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.
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
Galbrecht Eyecare is and has always been dedicated to maintaining the privacy of your medical information. We are also required by law to maintain the privacy of your medical information. The information in this notice is as required by the privacy regulations created as a result of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA).
Uses of your information for treatment, payment and health care operations that do not require your written authorization.
•- We use information for treatment purposes, when, for example, to make an appointment for you, when your eyes, are examined, when the doctor prescribes glasses, contact lenses or medications for you, etc.
•- We may disclose your information outside this office for treatment purposes, if, for example, we refer you to another doctor, write or call in a prescription for you or phone you to let you know your contact lenses have arrived, etc.
•- We may share your information with family or friends that are helping you with you health care unless you tell us that you object.
•- We use your health information for payment purposes when, for example, our staff asks you about your insurance or other sources of payment, when we prepare bills to send to you or your insurance, when we process checks or credit card payments.
•- We may disclose your health information outside our office when we mail, or send by computer, bills to you or your insurance or when we occasionally have to ask a collection agency to help us with unpaid bills.
•- We use your health information for health care operations in a number of ways. Health care operations mean those functions that we do to manage this facility.
•- We may use your health, for example, for auditing our finances, for the improvement of services, for personnel decisions, to enable our doctor to participate in certain health care plans, for defense of legal matters, and for outside storage of our medical records.
•- We may disclose information to business associates who perform some health care operations such as medical billing for us and who agree to keep your information private.
•- We may use your health information to inform you of treatment alternatives and/or health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
•- Galbrecht Eyecare may also use your health information to remind you about your appointments.
Uses and disclosures of your health information without your authorization.
We will use or disclose your health information when:
•- It is required by law.
•- For Public Health activities such as preventing or control disease, injury or disability; reporting abuse, neglect or domestic violence; notifying a person regarding potential exposure to exposure to certain contagious diseases; notifying a person regarding a potential risk for spreading disease; reporting problems with products, medicines or devices or activities related to the quality or safety of medicines or devices such as Food and Drug Administration regulated products; notifying you of a product recall.
•- For health oversight activities such as inspections, audits, investigation of possible violations of health care laws, government monitoring of health care programs, compliance with civil rights laws, etc.
•- In response to a court order if you are involved in a lawsuit. We may also disclose your information in response to subpoena, court order or other lawful process.
•- For law enforcement activities such as information requested regarding a crime victim, injury resulting from criminal conduct, criminal conduct of our office, in response to a summons, court order, etc., or to identify or locate a suspect or reporting a crime in an emergency.
•- When necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of another individual or the public. Under these circumstances, we will only make disclosures to a person or organization able to help prevent the threat.
