Privacy Notice
83825 Hwy 9, P.O. BOX 1270
Ashland, AL 36251
256-354-2131
Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.
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.
"This Privacy Notice covers Clay County Healthcare Authority, an organized healthcare arrangement (OHCA), including Clay County Hospital, Clay County Nursing Home, Clay County Health and Wellness Center, Clay County Hospital DME, Hospice of Clay County, and the Clay County Healthcare Authority Medical Staff."
Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.A. Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record
1. You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
2. We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
B. Ask us to correct your medical record
1. You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
2. We may say "no" to your request, but we'll tell you why in writing within 60 days.
C. Request confidential communications
1. You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
2. We will say "yes" to reasonable requests.
D. Ask us to limit what we use or share
1. You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say "no" if it would affect your care.
2. If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say "yes" unless a law requires us to share that information.
E. Get a list of those with whom we've shared information
1. You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we've shared your health information, who we shared it with, and why for any services rendered; request may go back for a period of six years.
2. We will include disclosures and any you asked us to make except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations. We'll provide one accounting a year for free, but, will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
F. Get a copy of this privacy notice
You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.
G. Choose someone to act for you
1. If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
2. We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.
H. File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated
1. You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information on page 1.
2. You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
3. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Your Choices
For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.A. In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:
1. Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care;
2. Share information in a disaster relief situation and
3. Include your information in a hospital directory
If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example, if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
B. In these cases we never share your information unless you give us written permission:
1. Marketing purposes;
2. Sale of your information and
3. Most sharing of psychotherapy notes
We do not share any substance abuse treatment records without your written permission except for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.
We do not market or sell personal information.
C. In the case of fundraising:
We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.
Our Uses and Disclosures
How do we typically use or share your health information?We typically use or share your health information in the following ways:
A. Treat you
We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.
Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.
B. Run our organization
We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.
Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.
C. Bill for your services
We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.
Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.
How else can we use or share your health information?
We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways - usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information, go to: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.
A. Help with public health and safety issues
We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
1. Preventing disease;
2. Helping with product recalls;
3. Reporting adverse reactions to medications;
4. Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence and
5. Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone's health or safety
B. Do research
We can use or share your information for health research.
C. Comply with the law
We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we're complying with federal privacy law.
Example: We may send your child's immunization record to their school.
D. Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
E. Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
F. Address workers' compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
We can use or share health information about you:
1. For workers' compensation claims;
2. For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official;
3. With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law and
4. For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
G. Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
Our Responsibilities
1. We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.2. We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
3. We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
4. We will not use or share your information other than as described here, unless you tell us we can. If you wish to change your mind, you may do so in writing.
For more information, go to: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.
Changes to the Terms of this Notice
We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to the information we have about you. The new notice will be available in the Centralized Admitting Department, on our website, or upon request, we will email or mail a copy to you.Effective Date of this Notice: April 8, 2015
At Clay County Healthcare Authority, our goal is to provide each patient with the highest quality healthcare. If you have found our service to be unsatisfactory, please call and discuss the problem with Quality Management at 256-354-1133. We also welcome suggestions for improvement in our services. If you feel that your privacy has been violated, please call the Privacy Officer at 256-354-1289 or Administration at 256-354-1178. You may email the Privacy Officer at privacy@clayhosp.org . Written complaints can be mailed to:
Attn: Privacy Officer
P.O. Box 1270
Ashland AL 36251
