Privacy/HIPAA

Oral and Facial Surgery Associates, Inc.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

OUR LEGAL DUTY: We are required by applicable federal and state law to maintain the privacy of your health information. We are also required to give you this Notice about your privacy practices, out legal duties and your rights concerning your health information. We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this Notice while it is in effect. This Notice takes effect (04/14/03) and will remain in effect until we replace it.

We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time, provided such changes are applicable by law. We reserve the right to make changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our Notice effective for all health information that we maintain, including information we created or received before we made the changes. Before we make a significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this Notice and make the new Notice available upon request.

You may request a copy of our Notice at any time. For more information about our privacy practices, or for additional copies of this Notice, Please contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice.

Treatment: We may use or disclose your health information to a physician or other health care provider providing treatment to you.

Payment: We may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for services we provide to you.

Health Care Operations: We may disclose your health information in connection with our health care operations. Health care operations include quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualification of health care professionals, evaluating practitioner and provider performance, conducting training programs, accreditation, certification, licensing or credential activities.

Your Authorization: In addition to our use of your health information for treatment, payment or health care operations you may give us written authorization to use your health information or to disclose it to anyone for any purpose.  If you give us an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time.  Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosures permitted by your authorization while it was in effect.  Unless you give us a written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health information for any reason except those described in this Notice.

To Your Family and Friends:  We must disclose your health information to you, as described in the Patient Rights section of this Notice.  We may disclose your health information to a family member, friend or other person to the extent necessary to help with your health care or with payment for your health care, but only if you agree that we do so.

Persons Involved in Care:  We may use or disclose health information to notify, or assist in the notification of (including identifying or locating) a family member, your personal representative or other person responsible for your care, or your location, your general condition or death.  If you are present, then prior to use or disclosure of your health information, we will provide you with and opportunity to object to such uses or disclosures.  In the event of your incapacity or emergency circumstances, we will disclose health information based on a determination using our professional judgment and our experience with common practice to make reasonable inferences of your best interest in allowing a person to pick up filled prescriptions, medical supplies, x-rays, or other similar forms of health information.

Marketing Health Related Services:  We will not use your health information for marketing communications without your written authorization.

Required by Law:  We may use or disclose your information when we are required to do so by law.

Abuse or Neglect:  We may disclose your health information to appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence or the possible victim of other crimes. We may disclose your health information to the extent necessary to avert a serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of others.

National Security:  We may disclose to military authorities the health information Armed Forces personnel under certain circumstances.  We may disclose to authorized federal officials health information required for lawful intelligence, counter intelligence and other national security activities.  We may disclose to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials having lawful custody of protected health information of inmate or patient under certain circumstances.

Appointment Reminders:  We may use or disclose your health information to provide you with appointment reminders (such as voice mail messages, postcards or letters.)

Access:  You have the right to look at or get copies of your health information, with limited exceptions.  You may request that we provide copies in a format other than photocopies.  We will use the format you request unless we cannot practically do so.  You must make a request in writing to obtain access to your health information.  You may obtain a form to request access by using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice.  We will charge you a reasonable cost-based fee for expenses such as copies and staff time.  You may also request access by sending us a letter to the address at the end of this Notice.  If you request copies you will be charged the following: an initial fee of $15 to compensate for the records search, $1 per page for the first 10 pages of paper record, 50 cents per page for pages 11-50 and 20 cents per page for pages 51 and higher.  X-ray duplication will be charged $5 per duplication.  If you request an alternative format, we will charge a cost-based fee for providing your health information in that format.  If you prefer, we will prepare a summary or an explanation of your health information for a fee.  Contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice for a full explanation of our fee structure.

Disclosure Accounting:  You have the right to receive a list of instances in which we or our business associates disclosed your health information for purposes, other than treatment, payment, health care operations and certain other activities, for the last 6 years, but not before April 14, 2003.  If you this accounting more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for responding to these additional requests.

Restriction:  You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your health information.  We are not required to agree to these additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement (except in an emergency).

Alternative Communication:  You have the right to request that we amend your health information.  (Your request must be in writing and it must explain whey the information should be amended.) We may deny your request under certain circumstances.

Electronic Notice:  If you receive this Notice on our Web Site or by electronic mail (e-mail), you are entitled to receive this Notice in written form.

If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your health information or in response to a request you made to amend or restrict the use or disclosure of your health information or to have us communicate with your by alternative means or at alternative locations, you may complain to us using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice.  You also may submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  We will provide you with the address to file your complaint upon request.  We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services.

Contact Officer: Business Manager
10506 Montgomery Road · Suite 203 · Cincinnati, OH 45242
Tel.: 513-791-0550  · Fax: 513-791-1517