NOTICE OF PATIENT PRIVACY PRACTICES

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.

If you have any questions about the Notice of Patient Privacy Practices, please contact the HCMC Privacy Officer at (706) 754-3113, ext. 1644.

"Protected Health Information" is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future health and related health care services. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how HCMC may use and disclose your Protected Health Information for treatment, payment and health care operations. It also discusses other purposes permitted or required by law. Additionally, this notice describes your rights of access and control of your Protected Health Information.

1. Uses and Disclosures of Your Protected Health Information
   
   Permitted Routine Uses and Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations
   
   Your Protected Health Information will be used and disclosed to support your care and treatment, to ensure that we will receive payment for charges and to support our administrative operations. Descriptions and examples of these permitted routine uses and disclosures include:
   
   
   • Treatment: We will use and disclose your Protected Health Information so that we can provide services to you and to allow us to work with others assisting us with your care. For example, we may disclose your Protected Health Information to your physician to give them information necessary to diagnose and treat your condition. We may also disclose your Protected Health Information to others such as pharmacy, medical record and radiology entities as necessary.
   • Payment: We will use your Protected Health Information so that we can obtain payment for our services. Your insurance carrier may require us to disclose your Protected Health Information before and/or after services are provided to you. This may include determination of eligibility, verification of your insurance benefits, determination of medical necessity, pre-authorization and insurance billing.
   • Health Care Operations: We will use your Protected Health Information for the effective and efficient delivery of services to you. This includes quality assessment, employee training, support and maintenance of our equipment and systems, organization accreditation and coordination with our business partners and suppliers.
   Specifically, we may disclose your Protected Health Information to the facility where you are obtaining your services to allow the local storage of scan films and medical records. Before your appointment, we may contact you by telephone to confirm its time and location. At the time of your appointment, you may be asked to "sign in" and we may call you by name when it is time for you to be seen.
   
   We may also share your Protected Health Information with third party "business associates" that perform certain activities (e.g., billing, transcription services, billing and collections, etc.) on our behalf. In these instances, Habersham County Medical Center will have written agreements in place to protect the privacy of your Protected Health
   
   Information.
   
   Possible Uses and Disclosures For Which You Do Not Have an Opportunity to Object:
   
   There are also some circumstances that require Habersham County Medical Center to use or disclose your information. We must do so without your authorization and you will not have the opportunity to object.
   
   General situations include:
   
   • When Required By Law: We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information to the limited extent required by law. You will be notified, if required by law, of any such uses or disclosures.
   • To Demonstrate Our Compliance: The Department of Health and Human Services or similar regulatory agency may require us to disclose your Protected Health Information, so that we can demonstrate our compliance with laws or if non-compliance is suspected.
   Specific situations include:
   • Abuse or Neglect: Consistent with applicable federal and state laws, we may be required to provide Protected Health Information to a public health or civil authority when child abuse, neglect, or domestic violence may have occurred.
   • Criminal Activity: We may disclose your Protected Health Information, if we believe that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.
   • Law Enforcement: We may disclose Protected Health Information for law enforcement purposes. These purposes include 1) limited information requests for suspect identification and location, 2) identifying victims or researching victims of a crime, 3) suspicion of criminal conduct related to a death, 4) investigation of a crime that occurred on our premises, and 5) when a medical emergency has occurred off of our premises and it is likely that a crime has been committed.
   • Legal Proceedings: We may disclose Protected Health Information in judicial or administrative proceedings, in response to a court order or administrative hearing (if expressly authorized), and, in certain conditions, in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process.
   • Public Health: We may disclose your Protected Health Information to a public health authority for public health activities such as controlling disease, injury or disability.
   • Communicable Diseases: We may disclose your Protected Health Information to a person who may have been exposed to certain communicable diseases or may be at risk of contracting or spreading the disease or condition.
   • Health Oversight: We may disclose Protected Health Information to health oversight, regulatory and accreditation agencies for purposes such as audits, investigations, and inspections.
   • Food and Drug Administration: We may disclose your Protected Health Information as required by the Food and Drug Administration to report adverse events, product defects or problems, biologic product deviations, track products (to enable product recalls, repairs or replacements) or to perform oversight.
   • Inmates: If you are in custody, we may disclose your Protected Health Information to your correctional facility or to law enforcement related to your care, to ensure the health and safety of others related to your custody or institution, or to maintain the safety, security, law and order of the facility.
   • Workers' Compensation: We may disclose your Protected Health Information to comply with workers' compensation laws and other similar programs.
   • National Security and Military Activities: We may disclose your Protected Health Information to federal officials authorized to conduct national security and intelligence activities. If you are in the Armed Forces, we may disclose Protected Health Information 1) for activities deemed necessary by command authorities, 2) for benefits eligibility determination by the Department of Veterans Affairs, or 3) to a foreign military authority (if you are a member of their military services).
   Possible Uses and Disclosures For Which You May Object
   
   If the use or disclosure of your Protected Health Information is not routinely permitted or legally required, you may have the opportunity to impose limitations on its use and disclosure.
   
   Specifically, you may limit:
   
   Disclosure to Family Members, Relatives or Personal Representatives: Unless you limit it, we will disclose your Protected Health Information to members of your immediate family, other relatives or your legally designated health care decision maker. We will limit disclosures to information directly related to their involvement in your health care. You may prevent this disclosure or you may seek to limit it. You may also designate someone other than those listed above (such as a close personal friend) to whom we may disclose your Protected Health Information. If you are physically unable to express your objection or limitation, we will proceed as noted above if we believe that doing so is in your best interest. If a family member, relative or personal representative is not present, we may use your Protected Health Information to identify a representative. In the case of emergencies and disasters, we may disclose your Protected Health Information to authorized entities assisting in response and relief efforts.
   
   Uses and Disclosures Permitted Only With Your Written Authorization
   
   In situations not covered above, use or disclosure of your Protected Health Information will occur only with your written authorization. These cases include requests you make to Habersham County Medical Center as well as those we may receive from third parties. For example, you may request that we disclose some or all of your Protected Health Information to an attorney, consultant or personal acquaintance. Similarly, Habersham County Medical Center may receive a request form a third party to disclose your Protected Health Information.
   
   Regardless, if the use or disclosure is not required or permitted by law, it will be made only after Habersham County Medical Center has received your written authorization. You may later revoke your authorization, in writing, if you change your mind.
2. Your Rights
   
   These are your privacy rights and how you can exercise them:
   
   You have the right to obtain a printed copy of this notice. You may obtain a copy of this notice at the time of your appointment or you may contact our Health Information Liaison at any time to request that a copy be sent to you.
   
   You have the right to inspect and copy your Protected Health Information. You may review and receive a copy of your Protected Health Information contained in our Designated Record Set for as long as we maintain the records. A "Designated Record Set" contains medical, billing and any other records that Habersham County Medical Center uses for making clinical and financial decisions about you.
   
   Requests to inspect or obtain your records must be submitted in writing to our Health Information Liaison. In some cases, laws may restrict access to information and we may be required to deny access. If your request is denied, you may have the right to have our decision reviewed.
   
   You have the right to request that we amend your Protected Health Information. Should you disagree with any Protected Heath Information maintained in our Designated Record Set, you may request, in writing to our Health Information Liaison that we change it for as long as we maintain it. Habersham County Medical Center is not required to make the changes. If your request is denied, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us and we may prepare a rebuttal. You will be provided with a copy of any rebuttal and copies of related correspondence will be included with your Protected Health Information.
   
   You have the right to request how we provide confidential communications to you. You may request special handling for communication of confidential matters. All such requests must be submitted in writing to our Health Information Liaison. Habersham County Medical Center will accommodate reasonable requests and we will not require you to provide a reason or explanation for your request. We may, as a condition for our agreement, require you to provide additional contact information or other assurances regarding payment of your health care charges.
   
   You have the right to request a restrictions relating to your Protected Health Information. You may request restrictions on the use or disclosure of Protected Health Information. Requests must be in writing and specify 1) the specific restriction requested and 2) to whom you wish it to apply. Before and at your appointment, you may make the request to any Habersham County Medical Center employee you contact. After your appointment, restriction requests must be forwarded to our Health Information Liaison.
   
   Habersham County Medical Center is not required to agree to restriction requests. If we agree to the restriction, we will not use or disclose your Protected Health Information in violation of the restriction unless it is necessary to provide emergency treatment to you. The restriction will take effect after it has been approved.
   
   You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made, if any, of your Protected Health Information. Your request must be submitted in writing to the Health Information Liaison. The accounting excludes disclosures for treatment, payment or health care operations as described in this notice. It also excludes disclosures we may have made to you, your family members or designated representatives. Other exceptions, restrictions and limitations may also apply. The accounting will include those disclosures made after April 14, 2003 and will cover a maximum period of six years. You may request a shorter time period for the accounting.
3. Complaints
   
   If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with either Habersham County Medical Center or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Habersham County Medical Center supports your right to file a complaint and will not take any adverse action against you for doing so.
   
   To file a compliant with Habersham County Medical Center or for additional information about the complaint process, contact the privacy officer at (706) 754-3113, ext. 644.
   
   To file a complaint with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, contact:
   
   Office for Civil Rights
   Department of Health and Human Services
   200 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, DC 20201