Student Health Services
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.
Student Health Services is dedicated to the protection of confidential
patient health information. The Health Center Staff makes your privacy
a high priority. Each time you visit the Health Center we make a record
of the care and services provided. This record is necessary so we can
provide quality health care to you as well as meet our obligations to
certain state and federal laws. This notice will explain some but not
all ways we may use and/or share health information. This notice will
also describe your rights to access and control your medical record.
We are required by law to keep your health information private. This
protection includes oral, written, and electronic private health information.
We are required by law to give you this Notice and to follow its present
terms.
We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms
of this Notice provided these changes are permitted by law. We have
the right to make these changes effective for all health information
we have about you, including information created or received prior to
the change. Before we make significant changes to our privacy practices,
we will change this notice and make a copy available on request. This
Notice is in effect August 1, 2003 and will remain in effect until changed.
Uses and Disclosures of your medical information:
In the following instances health information may be disclosed without
your express authorization:
- treatment - Health Services may use/disclose your health information
to provide treatment, coordinate services and manage your continued
health care.
- payment - Health Services does not bill your insurance. Our only
charges would be nominal amounts for some medication and payment is
expected at the time that is dispensed. We may use/disclose health
information for the purpose of referring you off campus for treatment.
This may also include contacting your insurer to verify benefits or
to obtain the needed authorization for treatment.
- health care operations - Health Services may use/disclose health
information to perform health care operations such as but not limited
to quality assessment & improvement activities, employee performance
appraisals, risk management, employee training, obtaining accreditation/
licensure/ certificates.
- appointment reminders - The Health Center may use/disclose health
information to the extent of reminding you of an appointment or provide
you with information on alternative treatments or other services which
may be of interest to you.
- Notification & Disaster relief - The Health Center may release
health information in contacting a friend or family member who is
involved in your care concerning your location and general condition
unless you specifically ask the staff not to share this information.
Health Services may also release health information to disaster relief
organizations.
- As required by law - Including, but not limited to, Health Services
will release your health information as required by state and/or federal
law as applicable for the purposes of public health, abuse/neglect/domestic
violence, legal proceedings, national security, and law enforcement.
- Military Activity - The Health Center may use/disclose health information
if you are in the armed forces and is required by command authorities
or for reasons of benefit determination by the Department of Veteran
Affairs.
- Worker compensation - When necessary to comply with laws relating
to workmen’s compensation or similar programs, Health Services
may release health information.
- Medical examiners, coroners, funeral directors - Medical information
may be used/disclosed by Health Services to Funeral Directors, Medical
Examiners, Coroners or Organ procurement organizations to aid them
in carrying out their duties.
- Disclosure without authorization: When
information is required to be disclosed without your authorization,
Student Health will provide the least amount of information necessary
to satisfy the purpose of the disclosure.
Other uses and disclosures:
Student Health Services will release patient information for purposes
other than those above with a written authorization signed by you. Verbal
permission will be accepted only under certain circumstances when written
authorization can not be practically obtained and will be well documented
in your chart. You may withdraw your authorization, in writing, at any
time. Your withdrawal will be effective upon our receipt of your written
request.
Patient health information rights:
- You have a right to a paper copy of this Notice even if you have
received it electronically.
- You have the right to request a restriction on certain uses/disclosures
of your health information. This request must be in writing. We are
not obligated to honor your request. If we do agree to your restriction
we will not use these restrictions in cases of emergency.
- You have the right to examine your medical record when nursing
personnel are available to review the file with you. You have the
right to receive a copy of your medical record. This request must
be in writing. If you are denied access to your medical records we
will contact you in writing and you will have the opportunity to ask
that the denial be reviewed.
- You have the right to request your record be amended if you feel
it is incorrect or incomplete. This request must be submitted in writing.
For certain reasons we may deny your request. If your request is denied
you will receive a written explanation of the denial along with an
opportunity to file a statement of disagreement which will be added
to your record.
- You have the right to request alternate ways of communicating with
us regarding your private health information.
- You have the right to receive an accounting of any disclosures
after August 1, 2003 that were not for the purposes of treatment,
payment, healthcare operations, or disclosures you authorized.
Questions & Complaints:
Questions regarding this notice, our privacy practices or your rights
can be addressed through the Director of Student Health Services.
Complaints can be filed, in writing, with the Nurse Director of Student
Health Services, The Vice President of Student Development, or The Department
of Health and Human Services. There will not be a penalty for filing
a complaint
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