We
mav also need to inform your payer of the tests
that you are going to receive in order to obtain
prior approval or to determine whether the
service is covered. For Health Care Operations.
We
may use and disclose information about you
for the general operation of our business.
For example, we sometimes arrange for accreditation
organizations, auditors or other consultants
to review our practice, evaluate our operations,
and tell us how to improve our services.
Public
Policy Uses and Disclosures. There are a number
of public policy reasons why we may disclose
information about you. We may disclose health
information about you when we are required
to do so by federal, state, or local law.
We
may disclose PHI about you in connection with
certain public health reporting activities.
For instance, we may disclose such information
to a public health authority authorized to
collect or receive PHI for the purpose of preventing
or controlling disease, injury or disability,
or at the direction of a public health authority,
to an official of a foreign government agency
that is acting in collaboration with a public
health authority. Public health authorities
include state health departments, the Center
for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration,
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
and the Environmental Protection Agency, to
name a few.
We
are also permitted to disclose PHI to a public
health authority or other government authority
authorized by law to receive reports of child
abuse or neglect. Additionally we may disclose
PHI to a person subject to the Food and Drug
Administration's power for the following activities:
to report adverse events, product defects or
problems, or biological product deviations,
to track products, to enable product recalls,
repairs or replacements, or to conduct post
marketing surveillance.
We
may disclose your PHI in situations of domestic
abuse or elder abuse. We may disclose PHI in
connection with certain health oversight activities
of licensing and other agencies. Health oversight
activities include audit, investigation, inspection,
licensure or disciplinary actions, and civil,
criminal, or administrative proceedings or
actions or any other activity necessary for
the oversight of 1) the health care system,
2) governmental benefit programs for which
health information is relevant to determining
beneficiary eligibility, 3) entities subject
to governmental regulatory programs for which
health information is necessary for determining
compliance with program standards, or 4) entities
subject to civil rights laws for which health
information is necessary for determining compliance.
We
may disclose information in response to a warrant,
subpoena, or other order of a court or administrative
hearing body, and in connection with certain
government investigations and law enforcement
activities. Finally, we may disclose PHI for
national security and intelligence activities
and for the provision of protective services
to the President of the United States and other
officials or foreign heads of state.
We
may release personal health information to
a coroner or medical examiner to identify a
deceased person or determine the cause of death.
We also may release personal health information
to organ procurement organizations, transplant
centers, and eye or tissue banks.
We
may release your personal health information
to workers' compensation or similar programs.
Information about you also will be disclosed
when necessary to prevent a serious threat
to your health and safety or the health and
safety of others We may use or disclose certain
personal health information about your condition
and treatment for research purposes where an
Institutional Review Board or a similar body
referred to as a Privacy Board determines that
your privacy interests will be adequately protected
in the study.
We
may also use and disclose your PHI to prepare
or analyze a research protocol and for other
research purposes..
If
you are a member of the Armed Forces, we may
release personal health information about you
as required by military command authorities.
We also may release personal health information
about foreign military personnel to the appropriate
foreign military authority.
We
may disclose your PHI for legal or administrative
proceedings that involve you.
We
may release such information upon order of
a court or administrative tribunal. We may
also release PHI in the absence of such an
order and in response to a discovery or other
lawful request, if efforts have been made to
notify you or secure a protective order.
Our
Business Associates. We sometimes work with
outside individuals and businesses who help
us operate our business successfully. We may
disclose your PHI to these business associates
so that they can perform the tasks that we
hire them to do. Our business associates must
guarantee to us that they will respect the
confidentiality of your PHI.
Individuals
Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care.
We may disclose PHI to individuals involved
in your care or in the payment for your care,
but we will obtain your agreement before doing
so. This includes people and organizations
that are part of your" circle of care" — such
as your spouse, your other doctors, or an aide
who may be providing services to you. Although
we must be able to speak with your other physicians
or health care providers, you can let us know
if we should not speak with other individuals,
such as your spouse or family. .
