HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective Date: February 21, 2020
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.
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact Wanda Prevatte at 843-527-7170.
Who Will Follow this Notice
This notice describes Tidelands Health’s practices and the practices of:
- Any health care professional authorized to enter information into your medical record.
- All Tidelands Health employees, staff, personnel, departments, entities and units, including those of Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital, Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital, Georgetown Physicians Group, LLC d/b/a Tidelands Health Group, Tidelands Health Market Common, LLC and Tidelands Health ASC, LLC and at all of their locations. All these entities, sites and locations follow the terms of this notice. In addition, these entities, sites and locations may share medical information with one another for treatment, payment or health care operations purposes described in this notice.
- Any member of a volunteer group we allow to help you while you are in the hospital.
Our Pledge Regarding Medical Information
We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive at Tidelands Health. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by Tidelands Health, whether made by Tidelands Health personnel or your personal doctor. Your personal doctor may have different policies or notices regarding the doctor's use and disclosure of your medical information created in the doctor's office or clinic.
This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.
We are required by law to:
• make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private;
• give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you; and
• follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
How We May Use and Disclose Medical Information About You
The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and try to 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.
For Treatment
We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other Tidelands Health personnel who are involved in taking care of you. For example, a doctor treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. In addition, the doctor may need to tell the dietitian if you have diabetes so that we can arrange for appropriate meals. Different departments of Tidelands Health also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate the different services you need, such as prescriptions, lab work and x-rays.
For Payment
We may use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at Tidelands Health facilities may be billed to 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 surgery you received so your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the surgery. We may also tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.
For Health Care Operations
We may use and disclose medical information about you for healthcare operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run Tidelands Health and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use medical 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 medical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at Tidelands Health facilities.
Treatment alternatives
We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.
Health-Related Benefits and Services
We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
Fundraising Activities
We may use medical information about you to contact you in an effort to raise money for Tidelands Health and its operations. We may disclose medical information to a foundation related to Tidelands Health so that the foundation may contact you in raising money; however, you have the right to opt out of receiving such fundraising communications. If you do not want Tidelands Health to contact you for fundraising activities, you must notify Tidelands Health in writing or follow the opt out procedures stated in the fundraising communication.
Hospital Directory
We may include certain limited information about you in the hospital directory while you are a patient at a Tidelands Health hospital. This information may include your name, location in the hospital, your general condition (fair, stable.) and your religious affiliation. The directory information, except for your religious affiliation, may also be released to people who ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation may be given to a member of the clergy, such as a priest or rabbi, even the clergy member does not ask for you by name. This is so your family, friends and clergy can visit you in the hospital and know, generally, how you are doing.
Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care
We may release medical information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care. We may also give information to someone who is involved with payment for your care. We may also tell your family or friends your condition and that you are in the hospital. In addition, we may disclose medical information about you to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.
Research
Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose medical information about you for research purposes. For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one medication to those who received another, for the same condition. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of medical information, trying to balance the research needs with patients' need for privacy of their medical information. Before we use or disclose medical information for research, the project will have been approved through this research approval process, but we may, however, disclose medical information about you to people preparing to conduct a research project, for example, to help them look for patients with specific medical needs, so long as the medical information they review does not leave the hospital or other Tidelands Health facility.
As 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 medical information about you 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.
Organ and Tissue Donation
We may release medical information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
Military and Veterans
If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release medical information about you as required by military command authorities. We may also release medical information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.
Workers’ compensation
We may release medical information about you for workers' compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.
Public Health Activities
We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities. These activities generally include the following:
• to prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
• to report births and deaths;
• to report child abuse or neglect;
• to report reactions to medications or problems with products;
• to notify people of recalls of products they may be using;
• to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
• to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.
Health Oversight Activities
We may disclose medical 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.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings
We may disclose medical information about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose medical information about you 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 medical 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 if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person's agreement;
• About a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
• About criminal conduct at any Tidelands Health facility; 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 medical 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 release medical information about patients to funeral directors as necessary.
National Security and Intelligence Activities
We may release medical information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.
Protective Services for the President and Others
We may disclose medical information about you to authorized federal officials so they may provide protection to the President, other authorized persons or foreign heads of state or conduct special investigations.
Inmates
If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release medical information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.
Other Uses of Medical Information
Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. For example we will not use or disclose your personal health information for marketing purposes or sale without obtaining your authorization. If we have records for you that include psychotherapy notes, we will not disclose those notes without your authorization. If you provide us permission to use or disclose medical information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.
Your Rights Regarding Medical Information About You
You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:
Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and copy medical 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 medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to the Health Information Management Department. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request. Tidelands Health will act on a request for access or provide a copy of the records requested generally within 30 days of the receipt of the request.
We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to medical information, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen by the hospital will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.
Right to Amend
If you feel that medical 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 Tidelands Health.
To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to Health Information Management Department. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request.
We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
• Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
• Is not part of the medical information kept by or for Tidelands Health;
• Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
• Is accurate and complete.
Notification will be provided within 60 days.
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 medical information about you.
To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to the Health Information Management Department. Your request must state the time period you wish our accounting of disclosures to cover, which can go back no more than six years before the date of your request. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper, electronically). The first list you request within a 12 month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.
Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical 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 medical 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. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had.
We are not required to agree to a requested restriction, unless you request us to restrict disclosure of information to your health plan for payment or other health care operations purposes, the disclosure is not otherwise required by law, and the information pertains solely to a health care item or service you have fully paid for out of pocket. If we do agree to a request, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.
To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to Health Information Management Department. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.
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 Health Information Management Department. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.
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.
To obtain a paper copy of this notice, contact our compliance officer at 843-527-7170.
Right to Notice of Breaches of Health Information
You have the right to receive notification of certain breaches of your health information. We will notify you of certain breaches of your protected health information, if they occur, as required by the HIPAA Privacy Rule requirements.
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 medical 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 Tidelands Health facilities. The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right-hand corner, the effective date. In addition, each time you register at or are admitted to a Tidelands Health facility for treatment or health care services as an inpatient or outpatient, we will offer you a copy of the current notice in effect.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Tidelands Health or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with Tidelands Health, contact Wanda Prevatte, Tidelands Health Privacy Officer, 843-527-7170. All complaints must be submitted in writing.
You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
Effective date 1-2-2003, rev date 2-21-2020
