Effective April 14, 2003
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) requires that we provide you with this notice of our privacy practices and legal duties, as well as your rights, regarding any of your protected health information (PHI) that we maintain. Pure Recovery California must follow the privacy practices that are described in this notice, and also comply with any stricter federal or state laws that may apply. Pure Recovery California reserves the right to change our privacy policies and to amend this notice from time to time.
Use and Disclosure of Your Protected Health Information (PHI)
The following is a summary of when Pure Recovery California may, as permitted by law, use or disclose your PHI without your authorization:
- For Payment Purposes — activities to make payments to and/or collect payments (including premiums) from you or third parties and to determine or maintain coverage, including providing information about your coverage or treatment to other health care entities to coordinate payment of benefits, as well as activities related to pre-authorization for certain dental services.
- For Treatment Purposes — such as forwarding copies of records submitted to Pure Recovery California by other providers to specialists or other general providers who will be providing care and/or second opinions about care.
- For Health Care Administration Purposes — activities essential to Pure Recovery California functions as a licensed Health Care Service Facility, including quality assessment and improvement activities, accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities, customer service activities such as answering enrollee inquiries and resolving grievances, activities designed to improve health care and/or reduce health care costs, and underwriting and premium rating activities.
- To Provide Information on Health-Related Benefits and Alternatives — we may provide you with information on health-related products or services, or recommend treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.
- Business Associates — where services are provided to Pure Recovery California through contracts with third-party Business Associates, and these services involve the use or disclosure of PHI, Pure Recovery California will have a written contract that requires the Business Associate to maintain the same privacy standards as those maintained by Pure Recovery California and its employees.
- To Parents or Guardians of a Minor, Court-Appointed Guardian of an Adult, Spouse or other close relative or personal representative — Pure Recovery California may disclose health information relevant to that person’s involvement in your health care or payment.
- To an Employer — for purposes of administering benefits if your benefit program is sponsored by your employer, or if health care services were provided with specific prior written request and expense of the employer.
- Other Purposes— public health activities, health oversight by government agencies, Worker’s Compensation purposes, disaster relief, averting a serious threat to health or safety, victims of abuse or neglect, decedents to coroners and funeral directors, approved research, organ donation, FDA reporting, military and veterans, national security, inmates, judicial and administrative purposes (including the defense of legal actions), response to a court order, subpoena, or search warrant, summary information no longer traceable to you, and as otherwise required by law.
Authorized Disclosures
Pure Recovery California will not disclose your personal health information without your prior written authorization, if such disclosure is not permitted by law. If you give us authorization to use your PHI, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time. A revocation of authorization will only affect uses and disclosures made after the revocation is received.
Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
- Right to inspect and copy — Subject to certain limitations you have the right to inspect and copy PHI that Pure Recovery California possesses. The request must be made in writing, and a reasonable fee may be charged for locating and copying the information. Pure Recovery California will act on your request within thirty (30) days of receipt.
- Right to request a restriction — You may ask that Pure Recovery California limit how your PHI is used and disclosed. Pure Recovery California is not required to agree to your request, but if we do the limitations will be put in writing and Pure Recovery California will abide by them except in emergency situations.
- Right to amend your PHI — If you believe that health records that Pure Recovery California created are inaccurate or incomplete, you may file a written request for amendment. In certain circumstances Pure Recovery California may deny a request to amend; if denied you have the right to file a statement of disagreement.
- Right to confidential or alternative communications — You may request in writing that Pure Recovery California communicate with you by reasonable alternative means or at an alternative address, if communications about your PHI to your home address could endanger you.
- Right to an accounting— You have the right to receive an accounting of Pure Recovery California’s disclosures of your PHI except for disclosures made for treatment, payment, or health care operations, or when such accounting is restricted by law.
- Right to a paper copy of this notice — You have a right to request a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have previously gotten this notice electronically (by e-mail or from our website).
Complaints
If you feel your privacy rights have been violated you may file a written complaint with our Chief Compliance Officer, Christa Carmona, at ccarmona@purerecoverycal.com or by calling 800-714-0340.