HIPAA compliant 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.
This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how Vitalitas Medical NJ LLC may use and disclose your protected health information (PHI) to carry out treatment, payment, or healthcare operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information.
"Protected health information" is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and related healthcare services.
Your Rights Regarding Your Protected Health Information
You have the following rights regarding the protected health information that we maintain about you:
Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of the protected health information that may be used to make decisions about your care. We may charge a reasonable fee for the costs of copying, mailing, or other supplies associated with your request. We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain limited circumstances. If you are denied access to protected health information, you may request that the denial be reviewed.
Right to Amend: If you feel that the protected health 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 Vitalitas Medical NJ LLC. We may deny your request for an amendment, and if this occurs, you will be notified of the reason for the denial and informed of your right to submit a written statement of disagreement.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request an accounting of disclosures of your protected health information. This is a list of certain disclosures we made of medical information about you.
Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the protected health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the protected health 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. We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency treatment.
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. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
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.
How We May Use and Disclose Protected Health Information
We may use and disclose protected health information for the following purposes:
For Treatment: We may use protected health information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. For example, we may disclose protected health information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other personnel who are involved in taking care of you.
For Payment: We may use and disclose protected health information about you so that the treatment and services you receive from Vitalitas Medical NJ LLC may be billed to and collected from you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about treatment you received so your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the treatment.
For Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose protected health information about you for healthcare operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the facility and to make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use protected health information to review our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you.
Appointment Reminders: We may use and disclose protected health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment with us.
Treatment Alternatives: We may use and disclose protected health 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 protected health information to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care: We may release protected health information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care or who helps pay for your care.
Disaster Relief Efforts: We may disclose your protected health information 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 use and disclose protected health information for research purposes, subject to certain conditions.
As Required By Law: We will disclose protected health 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 protected health 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.
Organ and Tissue Donation: If you are an organ donor, we may release protected health information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye, or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
Military and Veterans: If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release protected health information about you as required by military command authorities.
Workers' Compensation: We may release protected health 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 protected health 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.
Lawsuits and Disputes: We may disclose protected health information about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose protected health 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 protected health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:
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 facility; and
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 protected health 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 protected health information to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.
National Security and Intelligence Activities: We may release protected health information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.
Protective Services for the President and Others: We may disclose protected health information about you to authorized federal officials so they may provide protection to the President, other authorized persons, or foreign heads of state or conduct special investigations.
Inmates: If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release protected health information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release is necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with healthcare; (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.
Other Uses of Protected Health Information
Other uses and disclosures of protected health information not covered by this Notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written authorization. If you provide us with authorization to use or disclose protected health information about you, you may revoke that authorization, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose protected health 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 authorization, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.
Our Responsibilities
Vitalitas Medical NJ LLC is required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information, to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information, and to follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
We are required to notify you if there is a breach of your unsecured protected health information.
We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised notice effective for protected health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice in the facility. The notice will contain the effective date on the first page.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Vitalitas Medical NJ LLC or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with Vitalitas Medical NJ LLC, contact Dr. Alex Lazo-Vasquez at support@vitalitasmedical.com. All complaints must be submitted in writing. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
Contact Information
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact:
Dr. Alex Lazo-Vasquez
Medical Director at Vitalitas Medical NJ LLC
drlazo@vitalitasmedical.com