Information about your health is private. And it should remain private. That is why this healthcare institution is required by federal and state law to protect the privacy of your health information. We call it "Protected Health Information" (PHI). Staff members, employees and volunteers of this hospital/facility must follow legal regulations with respect to:
During the course of your treatment, we use and disclose your PHI. For example, if we test your blood in our laboratory, a technician will share the report with your doctor. Or, we will use your PHI to follow the doctor's orders for an x-ray, surgical procedure or other types of treatment related procedures.
After providing treatment, we will ask your insurer to pay us. Some of your PHI may be entered into our computers in order to send a claim to your insurer. This may include a description of your health problem, the treatment we provided and your membership number in your employer's health plan. Or, your insurer may want to review your medical record to determine whether your care was necessary. Also, we may disclose to a collection agency some of your PHI for collecting a bill that you have not paid.
Your medical record and PHI could be used in periodic assessments by physicians about the hospital's quality of care. Or we might use the PHI from real patients in education sessions with medical students training in our hospital. Other uses of your PHI may include business planning for our hospital or the resolution of a complaint.
Your relationship to us as a patient might require using or disclosing your PHI in order to:
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