NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
SmartDocMD Medical Group, LLC
Chief Privacy Officer
P.O. Box 1212 or 4902 Soquel Ave
Soquel, California
(844) 261-0391
support@smartdocmd.com
Effective as of October 1st, 2017
Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.
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.
Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Get a copy of your electronic medical record
- Correct your electronic medical record
- Request confidential communication
- Ask us to limit the information we share
- Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information
- Get a copy of this privacy notice
- Choose someone to act for you
- File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated
Your Choices
You have some choices in the way that we use and share information as we:
- Tell family and friends about your condition
- Market our services and sell your information
Our Uses and Disclosures
We may use and share your information as we:
- Treat you
- Run our organization
- Bill for your services
- Help with public health and safety issues
- Do research
- Comply with the law
- Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
- Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
- Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
- Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.
Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record
- You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
- We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
Ask us to correct your medical record
- You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
- We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.
Request confidential communications
- You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
- We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.
Ask us to limit what we use or share
- You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.
- If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.
Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information
- You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
- We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
Get a copy of this privacy notice
- You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.
Choose someone to act for you
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- If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.
File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated
- You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information on page 1.
- You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
- We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Your Choices
For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.
In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:
- Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
- If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
In these cases we never share your information unless you give us written permission:
- Marketing purposes
- Sale of your information
Our Uses and Disclosures
How do we typically use or share your health information?
We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.
Treat you
- We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.
- Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.
Run our organization
- We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.
- Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.
Bill for your services
- We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.
- Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.
How else can we use or share your health information?
We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information see: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.
Help with public health and safety issues
We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
- Preventing disease
- Helping with product recalls
- Reporting adverse reactions to medications
- Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
- Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
Do research
- We can use or share your information for health research.
Comply with the law
- We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
- We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
- We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
We can use or share health information about you:
- For workers’ compensation claims
- For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
- With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
- For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
- We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
Our Responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
- We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
- We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
- We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.
- Federal and state laws may place additional limitations on disclosure of your health information related to drug or alcohol abuse treatment programs, sexually transmitted diseases, genetic information, or mental health treatment programs. When required by law, we will obtain your authorization before releasing this type of information.
For more information see: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.
Changes to the Terms of this Notice
We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our web site.
FOR CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS
You or your legal representative retains the option to withhold or withdraw consent to receive health care services via the SmartDocMD Platform or from any Treating Provider at any time without affecting your right to future care or treatment nor risking the loss or withdrawal of any benefits to which you or your legal representative would otherwise be entitled.
All existing confidentiality protections apply.
All existing laws regarding patient access to medical information and copies of medical records apply.
Dissemination of any of your identifiable images or information from the telemedicine interaction to researchers or other entities shall not occur without your consent.
All provisions herein, including your informed consent to receive services via the SmartDocMD Platform are for the benefit of the Treating Provider as well as for your benefit.
NOTICE
Medical doctors are licensed and regulated by the Medical Board of California
(800) 632-2322
http://www.mbc.ca.gov
PATIENT BILL OF RIGHTS
Pursuant to 22 CA ADC Section 70707, a patient has a list of rights, including, but not necessarily limited to, the patient’s rights to:
- Exercise these rights without regard to sex, economic status, educational background, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition, marital status, registered domestic partner status, or the source of payment for care.
- Considerate and respectful care.
- Knowledge of the name of the licensed healthcare practitioner acting within the scope of his or her professional licensure who has primary responsibility for coordinating the care, and the names and professional relationship of physicians and nonphysicians who will see the patient.
- Receive information about the illness, the course of treatment and prospects for recovery in terms that the patient can understand.
- Receive as much information about any proposed treatment or procedure as the patient may need in order to give informed consent or to refuse this course of treatment. Except in emergencies, this information shall include a description of the procedure or treatment, the medically significant risks involved in this treatment, alternate courses of treatment or nontreatment and the risks involved in each and to know the name of the person who will carry out the procedure or treatment.
- Participate actively in decisions regarding medical care. To the extent permitted by law, this includes the right to refuse treatment.
- Full consideration of privacy concerning the medical care program. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment are confidential and should be conducted discreetly. The patient has the right to be advised as to the reason for the presence of any individual.
- Confidential treatment of all communications and records pertaining to the care and the stay in the hospital. Written permission shall be obtained before the medical records can be made available to anyone not directly concerned with the care.
- Reasonable response to any reasonable requests made for service.
- Leave the hospital even against the advice of members of the medical staff.
- Reasonable continuity of care and to know in advance the time and location of appointments as well as the identity of persons providing the care.
- Be advised if the hospital/licensed healthcare practitioner acting within the scope of his or her professional licensure proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting care or treatment. The patient has the right to refuse to participate in such research projects.
- Be informed of continuing health care requirements following discharge from the hospital.
- Examine and receive an explanation of the bill regardless of source of payment.
- Know which hospital rules and policies apply to the patient’s conduct while a patient.
- Have all patients’ rights apply to the person who may have legal responsibility to make decisions regarding medical care on behalf of the patient.
- Designate visitors of his/her choosing, if the patient has decision-making capacity, whether or not the visitor is related by blood, marriage, or registered domestic partner status, unless:
- A) No visitors are allowed.
- B) The facility reasonably determines that the presence of a particular visitor would endanger the health or safety of a patient, a member of the health facility staff, or other visitor to the health facility, or would significantly disrupt the operations of the facility.
- C) The patient has indicated to the health facility staff that the patient no longer wants this person to visit.
- Have the patient’s wishes considered for purposes of determining who may visit if the patient lacks decision-making capacity and to have the method of that consideration disclosed in the hospital policy on visitation. At a minimum, the hospital shall include any person living in the household.
- This section may not be construed to prohibit a health facility from otherwise establishing reasonable restrictions upon visitation, including restrictions upon the hours of visitation and number of visitors.
SmartDocMD may share protected health information it receives from you with treating providers and/or with SmartDocMD Medical Group, LLC, to facilitate diagnosis, treatment, payment and/or operations, as applicable. This Notice of Privacy Practices applies to AlgoDoc LLC, d/b/a SmartDocMD, SmartDocMD Medical Group, LLC and any Treating Provider who provides services via the SmartDocMD Platform.