Zenith Primary & Urgent Care: Privacy Policy
Notice of Privacy Practices
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.
Zenith Primary & Urgent Care is required by law to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI). This Notice outlines how we treat your PHI, including how we may use and disclose it for treatment, payment, health care operations, and other purposes permitted or required by law. We may share your health information for treatment, payment, and health operations as described in this Notice. This Notice also describes your rights to access and control your PHI. PHI includes information about you that can identify you and relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services.
Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information
Your PHI may be used and disclosed by the physician, our office staff, and others outside of our offices involved in your care and treatment for the purpose of providing health care services to you, paying your health care bills, supporting the operation of the business, and any other use required by law. We may disclose PHI to family members, close friends, or others involved with your care and treatment.
Treatment
We will use and disclose your PHI 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. For example, your PHI may be provided to a physician to whom you have been referred or are receiving treatment from to ensure that the physician has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you.
Payment
Your PHI will be used to obtain payment for your health care services. For example, we may provide PHI to your insurance company to obtain authorization and payment for services rendered. We may contact the Guarantor for your visit to obtain payment.
Healthcare Operations
We may use or disclose your PHI to support our business activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, business associates, quality assessment activities, internal investigations, performance reviews, and training employees. In addition, we will use a sign-in sheet at the registration desk where you will be asked to provide your name and insurance company. We may also call you by name in the waiting room when the physician is ready to see you. We may use or disclose your PHI to remind you of an appointment, notify you of test results, inform you of health-related services that may be of interest to you, and check on your treatment, progress, and satisfaction with our services.
We may use or disclose your PHI in the following situations without your authorization: as required by law, for public health issues, communicable diseases, health oversight, abuse or neglect, Food and Drug Administration requirements, legal proceedings, law enforcement, coroners, funeral directors, organ donation, preliminary research identification, research with an IRB waiver, criminal activity, military activity, to avert a serious and imminent threat to a person or the public, national security, to comply with worker’s compensation laws, inmates, disaster relief, and other required uses and disclosures. Under the law, we must make disclosures to you and when required by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Other permitted and required uses and disclosures, such as for marketing or sale of your PHI to third parties, will be made only with your authorization. Once given, you may withdraw authorization at any time in writing delivered to the address given below.
Your Rights
- Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and copy your protected health information. Under federal law, you may not inspect or copy psychotherapy notes, information compiled in anticipation of, or use in, a legal proceeding, and PHI that is otherwise prohibited.
- Request Restrictions: You have the right to request a restriction of your PHI. This means you may ask us not to use or disclose any part of your PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations. Your request must be in writing, delivered to the address given below, and state the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply. If you have paid for your services in full and ask us not to disclose your visit to your insurance company, we will honor that request. We are not required to agree to any other restriction you may request.
- Confidential Communications: You have the right to receive confidential communications from us by alternative means or at an alternative location by notifying us in writing, delivered to the address given below.
- Paper Copy of Notice: You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this notice from us, upon request.
- Amend: You may have the right to ask us to amend your PHI. If we deny your written request for amendment, you have the right to deliver a statement of disagreement to the address given below. We may prepare a rebuttal to your statement and will provide you with a copy.
- Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made, if any, of your PHI. Your request must be in writing, delivered to the address given below. We are required to notify you if your unsecured PHI is involved in a reportable breach.
- Complaints: You may complain to us or to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You may file a complaint with us by mail or by contacting our Privacy Officer at the following address or phone number: 757 Boston Post Rd E, Marlborough, MA 01752, phone: 617-500-7933, email: support@zenithfamily.com. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice. Any change will apply to all PHI that we maintain. We post our current policy at each location and on our website. All written requests must be delivered to the Clinic Manager or mailed to HIPAA Privacy Officer at the address above.
