Privacy Policy

I. THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.

This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by CommUnityCare whether made by a CommUnityCare or an associated provider. Our policies on protecting your health information extend to all professional authorized persons who have a need to know in order to provide care to you. The policies apply to all areas of CommUnityCare including all medical, front desk, and billing and administration staff. It also applies to any entity or individual with whom we contract services, such as referral providers.

CommUnityCare Associated Providers
A. K. Black, Children’s Wellness Center, David Powell, Del Valle, Dental Clinics (RBJ, South Austin, Northeast), East Austin, Family Wellness Center, Homeless Clinic at the ARCH, Manor, Northeast Austin, Oak Hill, Pflugerville, Red River, Rosewood Zaragosa, Rundberg, South Austin, and William Cannon

II. YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION
We are legally required to protect the privacy of your health information. We call the information “Protected Health Information” or “PHI” for short, and it includes information that can be used to identify you that we have created or received about your past, present, or future health conditions services we provide for you. We need this record to provide continuity of care and to comply with certain legal requirements. We are required by law to:

Make sure your protected health information is kept private,
Provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices, and
Make sure your legal rights are protected within the law.

Changes to This Notice. We reserve the right to change this notice at any time. Except when required by law, a material change to the NPP may not be implemented before the effective date of the NPP in which such material change is reflected. The CommUnityCare Chief Executive Officer and HIPAA Privacy Representative must approve in advance any material change to:

The uses or disclosures of PHI by CommUnityCare,
The CommUnityCare’s legal duties regarding PHI, or
A privacy practice stated in the NPP.

If any such change is approved, we must promptly revise and distribute the NPP. We will post a copy of the current notice in the CommUnityCare clinics with the effective date in the upper right hand corner of the first page. You may request a copy of the current notice each time you visit a CommUnityCare clinic for services or by calling a CommUnityCare clinic and requesting the current notice be sent to you in the mail.

III. HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION

A. Use and Disclosure Relating to Treatment, Payment, or Health Care Operation Require Your Prior Written Consent

Treatment. We use information previously compiled about you to provide you with current or future health care treatment or services. Therefore, we may, and most likely will, disclose your information to doctors, nurses, and other health care personnel who are involved in your care. We may use your information for treatment by another physician regarding referrals.
Payment. We may use and disclose medical information about you concerning services and procedures that may be billed and collected from you, your insurance company, or third party reimbursement entity.

B. Certain Uses and Disclosures Do Not Require Your Consent

Operational Uses. We may use and disclose medical information about you in order to operate the CommUnityCare efficiently and make sure our patients receive quality care. We may share your information with other agencies providing health care and other services to you.
Appointment and Patient Recall Reminders. We may use and disclose your health information to contact you to remind you regarding appointments or for medical care you are to receive.
External Entities. In an emergency, we may disclose information about you to an entity assisting in disaster relief so your family can be notified about your condition, status, and location.
Research. We may participate in research concerning the use of certain treatment protocols that have proper governmental and CommUnityCare approval. In that case, we would secure your informed consent that will identify all aspects of your involvement, risks and benefit, and possible disclosures.
Required by Law. We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may use and disclose your health information to persons who need to know when necessary to prevent a serious threat to either your health or the health and safety of others. For example, infectious disease outbreaks.
Public Health Issues and Risks. We may report your health information as required by law or by your authorization concerning certain health conditions to prevent or control disease, to track disease and assess the risk of spreading disease, injury or disability, births and deaths, child or elder abuse or neglect, reactions to medications or products, recalls of products, and notice of exposure to a condition.
Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence. We may disclose your health information to law enforcement, social services, or other government agencies authorized to receive the report if we have reason to believe you are a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
Investigations and Government Activities. We may disclose your health information to a local, state, or federal agency for oversight activities (audit for our immunizations) authorized by law that may concern inspections, licensure, illegal conduct, or compliance with other laws and regulations including civil rights laws.
Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are involved in a lawsuit or dispute, we may disclose your health information in response to a subpoena, court subpoena or court order, discovery request or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute.
Law Enforcement. We may release your health information to law enforcement officials in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process, to identify or locate a suspect witness or missing person, concerning a victim of a crime, about a death we believe may involve criminal actions, criminal conduct in progress, crimes on CommUnityCare premises, or emergency situations to report a crime or details of a crime.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors. We may release your health information to a coroner or medical examiner or funeral directors as necessary for them to carry out their duties.
Military and National Security. If you currently serve in the military or are a veteran, we may disclose your health information to the military upon proper request. We may also disclose your information to federal officials conducting national security and intelligence activities.
Workers’ Compensation. We may disclose your information if required by workers’ compensation laws and other similar laws and regulations.

C. Uses and Disclosures Require You to Have the Opportunity to Object.
We may disclose your health information to family members, or friends when the information is related to the person’s involvement in your care or payment, and you have had an opportunity to stop the disclosure before it happens. The opportunity for you to consent may be contained after the fact in emergency situations.

D. All Other Uses and Disclosures Require Your Prior Written Authorizations.
If you choose to sign an authorization to disclose your PHI, you may later revoke that authorization in writing to stop any future uses and disclosures to the extent we have not taken action relating to the authorizations. (See Revocation of Authorization to Disclose Protected Health Information Form and Authorization to Release Medical Information.)

IV. YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS -- You have the right to:

Inspect and copy your health information. You may ask to review and get a copy of health information about you that CommUnityCare keeps for as long as CommUnityCare has it. If you request to review your health information, the CommUnityCare will determine whether to allow you to review some or all of the health information you asked for. CommUnityCare may charge a fee for any copies you request. Please make this request in writing to the department’s Privacy Representative.
Amend your health information, if you feel it is wrong or not complete. You may request that we amend the health information CommUnityCare keeps. If CommUnityCare accepts your request to amend your health information, the change will become a permanent document in your health care record. Please make this request in writing to the department’s Privacy Representative.
Request a limit to the health information we disclose. You may ask CommUnityCare not to use or disclose your health information. Your request must describe the specific limits you are requesting. CommUnityCare may deny your request. Please make this request in writing to the department’s Privacy Representative.
Request a list of disclosures we have made of your health information. You can request a list of disclosures of your health information that CommUnityCare has made. This list will not include routine disclosures of your health information for the treatment, payment, or business operation purposes described above. Please make this request in writing to the department’s Privacy Representative.
Request confidential communications from us. We will not disclose your health information except as described in this notice. However, you may ask us to contact you by another means or at a different address or to limit the number or type of people who have access to your health information. Please make this request in writing to the department’s Privacy Representative.
Receive a copy of this notice from us. You have the right to get a copy of this notice by email. Even if you agree to receive notice via e-mail, you also have the right to a paper copy. You may request a copy of this notice at any time.

V. YOUR RIGHT TO COMPLAIN

Complaints. If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the CommUnityCare Privacy Representative or the Department of Health and Human Services Regional Manager, as listed below. All complaints, which must be in writing, will be investigated.

Privacy Representative, CommUnityCare, 1111 E. Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX 78702, Tel: (512) 978-9917, Fax: (512) 978-8101, -- OR
Regional Manager, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 1301 Young Street, Ste. 1169, Dallas, Texas 75202, Tel: (214) 767-4056, Fax: (214) 767-0432, TDD: (214) 767-8940.

VI. PRIVACY CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions about this notice or wish to submit a request, please contact CommUnityCare’s Privacy Representative at the address above.

VII. EFFECTIVE DATE - THIS NOTICE IS EFFECTIVE AS OF APRIL 14, 2003.