Privacy Policy
(effective date July 1, 2007)
This important notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review this document carefully!
Understanding your health record
A record is made each time you visit a hospital, physician, or other health care provider. Your symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care are recorded. All of this health information is sometimes referred to as your health or medical record, and such content serves as a basis for planning your care and treatment. It also serves as a means of communication between any and all other health professionals who may contribute to your care. Understanding what information is retained in your record and how that information may be used will help you to ensure its accuracy, and to enable you to understand who, what, when, where, and why others may be allowed access to your health information. This effort is important to assist you in making informed decisions before authorizing the disclosure of your medical information to others.
Understanding your health information rights
Your health record is the physical property of the health care practitioner or facility that compiled it, but the content is about you and therefore belongs to you. You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your information, and to request amendments to your health record. Your rights include being able to review or obtain a copy of your health information, and to be given an account of all disclosures. You may also request communications of your health information to be made by alternative means or to alternative locations. Other than activity that has already occurred, you may revoke any further authorizations to use or disclose your health information.
Our responsibilities
We are required to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of our legal commitment and privacy practices with respect to the information we collect and maintain about you. We are also required to abide by the terms of this notice and to notify you if we are unable to grant your requested restrictions or reasonable desires to communicate your health information by alternative means or to alternative locations. We reserve the right to deny your requests to amend your health record if we reasonably believe the amendments to be false, illegal, or inappropriate. We also reserve the right to change our practices and effect new provisions that enhance the privacy standards of all patient medical information. Our current policy for privacy practices will always be available at our office. Other that for information described in this notice, the medical practice agrees not to use or disclose any of your health information without your authorization.
Your health information will be used for Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations.
Treatment: Information obtained by the staff and health practitioners in our office will be recorded in your medical record and used to determine the course of treatment that we expect to work best for you. Each practitioner will include his or her own findings, expectations and impressions, as well as those of others involved in providing health services to you. The sharing of your health information may likely extend to additional parties involved in your care, such as other physicians, medical or lab technicians, and other legitimate hospital, medical office and healthcare workers who are not members of our medical practice staff. For example, to facilitate your medical care, we may often have to share certain of your health information with designated pharmacies or with health insurance carriers or other outside parties who may require prior authorization of your medical care or treatment plan. We, or our designated agents or business associates, will also probably contact you at times for various purposes, such as reminding you or your household about your appointments.
Payment: Your health care information will be used in order to receive payment for services rendered by this medical practice. Bills for services may be sent to either you and /or a third-party payer with accompanying documentation that identifies you, your diagnoses, procedures performed and supplies used. We may also utilize certain business associates to assist us with billing, payments, processing, reporting and collection.
Health Care Operations: Our medical practice will use your health information to assess the care you received and the outcome of your case compared to others like it. Your information may e reviewed for risk management or quality improvement purposes in our continuous effort to improve the quality and effectiveness of the care and services we provide.
Understanding our medical practice policy for specific disclosures
Business Associates: Your health information may be subject to disclosure through contracts for services to assist our medical practice in providing health care. These independent parties with whom we contract are called business associates. To protect the privacy of your health information, we require our business associates to follow the same standards held by our practice through terms detailed in a written agreement.
Notifications and Communications with Family: Your health record may be used to notify or assist family members, personal representatives, or other persons responsible for your care to enhance your well-being or your whereabouts. Using best judgment, we may give information about your care and/or recovery to a family member or a close personal friend identified by you.
Coroner, Funeral Directors and Organ Procurement Organizations: Your health information may be disclosed consistent with laws governing coroner, medical examiner, or mortician services. Your health information may also be disclosed consistent with laws governing entities engaged in the procurement, banking, or transplantation of organs for the purpose of tissue donation or transplant.
Research and Marketing: Your information may disclosed to researchers upon official Institutional Review Board approval, and upon the assurance that established protocol has been obtained and followed to ensure your privacy. Our medical practice may also contact you with information about treatment alternatives and other health-related products or benefits that may be appropriate to you.
Worker's Compensation, Government and Public Health: We will release information to the extent authorized or required by law in matters of worker's compensation. We are required by law to disclose health information to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) related to any adverse effects of food, pharmaceuticals, supplements, products, and product defects for surveillance to enable product reporting, recalls, repairs, or replacements. We are also required by law to report any communicable diseases, injury, or disability, as well as to disclose health information to other legitimate governmental, public health, and / or legal authorities charged with tracking birth, death, health, and morbidity.
Correctional Facilities: Our offices will release medical information on incarcerated individuals to correctional agents or institutions for the necessary welfare of the individual or for the health and safety of other individuals. The rights outlined in this Notice of Privacy Practices will not be extended to incarcerated individuals.
Law Enforcement: Your health information will be disclosed for legitimate law enforcement purposes as required under law or in response to a valid subpoena. Provisions of federal and / or local law may also permit or direct the disclosure of your health information to appropriate health oversight agencies, public health authorities, or attorneys in the event that a staff member or business associate of our practice believes in good faith that there has been unlawful conduct or violations of professional or clinical standards that may endanger you, other patients, workers, or the general public.
Notice of Privacy Practices Availability
The terms described in this notice will be available and displayed where registration occurs in our office. All individuals receiving care will be provided with a copy, if so requested.
To receive additional information or report a problem: For problems or further explanations concerning this notice, you may contact the person responsible for supervising our privacy practices, know as the Privacy Officer. At this time, our Privacy Officer is Dr. Marcella Mwaisela, who may be reached by phone at 410-321-6055 or in writing at Towson Neurology Associates, 7401 Osler Drive, Suite 213, Towson, MD 21204. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services with no fear of retaliation.
Towson Neurology Associates
7401 Osler Drive
Suite 213
Towson, MD 21204
Tel: 410.321.6055
Fax: 410.321.6056
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