NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

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.

SAMC is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information.  If you have questions about any part of this notice or if you want more information about the privacy practices at SAMC please contact:

 

Amye Groves
SAMC
133 Wall St.
Albertville, AL 35951
256.840.5547
mail@1samc.com

 

How SAMC may use or disclose your health information

SAMC collects health information from you and stores it in a chart that is on a computer.  This is your medical record.  The medical record is the property of SAMC, but the information in the medical record belongs to you.  SAMC protects the privacy of your health information.  The law permits SAMC to use or disclose you health information for the following purposes:

  1. Treatment.  We will use and disclose your protected health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services.  This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party that has already obtained your permission to have access to your information.  For example, we will disclose information to other physicians who may be treating you when we get the necessary permission from you.  This usually takes place in the form of a written permission slip that you sign.  
  2. Payment.  Your protected health information will be used, as needed to obtain payment for you health care services.  This may include certain activities that your health insurance plan may undertake before it approves or pays for the services we recommend.
  3. Regular health care operations.  We may use or disclose, as-needed, you information in order to support the business activities of your physician’s practice.  The activities may include, but are not limited to quality assessment activities, employee review activities, and conducting or arranging for other business activities.  
  4. Information provided to you the patient.  
  5. Notification and communication with family.  We may disclose your health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, our personal representative or another person responsible for your care about you location, your general condition or in the event of your death.  If you are able and available to agree and object, we will give you the opportunity.   If you are unable or unavailable to agree or object, our health professionals will use their best judgment in communication with your family and others.  
  6. Required by law
  7. Public health.  As required by law, we may disclose your information to public health authorities for purposes related to: preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability; reporting child abuse or neglect; reporting domestic violence;  reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications; and reporting disease or infection exposure.
  8. Health oversight activities.  We may disclose your information to health agencies during the course of audits, investigations, inspections, licensure and other proceedings.
  9. Judicial and administrative proceedings.  
  10. Law enforcement.  We may disclose your information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order or subpoena and other law enforcement purposes. 
  11. Deceased person information.  We may disclose information to coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors.
  12. Organ donation.  
  13. Public safety.  
  14. Specialized government functions.
  15. Worker’s compensation.  We may disclose you information as necessary to comply with worker’s compensation laws.
  16. Change of ownership.  In the event SAMC is sold or merged with another organization, your health information/record will become the property of the new owner.

 

When SAMC may not use or disclose your health information

Except as described in this notice of privacy practices, SAMC will not use or disclose your information without your written authorization.  If you do authorize SAMC to use or disclose your information for another purpose, you may revoke you authorization in writing at any time.


Your Health Information Rights

  1. You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information.  SAMC is not required to agree to the restrictions that you requested.
  2. You have the right to receive your health information through a reasonable alternative means or at an alternative location.  
  3. You have the right to inspect and coy your health information
  4. You have a right to request that SAMC amend your health information that is incorrect or incomplete.  SAMC is not required to change your health information and will provide you with information about SAMC’s denial and how you can disagree with the denial.
  5. You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by SAMC, except that SAMC does not have to account for the disclosures described in part 1, 2, 3, 4 and 15 of section I.
  6. You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices.

 

Changes to this Privacy Notice

SAMC reserves the right to amend this notice at any time in the future.  Until such amendment is made, SAMC is required by law to comply with this notice.  Upon request, we will provide you with any revisions.

 

Complaints

Please direct all complaint to our office manager.  She the above numbers.  If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles a complaint, you may submit a formal complaint to:

Department of Health and Human Services