Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective: 05/01/2023
Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.
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.
Saba Plastic Surgery is required to protect the privacy of your health information that may identify you. This health information includes health care services that are provided to you, payment for those healthcare services, or other healthcare operations provided on your behalf.
This medical practice is required by law to inform you of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information through this “Notice of Privacy Practices”. This Notice describes the ways we may share your past, present, and future health information, ensuring that we use and/or disclose this information only as we have described in this Notice. We do, however, reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice, and to make the new notice provisions effective for all health information that we maintain. Any changes to this Notice will be posted in our office and here on our website. Copies of any revised notices will be available to you upon request.
Use and Disclosure of Health Information Without Authorization
Treatment
We will use and disclose your personal health information (PHI) to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party. For example, your PHI may be provided to a physician to whom you have been referred to ensure that the physician has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you. We will abide by the patient’s request not to disclose PHI to a health plan for services which the patient has paid out of pocket and requests the restriction.
Payment
Your PHI will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services. For example, obtaining approval for a hospital stay may require that your relevant PHI be disclosed to the health plan to obtain approval for the hospital admission.
Healthcare Operations
We may use or disclose, as needed, your PHI to support the business activities of your physician’s practice. These activities include, but not limited to, quality assessment, employee review, training of medical students, licensing, and conducting or arranging for other business activities. For example, we may disclose your PHI to medical school students that see patients at our office. In addition, we may use a sign-in sheet at the registration desk where you will be asked to sign your name and indicate your physician. We may also call you by name in the reception area when your physician is ready to see you. We may use or disclose your PHI, as necessary, to contact you for your appointment and inform you about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. We may use or disclose your PHI in the following situations without your authorization: as required by law, public health issues as required by law, communicable diseases, health oversight, immunizations to schools, abuse or neglect, food and drug administration requirements, legal proceedings, law enforcement, coroners, funeral directors, organ donation, research, criminal activity, military activity and national security, workers’ compensation, inmates, and other required uses and disclosures. Under the law, we must make disclosures to you upon your request.
Use and Disclosure of Health Information That Requires Your Authorization
Except as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices, this medical practice will not use or disclose health information which identifies you without your written authorization. The same authorization or restrictions that were used while you are alive will remain in place for up to 50 years after your death.
Without your authorization, we are expressly prohibited to use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes. We may not sell your PHI without your authorization. We may not use or disclose most psychotherapy notes contained in your PHI. We will not use or disclose any of your PHI that contains genetic information that will be used for underwriting purposes.
You may revoke the authorization, at any time, in writing, except to the extent that this medical practice or its providers and staff have taken an action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.
Your Rights
- You have the right to inspect and have a copy of your protected health information. Pursuant to your written request, you have the right to inspect or have a copy of your PHI, in paper or electronic format (fees may apply). The records will be provided within 30 days of request. Under federal law, however, you may not inspect or copy the following records: Psychotherapy notes, information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or used in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding, PHI restricted by law, information that is related to medical research in which you have agreed to participate, information whose disclosure may result in harm or injury to you or to another person, or information that was obtained under a promise of confidentiality.
- You have the right to request a restriction of your protected health information. You may ask us not to use or disclose any part of your PHI for the purposes of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You may also request that any part of your PHI not be disclosed to family members or friends who may be involved in your care or for notification purposes as described in this “Notice of Privacy Practices”. Your request must state the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply.
- You have the right to request to receive confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
- You have the right to request an amendment to your protected health information. You may ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. We may say “no” to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.
- You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures. You have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures, paper or electronic, except for disclosures: pursuant to an authorization, for purposes of treatment, payment, healthcare operations; required by law for up to six years prior to the date of the request.
- You have the right to receive notice of a breach. We will notify you if your unsecured PHI has been breached.
Communication between you and our team is an important part of good care. If you have any concerns or feedback about any aspect of your care, please contact our staff and/or the Medical Director, Dr. Saba Ghorab. Suggestions or comments you make are invaluable in helping us maintain high standards of care for your future needs and those of other patients.