Privacy policy

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.

Initial effective date: 4/2003; revised 8/12/2013

Who will follow this Notice

This notice describes our hospital/clinic's practices and that of:

Any health care professionals, physicians or therapists authorized to enter information into your hospital/clinic chart.
All departments and units of the hospital/clinic.
Any member of a volunteer group we allow to help you while you are in the hospital/clinic.
All employees, staff and other hospital/clinic personnel.
All these entities, sites and locations follow the terms of this notice. In addition, these entities, sites and locations may share medical information with each other for treatment, payment for hospital/clinic operations and purposes described in this notice.

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 the hospital/clinic. 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 the hospital/clinic, whether made by hospital personnel or your personal doctor. Your personal doctor may have different polices 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.
Follow the terms of this notice that are 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 hospital/clinic personnel who are involved in taking care of you at the hospital/clinic. 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 the hospital/clinic also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need, such as prescriptions, lab work and x-rays. We also may disclose medical information about you to people outside the hospital/clinic, such as family members, clergy or others we use to provide services that are part of your care.

For payment
We may use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at the hospital/clinic 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 at the hospital 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 hospital/clinic operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the hospital/clinic 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. We may also combine medical information about many hospital/clinic patients to decide what additional services the hospital/clinic should offer, what services are not needed and whether certain new treatments are effective. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students and other hospital/clinic personnel for review and learning purposes. We may also combine the medical information we have with medical information from other hospitals/clinics to compare how we are doing and see where we can make improvements in the care and services we offer. We may remove information that identifies you from this set of medical information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without learning who specific patients are.

Business associates
We may contract with outside businesses to provide some services for us. For example, we may use the services of transcription or collection agencies. Under such contracts, we may share your medical information with them to do the job we have asked them to do. These contracts require businesses to protect the medical information we share with them and to provide you with access to your medical information and a list of any of your medical information that they disclose.

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 the hospital/clinic.

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 the hospital/clinic and its operations. We may disclose medical information to a foundation related to the hospital/clinic so that the foundation may contact you in raising money for the hospital/clinic. We only would release contact information such as your name, address and phone number and the dates you received treatment or services at the hospital/clinic. If you do not want the hospital/clinic to contact you for fundraising efforts, you must notify the hospital/clinic in writing to opt out.

Hospital directory
We may include certain limited information about you in the hospital directory while you are a patient in the hospital. This information may include your name, location in the hospital, your general condition (e.g., fair, stable, etc.) 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 if they don't ask for you by name. This is so your family, friends and clergy can visit you in the hospital and generally know how you are doing. Please contact the admitting department if you wish to opt out and do not want this information shared.

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. If you are unavailable, incapacitated or facing an emergency medical situation and we determine that a limited disclosure may be in your best interest, we may share personal health information to individuals without your approval. We may also give information to someone who helps pay 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 that your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.

Research
We may release your personal health information for certain research purposes when approved by a review board with established rules to ensure privacy.

As required by law
We will discuss 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.

Special situations

Organ and tissue donation
If you are an organ donor, we may release medical information, as necessary, to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank 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.

Employers
We may release to your employer medical information about you when we have provided health care to you at the request of your employer.

Workers' compensation
We may release medical information about you for workers' compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses.

Public health risks
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.

Lawsuits and disputes
If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, 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:

To report certain types of wounds.
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 the hospital/clinic.
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 of the hospital to funeral directors as necessary for them to carry out their duties.

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.

Inmates
If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release 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.

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 obtain a copy of the 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 obtain a copy, you must submit your request in writing to Cass Regional's health information management department or the medical clinic manager. 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.

We may deny your request to inspect and obtain a 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 the request. We will comply with the outcome of the review. To request a review, contact the privacy officer at 816.887.0776.

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 the hospital/clinic.

To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to Cass Regional's health information management department or the medical clinic manager. 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 the hospital/clinic.
Is not part of the information that you would be permitted to inspect and copy.
Is accurate and complete.

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.

To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to Cass Regional's health information management department or the medical clinic manager. Your request must state a time period which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before April 2003. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper, electronically). The first list you request within a twelve (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, such as 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 your request unless an individual has paid for said services out of pocket, in full, and the individual requests that the health care provider not disclose PHI related solely to these services. If we do agree, 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. 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, insurance company, etc.).

We are not required to notify other covered entities of your restriction request. You may want to take appropriate action to inform other health care providers, as needed.

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 Cass Regional's health information management department or the medical clinic manager. 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.

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. In addition, each time you register at or are admitted to the hospital/clinic 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 the hospital/clinic or with the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with the hospital, contact the privacy officer at 816.887.0776. To file a complaint with the clinic, contact the medical clinic manager. All complaints must also be submitted in writing. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

Other uses of medical information that require an authorization

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. 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. EXAMPLE: Use or disclosure of Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) information.

Notification of breach

We will keep your medical information private and secure as required by law. If any of your medical information is acquired, accessed, used or disclosed in a manner that is not permitted by law, we will notify you within 60 days following the discovery of a breach.