PRIVACY POLICY STATEMENT OF
NORTHLAKE EYE CENTER
Purpose: The
following privacy policy is adopted to ensure that Northlake Eye Center complies
fully with all federal and state privacy protection laws and regulations.
Protection of patient privacy is of paramount importance to this
organization. Violations of any of
these provisions will result in severe disciplinary action including termination
of employment and possible referral for criminal prosecution.
Effective Date: This
policy is in effect as of April 14, 2003.
Expiration Date: This
policy remains in effect until superceded or cancelled.
Policy Owner: Northlake
Eye Center
2243 Gause Blvd. East
Slidell, Louisiana, 70461
(985) 643-6355
Sanctions: Employees who fail to follow privacy and security procedures
will be subject to the following disciplinary actions:
First violation: the employee will be informed in writing of the
violation and asked to reread the privacy policy.
Second violation: the employee will be warned in writing that he/she is
in violation and will be placed on probation.
Third violation: the employee will be suspended for three days without
pay. Fourth violation: the employee
will be terminated.
Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that
protected health information may not be used or disclosed except when at least
one of the following conditions is true:
1.
The individual who is the subject of the information (i.e.
the “subject individual”) has authorized the use or disclosure.
2.
The individual who is the subject of the information has
consented to the use or disclosure and the use or disclosure is for treatment,
payment or health care operations.
3.
The individual who is the subject of the information does not
object to the disclosure and the disclosure is to persons involved in the health
care of the individual or for facility directory purposes.
4.
The disclosure is to the individual who is the subject of the
information or to HHS for compliance-related purposes.
5.
The
use or disclosure is for one of the HIPAA “public purposes” (i.e. required
by law, etc.).
Deceased Individuals
t is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that privacy
protections extend to information concerning deceased individuals.
Notice of Privacy Practices
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that a notice
of privacy practices must be published, that this notice and any revisions to it
be provided to all subject individuals at the earliest practicable time, and
that all uses and disclosures of protected health information be done in accord
with this organization’s notice of privacy practices.
Restriction Requests
t is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that serious
consideration must be given to all requests for restrictions on uses and
disclosures of protected health information as published in this
organization’s notice of privacy practices.
It is furthermore the policy of this organization that if a particular
restriction is agreed to, then this organization is bound by that restriction.
Minimum Necessary Disclosure of Protected Health Information
t is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that (except
for disclosures made for treatment purposes) all disclosures of protected health
information must be limited to the minimum amount of information needed to
accomplish the purpose of the disclosure. It
is also the policy of this organization that all requests for protected health
information (except requests made for treatment purposes) must be limited to the
minimum amount of information needed to accomplish the purpose of the request.
Access to Protected Health Information
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that access
to protected health information must be granted to each employee or contractor
based on the assigned job functions of the employee or contractor.
It is also the policy of this organization that such access privileges
should not exceed those necessary to accomplish the assigned job function.
Access to Protected Health Information by the Subject
Individual
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that access
to protected health information must be granted to the person who is the subject
of such information when such access is requested.
Amendment of Incomplete or Incorrect Protected Health
Information
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that
incorrect protected health information maintained by this organization will be
corrected in a timely fashion. It
is also the policy of this organization that notice of such corrections will be
given to any organization with which the incorrect information has been shared.
Access by Personal Representatives
t is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that access to
protected health information must be granted to personal representatives of
subject individuals as specified by subject individuals.
Confidential Communications Channels
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that
confidential communications channels be used, as requested by subject
individuals, to the extent possible.
Disclosure Accounting
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that an
accounting of all disclosures of protected health information be given to
subject individuals whenever such an accounting is requested.
Complaints
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that all
complaints relating to the protection of health information be investigated and
resolved in a timely fashion.
Prohibited Activities
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that no employee or contractor may
engage in any intimidating or retaliatory acts against persons who file
complaints or otherwise exercise their rights under HIPAA regulations.
It is also the policy of this organization that no employee or contractor
may condition treatment, payment, enrollment or eligibility for benefits on the
provision of an authorization to disclose protected health information.
Responsibility
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that the responsibility for
designing and implementing procedures to implement this policy lies with the
chief privacy officer (i.e. “CPO”).
Verification of Identity
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that the identity of all persons
who request access to protected health information be verified before such
access is granted.
Mitigation
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that the effects of any
unauthorized use or disclosure of protected health information be mitigated to
the extent possible.
Business Associates
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that business associates must be
contractually bound to protect health information to the same degree as set
forth in this policy.
Cooperation with Privacy Oversight Authorities
It is the policy of Northlake Eye Center that oversight agencies such as
the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services be
given full support and cooperation in their efforts to ensure the protection of
health information within this organization.
It is also the policy of this organization that all personnel must
cooperate fully with all privacy compliance reviews and investigations.
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