Effective Date:  April 14, 2003 updated March 2021 THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY! The following notice describes the information privacy practices of Big Horn Hospital Association including: • Any health care professional authorized to enter information into your medical record • All departments and services of the hospital • Any member of a volunteer group we allow to help you while you are in the hospital, including ambulance • All employees, medical staff and other hospital personnel, including students All of these entities, sites and locations may share medical information with each other when necessary for the purpose of treatment, payment or hospital operations as described in this notice. OUR PLEDGE TO YOU: We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal and we are committed to protecting privacy while providing quality care. This Notice of Information Privacy Practices applies to all of the records of your care generated by Big Horn Hospital Association. Your personal doctor may have different polices or notices regarding the doctor’s use and disclosure of your medical information created in the doctor’s office or clinic. This organization is required by law to: • Maintain the privacy of your health information • Provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you. • Abide by the terms of this notice • Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction • Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations Understanding Your Health Record/Information Each time you visit a hospital, doctor, or other healthcare provider, a record of your visit is made. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. Typically, this record contains your symptoms, examination and test results, diagnosis, treatment, and plan for future care or treatment. This information, often referred to as your health record or medical record, serves as a: • Basis for planning your care and treatment • Means of communication among the many health professionals who contribute to your care • Legal document describing the care you received • Means by which you or a third-party payer can verify that services billed were actually provided • A tool in educating health professionals • A source of data for medical research • A source of information for public health officials charged with improving the health of the nation2 • A source of data for facility planning and marketing • A tool with which we can assess and continually work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used helps you to: • Ensure its accuracy • Better understand who, what, when, where and why others may access your health information • Make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosure of health information to others Your Health Information Rights Although your health record is the physical property of the healthcare provider or facility that compiled it, the information belongs to you. You have the right to: • Amend your health record if you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete. • Request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we use or disclosed about you for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide emergency treatment. • Obtain a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices upon request. • Inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes. • Obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information. This is a list of the disclosures we make of medical information about you. • Request communications of your health information by alternative means or alternative locations. For More Information or to Report a Problem If you have questions and/or would like additional information regarding any rights included in this Notice of Information Privacy Practices, you may contact the Big Horn Hospital Privacy Officer at 406-665-2310. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Big Horn Hospital Associations Privacy Officer by calling 406-665-2310, or writing to: Big Horn Hospital Association, Attention Privacy Officer, 17 North Miles, Hardin, MT 59034. You may also contact the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services at telephone number 1-877-696- 6775 (toll-free), or email hhsmail@os.dhhs.gov. There will be not retaliation for filing a complaint. How We May Use and Disclose Medical Information about You The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information. Not every use or disclosure in a category can be listed, however, examples are provided to explain some of the categories. All of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories. • For Treatment: Information obtained by a nurse, doctor or other member or your healthcare team will be recorded in your record and used to determine the course of treatment that should work best for you. Your 3 provider will document, in your record, his or her expectations of the members of your healthcare team. Members of your healthcare team will then record the action they took and their observations. In that way, the provider will know how you are responding to treatment. For example: A provider treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. In addition, the doctor may need to tell the dietitian if you have diabetes so that we can arrange for appropriate meals. We also may disclose medical … Continue reading Notice of Information Privacy Practices