Notice of Privacy Practices

notice-of-privacy-practices

Your Information | Your Rights | Our Responsibilities

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.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

Get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record
Request a correction of your paper or electronic medical record
Request confidential communication
Ask us to limit the information we share
Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information
Get a copy of this privacy notice
Choose someone to act on your behalf
File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated

More about Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have rights.

This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record	You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this. We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
Ask us to correct your medical record	You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this. We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days. If you disagree with our decision, you may submit a rebuttal.
Request confidential communications	You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address. We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.
Ask us to limit what we use or share	You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care. If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.
Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information	You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why. We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting each year for free, but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
Get a copy of this privacy notice	You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.
Choose someone to act on your behalf	If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will make sure this person has the authority to act on your behalf before we comply.
File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated	If you have any questions or are concerned that we may have violated your rights, please contact our Privacy Officer, Jennifer Awa, at 15455 N.W. Greenbrier Parkway, Suite 112, Beaverton, OR 97006 or 503-466-1668. You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/. We will not take any action against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

You have choices in the way that we use and share information as we:

Tell family and friends about your condition
Provide disaster relief
Provide mental health care
Market our services

More about Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share.

If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
Share information in a disaster relief situation

If you are not able to tell us your preference (for example, if you are unconscious), we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

Marketing purposes
Most sharing of behavioral health notes outside of Metropolitan Pediatrics

Our Uses & Disclosures

We may use and share your information as we:

Treat you
Run our organization
Bill for your services
Help with public health and safety issues
Do research
Comply with the law
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests

More about Our Uses & Disclosures

How do we typically use or share your health information?

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

Treat you	We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.	Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.
Run our organization	We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.	Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services within our group.
Bill for your services	We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.	Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.

For more information, see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.

Help with public health and safety issues	We can share health information about you for certain situations, such as: Preventing disease Helping with product recalls Reporting adverse reactions to medications Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
Do research	We can use or share your information for health research.
Comply with the law	We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests	We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director	We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions	We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests	We can use or share health information about you: For workers’ compensation claims For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services

Our Responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

For more information, see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.

Changes to the Terms of this Notice

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website.

This notice is effective as of September 23, 2013, and applies to all Metropolitan Pediatrics, LLC locations.

Patient Services & Support

Weekend Care

We offer quality pediatric care every day of the week! Weekend appointments are available for both check-ups and sick/injury visits. Well visits are scheduled with your primary care provider.

Weekend hours vary by location.

Support for Breastfeeding Success

Every mom and baby deserves a happy, successful breastfeeding experience!

Our trained lactation nurse will work one-on-one with you to address any breastfeeding concerns, including latching difficulties, painful nursing, low milk production, and more!

Lactation appointments are available at our Northwest Office.

Pediatric Sports Medicine

Growing, developing bodies experience injuries differently than mature adult bodies.

When your child suffers a sports-related injury, you want someone who understands these differences and knows how to address the unique needs of your young athlete. That's why we have a Pediatric Sports Medicine Specialist on our Westside team, Dr. Sara Murdick!

More Pediatric Services