THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ABOUT CLIENTS MAY BE DISCLOSED AND HOW CLIENTS CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.
This Notice tells clients how we may use and disclose protected health information about them. Protected health information means any health information about clients that identifies them or for which there is a reasonable basis to believe the information can be used to identify clients. In the header above, that information is referred to as “medical information.” In this Notice, we simply call all of that protected health information, “health information.”
This Notice also tells clients about their rights and our duties with respect to health information about them. In addition, it will tell clients how to complain to us if they believe we have violated their privacy rights.
Who We Are
- All of our nurses, medical business associates and other health care professionals authorized to enter information about clients into their records
- All of our departments, including but not limited to, our Medical Records, Business Office, Nursing Department, Residential and Community Services, Mainstream Housing and Volunteer Services
- All of our New Avenues to Independence service sites
- All of our employees, staff, consultants, volunteers and other personnel who work for us or on our behalf
Our Pledge REGARDING CONFIDENTIAL HEALTH INFORMATION
- Make sure health information that identifies clients is kept private in accordance with relevant law
- Give clients this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to their personal health information
- Follow the terms of the Notice that is currently in effect for all of their personal health information
How We May Use and Disclose Clients Health Information
The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose health information. 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 of the categories.
For Treatment: We may use health information about clients to provide clients with healthcare treatment or services or to facilitate health treatment or services by other providers. We may disclose health information about clients to the doctors, nurses, technicians and others who are involved in their care. They may work at New Avenues or other healthcare provider to whom we may refer clients for treatment, consultation, lab tests, prescriptions or other healthcare service. They may also include doctors and other healthcare professionals who work at New Avenues, or elsewhere, whom we consult about their care. For example, New Avenues may disclose to an emergency room doctor who is treating clients for a sprained ankle that clients have diabetes, because diabetes may affect their body’s healing process. Likewise, we might disclose information about them prior to giving prescriptions to a pharmacist to determine if a pending prescription is contraindicative to prior prescriptions.