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BCHC Notice of Privacy Practice (Cont'd)

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU.

You have the following rights regarding health information we maintain about you:

• Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to inspect and copy health information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes.
  
  To inspect and copy health information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to the Coordinator of Medical Records. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a reasonable fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request, as allowed by law or regulation.
  
  We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to health information, you may request that the denial be reviewed. A licensed health care professional chosen by BCHC will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.

• Right to Amend. If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to add a statement.
  
  To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to the Coordinator of Medical Records. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request.
  
  We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
  • Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
  • Is not part of the health information kept by or for BCHC;
  • Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
  • Is accurate and complete.

• Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an "accounting of disclosures." This is a list of the disclosures we made of health information about you.
  
  To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to The Coordinator of Medical Records. Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before April 14, 2003. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.

• Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the health information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had or a medical condition, such as cancer, that you wish to keep private.
  
  We are not required by federal regulation to agree to your request. Due to the great cost of additional resources necessary to comply with such requests BCHC is unable to grant requests for restrictions on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, health care operations, or to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care. We will, however, consider requests for a limit on the health information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care, like a family member or friend. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.
  
  To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to the Coordinator of Medical Records. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.

• Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail.
  
  To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to the Coordinator of Medical Records. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted - for example, disclosures to your spouse.

• Right to Paper Copy of this Notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this notice.
  
  You may obtain a copy of this notice at our website, http://www.botsfordsystem.org.
  
  You will be given a copy of this notice and asked to sign an acknowledgement that you received it.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice in BCHC. The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right-hand corner, the effective date. In addition, each time you register at or are admitted to BCHC for treatment or health care services as an inpatient or outpatient, we will offer you a copy of the current notice in effect.

COMPLAINTS

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Botsford Health Care Continuum Compliance and Privacy Office or with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with BCHC, you must submit your complaint in writing to: Corporate Compliance and Privacy Office, 28050 Grand River Avenue, Farmington Hills, MI 48336. If you wish to discuss your complaint, you may call the Compliance Line/Patient Advocate Line at 1-877-471-2422 Monday through Friday, between 8:00am and 4:30pm.

You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

OTHER USES OF HEALTH INFORMATION

Other uses and disclosures of health information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. If you provide us permission to use or disclose all health information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose health information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.