permission from you:
Organ and
Tissue Donation - If you are an organ donor, we may release
health information to organizations that handle organ procurement
or organ, eye or tissue transplantation, or to an organ donation
bank as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
Military
and Veterans - If you are a member of the armed forces, we may
release health information about you as required by military command
authorities.
Worker's
Compensation - We may release health information about you for
worker's compensation or similar programs if you have a work related
injury. These programs provide benefits for work related injuries.
Averting
a Serious Threat to Health or Safety - We may use and/or disclose
health information about you when necessary to prevent a serious
threat to your health or safety or the health and safety of another
person or the public. These disclosures would be made only to someone
able to help prevent the threat.
Public Health
Activities - We may disclose health information about you for public
health activities. These generally include the following:
- To prevent
or control disease, injury or disability.
- To report
births and deaths.
- To report
child abuse or neglect.
- To report
reactions to medications, problems with products or other adverse
events.
- To notify
people of recalls of products they may be using.
- To notify
a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk
for contracting or spreading a disease or condition.
- To notify
the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has
been the victim of abuse (including child abuse), neglect or domestic
violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when
required or authorized by law.
Health Oversight
Activities - We may disclose health information to a health
oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight
activities include audits, investigations, inspections and licensure.
These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the
healthcare system, government programs and compliance with civil
rights laws.
Lawsuits
and Disputes - If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute,
we may disclose health information about you in response to a court
or administrative order. We may disclose health information about
you in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful
process by someone else involved in the dispute.
Law Enforcement
- We may disclose health information if asked to do so by law enforcement
officials for the following reasons:
- In response
to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process.
- To identify
or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person.
- About the
victim of a crime if, under certain circumstances, we are unable
to obtain the person's agreement.
- About a death
we believe may be the result of a criminal conduct.
- About criminal
conduct at our facility.
- In emergency
circumstances to report a crime, the location of the crime or
victims, or the identity, description or location of the person
who committed the crime.
Coroners,
Medical Examiners and Funeral Home Directors - We may disclose
health information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be
necessary to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of
death of a person. We may also release health information about
patients at our facility to funeral home directors as necessary
to carry out their duties.
National
Security and Intelligence Activities - We may disclose health
information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence,
counterintelligence and other national security activities authorized
by law.
Inmates
- If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under custody
of a law enforcement official, we may disclose health information
about you to the correctional institution or the law enforcement
official. This is necessary for the correctional institution to
provide you with healthcare, to protect your health and safety and
the health and safety of others, or for the safety and security
of the correctional institution
Legal Requirements
- We will disclose health information about you without your permission
when required to do so by federal, state or local law.
With your Specific Written "Authorization"
Other uses and
disclosures of health information not covered by this Notice or
the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission
(called "authorization"). If you authorize us to use or
disclose health information about you, you may revoke that authorization
in writing at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will
no longer use or disclose health information about you for the reasons
covered by your written authorization. You understand that we are
unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your
permission, and that we are required to retain our records of the
care that we provided to you.
Your Health Information Rights
Although your
health record is the physical property of the Miami Children's Hospital
entity that created it, the information belongs to you. You have
certain rights with respect to your information as described below.
If you wish to exercise your rights, you may complete preprinted
forms at registration or you may write directly to:
Miami Children's Hospital
Health Information Management Department
Attention: Director
3100 S.W. 62nd Avenue
Miami, Florida 33155-3009
- Right
to request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your
information. You have the right to request a restriction or
limitation on the medical information we use and/or disclose about
you for treatment, payment or healthcare operations. Additionally,
you have the right to request that we limit the information we
disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or
the payment for your care. For instance, you can request that
we refrain from disclosing information about a procedure that
you had or a treatment you were given.
We are not required to agree to your request. However, if we do
agree, we will comply with your request so long as the information
is not necessary to provide you emergency care.
Your request must be in writing, as described above, and must
include a description of the information you wish to limit, whether
you want to limit the use, disclosure or both, and to whom you
want the limitations to apply.
- Right
to request confidential communications. You have the right
to request that we communicate with you about medical matters
in a certain manner or at a certain location. For example, you
may request that we limit our communications with you to contact
at work or at home.
Your request must be in writing, as described above, and must
specify the manner in which or the location at which you wish
to be contacted. All reasonable requests will be accommodated.
- Right
to inspect and/or request a copy of your health record. You
have the right to inspect and/or receive copy any medical information
maintained about you that may be used to make decisions about
your care. Typically, this will include your medical and billing
records but does not include psychotherapy notes.
In order to inspect and/or receive a copy of your medical information,
you must submit your request, in writing to Miami Children's Hospital's
Health Information Department at the address provided above. We
may charge a reasonable fee for this service based on our cost
of complying.
In very
limited circumstances, we may deny your request to inspect and/or
receive a copy of your information. However, if your request is
denied, in some cases you may request that the denial be reviewed.
Such reviews are performed by an independent licensed healthcare
professional chosen by the Privacy Officer. We will comply with
the outcome of the review.
- Right
to request an amendment to your health record. If you believe
the information we maintain about you is incorrect or incomplete,
you may request that we amend the information. In order to request
an amendment, you must submit a written request, as described
above, indicating the specific information you wish to be amended
and providing the reason supporting the request. Failure to put
your request in writing or provide supporting reasoning is likely
to result in a denial of your request.
We may
also deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
- Is accurate and complete.
- Is not part of the information which you would be permitted
to inspect or receive a copy.
- Is not part of the medical information maintained by Miami
Children's Hospital.
- Was not created by us, unless the individual or organization
that created the information is no longer available to make
the amendment.
- Right
to obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information.
You have the right to request an accounting of disclosures, which
is a list of certain disclosures of your medical information made
by Miami Children's Hospital other than disclosures allowed or
required by law or authorized by you. The request for this accounting
must be submitted in writing as described above. Your request
must include the time period for which you are requesting an accounting,
which may not exceed six years and not include dates prior to
April 14, 2003. Fees may be imposed as allowed by law.
- Right
to obtain a copy of this Notice of Information Practices upon
request. We will post a copy of the current Notice in our
facilities, and it will also be posted on our web site at www.mch.com.
A copy of the current Notice in effect will be available at the
registration area of each facility.
Complanints or Concerns
You may contact
the Privacy Officer if you have a question about this privacy Notice
or about your privacy rights. You should also contact the Privacy
Officer if you have a complaint or concern that your rights have
been violated.
Miami Children's Hospital Privacy Officer
3100 S.W. 62 Avenue
Miami, Florida 33155-3009.
Telephone: 1-800-521-8803
You may make
also write to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
|
