Privacy Notice

As required by the Privacy Regulations Created as a Result of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU (AS A PATIENT OF THIS PRACTICE) MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED, AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO YOUR INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFIABLE HEALTH INFORMATION.
PLEASE REVIEW THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY.

1) Our Commitment to your Privacy

Quincy Spine Center is dedicated to maintaining the privacy of your individually identifiable health information. In conducting our business, we will create records regarding you and the treatment and services we provide to you. We are required by law to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and the privacy policies that we maintain in our practice concerning your health information. By federal and state law, we are committed to follow the terms and conditions of the notice of privacy policies that we have in effect at the time.

We realize that these laws are complicated, but we must provide you with the following important information:

• How we may use and disclose your individually identifiable health information.
• Your privacy rights with respect to this information.
• Our obligations concerning the use and disclosure this information.

The terms of this notice apply to all records containing your individually identifiable health information that are created or retained by our practice. We reserve the right to revise or amend this Notice of Privacy Practices. Any revision or amendment to this notice will be effective for all of your records that our practice has created or maintained in the past, and for any of your records that we may create or maintain in the future. Our practice will post a copy of our current Notice in our offices in a visible location at all times, and you may request a copy of our most current Notice at any time.

2) If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact:

300 Congress St, Suite 304
Quincy, MA 02169
Appointments: (617) 773-6300

3) We may use and disclose your individually identifiable health information (IIHI) in the following ways:

• Treatment. Quincy Spine Center may use your IIHI to treat you. For example, we may ask you to have tests done and we may use the results to help us reach a diagnosis. We might use your IIHI in order to write a prescription for you, or we might disclose your IIHI to a pharmacy when we order a prescription for you. Many of the people who work for our practice including, but not limited to, our doctors and nurses may use or disclose your IIHI in order to treat you or to assist others in your treatment. Additionally, we may disclose your IIHI to others who may assist in your care, such as your spouse, children or parents.

• Payment. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI in order to bill and collect payment for the services you may receive from us. For example, we may contact your health insurer to certify that you are eligible for benefits (and for what range of benefits), and we may provide your insurer with details regarding your treatment to determine if your insurer will cover, or pay for, your treatment. We also may use and disclose your IIHI to obtain payment from third parties that may be responsible for such costs, such as family members. Also, we may use your IIHI to bill you directly for services and items.

• Health Care Operations. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI to operate our business. As examples of the ways in which we may use and disclose your information for our operations, our practice may use your IIHI to evaluate the quality of care you received from us, or to conduct cost-management and business planning activities for our practice.

• Appointment Reminders. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI to contact you and remind you of an appointment.

• Treatment Options. Our practice may use and disclose IIHI to inform you of potential treatment options or alternatives.

• Disclosures Required by Law. Our practice will use and disclose your IIHI when we are required to do so by federal, state or local law.

4) Use and Disclosure of your IIHI in certain Special Circumstances

The following categories describe unique scenarios in which we may use or disclose your identifiable health information:

• Public Health Risks. Our practice may disclose your IIHI to public health authorities that are authorized by law to collect information for the purpose of:
• Maintaining vital records, such as births and deaths
• Reporting reactions to drugs or problems with products or devices
• Notifying appropriate governmental agencies regarding the potential abuse or neglect of a patient
• Notifying your employer under limited circumstances related primarily to workplace injury or illness.

ii) Health Oversight Activities. Our practice may disclose your IIHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. Oversight activities can include, for example, investigations, inspections, audits, surveys, licensure and disciplinary actions; civil, administrative, and criminal procedures or actions; or other activities necessary for the government to monitor governmental programs, compliance with civil rights laws and the health care system in general.

iii) Lawsuits and Similar Proceedings. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI in response to a court or administrative order, if you are involved in a lawsuit or similar proceeding. We also may disclose your IIHI in response to a discovery request, subpoena, or other lawful process by another party involved in the dispute, but only if we have made an effort to inform you of the request or to obtain an order protecting the information the party has requested.

iv) Deceased Patients. Our practice may release IIHI to a medical examiner or coroner to identify a deceased individual or to identify the cause of death. If necessary, we also my release information in order for funeral directors to perform their jobs.

v) Organ and Tissue Donation. Our practice may release your IIHI to organizations that handle organ, eye or tissue procurement or transplantation, including organ donation banks, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation if you are an organ donor.

vi) Research. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI for research purposes in certain limited circumstances. We will obtain your written authorization to use your IIHI for research purposes except when: (a) our use or disclosure was approved by an Institutional Review Board or a Privacy Board; (b) we obtain the oral or written agreement of a researcher that (i) the information being sought is necessary for the research study; (ii) the use or disclosure of your IIHI is being used only for the research and (iii) the researcher will not remove any of your IIHI from our practice; or (c) the IIHI sought by the researcher only relates to decedents and the researcher agrees either orally or in writing that the use of disclosure is necessary for the research and, if we request it, to provide us with proof of death prior to access to the IIHI of the decedents.

vii) Serious Threats to Health or Safety. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI when necessary to reduce or prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of another individual or the public. Under these circumstances, we will only make disclosures to a person or organization able to help prevent the threat.

viii) Military. Our practice may disclose your IIHI if you are a member of US or foreign military forces (including veterans) and if required by the appropriate authorities.

ix) National Security. Our practice may disclose your IIHI to federal officials for intelligence and national security activities authorized by law.

x) Inmates. Our practice may disclose your IIHI to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials if you are an inmate or under the custody of a law enforcement official. Disclosure for these purposes would be necessary: (a) for the institution to provide health care services to you, (b) for the safety and security of the institution, and/or (c) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of other individuals.

xi) Workers Compensation. Our practice may release your IIHI for workers compensation and similar programs.

5) Your Rights Regarding Your IIHI

You have the following rights regarding the IIHI that we maintain about you:

i) Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that our practice communicate with you about your health and related issues in a particular manner or at a certain location. For instance, you may ask that we contact you at home, rather than at work. In order to request a type of confidential communication, you must make a written request to:

Quincy Spine Center
300 Congress St, Suite 304
Quincy, MA 02169
Appointments: (617) 773-6300

ii) Requesting Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction in our use or disclosure of your IIHI for treatment, payment or health care operations. Additionally, you have the right to request that we restrict our disclosure of your IIHI to only certain individuals involved in your care or the payment for your care, such as family members and friends. We are not required to agree to your request; however if we do agree, we are bound by our agreement except when otherwise required by law, in emergencies, or when the information is necessary to treat you.

iii) Inspection and Copies. You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of the IIHI that may be used to make decisions about you, including patient medical records and billing records, but not including psychotherapy notes. Our practice may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing, labor and supplies associated with your request. Our practice may deny your request to inspect and/or copy in certain limited circumstances; however, you may request a review of our denial. Another licensed health care professional chosen by us will conduct reviews.

iv) Amendment. You may ask us to amend your health information if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete, and you may request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for our practice. You must provide us with a reason that supports your request for amendment. Our practice will deny your request if you fail to submit your request (and the reason supporting your request) in writing. Also, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that is in our opinion: (a) accurate and complete; (b) not part of the IIHI kept by and for the practice; (c) not part of the IIHI which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or (d) not created by our practice, unless the individual or entity that created the information is not available to amend the information.

v) Accounting Disclosures. All of our patients have the right to reaquest an accounting of disclosures. An accounting of disclosures is a list of certain non-routine dicslosrue our practice has made of your IIHI for non-treatment or operations purposes. Use of your IIHI as part of the routine patient care in our practice is not required to be documented. For example, the doctor sharing information with the nurse; or the billing department using your information to file your insurance claim. All requests for an accounting of disclosures must state a time period, which may not be longer than six (6) years form the date of disclosure and may not include dates before April 14, 2003. The first list your request within a 12 month period is free of charge, but our practice may charge you for additional lists within the same 12 month period. Our practice will notify you of the costs involved with additional requests, and you may withdraw your request before you incur any costs.

vi) Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice. You are entitled to a paper copy of our notice of privacy practice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time.

vii) Right to File a Complaint. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our practice or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

viii) Right to Provide an Authorization for Other Uses and Disclosures. Our practice will obtain your written authorization for uses and disclosures that are not identified by this notice or permitted by applicable law. Any authorization you provide to us regarding the use and disclosure of your IIHI may be revoked at any time in writing. After you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose your IIHI for the reasons described in the authorization. Please note, we are required to retain records of your care.