HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Our responsibilities

LakeMed is required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information, provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, follow the notice currently in effect, and notify you following a breach of unsecured protected health information when required by law.

We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you authorize us in writing. You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.

How we may use and disclose your information

Treatment

We may use and share your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your care and to consult with other professionals involved in your treatment.

Payment

We may use and share information to bill and obtain payment from health plans or other responsible parties and to confirm coverage or benefits.

Healthcare operations

We may use and share information to operate our practice, improve care, train staff, conduct quality review, manage services, and perform other permitted healthcare operations.

People involved in your care

Unless you object or the law requires otherwise, we may share information relevant to your care or payment with a family member, friend, personal representative, or another person you identify. We may also use information to contact you about appointments, care, treatment alternatives, or health-related services.

Other uses and disclosures permitted by law

We may use or disclose health information without written authorization when permitted or required by law, including for:

• Public-health and safety activities, disease reporting, product recalls, or preventing a serious threat.
• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence as permitted or required.
• Health-oversight activities, audits, inspections, investigations, or licensing.
• Workers’ compensation and similar programs.
• Judicial or administrative proceedings and lawful law-enforcement requests.
• Coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, and organ or tissue donation.
• Research when the applicable legal protections and approvals are in place.
• Specialized government functions, including certain military, national-security, and correctional-institution activities.
• Other purposes required by federal or Tennessee law.

We may use business associates to perform services for us. They are required to safeguard protected health information as required by applicable law and their agreements with LakeMed.

Uses that generally require written authorization

Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, uses for marketing, and sales of protected health information require written authorization, subject to the exceptions allowed by law. Other uses not described in this notice will be made only with your authorization when one is required.

LakeMed may contact you about fundraising only as permitted by law. If we do, you may choose not to receive future fundraising communications.

Your rights

Receive a copy of your medical record

You may ask to inspect or receive an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we maintain about you. We will respond within the time required by law and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee when permitted.

Ask us to correct your record

You may ask us to correct information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. We may deny the request in certain circumstances, but we will explain the reason in writing.

Request confidential communications

You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at a different address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share

You may request restrictions on certain uses or disclosures. We are not required to agree to every request. If you pay for a service or item entirely out of pocket and ask us not to share it with a health plan for payment or healthcare operations, we will honor the request unless disclosure is required by law.

Receive an accounting of disclosures

You may request a list of certain disclosures of your health information made during the six years before your request. The list does not include every disclosure, such as most disclosures for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.

Receive a paper copy

You may request a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

Choose someone to act for you

If someone has legal authority to act for you, such as a healthcare power of attorney or legal guardian, that person may exercise your rights after we verify the authority.

Questions or complaints

You may contact LakeMed’s Privacy Officer if you have a question, want to exercise a right, or believe your privacy rights have been violated. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. LakeMed will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.