MeadowWood Behavioral Healthcare System : Privacy Policy

Privacy MEADOWWOOD BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEM NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW PROTECTED MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. Should you have any questions about this Notice, please contact: MeadowWood Behavioral Health System’s Privacy Officer, Debbie McClafferty at (302) 323-8006. Who Will Follow This Notice?  All MeadowWood employees, medical staff, and independent contractors. We understand that an individual’s health information is personal, and we are committed to protecting this information. Each time a claim is made through the services of MeadowWood, a record of the care and services you receive is made. Typically, this record contains information pertaining to your injuries, symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, plan for future care or treatment, and billing record. This record serves as a:  Basis for planning your care and treatment;  Means of communication among the many health care professionals who contribute to your care;  Means by which you or a third-party payor can verify that services billed were actually provided;  Tool for educating health professionals;  Source of information for public health officials; and  Tool for assessing and continually working to improve the care rendered. This Notice applies to all of the records of your medical care generated by MeadowWood. This Notice will tell you about the ways we may use and disclose medical information about you. It also describes your rights and our obligations regarding the use and disclosure of your medical information. Our Responsibilities. MeadowWood shall:  Make every effort to maintain the integrity and confidentiality of your health information;  Provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you;  Abide by the terms of this Notice;  Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction; and  Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations. The Methods in Which We May Use and Disclose Medical Information about You. The following categories describe different ways we may use and disclose your medical information. The examples provided serve only as guidance and do not include every possible use or disclosure.  For Treatment. We will use and disclose your Protected Health Information to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related service. For example, we may share your information with other specialists to whom you are referred for treatment purposes.  For Payment. We will use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive may be billed and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, we may need to disclose Protected Health Information to a health plan in order for the health plan to pay us for the services rendered to you. We may also tell your health plan about a treatment or procedure you are going to receive in order to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the services.  For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose medical information about you for our operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to operate [FACILITY]’s office in an efficient manner and to ensure that all patients receive quality care. For example, your medical records and health information may be used in the evaluation of health care services, and the appropriateness and quality of health care treatment. In addition, medical records are audited periodically for timely documentation and correct billing.  Treatment Reminders. We may use and disclose medical information in order to remind you of a scheduled treatment appointment and/or procedure. For example, MeadowWood may provide a written or telephone reminder that your next treatment at the MeadowWood is coming up.  Research. Under certain circumstances, MeadowWood may use and disclose medical information about you for research purposes. For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one medication to those who received another medication for the same condition. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. Prior to using or disclosing any medical information for research purposes, the project must be approved through this research approval process. We will ask for your specific permission if the researcher will have access to your name, address, or other information that reveals who you are or if the researcher will be involved in your care.  As Required by Law. We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal or Delaware laws or regulations.  To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may use and disclose medical information about you to medical or law enforcement personnel when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.  Sale of MeadowWood. We may use and disclose medical information about you to another healthcare facility in the sale, transfer, merger, or consolidation of MeadowWood. Special Situations.  Organ and Tissue Donation. If you have formally indicated your desire to be an organ donor, we may release medical information to organizations that handle procurement of organ, eye, or tissue transplantations.  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.  Workers’ Compensation. We may release medical information about you for workers’ compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.  Qualified Personnel. We may disclose medical information for research or for management audit, financial audit, or program evaluation, but MeadowWood personnel may not directly or indirectly identify you in any report of the research, audit, or evaluation, or otherwise disclose your identity in any manner.  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. All such disclosures will be made in accordance with the requirements of Delaware and federal laws and regulations.  Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose medical information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. Health oversight agencies include public and private agencies authorized by law to oversee health care providers and the health care industry in general. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor health care providers, government programs, eligibility or compliance, and to enforce health-related civil rights and criminal laws.  Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are involved in certain lawsuits or administrative disputes, we may disclose medical information about you in response to a court order or administrative order.  Law Enforcement. We may release medical information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:  In response to a court order or subpoena; or  If MeadowWood determines there is a probability of imminent physical injury to you or another person, or immediate mental or emotional injury to you.  Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors. We may release medical information to a coroner or medical examiner when authorized by law (e.g., to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death). We may also release medical information about patients to funeral directors.  Inmates. If you are an inmate of a correctional facility, we may release medical information about you to the correctional facility for the correctional facility to provide you treatment. Your Rights Regarding Medical Information about You. You have the following rights regarding medical information held or maintained by MeadowWood about you:  Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to inspect and copy 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 copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to Health Information Services. If you request a copy of the information, MeadowWood may charge a fee as established by CMS, for the costs of copying, mailing, or summarizing your medical records. MeadowWood may deny your request to inspect and copy your medical information in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to medical information, including psychotherapy notes, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen by MeadowWood will review your request and denial. The licensed health care professional conducting the review will not be the same person who denied your request. MeadowWood will comply with the outcome of the review.  Right to Amend. If you feel that medical information maintained about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask MeadowWood to correct or amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by MeadowWood. To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to the Director of HIS.. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request. MeadowWood 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, MeadowWood may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:  Was not created by MeadowWood, 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 MeadowWood;  Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or  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 made of your medical information for purposes other than treatment, payment, or health care operations. To request this list you must submit your request in writing to the, Director of HIS. Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six (6) years. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper or electronically). The first list you request within a 12-month period will be provided to you by MeadowWood for free. For additional lists within the 12-month period, you may be charged for the cost of providing the list. MeadowWood 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 MeadowWood uses or discloses about you for treatment, payment, or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information MeadowWood uses or discloses about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care. MeadowWood is not required to agree to your request. Should MeadowWood agree to your request, MeadowWood 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 to the Director of HIS. In your request you may indicate: (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit MeadowWood’s use and/or disclosure; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply. For example, you may not want disclosures to be made to your spouse.  Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that MeadowWood communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that MeadowWood contact you only at work or by mail. To request that MeadowWood communicate in a certain manner, you must make your request in writing to the Director of HIS. You do not have to state a reason for your request. MeadowWood will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted. Changes to This Notice. MeadowWood reserves the right to change its privacy and security practices and to make the new provisions effective for all Protected Health Information MeadowWood holds or maintains. Should our privacy practices change, we will post the amended Notice of Privacy Practices in the Lobby. You may request that a copy be provided to you by contacting the Director of HIS at (302) 323-8006. Complaints. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the MeadowWood Behavioral health system’s Privacy Officer or with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with MeadowWood, contact the, Director of HIS at (302) 323-8006. Your complaint must be filed within 180 days of when you knew or should have known that the alleged violation occurred. The address for the Office of Civil Rights is: Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 150 S. Independence Mall West Suite 372, Public Ledger Bldg. Philadelphia, PA 19106-9111 All complaints should be submitted in writing. You will NOT be penalized for filing a complaint. Revised: 6/30/08

MeadowWood Behavioral Hospital is owned and operated by Psychiatric Solutions, Inc., a premier provider of mental health care services in communities throughout the United States.