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Notice Of Privacy Practices

At Ephraim McDowell Health we care about your privacy. 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.

OUR PLEDGE REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
We understand that health information about you and your health is personal, and we are committed to protecting this information. We create a record of the care and services you receive at Ephraim McDowell Health. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by Ephraim McDowell Health, whether made by Ephraim McDowell Health personnel or your personal doctor. Your personal doctor may have different policies or notices regarding the doctor's use and disclosure of your medical information created in the doctor's office.

Our Responsibilities:
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and provide you a description of our privacy practices. We will abide by the terms of this notice.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain in this document what we mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

A. For Treatment We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, health students, or other Ephraim McDowell Health personnel who are involved in taking care of you. For example, a doctor treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. In addition, the doctor may need to tell the dietitian if you have diabetes so that we can arrange for appropriate meals. Different departments of Ephraim McDowell Health also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need, such as prescriptions, lab work and x-rays. We also may disclose medical information about you to people outside Ephraim McDowell Health who may be involved in your medical care after you leave here, such as family members, clergy or others who provide services that are part of your care. In addition, we may disclose your protected health information to another physician or health care provider (e.g., a specialist or laboratory) who, at the request of your physician, becomes involved in your care by providing assistance with your health care diagnosis or treatment to your physician.

B. For Payment We may use and disclose medical information about you to bill and collect payment from you, an insurance company, or a third party for the treatment and services you receive at Ephraim McDowell Health. For example, we may need to disclose information to your health plan about surgery performed at Ephraim McDowell Health so we may receive payment from your health plan or you may be reimbursed for the surgery. We may also tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.

C. For Health Care Operations We may use and disclose medical information about you for our operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run Ephraim McDowell Health and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use medical information to review our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We may also combine medical information about many Ephraim McDowell Health patients to decide what additional services Ephraim McDowell Health should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments are effective. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, students, and other Ephraim McDowell Health personnel for review and learning purposes. We may also combine the medical information we have with medical information from other hospitals to compare how we are doing and see where we can make improvements in the care and services we offer. We may remove information that identifies you from this set of medical information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without identifying the specific patients. We will share your protected health information with third party "business associates" that perform various activities (e.g., billing, transcription services) for us. Whenever an arrangement between our office and a business associate involves the use or disclosure of your protected health information, we will have a written contract that contains terms that will protect the privacy of your protected health information. We may use or disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to provide you with information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. We may also use and disclose your protected health information for other marketing activities. For example, your name and address may be used to send you a newsletter about our practice and the services we offer. We may also send you information about products or services that we believe may be beneficial to you. Other uses and disclosures of your protected health information will be made only with your written authorization, unless otherwise permitted or required by law as described below.

D. Appointment Reminders We may use and disclose medical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care within a facility of the Ephraim McDowell Health system.

E. Treatment Alternatives We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you. 

F. Health-Related Benefits and Services We may disclose medical information to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.

G. Organized Health Care Arrangement. Ephraim McDowell Health and its medical staff have organized and are presenting you this document as a joint notice. Information will be shared as necessary to carry out treatment, payment and healthcare operations. Physicians and caregivers may have access to medical information about you in their offices to assist in reviewing past treatment as it may affect treatment at the time.

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