Lyons Primary Care Group is obligated to maintain the confidentiality of your PHI and follow specific rules when using or disclosing this information. This notice outlines your rights to access and control your PHI. It also explains how we comply with relevant regulations when using or disclosing your PHI for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and other lawful purposes.

Your Rights Under The Privacy Rule

Here's a statement of your rights under the Privacy Rule for your PHI. Feel free to ask our staff if you have any questions.

You have the right to receive a copy of this Privacy Practices Notice, which we are required to provide. We are legally obligated to follow this notice. We have the right to change the terms, which will apply to all PHI we have. You can get a copy of the current notice by calling our office or requesting it during your next appointment. The notice will also be posted in a visible location in the practice and, if available, on the practice’s website.

You have the right to authorize other use and disclosure. We will only use or share your PHI as described in this Notice, unless you give written authorization for other uses or disclosures. For instance, written authorization is required for marketing purposes, most psychotherapy notes uses or disclosures, or selling your PHI. You can revoke an authorization in writing, except if your healthcare provider or our practice has already relied on it.

You have the right to request an alternative means of confidential communication. You have the right to request alternative methods of contact (e.g., email, fax, telephone) for medical matters. Simply inform us in writing, using a form provided, of your preferred contact details. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI. You can request to inspect or obtain a copy of your health record, or ask us to disclose your PHI to a third party. If your record is electronic, you can also request an electronic copy. We may charge a reasonable fee for copies as per federal guidelines. We will provide access to your records within 30 days of your request, unless an extension is needed. In such cases, we will notify you of the reason for the delay and the expected fulfillment date.

You have the right to request a restriction of your PHI. You can request in writing that we don't use or disclose your protected health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. If we agree, we'll comply, except in emergencies. We may deny your request in some cases. You also have the right to request communication restrictions with your health plan for a fully paid treatment or service. We can't deny this specific type of request.

You can request changes to your health information. You can request to amend your PHI as long as we have the information. We may deny your request in certain cases.

You have the right to request a disclosure accountability. You can ask for a listing of disclosures we made of your PHI to entities or persons outside our practice, except for those made upon your request, or for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We won't charge a fee for the first accounting in a 12-month period.

You have the right to receive a privacy breach notice. We'll notify you in writing if we discover a breach of your unsecured PHI and determine that notification is necessary based on a risk assessment.

Using and Sharing Protected Health Information

Here are examples of uses and disclosures of your protected health information that we can make. These examples are not exhaustive but describe possible types of uses and disclosures.

Treatment – We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and related services. This includes coordinating your healthcare with a third party involved in your care, such as a pharmacy filling your prescriptions. We will also disclose PHI to other Healthcare Providers involved in your care.

Payment – Your PHI will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your healthcare services. This may include activities by your health insurance plan to determine eligibility or coverage.

Healthcare Operations – We may use or disclose your PHI to support the business activities of our practice. This includes business planning, quality assessment, medical review, legal services, auditing, and patient safety activities.

Special Notices – We may use or disclose your PHI to remind you of your appointment, provide test results, recommend treatment alternatives, or inform you about health-related benefits and services. You can opt out of receiving fundraising communications. Opt-out instructions will be included in each fundraising notice.

Health Information Organization - The practice may use a health information organization or similar entity to facilitate electronic information exchange for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.

To Others Involved in Your Healthcare - Unless you object, we may disclose your PHI to a family member, relative, close friend, or person you identify, if it directly relates to their involvement in your healthcare. If you cannot agree or object to such disclosure, we may disclose necessary information if it is in your best interest based on our professional judgment. We may use or disclose PHI to notify a family member, personal representative, or person responsible for your care about your general condition or death. If you are not present or able to agree or object to the use or disclosure of PHI (e.g., in a disaster relief situation), your healthcare provider may determine, using professional judgment, whether the disclosure is in your best interest. In this case, only necessary PHI will be disclosed.

We can use or disclose your PHI without your authorization or opportunity to object for the following purposes: as required by state or federal law; for public health activities and safety issues (e.g., product recall); for health oversight activities; in cases of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence; to avert serious threats to health or safety; for research purposes; in response to court orders and subpoenas that meet requirements; to coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors; to address organ and tissue donation requests; for worker's compensation, law enforcement, and certain government requests; for specialized government functions (e.g., military, national security, etc.); with respect to group health plans, to disclose information to the health plan sponsor for plan administration; and if requested by the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate our compliance with the Privacy Rule.

Privacy Complaints

You have the right to complain to us, or directly to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights have been violated by us. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

You may ask questions about your privacy rights, file a complaint, or submit a written request (for access, restriction, or amendment of your PHI or to obtain a disclosure accountability) by notifying our Privacy Manager at: 205-774-0309.