Notice of Health Information Privacy Practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.
PLEASE REVIEW CAREFULLY.

Interim of Oakland County (IOC) Pledge Regarding Health Information

IOC understands that health information about you is personal. We are committed to protecting health information about you. We need this information to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records about you generated by IOC.

We will not use or disclose your health information without your consent or authorization except as provided by law or otherwise described in this notice. We reserve the right to change our practices and make new provisions effective for all protected health information. Should our practices change, we will make the new version available to you upon request. We are required by law to:

• Make sure that health information that identifies you is kept private.
• Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information about you.
• Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction.
• Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations, and follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.

How We May Use and Disclose Health Information About You.

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose health information about you. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed.

For Treatment
We may use health information about you to plan your care and provide for medical treatment or services. We may disclose health information to your treating physician(s), or other health care provider(s) rendering services to you. For example: information obtained by our staff will be recorded in our record. Your physician may sign orders for your care or provide other communications. This information becomes a legal document describing the care you received and is part of your health records.

For Payment
We may use and disclose health information about you so that third-party payers can verify that you actually received the services billed for and to verify your benefits. We may use and disclose health information about you so that the medical care and services you receive may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company or a third party. For example: the information on or accompanying the bill may include information that identifies you, as well as your diagnosis, care provided, and supplies used. In the event that payment is not made, we may also provide limited information to collection agencies, attorneys, credit reporting agencies, and other organizations as are necessary to collect for services rendered.

For Health Operations
We may use and disclose health information about you for purposes of health care operations. We may use health information as a source of data for facility planning, community outreach, and to continually work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the company and help make sure that all of our clients receive quality care. For example: for the purposes of quality we may use information in your health record to assess the care and outcomes in your case and others like it.

Business Associates
There are some services provided at InterimOC through contracts with business associates. For example: collection agencies and medical storage company(s). When these services and others like them are contracted, we may disclose your health information to our business associates so that they can perform the job we have asked them to do. To protect your health information, we will require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your information.

Research
We may disclose health information to researchers when their research has been approved using established protocol to ensure the privacy of your health information.

Funeral Directors
We may disclose health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law to carry out their duties.

As Required By Law
We will disclose health information about you when required by federal, state, or local law. This includes disclosures required to the Department of Public Health, which is responsible for preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability. It also includes disclosure for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena.

Worker's Compensation
We may release health information about you to the extent authorized by, and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to worker's compensation.

Organ and Tissue Donation
If you are an organ donor, we may release health information about you to organizations that handle organ procurement or transplantations.

Health Oversight Activities
We may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include audits, investigations, inspections, and certification. These activities are necessary for the government, accreditation, and licensing bodies to monitor the health care system.

Community Resources
We may use and disclose health information about you to make referrals for discharge planning, or other community resources. Examples include, but are not limited to, infusion, medical equipment companies, hospice, certified home care, and nursing homes or other health related services.