Orthopaedic Specialists of Conneticut

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Privacy

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information; to provide you this detailed Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices relating to your health information; and to abide by the terms of this notice that are currently in effect.

OUR WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY

Orthopaedic Specialists of Connecticut is committed to safeguarding your privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for www.ctorthopaedic.com.

This site maintains security measures intended to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. We will not obtain personally identifying information about you when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide such information to us.

Protecting your information is a priority. We utilize SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to ensure safe, secure transactions. With SSL, information sent via the Internet is encrypted, and can be trusted to arrive privately and unaltered. We believe this element provides the most effective way to ensure that your information is protected. Information you provide through our online prescription refill request form will be transmitted to a secure server using the latest Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology.

PRIVACY POLICY

USES AND DISCLOSURES FOR TREATMENT, PAYMENT AND HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS

The following lists various ways in which we may use or disclose your health information for purposes of treatment, payment and health care operations without your written permission.

FOR TREATMENT:
We will use your health information in providing you with treatment and services. We may disclose your health information to the prescribing practitioner, another pharmacist or another prescribing practitioner presently treating you when medically appropriate. We may also disclose information to a licensed nurse acting for a prescribing practitioner who is presently treating you, or to a nurse ho is providing care to you in a hospital. For example, our Pharmacy associates will use your health information to dispense prescription medications to you in accordance with your physician's orders. We may contact your physician to discuss your prescription and possible drug interactions.
FOR PAYMENT:
We may use and disclose your health information for billing and payment purposes. We may disclose your health information to an insurance or managed care company, Medicare, Medicaid, or another third party payer. For example, we may contact your health plan to confirm your coverage for certain prescription medications or the amount of your co-payment.
FOR HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS:
We may use and disclose your health information as necessary for health care operations, such as management, personnel evaluation, education and training and to monitor our quality of care. For example, health information of pharmacy customers may be combined and analyzed for purposes such as evaluating and improving quality of care and planning for services.

SPECIFIC USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

The following lists various ways in which we may use or disclose your health information.

INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN YOUR CARE OR PAYMENT FOR YOUR CARE:
Unless you object, we may disclose health information about you to a family member, close personal friend or other person you identify, including clergy, who is involved in your care. For example, we will exercise professional judgment in allowing other persons to pick up prescriptions in your behalf.
EMERGENCIES:
We may use or disclose your health information as necessary in emergency treatment situations.
AS REQUIRED BY LAW:
We may use or disclose your health information when required by law to do so.
PRESCRIPTION REMINDERS:
We may use or disclose health information to remind you that your prescriptions are ready to be picked up at the pharmacy or that it is time to refill your prescriptions.
TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES AND HEALTH-RELATED BENEFITS AND SERVICES:
We may use or disclose your health information to inform you about treatment alternatives and health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
BUSINESS ASSOCIATES:
We may disclose your protected health information to a contractor or business associate that needs the information to perform services for us. Our business associates are committed to keeping this information confidential.
PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIVITIES:
We may disclose your health information for public health activities. These activities may include, for example, reporting to a public health authority for preventing or controlling disease, injury, disability, reporting child abuse or neglect or reporting births and deaths.
REPORTING VICTIMS OF ABUSE, NEGLECT OR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:
If we believe you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence, we may use and disclose your health information to notify a government authority, if authorized or if you agree to the report.
HEALTH OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES:
We may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections and licensure actions or for activities involving government oversight of the health care system.
JUDICIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS:
We may disclose your health information in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose information in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process; efforts must be made to contact you about the request or to obtain an order or agreement protecting the information.
LAW ENFORCEMENT:
We may disclose your health information for certain law enforcement purposes, including, for example to comply with reporting requirements; to comply with a court order, warrant or similar legal process; or to answer certain requests for information concerning crimes.
RESEARCH:
We may use or disclose your health information for research purposes if the privacy aspects have been reviewed and approved, if the researcher is collecting information in preparing a research proposal, if the research occurs after your death, or if you authorize the use or disclosure.
CORONERS, MEDICAL EXAMINERS, FUNERAL DIRECTORS, ORGAN PROCUREMENT ORGANIZATIONS:
We may release your health information to a coroner, medical examiner, funeral director, or if you are an organ donor, to an organization involved in the donation of organs and tissues.
TO AVERT A SERIOUS THREAT TO HEALTH AND SAFETY:
When necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health, or the health or the safety of the public or another person, we may disclose health information, limiting disclosures to someone able to help lessen or prevent the threatened harm.
MILITARY, VETERANS OR OTHER SPECIFIC GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS:
If you are a member of the armed force, we may use and disclose your health information as required by military command authorities. We may disclose health information for national security purposes or as needed to protect the President of the United States or certain other officials or to conduct certain special investigations.
WORKER'S COMPENSATION:
We may use or disclose your health information to comply with laws relating to worker's compensation or similar programs.
INMATES/LAW INFORCEMENT CUSTODY:
If you are under the custody of a law enforcement official or a correctional institution, we may disclose your health information to the institution of official for certain purposes including the health and safety of you and others.
DISASTER RELIEF:
Unless you object, we may disclose health information about you to a disaster relief organization.

USES AND DISCLOSURES WITH YOUR AUTHORIZATION

We are required to obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your health information for purposes other than those above, unless otherwise permitted by law. In addition, Connecticut law governing the confidentiality of pharmacy records may require us to obtain your authorization prior to disclosing your pharmacy record in some cases. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. If you revoke an authorization, we will stop using or disclosing your health information for the purposes covered by that authorization, except where we have already relied on the authorization.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

Listed below are your rights regarding your health information. Each of these rights is subject to certain requirements and exceptions. You should direct your requests concerning these rights to the Manager of Danbury Pharmacy. We will supply you with the appropriate form to complete. You have the right to:

REQUEST RESTRICTIONS:
You have the right to request restrictions on our use or disclosure of your health information for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request restrictions on the health information we disclose about you to a family member, friend or other person who is involved in your care or the payment of your care. We are not required to agree to your requested restriction on the USE of your health information, however, we must abide by your request to restrict DISCLOSURES as required by Connecticut law governing the confidentiality of pharmacy records. If we do agree to accept your requested restriction, we will comply with your request except as needed to provide you emergency treatment.
ACCESS TO PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION:
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your clinical or billing records or other written information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Your request must be made in writing. In most cases we may charge a reasonable fee for our costs and copying and mailing your requested information. If you are denied access to health information, in some cases you have a right to request review of the denial.
REQUEST AMMENDMENT:
You have the right to request amendment of your health information maintained by us for as long as the information is kept by or for us. Your request must be made in writing and must state the reason for the requested amendment. We may deny your request for amendment if (a) the information was not created by us, unless the originator of the information is no longer available to act on your request; (b) is not part of the health information maintained by or for us; (c) is not part of the information to which you have a right of access; or (d) is already accurate and complete, as determined by us. If we deny your request for amendment, we will give you a written denial including the reasons for the denial and the right to submit a written statement disagreeing with the denial.
REQUEST AN ACCOUNTING OF DISCLOSURES:
You have the right to request an "accounting" of certain disclosures of your health information. This is a listing of disclosures made by us or by others on our behalf, but does not include disclosures for treatment, payment or health care operations, disclosure made pursuant to your Authorization, and certain other exceptions. To request an accounting of disclosures, you must submit a request in writing, stating a time period beginning after April 13th, 2003 that is within six years from the date of your request. The first accounting provided within a 12 month period is free; for further requests, we may charge you our costs.
REQUEST A PAPER COPY OF THIS NOTICE:
You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this notice, even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically. You may request a copy of this notice at any time.
REQUEST CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS:
You have the right to request that we communicate with you concerning your health matters in a certain manner, such as calling you at work rather than at home concerning prescription reminders or to notify you that your prescription is ready. We will accommodate your reasonable requests.

SPECIAL RULES REGARDING DISCLOSURE OF PSYCHIATRIC, SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND HIV-RELATED INFORMATION

For disclosures involving health information relating to care for psychiatric conditions, substance abuse or HIV-related testing and treatment, special restrictions may apply. In general, health information relating to care for psychiatric conditions, substance abuse and HIV-related treatment may not be disclosed without your permission or a court order. There are some exceptions, including the following:

PSYCHIATRIC INFORMATION:
If needed for your diagnosis or treatment in a mental health program, psychiatric information may be disclosed. Certain limited information may be disclosed for payment purposes.
HIV-related INFORMATION:
HIV-related information may be disclosed for purposes of treatment or payment.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT:
If you are treated in a specialized substance abuse program, your written permission will be needed for most disclosures, not including emergencies.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO FILE A COMPLAINT

If you have any questions about this notice or would like further information about our privacy practices, please contact our office (203) 775-6205 and speak with our practice administrator. If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint in writing with us or with the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with us, you may contact our practice administrator at (203) 775-6205. We will not retaliate against you if you file a complaint.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We reserve the right to change this notice and to make revised or new notice provisions effective for all health information already received and maintained by us, as well as for all health information we receive in the future. We will provide a copy of this revised notice upon request.

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