Carolina Urology Partners, PLLC

Notice of Privacy Practices

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.

Effective Date: November 8, 2010

Revised: September 23, 2013

We are committed to protect the privacy of your personal health information (PHI).

This Notice of Privacy Practices (Notice) describes how we may use within our practice or network and disclose (share outside of our practice or network) your PHI to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations. We may also share your information for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. This Notice also describes your rights to access and control your PHI.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI. We will follow the terms outlined in this Notice.

We may change our Notice, at any time. Any changes will apply to all PHI. Upon your request, we will provide you with any revised Notice by:

  • Posting the new Notice in our office.
  • If requested, making copies of the new Notice available in our office or by mail.
  • Posting the revised Notice on our website under Patient Resources.

Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

We may use or disclose (share) your PHI to provide health care treatment for you.

Your PHI may be used and disclosed by your physician, our office staff and others outside of our office that are involved in your care and treatment for the purpose of providing health care services to you.

EXAMPLE: Your PHI may be provided to a physician to whom you have been referred for evaluation to ensure that the physician has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you. We may also share your PHI from time-to-time 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.

We may also share your PHI with people outside of our practice that may provide medical care for you such as home health agencies.

We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for services.
We may provide your PHI to others in order to bill or collect payment
for services. There may be services for which we share information
with your health plan to determine if the service will be paid for.

PHI may be shared with the following:

  • Billing companies
  • Insurance companies, health plans
  • Government agencies in order to assist with qualification of benefits
  • Collection agencies

EXAMPLE: You are seen at our practice for a procedure. We will need to provide a listing of services such as x-rays to your insurance company so that we can get paid for the procedure. We may at times contact your health care plan to receive approval PRIOR to performing certain procedures to ensure the services will be paid for. This will require sharing of your PHI.

We may use or disclose, as-needed, your PHI in order to support the business activities of this practice which are called healthcare operations.

Example

  • Training students, other health care providers, or ancillary staff such as billing personnel to help them learn or improve their skills.
  • Quality improvement processes which look at delivery of health care and for improvement in processes which will provide safer, more effective care for you.
  • Use of information to assist in resolving problems or complaints within the practice.