McDuffie Regional Medical Center: Privacy Policy.

McDUFFIE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER NOTICE OF 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.
Hospitals make and keep records of medical information. While you are a patient here, we will use and disclose your medical information

To provide treatment to you and to keep a record describing your care

To receive payment for the care we provide

To administer the hospital properly

To comply with law

This Notice summarizes the ways we may use and disclose medical information about you. It also describes your rights and our duties regarding the use and disclosure of your medical information. This Notice applies to all records of your care at the Hospital, whether made by Hospital personnel or by your personal doctor. Your doctor and other health care providers may use a different Notice and policy regarding the use and disclosure of your medical information in their offices.

When we use the word “we” or “Hospital” we mean the McDuffie Regional Medical Center, its affiliates, medical professionals and other parties who assist us in our business.

We are required by law

To keep your medical information confidential in accordance with legal requirements

To give you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your medical information

To follow the terms of the Notice that is currently in effect

PERSONS COVERED BY THIS NOTICE

All employees, staff and other Hospital personnel

The following entities, sites and locations: McDuffie Regional Medical Center, McDuffie County EMS, Glascock County EMS, and Emergency Coverage Corporation. In addition, these entities, sites and locations may share medical information with each other for the treatment, payment and administrative purposes described in this Notice

Persons or entities performing services for the Hospital under agreements containing privacy protections or to which disclosure of medical information is permitted by law

Persons or entities with whom the Hospital participates in managed care arrangements

Our volunteers and medical, nursing and other health care students

Members of the Hospital Medical Staff and other medical professionals involved in your care or performing peer review, quality improvement, medical education and other services for the Hospital

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION
We use and disclose medical information in the ways described below.

Treatment
We may use your medical information to provide medical treatment or services to you. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical, nursing or other health care students, or other personnel taking care of you. 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 you can have appropriate meals. Departments of the Hospital may share your medical information to schedule the tests and procedures you need, such as prescriptions, laboratory tests and x-rays. We also may disclose your medical information to health care facilities if you need to be transferred from the Hospital to another hospital, a nursing home, a home health provider or a rehabilitation center. We also may disclose your medical information to people outside the Hospital who are involved in your care after you leave the Hospital such as family members or pharmacists.

Payment
We may use and disclose your medical information so that the treatment and services you receive can be billed and collected from you, an insurance company or another third party. For example, we may give your health plan information about surgery you received so your health plan will pay us for the surgery. We also may tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive in order to obtain prior approval from your plan to cover payment for the treatment.

Health Care Operations
We may use and disclose your medical information for Hospital operations, such as for peer review, performance improvement, risk management, and our compliance with licensure, accreditation or certification requirements. For example, we may disclose your medical information to physicians on our Medical Staff who review treatment of patients. We may disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical, nursing or other health care students, and Hospital personnel for teaching. We may combine medical information about many patients to decide what services the Hospital should offer, and whether new services are cost-effective and how we compare with other hospitals. Sometimes, we may remove identifying information from this medical information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without learning who you are. We may disclose information to other health care providers involved in your treatment to permit them to carry out the work of their facility or to get paid. For example, we may provide information about your treatment to an ambulance company that brought you to the Hospital so that the ambulance company can get paid for their services.

Activities of Our Affiliates
We may disclose your medical information to our affiliates in connection with your treatment or other hospital activities.

Activities of Organized Health Care Arrangements in Which We Participate
For certain activities, the Hospital, members of its Medical Staff and other independent professionals are called an Organized Health Care Arrangement. We may disclose information about you to health care providers participating in our Organized Health Care Arrangements, such as a managed care or physician-hospital organization. Such disclosures would be made in connection with our services, your treatment under a health plan arrangement, and other activities of the Organized Health Care Arrangement.

Important Notice
The Hospital may share your medical information with members of the Hospital Medical Staff and other independent medical professionals in order to provide treatment and perform other activities such as peer review, quality improvement, medical education and other services for the Hospital. While those professionals may follow this Notice and otherwise participate in the privacy program of the Hospital, they are independent professionals and the Hospital expressly disclaims any responsibility or liability for their acts or omissions.
Health Services, Treatment Alternatives and Health-Related Benefits. We may use and disclose your medical information to tell you about (i) health-related products or services that we offer, (ii) other providers participating in a health care network that we participate in, (iii) possible treatment options or alternatives, or (iv) health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you. We also may use that information to communicate with you to coordinate your care. We may use and disclose your medical information to contact and remind you of an appointment for treatment or medical care.

Fundraising
We may use your medical information to raise money for the Hospital. We may disclose information such as your name, address, telephone number, gender, age and the dates you received treatment at the Hospital to a Hospital foundation so it can contact you. If you do not want the Hospital to contact you for fundraising, please notify the Contact Person listed below in writing.

Hospital Directory
We may include certain information about you in the Hospital Directory while you are a patient in the Hospital. This information may include your name, your room number, your general condition (fair, stable, etc.) and your religious affiliation. 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. Disclosure of your room will not reveal that you are in a specific unit or area of the Hospital, if such information would reveal that you are at the Hospital for treatment of rape or attempted rape, HIV/AIDS, or alcohol/drug abuse. Directory information, except for your religious affiliation, may be released to people who 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. If you do not want this information given out, please tell the Registration Clerk.

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care
We may release your medical information to the person you named in your Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (if you have one), or to a friend or family member who is your personal representative (i.e., empowered under state or other law to make health-related decisions for you). We may give information to someone who helps pay for your care. In addition, we may disclose your medical information to an entity assisting in disaster relief efforts so that your family can be notified about your condition.

Research
We may use and disclose your medical information for research purposes. Most research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. Most research projects require your permission if a researcher will be involved in your care or will have access to your name, address or other information that identifies you. However, the law allows some research to be done using your medical information without requiring your authorization.

Required By Law
We will disclose your medical information when federal, state or local law requires it. For example, the Hospital must comply with child abuse reporting laws and laws requiring us to report certain diseases or injuries to state or federal agencies.

Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We may use and disclose your medical information when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.

Note: Georgia and Federal Law provide protection for certain types of health information, including information about alcohol or drug abuse, mental health and AIDS/HIV, and may limit whether and how we may disclose information about you to others.

SPECIAL SITUATIONS

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

Military and Veterans
If you are a member of the U.S. or foreign armed forces, we may release your medical information 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.

Minors If you are a minor (under 18 years old), the Hospital will comply with Georgia law regarding minors. We may release certain types of your medical information to your parent or guardian, if such release is required or permitted by law.

Public Health Risks
We may disclose your medical information for public health purposes

To prevent or control disease, injury or disability

To report births and deaths

To report child or adult abuse, neglect or violence

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 getting or spreading a disease or condition

Health Oversight Activities
We may disclose your medical information to a federal or state agency for health oversight activities such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure of the Hospital and of the providers who treated you at the Hospital. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with laws.

Lawsuits and Disputes
We may disclose your medical information to respond to a court or administrative order or a search warrant. We also may disclose your medical information in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in a dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request and you have been provided an opportunity to object or to obtain an appropriate court order protecting the information requested.

Law Enforcement
Subject to certain conditions, we may disclose your medical information for a law enforcement purpose upon the request of a law enforcement official.

Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors
We may disclose your medical information to a medical examiner or funeral director so they may carry out their duties.

National Security
We may disclose your medical information to authorized federal officials for national security activities authorized by law.

Protective Services
We may disclose your medical information to authorized federal officials so they may provide protection to the President and other persons.

Inmates
If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement officer, we may release your medical information to the correctional institution or a law enforcement officer. This release would be necessary for the Hospital to provide you with health care, to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others, or for the safety and security of the law enforcement officer or the correctional institution.

YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS
Right to Review and Right to Request a Copy
You have the right to review and copy medical information in your medical and billing records. The Health Information Services Department has a form you can fill out to request to review or copy your medical information, and to tell you how much will it cost. The Hospital will tell you if it cannot fulfill your request. If you are denied the right to see or copy your medical information, you may ask us to reconsider our decision. Depending on the reason for the decision, we may ask a licensed health care professional to review your request and its denial. We will comply with this person’s decision.

Right to Amend
If you feel your medical information in our records is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us in writing to amend the information. You must provide a reason to support your requested amendment. We will tell you if we cannot fulfill your request. The Contact Person listed below can help you with your request.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to make a written request for a list of certain disclosures the Hospital has made of your medical information. This list is not required to include all disclosures we make. Disclosure for treatment, payment, or Hospital administrative purposes, disclosures made before April 14, 2003, disclosures made to you or which you authorized, and other disclosures are not required to be listed. The Contact Person listed below can help you with this process, if needed, and can tell you how much it will cost.

Right to Request Restrictions on Disclosures
You have the right to make a written request to restrict or put a 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 your medical information that we disclose to someone involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or friend.

We are not required to agree to your request. However, if we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency treatment or to make a disclosure that is required under law. 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 adult children.

Right to Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to make a written 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 contact you only at work or by mail. 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. The Contact Person listed below can help you with these requests if needed.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice at any time even if you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically. You may obtain a copy of this Notice at our website, www.mrmc.org or a paper copy from the Contact Person listed below.

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 for any information we receive in the future. We will post the current Notice in the Hospital and on the Hospital’s website.

COMPLAINTS
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint with the Hospital or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services or HHS. Generally, a complaint must be filed with HHS within 180 days after the act or omission occurred, or within 180 days of when you knew or should have know of the action or omission. To file a complaint with the Hospital, contact the HIPAA Privacy Line at (706) 597-5503, or write to Attn: HIPAA Compliance Officer, McDuffie Regional Medical Center, 521 Hill Street SW, Thomson, GA 30824. You will not be denied care or discriminated against by the Hospital for filing a complaint.

OTHER USES OF MEDICAL INFORMATION
Other uses and disclosures of your medical information not covered by this Notice or the laws and regulations that apply to the Hospital will be made only with your written permission. If you give 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 your medical information for the reasons covered by your written authorization, but the revocation will not affect actions we have taken in reliance on your permission. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, we still must continue to comply with laws that require certain disclosures, and we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.
If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact the HIPAA Privacy Line at (706) 597-5503.
Effective Date: 04/14/03

Patient Rights and Responsibilities

We consider you a partner in your hospital care. When you are well-informed, participate in treatment decisions, and communicate openly with your Physician and other health professionals, you help make your care as effective as possible.

While you are a patient at McDuffie Regional Medical Center, your rights include the following:

You have the right to considerate and respectful care with recognition of personal dignity and without discrimination as to race, religion, sex, national origin or source of payment.

You have the right to be well-informed about your illness, possible treatments, and likely outcome and to discuss this information with your Physician.

You have the right to know the names and functions of the health care associates who are caring for you.

You have the right to reasonable informed participation in decisions involving your health care.

You have the right to have an Advance Directive, such as a Living Will or Health Care Power of Attorney. These documents express your choices about your future care or name someone to decide if you cannot speak for yourself.

If you have a written Advance Directive, you should provide a copy to the Hospital, your family, and your Physician. If you would like information on creating Advance Directives call the Social Services Department of the Hospital. Information is also available on organ and tissue donation. Please contact Amanda Jenkins or April Guerrero in Case Management or Eva Newsome, Patient Representative for a brochure on becoming an organ donor.

You have the right to refuse a recommended treatment or plan of care, as permitted by law, and to be informaed of the medical consequences of this action.

You have the right to privacy. The Hospital, your Physician, and others caring for you will protect your privacy as much as possible.

You have the right of access to people outside the Hospital by means of visitation and by verbal and written communication.

You have the right to expect that treatment records are confidential unless you have given permission to release information or reporting is required or permitted by law. When the Hospital releases records to others, such as insurers, it emphasizes that the records are confidential.

You have the right to review your medical records and to have the information explained, except when restricted by the Physician.

You have the right to expect that the Hospital will give you necessary health services to the best of its ability.

You have the right to expect reasonable safety insofar as the hospital practices and environment are concerned.

You have the right to know the Hospital's charges for services and available payment methods.

You have the right to know Hospital policies related to care and treatment.

You have the right to ask and be informed of business relationships between McDuffie Regional Medical Center and other healthcare providers or payers that may influence treatment and care.

You have the right to consent or decline participation in research studies.

You have the right to receive care appropriate to your age.

You have the right to management of pain and provision of comfort.

You have the right to financial implications of treatment choices.

You have the right to recognition of your spiritual and cultural values.

You have the right to be transferred to another facility if recommended by your Physician. If this occurs you will be informed of risks, benefits, and alternatives. You will not be transferred until another Physician at the receiving institution agrees to accept you.

You have the right to know about Hospital resources, such as Patient Representatives that can help you resolve problems and questions about your Hospital stay or care. The Bio-Ethics committee provides consulting on moral/ethical issues and protect patient's rights/interests.

You have the right to voice a complaint, concern or dissatisfaction about any part of your Hospital care at any time to any staff member, and to expect a prompt response from the Hospital staff, with no fear that your care will be altered or compromised in any way.

You have the right to expect continuity of care and be informed of non-hospital patient care options.

Patient Right for Pain Management

As a patient at McDuffie Regioanl Medical Center, you can expect:

Your report of pain will be believed

Information about pain and pain relief

A concerned staff committed to pain prevention and management

Health professionals who respond quickly to reports of pain

Effective pain management

Your responsibilities as a Patient of McDuffie Regioanl Medical Center include the following:

You are responsible for providing, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to your health status.

You are responsible for reporting changes in your condition to your physician and healthcare staff.

You are responsible for voicing an understanding of your plan of care and your responsibilities in the plan, and for asking questions when you do not understand information or instructions concerning your planned treatment.

You are responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the physician resposible for your care, including following the instructions of Nurses and Allied Health Personnel as they carry out the coordinated plan of care, and keeping appointments for follow-up.

You are responsible for any medical consequences which may result from refusing treatment or not following the instructions or your caregiver.

You are responsible for assuring that the financial obligations for your health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.

You are responsible for the following Hospital rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct, including assisting in the control of noise, acknowledging the no smoking policy and limited visitors to an appropraite number.

You are responsible for being respectful of the property of other persons and of the Hospital.

You are responsible for providing the Hospital with a copy of an exsisting Advance Directive.

Patient Right for Pain Management
As a patient of McDuffie Regioanl Medical Center, we expect that you will:

Ask your doctor or nurse whot to expect regarding pain management.

Discuss pain relief options with your doctors and nurses.

Work with your doctor and nurse to develop a pain management plan.

Ask for pain relief when pain first begins.

Tell your doctor or nurse if your pain is not relieved.

Tell your doctor or nuse about any worries you have about taking pain medications.