HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Corrective Chiropractic Clinic is committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI), provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices, and follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.

How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

The following categories describe different ways we may use and disclose your health information. For each category, we will explain what we mean and give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

Treatment

We may use your health information to provide you with chiropractic treatment or services. We may disclose your health information to doctors, nurses, technicians, or other personnel who are involved in taking care of you. For example, a chiropractor treating you may need to know about other conditions you have.

Payment

We may use and disclose your health information so that the treatment and services you receive may be billed and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about a chiropractic adjustment you received so your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the adjustment.

Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose your health information for health care operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run our practice and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use your health information to review our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you.

Appointment Reminders

We may use and disclose your health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at our office. This may include contact via phone call, text message, or email using the contact information you have provided to us.

Treatment Alternatives and Health-Related Benefits

We may use and disclose your health information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you. We may also use and disclose your health information to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.

As Required by Law

We will disclose your health information when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.

Public Health Activities

We may disclose your health information for public health activities. These activities generally include the following: preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability; reporting births and deaths; reporting child abuse or neglect; reporting reactions to medications or problems with products; notifying people of recalls of products they may be using; and notifying a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition.

Health Oversight Activities

We may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

Lawsuits and Disputes

If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose your health information in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose your health information in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

Law Enforcement

We may release your health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons, or similar process; to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person; about the victim of a crime; about a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct; about criminal conduct at our office; and in emergency circumstances to report a crime, the location of the crime or victims, or the identity, description, or location of the person who committed the crime.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors

We may release your health information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also disclose your health information to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

Research

Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose your health information for research. For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one type of treatment to those who received another, for the same condition. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process.

Serious Threats to Health or Safety

We may use and disclose your health information when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.

Military and Veterans

If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release your health information as required by military command authorities. We may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

Workers' Compensation

We may release your health information for workers' compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information

You have the following rights regarding the 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 your health information, you must submit your request in writing to our office. We may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing, or other supplies associated with your request.

Right to Amend

If you feel that health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for our office. To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to our office. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request.

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 your health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, and health care operations. To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to our office. Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six years.

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. We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.

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 our office. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.

Right to a 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 office or by contacting us at the information below.

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 our office. The notice will contain the effective date on the first page.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our office or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with our office, contact us in writing at the address below. To file a complaint with the Secretary, you may contact the Office for Civil Rights, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, by calling 1-877-696-6775, or by visiting hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

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