HIPAA DisclosureNOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
SOTERIA IMAGING SERVICES FACILITY
As a provider of diagnostic medical imaging services, this facility is subject to and directly covered by provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It is required by law to maintain the privacy of its referred patients’ protected health information and to provide those patients descriptions of its legal duties and privacy practices regarding that health information.
This facility may use patient information to provide, coordinate, and participate in healthcare services and treatment management. We may disclose patient information to other doctors, nurses, technicians, or others involved in the care of patients referred to us for diagnostic imaging. We may also provide a subsequent healthcare provider with copies of various reports that assist in treating those patients. We may use and disclose information about treatment and services to bill for services and receive payment directly from patients or from insurance companies or third party payer. We may disclose information about patients to support business activities including, but not limited to, quality assessment, employee reviews, licensing, marketing, legal advice, accounting, and for arranging or conducting other business activities. We may call patients by name in the waiting room when personnel are ready to conduct imaging examinations. We may use protected healthcare information as necessary to contact patients to remind them of appointments by telephone or reminder postal card.
This facility is provided certain services by business associates. Examples include quality assurance, accounting, and legal, billing and collecting. When these services are contracted, we may disclose patients’ health information to that business associate so that they may do their job and receive payment from the patient or third party payer. To protect the patients’ health information, however, we require the business associate to appropriately safeguard the patients’ information through a written contract.
There are certain other permitted and required uses and disclosures of patient health information that may be made without the patients’ authorization and without their being given the opportunity to object. Those uses may be required by law, required by law enforcement and legal proceedings, or by specific requirements of this state or other states.
This facility recognizes that health records are the physical property of the facility that compiled them but that patients have right to inspect and have copies made of those records by making requests in writing. We may deny patient requests to inspect and copy records in very limited circumstances. If denied, patients may request the denial be reviewed by a person other than the person denying the request. This facility will comply with the review outcome. While we provide diagnostic images free of charge to physicians involved in patient care, we will provide patients image copies for $120 per set for their own use. Patients may ask us to amend records they feel are not accurate or incomplete by submitting requests in writing (for as long the facility keeps the information). If we deny the amendment request, patients will be notified in writing of the denial.
Patients may request in writing an accounting of disclosures we make of medical information except for certain circumstances including disclosures for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or where the patient specifically authorized disclosure. Patients also have a right to request restriction or limitation on disclosure of medical information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, or to those involved in patients’ care such as family members or friends. Those requests should be made in writing and this facility is not required to agree to those requests. If it does agree, the facility will comply unless the information is needed to provide a patient with emergency treatment.
Patients have a right to confidential communications, requesting in writing we communicate with them in certain ways or at certain addresses. This facility complies with those requests as long as it is reasonable to do so.
Patients have the right to complain if they believe their privacy rights have been violated. They also have the right to assume this facility will require vendors, service technicians, and other service people to sign written pledges guaranteeing confidentiality of any patient records they may come across while performing their services or duties. Patients and physicians referring patients have a right to assume we will take reasonable efforts to maintain records confidentiality and security under the guidelines and specific requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
The Privacy Officer for Soteria Imaging Services is Eric Schockling. You may reach the Privacy Officer at (502) 893-7145. In the event your question or complaint is not answered to your satisfaction, please contact the telephone number and address below.
SOTERIA Imaging Services
9200 Leesgate Road Suite 101
Louisville, KY 40222
Tel (502) 899-5995
Fax (502) 403-1535