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.

Hamilton Cardiology Associates is committed to ensuring the rights of our patients to privacy. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information (PHI) to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your PHI. PHI includes all information concerning your physical or mental health, the healthcare treatment you receive and the payment for your healthcare treatment. PHI includes all individually identifiable health information including your identity, address, age, social security number, the reason you are being seen, the treatments and medications you receive, and your entire medical history. Hamilton Cardiology Associates will take the necessary steps to ensure that business associates receiving your PHI, such as billing companies also adhere to the privacy standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Hamilton Cardiology Associates is required to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI and to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We may change the terms of our Notice of Privacy Practices at any time. Any new Notice of Privacy Practices will be effective for all PHI that we maintain at that time. We will provide you with a copy of the revised Notice of Privacy Practices sending a copy to you in the mail upon request or providing one to you at your next appointment.

Hamilton Cardiology Associates will limit the disclosure of your PHI communication (1) to individuals or entities who need the information to provide treatment to you, such as the doctor who referred you to us as well as any doctor to whom we refer you to for additional care; (2) to individuals or entities who we must provide the information to obtain payment for healthcare services and (3) to individuals or entities engaged in healthcare operations as defined by HIPAA. Hamilton Cardiology Associates is permitted by HIPAA to release information without your authorization in a limited number of situations, including but not limited to, for the purposes of law enforcement activities, public health activities, compliance with workers’ compensation laws and court or administrative agency orders, and healthcare oversight activities. All such permitted disclosures will be made in accordance with New Jersey law. You may also authorize disclosure of your PHI for other reasons by executing a written authorization.

You have the right to review your medical records upon request. This review will be done with the attending physician or designee in order to assist your understanding of the records. You have the right to request a copy of or corrections to your medical records. These requests must be in writing. Hamilton Cardiology Associates may deny your request for correction of the record if the information to be corrected: (a) was not created by Hamilton Cardiology Associates (b) is not part of the medical information kept by or for Hamilton Cardiology Associates (c) is not part of the information you are permitted to inspect and copy, or (d) is accurate and complete. If one of our physicians determines that the disclosure of medical information to you will be detrimental to your physical or mental health, Hamilton Cardiology Associates may refuse to furnish all or part of the records to you. In this event, our physician will document the reason for the decision and, on your written request, Hamilton Cardiology Associates will provide the medical records to another physician designated by you for the purpose of a second opinion on whether you should receive the medical information.

You have the right to an accounting of disclosures Hamilton Cardiology Associates makes to third parties for reasons other than disclosure for treatment, payment and healthcare operations. You also have a right to request restrictions or limitations on the use or disclosure of your PHI. If you prefer a particular manner by which, or place at which, you want to receive your PHI, Hamilton Cardiology Associates will try to accommodate your request.

The Office Manager (or alternate assigned by Hamilton Cardiology Associates) serves as a Privacy Officer. If you have a complaint related to privacy or confidentiality, please request to speak with the Privacy Officer. You may also contact the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Hamilton Cardiology Associates will not penalize you in any way for filing a complaint.

Complaints to the Secretary of Health and Human Services should be directed to:

Region II, Office for Civil Rights
US Department of Health and Human Services
26 Federal Plaza – Suite 3312
New York, NY 10278

Voice: (212) 264-3313
Fax: (212) 264-3039
TDD: (212) 264-2355