Effective April 14, 2003
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED OR DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
In accordance with the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"), Active Medical & Mobility is required to inform you of its practices in relation to the protected health information that it maintains about you. HIPAA mandates minimum standards that a covered entity such as Active Medical & Mobility must maintain in relation to your protected health information. This Notice of Uses is being provided to help you understand how Active Medical & Mobility meets these minimum standards. It is also meant to inform you of the ways that Active Medical & Mobility may use the personal information it collects about you and how it may disclose it.
When you receive care from a healthcare provider, a record of that treatment is made. This record will typically contain information on your diagnosis, treatment, and future plan of treatment and is often collectively referred to as your medical record. This medical record includes protected health information and lays the foundation for determining your plan of care and treatment and allows for a successful means of communication between all healthcare professionals that contribute to your care.
HIPAA protects information found in your medical record from disclosure without your authorization.
The information protected by HIPAA includes:
This information is referred to as protected health information throughout this notice.
As a Covered Entity, Active Medical & Mobility is required to inform you of how it may use your protected health information. In providing treatment to you, Active Medical & Mobility will use your protected health information for the purposes of treatment, payment and healthcare operations.
As it pertains to Active Medical & Mobility, treatment means providing to you drugs, medications, supplies, and durable medical equipment services as ordered by your physician. Treatment also includes coordination and consultation with your physician and other health care providers. As Active Medical & Mobility provides these services to you, information obtained during this process will be recorded in your medical record. Active Medical & Mobility will use this information, in coordination with your physician, to determine the best course of treatment for you.
Payment purposes consist of activities required to obtain reimbursement from your insurance carrier for the services ordered by your physician and provided to you by Active Medical & Mobility. This includes, but is not limited to, eligibility determination, pre-certification, billing and collection activities, obtaining documentation required by your insurer, and when applicable, disclosure of limited information to consumer reporting agencies.
Operations can include, but are not limited to, review of your protected health information by members of Active Medical & Mobility professional healthcare staff to ensure compliance with all federal and state regulations. This information will then be utilized to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the services provided to you by Active Medical & Mobility.
Healthcare operations also include Active Medical & Mobility business management and general administrative activities.
In order to release information contained in your medical record for purposes other than treatment, payment or healthcare operations, Active Medical & Mobility must obtain a specific signed authorization form from you. You may revoke such authorization at any time, except to the extent Active Medical & Mobility has taken action in reliance on the authorization.
There are a limited number of other uses and disclosures of protected health information that do not require a specific authorization from you. Active Medical & Mobility may in the following circumstances disclose your protected health information.