NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICE
This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can obtain access to this information. Please review it carefully.
State and federal laws require Spokane Falls Recovery Center to maintain the privacy of your health information and to inform you about privacy practices by providing you with this notice. Spokane Falls Recovery Center must follow the privacy practices as described below. This notice will remain in effect until it is amended or revised by Spokane Falls Recovery Center.
Spokane Falls Recovery Center will keep your health information confidential, using it only for the following purposes:
- Treatment: Spokane Falls Recovery Center may use your health information to provide you with professional services. Spokane Falls Recovery Center has an established infrastructure that limits employee access to your health information according to their primary job functions. Every employee or affiliated service provider is required to sign a confidentiality agreement.
- Disclosure: Spokane Falls Recovery Center may disclose your health information with other health care professionals who provide treatment and/or service to you. These professionals will have a privacy and confidentiality policy like this one. Health information about you may also be disclosed to your family, friends, and/or other persons you choose to involve in your care, only if you agree and sign a release of authorization form that is specific to the nature of the information being disclosed.
- Payment: Spokane Falls Recovery Center will use and disclose your protected health information to obtain payment for services provided to you. Spokane Falls Recovery Center may share information with your insurance company or other businesses that may become involved in the process of mailing statements and/or collecting unpaid balances.
- Healthcare or Business Operations: Spokane Falls Recovery Center may use or disclose your protected health information, in regard to the care provided to you, for the purpose of education and training, legal requirements, and accounting or payment matters. Spokane Falls Recovery Center may share information with other entities that provide assistance in your care and whom agree to follow all state and federal regulations regarding confidentiality.
- Required by Law: The law provides that Spokane Falls Recovery Center may use or disclose your protected health information in certain situations, including:
- In an emergency or for disaster relief purposes, such as to notify family about your whereabouts and condition;
- To report abuse or neglect (See Informed Consent form for detailed information regarding Spokane Falls Recovery Center’s duty to disclose abuse or neglect);
- To persons authorized by law to act on your behalf, such as a guardian, health care power of attorney or surrogate;
- Where required by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to determine our compliance;
- To assist law enforcement in the event of a possible crime on the premises. Spokane Falls Recovery Center may also share your information to prevent or lessen a serious or imminent threat to you or another person.
- When requested by national security, intelligence, and other state and federal officials and/or if you are an inmate or otherwise under the custody of law enforcement.
- By order of a court, subpoena or applicable legal discovery request.
- Marketing Health-Related Services: Spokane Falls Recovery Center will not use your health information for marketing purposes unless you have provided written authorization to do so.
- Appointment Reminders: Spokane Falls Recovery Center may use or disclose your health information to provide you with appointment reminders, including, but not limited to, voicemail messages, postcards, or letters.
Other uses and disclosures will be made only with your written authorization. If you sign an authorization, you may revoke it at any time, except to the extent that we have already shared your information based upon your permission.
Your Privacy Rights with respect to your protected health information as an individual enrolled in care with Spokane Falls Recovery Center:
- You have the right to inspect and copy your protected health information. This usually includes medical and/or billing records. You must submit a request to Spokane Falls Recovery Center in writing and agree to be responsible for a fee before a copy will be provided. Copies, if requested, will be $0.25 per page. It will take a maximum of 10 business days from the date of the written request and receipt of fee to fulfill any records request. If Spokane Falls Recovery Center is unable to provide you with the records in the format you request, Spokane Falls Recovery Center will provide records in a form that works for you and our office. You may also ask us to transmit your record to a specific person or entity via email if, a) you provide the email address in writing and, b) sign a statement that you fully understand that email comes with inherent risks that we cannot prevent and for which Spokane Falls Recovery Center is not responsible. Under certain circumstances, your provider may not allow you to see certain parts of your record. You may ask that this decision be reviewed by another licensed professional.
- You have the right to ask Spokane Falls Recovery Center to contact you in a manner and/or place that you believe will keep your information private, for example, to contact you at a different address or telephone number.
- You have the right to request a restriction of your protected health information. This means you may ask us not to use or disclose all or part of your protected health information for the purpose of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. Spokane Falls Recovery Center will consider your request carefully and may honor reasonable requests where possible. Spokane Falls Recovery Center is not required to honor all requests. You may also ask that any part of your protected health information not be disclosed to family members or friends who may be involved in your care or for notification purposes as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. Your request must identify the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply.
- You have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures in which Spokane Falls Recovery Center has made of your protected health information. This essentially means you may receive a listing of certain uses or disclosures made for other than treatment, payment or business operations, and which you have not received or authorized, such as where Spokane Falls Recovery Center was required to share information for a public health purpose.
- You may ask Spokane Falls Recovery Center to amend your record. While Spokane Falls Recovery Center employees cannot erase your record, a written statement can be added to your protected health information to correct or clarify the record. Your provider may submit a response to the new correction, which will be provided to you.
Breach Notification. If there is a breach in your health information, Spokane Falls Recovery Center will notify you, government officials, and others, as the law requires.
Questions and Complaints:
You have the right to file a complaint with Spokane Falls Recovery Center if you feel there has been a violation of Privacy Practices. Your complaint should be directed to Spokane Falls Recovery Center Administrator. If you feel there has been a violation of your privacy rights, or if you disagree with a decision made regarding your access to your health information, you can direct this to the Administrator as well. Spokane Falls Recovery Center supports your right to the privacy of your information and will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with the facility or with the Washington State Department of Health. Contact information can be found below.