Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective April 14, 2003
Revised August 26, 2024
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.
Who will follow this notice:
This notice describes Fulton County Health Center’s (FCHC) practices and that of:
- Any health care professional authorized to enter hospital information into your medical record
- All departments and units of the hospital
- Any member of a volunteer group allowed to help you while you are in the hospital
- All employees, staff, interns, students, and other hospital personnel
- All entities, sites, and locations of Fulton County Health Center. In addition, these sites may share medical information with each other for treatment, payment, or health care operations described in this Notice.
FCHC’s Pledge regarding medical information:
FCHC understands that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting your medical information. While you receive services at FCHC, a record is created. FCHC staff uses this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all records of your care generated by FCHC and its affiliates, whether it is made by hospital personnel or your personal physician. Other medical practices may have different policies or notices regarding the doctor’s use and disclosure of your medical information created in the doctor’s office.
This notice will tell you about the ways in which FCHC may use and disclose medical information about you. FCHC also describes your rights and its obligations regarding the use and disclosure of medical information. This information is made available to you through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 and its associated regulations.
FCHC is required by law to:
- Make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private except as allowed or required by law;
- Inform you of any breaches to your private information and attempt to alleviate any harm from it;
- Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you;
- Follow the terms of the notice that is currently posted; and
- Receive written acknowledgment from you that it has given you its notice of privacy practices.
How FCHC May use and disclose medical information about you
The below bolded and underlined categories describe different ways that FCHC is permitted or required to use and disclose medical information. For each category of uses or disclosures, FCHC will explain what is meant and offer examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of these categories. Some information, such as certain drug and alcohol treatment information, HIV information, and mental health information, is entitled to special restrictions related to its use and disclosure. We will abide by all applicable state and federal laws related to the protection of such information.
Treatment: We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technologists, pharmacists, medical and other students, or other hospital personnel involved in your care. We may also share medical information with other providers, agencies, or facilities in order to provide or coordinate the different medical services you need, such as prescriptions, lab work, and x-rays. We also may disclose medical information to providers and others who may be involved in your medical care after you leave the hospital, such as family members, referring physicians, family physicians, and home health care nurses.
For example: a physician treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. In addition, the doctor may need to tell the hospital’s dietary service if you have diabetes so that FCHC can arrange for appropriate meals.
Payment: We may use and disclose medical information about you so that we may be paid for your care. FCHC may share your information with another provider so that they may be paid for services as well. FCHC may bill and share information with other providers, insurance companies, you, or another paying third party.
For example: We may need to give information to your health plan about care you received so your health insurance will pay us or reimburse you for the care. FCHC may also tell your health insurance about a proposed treatment in order to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your health insurance will cover the treatment.
If you pay for a health care item or service out-of-pocket and in full, your medical information for that item or service will not be disclosed to any commercial health plan if you request that we not disclose this information.
For example: If you pay for a blood test in full and a bill is not sent to your private insurance, we will not release that result to any private insurance if you request that we not release this information.
Health Care Operations: We may use and disclose medical information about you for our own business operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to provide our services and make certain that all of our patients receive quality care. Uses and disclosures are also necessary for certain health education and teaching programs. We may disclose your information to another hospital for their health care operations provided they have a treatment relationship with you.
For example: We may contact you at home in order to determine your level of satisfaction with our services. We may use medical information to review the quality of our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical and other students, and other personnel for performance improvement and educational purposes. We may also use medical information for business planning, management, and administration of our operations.
Business Associates: We may disclose medical information about you to outside persons or businesses who perform functions or activities on our behalf or who provide certain professional services to us. Under contracts with such persons or businesses, your medical information is required to be kept confidential.
For example: We may disclose information to health information exchanges (HIE), collection agencies, and professionals such as lawyers, accountants, and consultants.
Disasters: We may use and disclose medical information if we believe it is in your best interest to disclose the information during a disaster. You can inform us if you object. For example, if there is a local disaster, we may share your information if a family member is trying to locate you.
Appointment Reminders: We may use and disclose medical information to contact you as a reminder of your appointment for treatment or medical care. If you object to this, please let us know.
Health-related Benefits and Services: We may disclose medical information to tell you about health-related benefits or treatment alternatives that may be of interest to you. If you object, please let us know.
Fundraising Activities: We may use medical information about you to contact you in an effort to raise money for the Fulton County Health Center and its operations. We will use basic demographic information (your name, address, telephone number, and dates you received services or treatment). If you do not want FCHC to contact you for fundraising efforts, you must notify FCHC administration in writing.
Hospital Directory: If you are hospitalized, we may include certain limited information about you in our hospital directory while you are a patient in the hospital. This information may include your name, location in the hospital, your general condition (fair, good, serious, etc.), and religious affiliation. The directory information, except for your religious affiliation, may be released to people who ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation may be given to members of the clergy even if they do not ask for you by name unless you request that we do not release it. This is so your family, friends, and clergy can visit you in the hospital and generally know how you are doing. You may restrict or prohibit the use or disclosure of this directory information by notifying the registration clerk at the time of your admission or the Patient Access Department.
Individuals Involved In Your Care or Payment for Your Care: We may disclose medical information about you to a family member or other designated person who is involved in your medical care. We may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care. If you object, please let us know.
For example: We may need to tell the person who comes to pick you up after a surgery admission or appointment that he or she may need to help you once you get home or to act on your behalf to pick up prescriptions or medical supplies.
Workers’ Compensation: We may use or disclose medical information about you for Workers’ Compensation or similar programs as authorized or required by law. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses.
Public Health Activities: We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities and purposes. These purposes generally include the following:
- Preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability;
- Reporting vital events such as births and deaths;
- Reporting abuse or neglect;
- Reporting adverse events or surveillance related to food, medications, or defects or problems with products;
- Notifying persons of recalls, repairs, or replacements of products they may be using;
- Notifying a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
Victim of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence: We may disclose certain medical information to government agencies authorized by law to receive reports of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence if FCHC or its agents believe that you have been a victim.
Health Oversight Activities: We will disclose medical information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure by regulatory agencies.
Law Enforcement: We may release medical information if asked by a law enforcement official for the following reasons:
- In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons, or similar process;
- Limited information to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person, such as names and addresses in certain circumstances;
- About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, staff is unable to obtain a person’s agreement;
- About a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
- About criminal conduct at FCHC; and
- In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime victims; or the identity, description, or location of the person who committed a crime.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors: We may release medical information to a coroner, funeral director, or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death.
Organ and Tissue Donation: We may use or disclose medical information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking, or transplantation of cadaveric organs, eyes, or tissue for the purpose of facilitating donation and transplantation.
Research: We may contact you about research projects that you may qualify for. FCHC will only use and disclose your information for a research project if FCHC obtains your separate written permission.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety: We may use or disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Disclosure would only be to persons who could help prevent or reduce the threat.
Inmates: If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under custody of a law enforcement official, we may release medical information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary for the institution to provide you with health care, to protect your health and safety, or the health and safety of others.
Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a lawsuit or dispute, we may release medical information about you in response to a court or administrative order. The hospital may also disclose medical information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.
Your rights regarding MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:
Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to access and obtain a copy of medical information that may be used to make decisions about you or your health care. You can request a paper or electronic copy. To access your medical information, request assistance from your physician or nurse. To access your medical information after discharge, submit a General Authorization for Release of Information to the Health Information Department.
Right to Amend: If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. To request an amendment, a Request for Amendment form must be submitted to the Privacy Officer.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request a list of the disclosures we made of your medical information. This does not include disclosures made for treatment, payment, or health care operations.
Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information FCHC uses or discloses about you for treatment, payment, or health care operations. Requests must be made in writing and sent to the Privacy Officer.
Right to Request Confidential Communications: You have the right to request that FCHC communicates with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. Requests must be made in writing to the Health Information Department.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may request one at any time. Paper copies are available in patient care areas or on FCHC’s website.
Right to Choose Someone to Act for You: If you have given someone medical power of attorney, they can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. FCHC will verify this authority before taking any action.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
FCHC reserves the right to change this notice and make the revised notice effective for medical information we already have and future information. A copy of the current notice will be posted on FCHC’s website.
COMPLAINTS
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint.
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Privacy Officer at (419) 335-2015.
