Privacy Policy

WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE

We may use your medical information for treatment, payment, research, or fundraising purposes as described in this notice. All employees of Spine & Sports  Medicine of NY, PC (SSMNY) follow these privacy practices. The physicians on our medical staff will also follow this notice.

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ABOUT THIS NOTICE

This notice will tell you about the ways we may use and disclose your medical information. We will also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information. We are required by law to make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private; give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your medical information, and follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.

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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 use or disclosure category, we will explain what we mean and provide 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 or more of the categories.

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For Treatment
We may use your medical information to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other personnel who are involved in your care. We may also share your medical information to coordinate the services you need, such as prescriptions, lab work, and x-rays. We also may disclose medical information about you to people outside of SSMNY who may be involved in your medical care.

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For Payment
We may use and disclose medical information about you to bill for treatment and services you receive at SSMNY and to collect payment from you, an insurance company, or another party. For example, we may need to provide your health plan with information about a procedure you received at SSMNY so that the plan will pay us or reimburse you for it. We may also inform your health plan about a treatment you are scheduled to receive to obtain prior approval or determine whether your plan will cover it. We may also disclose information about you to other healthcare facilities for payment purposes, as permitted by law.

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For Healthcare Operations
We may use and disclose medical information about you for “operations” at SSMNY. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the medical practice and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use medical information to evaluate our staff's performance in caring for you. We may also combine medical information from many patients to determine which additional services the medical practice should offer, which services are unnecessary, and whether certain new treatments are effective. We may also combine the medical information we have with that from other medical practices to compare our performance and improve the care and services we offer. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, and other personnel for educational purposes. We may also disclose information about you to other healthcare facilities as permitted by law.

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Appointment Reminders
We may use and disclose medical information to contact you to remind you of an appointment for treatment or medical care.

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

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

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Fundraising Activities
We may contact you to raise money for fundraising activities. Unless you give us permission to use additional information, we will limit use of your information to contact information, such as your name, address, and telephone number, and the dates you received treatment or services at SSMNY. If you do not want to be contacted for fundraising, you may opt out by calling the medical practice at the telephone number listed on the last page.

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Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care

We may release medical information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care. We may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care. In addition, we may disclose medical information about you to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status, and location.

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Research

Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose medical information about you for research purposes. For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one medication to those who received another for the same condition. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of medical information, balancing research needs with patients’ need for privacy of their medical information. Before we use or disclose medical information for research, the project will be approved through this process. However, we may disclose medical information about you to people preparing to conduct a research project, for example, to help them look for patients with specific medical needs, so long as the medical information they review does not leave SSMNY. When required by law, we will ask for your specific written authorization if the researcher will have access to your name, address, or other information that reveals who you are or will be involved in your care at the medical practice.

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As Required By Law

We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.

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To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We may use and disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.

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SPECIAL SITUATIONS

New York State Law
Special privacy protections apply to HIV-related information, alcohol and substance abuse information, mental health information, and genetic information. Some parts of this general Notice of Privacy Practices may not apply to these types of information. If your treatment involves this information, you will be provided with an explanation of how it will be protected. For further information, please
contact SSMNY. This contact information is listed on the last page of this Notice.

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Organ and Tissue Donation
If you are an organ or tissue donor, we may release medical information about you to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye, or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank.

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Military and Veterans

If you are a member of the armed forces of the United States or another country, we may release medical information about you as required by military command authorities.

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Workers’ Compensation

We may release medical information about you for workers’ compensation or similar programs.

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Public Health Risks
We may disclose medical information about you to authorized public health or government officials for public health activities. These activities generally include the following:
• to a person subject to the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration.
(FDA) for purposes related to the quality, safety, or effectiveness of an
FDA-regulated product or service;
• to prevent or control disease, injury, or disability;
• to report disease or injury;
• to report births and deaths;
• to report child abuse or neglect;
• to report reactions to medications and food or problems with products;
• to notify people of recalls or replacements of products they may be using;
• to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
• to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

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Health Oversight Activities

We may disclose medical information about you to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure.

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Lawsuits and Disputes

If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose medical information about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose medical information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other legal demand by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

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Law Enforcement

We may release medical information about you if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:
• in response to a court order, subpoena. warrant, summons, or similar process;
• to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
• about the victim of a crime if, under certain circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person’s agreement;
• about a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
• about criminal conduct at SSMNY;
• in emergency circumstances to report a crime, the location of the crime or victims, or the identity, description, or location of the person who committed the crime; and to authorized federal officials so they may provide protection for the President and other authorized persons or conduct special investigations.

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Coroners

Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors. We may release medical information about you to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also release medical information to funeral directors to enable them to carry out their duties.

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National Security and Intelligence Activities

We may release medical information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.

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YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:

Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records.
This right does not include psychotherapy notes, information compiled for use in a legal proceeding, or certain information maintained by laboratories. In order to inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to SSMNY, listed on the last page of this Notice, for the location at which you were treated. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing, or other supplies associated with your request. We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain limited circumstances. If you are denied access to medical information, you may request in writing that the denial be reviewed. To request a review, contact SSMNY. This contact information is listed on the last page of this Notice. An administrator at the medical practice will conduct the review. We will comply with the outcome of the review.

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Right to Amend
If you think that the medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us· to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for SSMNY: To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to the medical practice listed on the last page of this Notice. In addition, you must provide a reason supporting your request. We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
• was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
• is not part of the medical information kept by or for SSMNY
• is not part of the information that you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
• is accurate and complete.
We will provide you with written notice of the action we take in response to your request for an amendment.

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Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request an “accounting of disclosures.” This is a list of certain disclosures we made of your medical information. We are not required to account for any disclosures you specifically requested or for disclosures related to treatment, payment, or healthcare operations or made pursuant to an authorization signed by you. To request an accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to SSMNY. This contact information is listed on the last page of this Notice. Your request must specify a time period of no more than 6 years. We will attempt to honor your request. If you request more than one accounting in any 12-month period, we may charge you for our reasonable costs of retrieval, list preparation, and mailing for the second and any subsequent requests. We will notify you of the costs involved, and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request before costs are incurred.

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Right to Request Restrictions.
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, such as a family member or friend. To request a restriction, you must contact SSMNY; this contact information is listed on the last page of this Notice. We are not required to agree to your request. If we agree to your request, we will comply unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency treatment.

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Right to Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a specific manner or at a specific location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail. To request confidential communications, you must submit a written request to SSMNY. This contact information is listed at the bottom of this notice. We will not ask you the reason for your request. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted. We will attempt to accommodate reasonable requests.

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Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice at your first treatment encounter at SSMNY. You may get an additional copy of this Notice at any time by contacting the medical practice. This contact information is listed on the last page of this notice.

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CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We reserve the right to change this Notice. We reserve the right to make the revised Notice effective for medical information about you that we already have, as well as any information we receive in the future. The Notice will contain the effective date of the aforementioned changes. The Notice will be available for your review each time you register for outpatient treatment or healthcare services. Any revisions to our Notice will also be posted on our website.

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COMPLAINTS

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with SSMNY or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with SSMNY, please call or write to the medical practice; this contact information is listed on the last page of this Notice. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

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OTHER USES OF MEDICAL INFORMATION

Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this Notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written authorization. If you provide us authorization to use or disclose medical information about you, you may revoke that authorization, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. However, we may continue to use or disclose that information to the extent we have relied on your authorization. You also understand that we are unable to revoke any disclosures we have already made with your authorization, and that we are required to retain our records of the care we provided to you.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION OR FURTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:
Spine & Sports Medicine of NY, PC
820 2nd Avenue, Suite 6D
New York. N.Y. 10017
(212) 682-6970 (Tel)
(212) 682-6979 (Fax)
Email: info@ssmny.com

If you were treated at a different location, you should contact that location for additional information.