Notice of Islon Woolf MD privacy practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Understanding Your Health Record/Information

Each time you visit a hospital, physician, or other healthcare provider, a record of your visit is made. Typically, this record contains your symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care or treatment. This information, often referred to as your health 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.
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 nation.
A source of data 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, understand who, what, when, where and why others may access your health information, and make more information decisions when authorizing disclosure to others.

Your Health Information Rights

You have the following rights regarding your health information. To exercise any of these rights, please submit a written request to our office:

Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of the health information in your medical and billing records, generally within 30 days of your request.
Right to Request an Amendment: If you believe that your health information is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. We may deny your request, but we will notify you in writing of the reason for the denial and your right to submit a written statement of disagreement.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your health information, other than disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations, or those authorized by you.
Right to Request Restrictions: We must agree to a request to restrict disclosure of your health information to your health plan if the disclosure is for the purpose of carrying out payment or health care operations (and is not for treatment) and the health information pertains solely to a health care item or service for which you, or a person on your behalf, has paid for in full, out-of-pocket. For all other requests, we are not required to agree, but if we do agree, we will abide by that restriction unless the information is needed for emergency treatment.
Right to Request Confidential Communications: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location (e.g., only call your cell phone, or mail bills to a work address). We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this Notice, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.
Right to Be Notified of a Breach: We are required to notify you if we discover a breach of your unsecured health information.

Our Responsibilities

We have a longstanding commitment to protecting the privacy rights of our patients, and we are required by law to:

Maintain the privacy of your health information.
Provide you with this notice of 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 in the event we change our privacy practices and post a revised copy on this website.
Notify you in the event of a breach in the privacy of your health information.

Use of Your Health Information Without Authorization

The law permits us to use and disclose your health information for the following purposes without your written authorization:

Treatment. We can use and share your health information to provide, coordinate, and manage your health care and related services. Example: We may share your health information with another physician or specialist to whom we refer you for additional services, or to a pharmacy to fill your prescription.
Payment. We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment for the health care services we provide to you. Example: We may send claims to your health insurer or health plan to get payment for the services you received.
Health Care Operations. We can use and share your health information for activities necessary to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. Example: We may use your records to review the quality of care you received, or for business planning.

Other examples

We may also use your health information without your authorization in the following circumstances:

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment: We may share information with family members, relatives, or close personal friends who are involved in your care or payment for your care, unless you object.
Appointment Reminders/Treatment Alternatives: We may use and disclose health information to remind you of an appointment or to provide you with information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services.
Public Health Activities: We may disclose your health information to public health authorities authorized by law to prevent or control disease, injury, or disability, and to report vital statistics, such as births and deaths. This may include mandatory reporting of certain diseases/conditions like STDs, Cancer, or Tuberculosis as required by Florida law.
Health Oversight Activities: We may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for audits, investigations, inspections, and other legally authorized duties.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: We may disclose health information in response to a court order, or in response to a subpoena or discovery request, as required by law.
Law Enforcement: We may disclose health information for certain law enforcement purposes, such as to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, witness, or missing person, or to report crimes.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors: We may disclose health information to these individuals to carry out their duties, such as identifying a deceased person or determining the cause of death.
Organ and Tissue Donation: We may disclose health information to organizations that handle organ procurement or transplantation.
Research: We may use or disclose your health information for research that has been approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or a Privacy Board,
Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety: We may use or disclose health information when necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.
Specialized Government Functions: This includes military and veterans activities, national security and intelligence activities, and correctional institutions.
Workers’ Compensation: We may disclose health information as authorized and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers' compensation or other similar programs.
Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence: We are required by Florida law to report suspected child abuse, abandonment, or neglect, and may report suspected adult abuse or neglect.

When We Require Your Written Authorization

We must obtain your written authorization for most other uses and disclosures of your health information, including:

Marketing: Any use or disclosure of your health information for marketing purposes where we receive financial remuneration.
Sale of health information: The disclosure of your health information where we receive remuneration for doing so.
Psychotherapy Notes: Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, if applicable to our practice.
All other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. Your revocation will not apply to information that we have already used or disclosed in reliance on your authorization.

Question or Complaints

If you have questions and would like additional information, you may contact our office at 786-471-8955. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint.