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Polk HealthCare Plan Rights and Privacy

Privacy Policy, Uses and Disclosures and Your Rights

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

Get an electronic or paper copy of a list of your medical services

  • We do not produce medical records and/or collect diagnoses. You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of a list of your medical services that were funded by the indigent health care sales surtax. 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 list of medical services

  • You can ask us to correct the list of medical services that you think is incorrect or incomplete.
  • We may deny your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.

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, or 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 have 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, and healthcare operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one accounting a 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 for you

  • 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 the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

  • You can file a complaint if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information in this handbook.
  • 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 retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

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
  • Sale of your information

Our Uses and 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

Your health information may be accessed within the shared data information system by other professionals using the system who are treating you.

Example: A doctor treating you for an injury accesses the share data information system to learn more about health services you received by other contracted providers who use the system.

Run our organization

We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.

Example: Contracted providers using the shared data information system may use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.

Reimburse for your services

We can use and share your health information to reimburse contracted providers for services rendered to you by the provider.

Example: We use health information your providers send us so we may properly reimburse the providers for their services.

How else can we use or share your health information? We are allowed or required to share your infor-mation in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more infor-mation 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

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.

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