Þ      Adhere to the standards set forth in the Notice of Privacy Practices.

Þ      Collect, use and disclose PHI only in conformance with state and federal laws      

and current patient covenants and/or authorizations, as appropriate.  Our practice and its audiologists and staff will not use or disclose PHI for uses outside of practice’s TPO, such as marketing, employment, life insurance application, etc. without an authorization from the patient.

Þ      Use and disclose PHI to remind patients of their appointments unless they instruct us not to.

Þ      Recognize that PHI collected about patients must be accurate, timely, complete, and available when needed.  Our practice and its audiologists and staff will

·   Implement reasonable measures to protect the integrity of all PHI 

     maintained about patients. 

Þ      Recognize that patients have a right to privacy.  Our practice and its audiologists

and staff respect the patient’s individual dignity at all times.  Our practice and its

audiologists and staff will respect patient’s privacy to the extent consistent with

providing the highest quality hearing health care possible and with the efficient

administration of the facility. 

Þ      Act as responsible information stewards and treat all PHI as sensitive and

confidential.  Consequently, our practice and its audiologists and staff will:

           ·   Treat all PHI data as confidential in accordance with professional  

                  ethics, accreditation standards, and legal requirements.

·   Not disclose PHI data unless the patient ( or his or her authorized repre-

                sentative) has properly authorized the release or the release is otherwise

                authorized by law. 

Þ    Recognize that, although our practice “owns” the medical record, the patient has  

      a right to inspect and obtain a copy of his/her PHI.  In addition, patients have a    

      right to request an amendment to his/her medical record if he/she believes his/her  

      information is inaccurate or incomplete.  Our practice and its audiologists and  

      staff will:

                  ·   Permit patients access to their medical records when their written

                       requests are approved by our practice.  If we deny their request, then

                       we must inform the patients that they may request a review of our

                       denial.  In such cases, we will have an on-site healthcare professional

                       review of the patients’ appeals.

                  ·  Provide patients an opportunity to request the correction of inaccurate      

                     or incomplete PHI in their medical records in accordance with the law        

                     and professional standards.

Þ    All audiologists and staff of our practice will maintain a list of certain disclosures of PHI for purposes other than TPO for each patient and those made pursuant to an authorization as required by HIPAA rules.  We will provide this list to patients upon request, so long as their requests are in writing.

Þ    All audiologists and staff of our practice will adhere to any restrictions concerning the use or disclosure of PHI that patients have requested and have been approved by our practice.

Þ    All audiologists and staff of our practice must adhere to this policy.  Our practice will not tolerate violations of this policy.  Violation of this policy is grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment and criminal or professional sanctions in accordance with our practice’s personnel rules and regulations.

Þ    Our practice may change this privacy policy in the future.  Any changes will be effective upon the release of a revised privacy policy and will be made available to patients upon request.

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