Springhill Medical Center
Springhill, Louisiana
Copyright 2009, Springhill Medical Center, Inc. -
Notice of Privacy Practices
This notice describes how Springhill Medical Center may use and disclose your medical
information, and how you may access this information. Please review it carefully.
If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact our Privacy Officer,
Jannis A. Wiggins , at 1 (318) 539-
This Notice of Privacy Practices describes Springhill Medical Center’s practices,
and that of any our affiliates. All employees, staff, and other personnel will follow
the terms of this notice. In addition, these entities, sites, and locations may share
medical information with each other for treatment, payment, or health care operation
purposes as described in this notice.
Changes to this Notice:
We reserve the right
to change the terms of our notice at any time. Any revisions of the notice will be
effective for all protected health information that we maintain at that time. To
receive a copy of the revised notice, you may contact our Privacy Officer and request
that a revised copy be sent to you in the mail. You may also obtain a copy in the
Admissions Office at the time of your next appointment.
Springhill Medical Center’s
Commitment to Protecting Medical Information:
We understand and appreciate the personal
nature of any information related to you and your health. Springhill Medical Center
is committed to protecting your medical information, and is required by law to:
· Ensure the privacy of your identifiable medical information;
· Provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your medical information; and
· Follow the terms of the most current notice.
This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected
health information to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations and
for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your
rights to access and control your protected health information.
“Protected health
information” refers to information about you, including demographic information,
that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or
mental health or condition and related health care services.
1. Uses and Disclosures
of Protected Health Information
Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information
Based Upon Your Written Consent
You will be asked by Springhill Medical Center to
sign a consent form. Once you have consented to use and disclosure of your protected
health information for treatment, payment and health care operations by signing the
consent form, Springhill Medical Center will use or disclose your protected health
information as described in this Section.
Each category of uses and disclosures will
be explained but not every use or disclosure in each category will be listed. However,
every permissible use or disclosure will fall under one of the following categories.
Treatment: We will use and disclose your protected health information to provide,
coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services. This includes the
coordination or management of your health care with a third party that has already
obtained your permission to have access to your protected health information. We
may disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to doctors, nurses,
counselors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, or any other personnel involved
in your care. For example, your protected health information may be provided to a
physician to whom you have been referred to ensure that the physician has the necessary
information to diagnose or treat you. In addition, we may disclose your protected
health information to another physician or health care provider who, at the request
of your physician, becomes involved in your care by providing assistance with your
health care diagnosis or treatment to your physician.
Payment: Your protected health
information will be used and disclosed, as needed, to obtain payment for your health
care services. This may include uses and disclosures by and to the Health Information
Management department and our Business Office. Other uses and disclosures may include
certain activities that your health insurance plan may undertake before it approves
or pays for the health care services we recommend for you, such as making a determination
of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits, reviewing services provided to
you for medical necessity, and undertaking utilization review activities. For example,
obtaining approval for a hospital stay may require that your relevant protected health
information be disclosed to the health plan to obtain approval for the hospital admission.
Healthcare Operations: We may use or disclose, as needed, your protected health information
in order to support Springhill Medical Center’s hospital operations and business
activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment
activities, employee review activities, training of medical students, licensing,
marketing and fundraising activities, conducting or arranging for other business
activities and compliance with state law.
For example, we may disclose your protected
health information to medical school students that see patients in our hospitals.
In addition, we may use a sign-
We may use or disclose your protected health
information, as necessary, to provide you with information about treatment alternatives
or other health-
Other uses and disclosures
of your protected health information will be made only with your written authorization,
unless otherwise permitted or required by law as described below. You may revoke
this authorization, at any time, in writing, except to the extent that Springhill
Medical Center has taken an action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated
in the authorization.
Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures That May
Be Made With Your Consent, Authorization or Opportunity to Object
We may use and
disclose your protected health information in the following instances. You will be
granted the opportunity to agree or object to the use or disclosure of all or part
of your protected health information. If you are not present or able to agree or
object to the use or disclosure of the protected health information, then in our
best professional judgment, Springhill Medical Center may determine whether the disclosure
is in your best interest. In this case, only the minimum necessary protected health
information relevant to your health care will be disclosed.
Others Involved in Your
Healthcare: Unless you object, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative,
a close friend or any other person you identify, your protected health information
that directly relates to that person’s involvement in your health care. If you are
unable to agree or object to such a disclosure, we may disclose such information
as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest based on our professional
judgment. We may use or disclose protected health information to notify or assist
in notifying a family member, personal representative or any other person that is
responsible for your care of your location, general condition, or death. Finally,
we may use or disclose your protected health information to an authorized public
or private entity to assist in disaster relief efforts and to coordinate uses and
disclosures to family or other individuals involved in your health care.
Emergencies:
We may use or disclose your protected health information in an emergency treatment
situation. If this happens, Springhill Medical Center staff shall attempt to obtain
your consent as soon as reasonably practicable after the delivery of treatment. If
your physician or any Springhill Medical Center staff member is required by law to
treat you and has attempted to obtain your consent but is unable to obtain your consent,
he or she may still use or disclose your protected health information to treat you.
Communication Barriers: We may use and disclose your protected health information
if we attempt to obtain consent from you but are unable to do so due to substantial
communication barriers and we determine, using professional judgment, that you intend
to consent to use or disclosure under the circumstances.
Other Permitted and Required
Uses and Disclosures That May Be Made Without Your Consent, Authorization or Opportunity
to Object
We may use or disclose your protected health information in the following
situations without your consent or authorization. These situations include, but are
not limited to, the following:
Required By Law: We may use or disclose your protected
health information to the extent that the use or disclosure is required by law. The
use or disclosure will be made in compliance with the law and will be limited to
the minimum necessary. You will be notified, as required by law, of any such uses
or disclosures. We may use or disclose your information to state agencies for registry
purposes as appropriate and required under State of Louisiana law, for example, vital
statistics, tumor, burn or trauma registries.
Public Health: We may disclose the
minimum necessary amount of your protected health information for public health activities
to a public health authority that is permitted by law to collect or receive the information.
These uses and disclosures may include, but are not limited to, the following:
· To report child abuse or neglect by making a telephone report to the appropriate authorities, and to follow this report with a written confirmation;
· To report reaction to medication or problems with products as required by the Food and Drug Administration;
· 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; or
· To notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a client has been the victim of domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree, and when consistent with the requirements or authorizations of applicable Louisiana and federal law.
Health Oversight: We may disclose protected health information to a health oversight
agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections,
and licensure. Oversight agencies seeking this information include government agencies
that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, other government
regulatory programs and civil rights laws.
Legal Proceedings: We may disclose protected
health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding, in
response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal (to the extent such disclosure
is expressly authorized), in certain conditions in response to a subpoena, discovery
request or other lawful process.
Law Enforcement: We may also disclose protected
health information, so long as applicable legal requirements are met, for law enforcement
purposes. We may release the minimum necessary information if asked to do so by a
law enforcement official:
· In response to a proper court order or similar process;
· In response to a subpoena for a staff member of Springhill Medical Center;
· About criminal conduct involving our facility;
· Suspicion that death has occurred as a result of criminal conduct;
· In the event that a crime occurs on the premises of the practice; or
· Medical emergency (not on Springhill Medical Center’s premises) and it is likely that a crime has occurred.
Coroners, Funeral Directors, and Organ Donation: We may disclose protected health
information to a coroner or medical examiner for identification purposes, cause of
death determination, or for the coroner or medical examiner to perform other duties
authorized by law. We may also disclose protected health information to a funeral
director, as authorized by law, in order to permit the funeral director to carry
out their duties. We may disclose such information in reasonable anticipation of
death. Protected health information may be used and disclosed for organ, eye, or
tissue donation purposes.
Research: We may disclose your protected health information
to researchers when an institutional review board that has reviewed the research
proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your protected health
information. In most cases, the medical information will be de-
Military Activity: When the appropriate
conditions apply, we may use or disclose protected health information of individuals
who are Armed Forces personnel (1) for activities deemed necessary by appropriate
military command authorities; (2) for the purpose of a determination by the Department
of Veterans Affairs of your eligibility for benefits, or (3) to foreign military
authority if you are a member of that foreign military services.
Workers’ Compensation:
We may disclose your protected health information for workers’ compensation and other
similar legally established programs, in accordance with state and federal law regarding
such disclosures.
National Security: We may disclose your protected health information
to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other
national security activities authorized by law.
Required Uses and Disclosures: By
law, we must make minimum necessary disclosures when required to do so by state,
federal, or local law.
2. Your Rights Regarding your Protected Health Information
Following is a statement of your rights with respect to your protected health information
and a brief description of how you may exercise these rights.
Right to Inspect and
Copy: This means you may inspect and obtain a copy of protected health information
about you that is contained in a designated record set for as long as we maintain
the protected health information. A “designated record set” contains medical and
billing records and any other records that your physician and the practice uses for
making decisions about you.
Under federal law, however, this generally does not apply
to the following: psychotherapy notes; information compiled in reasonable anticipation
of, or use in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding, and protected
health information that is subject to law that prohibits access to protected health
information.
Depending on the circumstances, a decision to deny access may be reviewed.
In some circumstances, you may have a right to have this decision reviewed. Please
contact our Privacy Officer if you have questions about access to your medical record.
To inspect and/or copy your medical information maintained by Springhill Medical
Center, you must submit your request in writing to the Health Information Management
Systems department. You may be charged a fee for the administrative costs of retrieving,
copying, mailing, and any other activities associated with your request.
Right to
Request an Amendment: If you feel any of your medical information maintained by Springhill
Medical Center is incorrect or inaccurate, you may request an amendment of that information
for as long as we maintain this information. In certain cases, we may deny your request
for an amendment.
To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and
must include the reason for the request. All requests for amendment are to be submitted
to the Health Information Management department.
Springhill Medical Center reserves
the right to deny your request for amendment for any of the following reasons:
· The information is complete and accurate;
· We did not create the information;
· The person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
· The information is not part of the medical information kept by our facility; or
· The request pertains to information that you are not permitted to inspect and copy.
You have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us. In turn, we may prepare
a rebuttal to your statement and will provide you with a copy of any such rebuttal.
Please contact our Privacy Officer if you have questions about amending your medical
record.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: This right applies to disclosures
for purposes other than treatment, payment or healthcare operations as described
in this Notice of Privacy Practices for a time frame of up to six years from the
date of the request. It excludes routine disclosures, such as any we may have made
to you, for a facility directory, to family members or friends involved in your care,
or for notification purposes.
To request an accounting of disclosures, you must submit
a written request to the Health Information Management Systems department. Your request
must state a time period, which may not exceed six years. You will not be charged
for the first request for accounting within a twelve-
Your request must state the specific restriction requested. Springhill
Medical Center is not required to agree to a restriction that you may request. If
we believe it is in your best interest to permit use and disclosure of your protected
health information, your protected health information will not be restricted. If
we do agree to the requested restriction, we may not use or disclose your protected
health information in violation of that restriction unless it is needed to provide
emergency treatment. With this in mind, please discuss any restriction you wish to
request with your physician/Springhill Medical Center.
Right to Request Confidential
Communications: You have the right to request to receive confidential communications
from Springhill Medical Center by alternative means or at an alternative location.
For example, you may wish to be contacted only at work or by mail. We will accommodate
reasonable requests. We may also condition this accommodation by asking you for information
as to how payment will be handled or specification of an alternative address or other
method of contact. We will not request an explanation from you as to the basis for
the request.
This request must be made in writing to the Health Information Management
Systems department and must specify how and where you wish to be contacted.
Right
to obtain a copy of this Notice: You have the right to obtain a copy of this Notice
of Privacy Practices upon request. To receive a copy of this Notice, or any future
revisions of the Notice, you may contact our Privacy Officer and request that a revised
copy be sent to you in the mail. You may also obtain a copy in the Admissions Office
at the time of your next appointment.
3. Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights
have been violated, you may file a complaint with Springhill Medical Center or with
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. You may also call the Springhill Medical
Center Compliance/Privacy Hotline at 1-
Copyright 2009, Springhill Medical Center, Inc. -