Cardiology Consultants, LTD. Notice of Health Information Practices

This notice describes how your health information may be used and disclosed. It also describes how you can access this information. Please review it carefully.

Understanding Your Health Record/Information

Each time you visit your physician or other healthcare provider, a record of your visit is made. Usually this record contains your:

Symptoms
Examination
Test results
Diagnosis
Treatment
Plan for future care or treatment

This information, often called your health or medical record, helps your doctor:

Plan your care and treatment
Communicate with other health professionals who are involved in your care
Keep a legal record of the care you received
Prove to you or an insurance company that services billed were actually done
Educate health professionals
Summarize data for medical research
Provide information to public health officials when required by law
Improve the care we provide to you

Your Health Information Rights

Although your health record is the physical property of Cardiology Consultants, LTD., the information belongs to you. You have the right to:

Request a limit on certain uses and releases of your information
View and get a copy of your health records
Request that information be added to your health record
Obtain a log of releases of your health information
Withdraw your permission to use or disclose health information in the future
Request communications of your health information by another method or at
another location than what is routinely provided

Our Responsibilities

Cardiology Consultants, LTD. is required to:

Protect the privacy of your health information
Provide you with a notice of our legal duties and how we use the information
we collect and maintain about you
Adhere to the terms of this notice
Let you know if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction
Assist in reasonable requests you may make to communicate health information
by another method

Cardiology Consultants, LTD. reserves the right to change our practices. We can also make the new changes effective for all protected health information we keep. If our information practices change, we will contact you.

We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as explained in this notice. You may revoke your authorization at any time to stop future uses or disclosures by us, with certain limited exceptions.

For More Information or to Report a Problem

If you have questions, would like additional information, or you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may make a complaint to Cardiology Consultants, LTD., Medical Record Manager or the CEO at (618) 233-6044. If you are not satisfied with how your problem was resolved, you may contact the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Effective 01-01-2003

Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Operations

We will use your health information for treatment.
Examples:

Information gathered by your physician or another healthcare provider will be recorded in your
record.
Your physician then uses the information to decide the course of treatment that should work
best for you.
Your physician will document in your record his or her expectations of Cardiology Consultants,
LTD. staff.
The staff will then record the actions they take, such as lab tests.
The results of any tests are placed in your record.
Your physician will then be able to create or change your treatment plan. Your physician may
receive copies of reports from other physicians that will help him or her in treating you.

We will use your health information for payment.
Example:

A bill may be sent to you or your insurance company. The information on or with the bill
may include information that identifies you, as well as your diagnosis, procedures, and
supplies used.

We will use your health information for regular health operations.
Examples:

Staff members of Cardiology Consultants, LTD. may review your health record in an effort
to improve the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare services we provide.
Staff provides information needed by physicians in the emergency room, radiology or
laboratory. Staff may send portions of your record to a transcription service we use. The
transcription service may have access to your medical records. This allows them to do the job
we’ve asked them to do.

Notification: We may release your information to a family member, or another person

responsible for your care. We will tell them only where you are being treated and the

status of your current medical condition.
Example:

We may use the phone number in your medical record to contact your spouse. We might inform him or her that you were admitted to the hospital and why you were admitted. Cardiology Consultants, LTD. staff and physicians, using their best judgment,, may release your health information to someone else that you choose. This could be a family member, other relative, or close personal friend. We will only release information that is appropriate to the person’s involvement in your care or for payment related to your care.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA): We may disclose information to the FDA if necessary. This is done to help protect people from harmful products. The harmful products could include foods, supplements or medical devices. We may also participate in post market reviews of products. The information released is used to do product recalls, repairs, or replacement.

Example:

A drug company may learn that a shipment of medication has been recalled. The FDA will need information on every patient who has taken medication from that shipment.

Workers compensation: We may disclose health information to obey laws involving Workers Compensation or other such programs.
Example:

If you have been treated for a work-related injury, your health information may be released to the Workers Compensation carrier, as required by state law.

Public health: As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities in charge of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability.
Example:

If you are diagnosed with infectious diseases (Tuberculosis, Anthrax, etc.), your health information concerning this disease will be released to the Department of Health.

Correctional Institution: Should you be an inmate of a prison, we may release your health information to the representative of the prison. We will release only information necessary for your health and the health and safety of other individuals.
Example:

If you need medical treatment while you are in prison, your medical records may be released to the appropriate administrator of the prison.

Law enforcement: We may disclose health information for law enforcement purposes, as required by law, or in response to a valid subpoena. State and Federal law may require that your health information be released to an appropriate health regulatory agency, public health authority, or attorney.
Example:

We receive a subpoena or court order and release the information requested to the authorities.