This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can access this information. Please review it carefully.
Directions For Youth and Families’ Duty to Safeguard Your Protected Health Information
Individually identifiable information about your past, present, or future health or condition, the provision of health care to you, or payment for the health care is considered “Protected Health Information” (PHI). We are required to extend certain protections to your PHI, and to give you this Notice about our privacy practices that explains how, when and why we may use or disclose your PHI. Except in specified circumstances, we must use or disclose only the minimum necessary PHI to accomplish the purpose of the use or disclosure.
We are required to follow the privacy practices described in this Notice, though we reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time. If we do so, we will post a new Notice in our lobby and on our Website. You may request a copy of the new notice from PQI/Privacy Manager.
How We May Use and Disclose Your Protected Health Information
We use and disclose PHI for a variety of reasons. To disclose information, we must have your written authorization. In some instances, the law provides that we are permitted to make some uses/disclosures without your authorization. The following offers more description and examples of our potential uses/disclosures of your PHI.
Uses and Disclosures Relating to Treatment, Payment, or Health Care Operations
Generally, we do not need consent or authorization to use/disclose your PHI:
For treatment: We may disclose your PHI to doctors, nurses, and other health care personnel who are involved in providing your health care. For example, your PHI will be shared among members of our staff involved in your care here.
To obtain payment: We may use/disclose your PHI in order to bill and collect payment for your health care services. For example, we may release portions of your PHI to Medicaid, OhioMHAS, the local ADAMH Board and/or a private insurer to get paid for services that we delivered to you.
For health care operations: We may use/disclose your PHI in the course of operating our outpatient facility. For example, we may use your PHI in evaluating the quality of services provided or disclose your PHI to our accountant or attorney for audit purposes. Release of your PHI to the MACSIS system/ADAMH Board and/or Medicaid might also be necessary to determine your eligibility for publicly funded services.
Appointment reminders: Unless you provide us with alternative instructions, we may send appointment reminders and other similar materials to your home, or we may call your home to remind you of appointments.
Exceptions: The law allows us to use/disclose your PHI without your acknowledgement in certain situations. For example, we may disclose your PHI if needed for emergency treatment if it is not reasonably possible to obtain your consent prior to the disclosure and we think that you would give consent if able.
Uses and Disclosures Requiring Authorization
For uses and disclosures beyond treatment, payment and operations purposes, we are required to have your written authorization, unless the use or disclosure falls within one of the exceptions described below Authorizations can be revoked at any time to stop future uses/disclosures except to the extent that we have already undertaken an action in reliance upon your authorization.
Uses and Disclosures Not Requiring Consent or Authorization
The law provides that we may use/disclose your PHI without authorization in the following circumstances:
When required by law: We may disclose PHI when a law requires that we report information about suspected abuse, including child abuse/neglect or in response to a court order. We must also disclose PHI to authorities that monitor compliance with these privacy requirements.
For public health activities: We may disclose PHI when we are required to collect information about disease or injury, or to report vital statistics to the public health authority. (Behavioral health organizations, such as DFYF have very few such requirements)
For health oversight activities: We may disclose PHI to the ADAMH Board of your home county, if your services are publicly funded, or another agency responsible for monitoring the health care system for such purposes as reporting or investigation of unusual incidents.
Relating to decedents: We may disclose PHI relating to an individual’s death to coroners, funeral home directors, or medical examiners.
To avert threat to health or safety: In order to avoid a serious threat to health or safety, we may disclose PHI as necessary to law enforcement or other persons who can reasonably prevent or lessen the threat of harm.
For specific government functions: We may disclose PHI to correctional facilities in certain situations, to government programs relating to eligibility and enrollment, and for national security reasons, such as protection of the president.
Uses and Disclosures Requiring You to have an Opportunity to Object
In the following situation, we may disclose your PHI if we inform you about the disclosure in advance and you do not object. However, if there is an emergency situation and you cannot be given your opportunity to object, disclosure may be made if it is consistent with any prior expressed wishes and disclosure is determined to be in your best interests. You must be informed and given an opportunity to object to further disclosure as soon as you are able to do so.
To families, friends or others involved in your care: We may share with these people information directly related to your family’s, friend’s or other person’s involvement in your care, or payment for your care. We may also share PHI with these people to notify them about your location, general condition, or death.
Your Rights Regarding Your Protected Health Information
You have the following rights relating to your protected health information:
You have the right to request restrictions on uses/disclosures: You have the right to ask that we limit how we use or disclose your PHI. We will consider your request but are not legally bound to agree to the restriction. To the extent that we do agree to any restrictions on our use/disclosure of your PHI, we will put the agreement in writing and abide by it except in emergency situations. We cannot agree to limit uses/disclosures that are required by law.
You have the right to choose how we contact you: You have the right to ask that we send you information at an alternative address or by an alternative means. We must agree to your request as long as it is reasonably easy for us to do so.
You have the right to inspect and copy your PHI: You must put your request in writing. We will respond to your request within 30 days. If we deny you access to your PHI, we will give you written reasons for the denial and explain any right to have the denial reviewed. If you want copies of your PHI, a charge for copying may be imposed, but may be waived, depending on your circumstances. You have a right to choose what portions of your information you want copied and to have prior information on the cost of copying.
You have the right to request amendment of your PHI: If you believe that there is a mistake or missing information in our record of your PHI, you may request, in writing, that we correct or add to the record. We will respond within 60 days of receiving your request. We may deny the request if we determine that the PHI is: (i) correct and complete; (ii) not created by us and/or not part of our records, or; (iii) not permitted to be disclosed. Any denial will state the reasons for denial and explain your rights to have the request and denial, along with any statement in response that you provide, appended to your PHI. If we approve the request for amendment, we will change the PHI and so inform you, and tell others that need to know about the change in the PHI.
You have the right to find out what disclosures have been made: You have a right to get a list of when, to whom, for what purpose, and what content of your PHI has been released other than instances of disclosure which you authorized or where information was disclosed. (i.e. for treatment, payment, health care operations). The list also will not include any disclosures made for national security purposes, to law enforcement officials or correctional facilities, or before April 14, 2003. We will respond to your written request for such a list within 60 days of receiving it. Your request can relate to disclosures going as far back as six years. There will be no charge for up to one such list each year. There may be a charge for more frequent requests.
You have the right to receive this notice: You have a right to receive a paper copy of this Notice and/or an electronic copy by email upon request.
How to Complain about our Privacy Practices
If you think we may have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your PHI, we encourage you to first contact the Privacy Officer of this agency listed below. You also may file a written complaint, without fear of retaliation from DFYF, with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
280 North High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Civil Rights Regional Office
233 N. Michigan Ave. Ste. 240
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Contact Person for Information, or to Submit a Complaint
If you have questions about this Notice or any complaints about our privacy practices, please contact:
Maranda Libster, PQI Manager
1515 Indianola Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43201
(614) 294-2661