THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN OBTAIN ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.  PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.  You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice; you may request a copy at any time.  

Gates Hospitalists, LLC is required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information, to provide individuals with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information, and to notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured protected health information.    

HOW GATES HOSPITALISTS, LLC MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

Gates Hospitalists, LLC may use and disclose your health information for the following purposes without your express consent or authorization.  

Treatment.  We may use your health information to provide you with medical treatment.  We may disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other personnel involved in your care.  We also may disclose information to other persons or organizations involved in your treatment, such as other health care providers, family members, and friends.  

We may use and disclose health information to discuss with you treatment options or health-related benefits or services or to provide you with promotional gifts of nominal value.  We may use and disclose your health information to remind you of upcoming appointments.  Unless you direct us otherwise, we may leave messages on your telephone answering machine identifying Gates Hospitalists, LLC and asking for you to return our call.  We will not disclose any health information to any person other than you except to leave a message for you to return the call.

Payment.  We may use and disclose your health information as necessary to collect payment for services we provide to you.  We also may provide information to other health care providers to assist them in obtaining payment for services they provide to you.   

Health Care Operations.  We may use and disclose your health information for our internal operations.  These uses and disclosures are necessary for our day-to-day operations and to make sure patients receive quality care.  We may disclose health information about you to another health care provider or health plan with which you also have had a relationship for purposes of that provider’s or plan’s internal operations.

Business Associates.  Gates Hospitalists, LLC provides some services through contracts or arrangements with business associates.  We require our business associates to appropriately safeguard your information.  

Creation of De-Identified Health Information.  We may use your health information to create de-identified health information.  This means that all data items that would help identify you are removed or modified.

Uses and Disclosures Required By Law.  We will use and/or disclose your information when required by law to do so.

Disclosures for Public Health Activities.  We may disclose your health information to a government agency authorized (a) to collect data for the purpose of preventing or control disease, injury, or disability; or (b) to receive reports of child abuse or neglect. We also may disclose such information to a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease if permitted by law.

Excellence in Hospital Patient Care

Notice of Privacy Practices

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING ELECTRONIC DATA SHARING AND HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE

We participate in the Kansas City Metropolitan Physician Association (“KCMPA”), an organized health care arrangement.  KCMPA members engage in electronic data sharing for purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations.  Through KCMPA, we also participate in the electronic exchange of health information (“HIE”) with other health care providers and health plans through an approved health information organization.  Unless you direct otherwise, your electronic health records will be accessible for electronic data sharing and HIE to properly authorized users for purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations only.  

If you want to restrict disclosure of your records for electronic data sharing and HIE, you must submit a request for restriction through Gates Hospitalists, LLC Privacy Officer.

Even if you restrict disclosure, your information still will be available through the exchange by a properly authorized individual as necessary to report specific information to a government agency as required by law (for example, reporting of certain communicable diseases or suspected incidents of abuse).  

 For your protection, each request for restrictions is subject to verification procedures.  Please allow sufficient time for your request to be processed.  Your failure to provide all information required for verification may result in additional delay or denial of your request.Content copyright 2015. GATESHOSPITALISTS.COM. All rights reserved.