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.
Notice of Privacy Practices (HIPAA) - For Patients
This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how "Siggy Medical Group, P.A.," "Siggy Medical Group of CA, P.C.," "Siggy Medical Group NJ P.A.," and other affiliated professional entities, each of which may operate under the brand name "Siggy MD" (collectively, "we" or "us"), each of which are members of an affiliated covered entity ("ACE"), may use and disclose your protected health information and your rights to access and control your protected health information. "Protected health information" is 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. We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We may change the terms of our notice at any time. The new notice will be effective for all protected health information that we maintain at that time. It will be available upon request and on our website.
1. Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information
Following are examples of the types of uses and disclosures of your protected health information that we are permitted to make. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but to describe the types of uses and disclosures that we may make.
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 of your health care with another provider. For example, we would disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to a clinician or hospital that provides care to you, such as by providing information about your assessments and prescriptions to your other treating providers. We also may make your protected health information available to third-party health care providers by making it accessible through a health information exchange ("HIE"). This means that if one of your other treating clinicians uses an HIE that we participate in, the clinician will be able to access the protected health information generated in the course of your treatment with us, subject to all required consents. We also may access your protected health information available through the HIE to provide treatment to you, subject to any required consents.
Payment
Your protected health information will be used and disclosed, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services provided by us or by another provider. This may include responses to inquiries regarding invoices for the health care services we provide.
Health Care Operations
We may use or disclose your protected health information in order to support our business activities, including for quality assessment, employee review, training and conducting or arranging for other business activities. We also may share your protected health information with third-party "business associates" that perform various activities for us. We will have a written contract with business associates to protect the privacy of your protected health information. We may use or disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to provide you with information about our services or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you; you may contact our Privacy Officer to opt out of receiving these materials.
Affiliated Covered Entity
We, as members of an ACE, will share your protected health information with each other for treatment, payment and the health care operations of the affiliated covered entity and as permitted by HIPAA and this Notice.
Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures
These situations include uses and disclosures that may be made without your authorization or opportunity to agree or object:
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 relevant requirements of the law.
Public Health
We may disclose your protected health information for public health activities and purposes to a public health authority that is permitted by law to collect or receive the information.
Health Oversight
We may disclose protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, and inspections.
Abuse or Neglect
We may disclose your protected health information if we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence to the governmental entity or agency authorized to receive such information.
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.
Law Enforcement
We may also disclose protected health information, so long as applicable legal requirements are met, for law enforcement purposes.
Research
We may disclose your protected health information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board.
Workers' Compensation
We may disclose your protected health information as authorized to comply with workers' compensation laws and other similar legally-established programs.
Uses and Disclosures Based on Your Written Authorization
Other uses and disclosures of your protected health information will be made only with your written authorization, unless otherwise permitted or required by law. You may revoke any authorization in writing at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose your protected health information for the reasons covered by your written authorization. Please understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures that you previously authorized.
2. Your Rights
Following is a statement of your rights with respect to your protected health information.
Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of protected health information about you, including medical and billing records.
Right to Request Restriction
You may ask us not to use or disclose any part of your protected health information for the purposes of treatment, payment or health care operations.
Right to Confidential Communications
You have the right to request to receive confidential communications from us by alternative means or at an alternative location.
Right to Request Amendment
You may have the right to request an amendment of your protected health information.
Right to Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made of your protected health information.
Right to Breach Notification
You have the right to be notified of a breach of unsecured protected health information that affects you.
3. Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated by us, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer via email at privacy@siggymd.ai. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
You may also file a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services at: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html