Privacy Policy

It is the policy of Cardiovascular Medicine, PLLC (CVM) that all personnel must preserve the integrity and the confidentiality of medical and other sensitive information pertaining to our patients. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that CVM and is officers, employees, and agents have the necessary medical and other information to provide the highest quality medical care possible while protecting the confidentiality of that information to the highest degree possible so that patients do not fear to provide information to CVM and its officers, employees, and agents for purposes of treatment. To that end, CVM and it officers, employees, and agents will-

Collect and use individual medical information only for providing medical services and for supporting the delivery, payment, integrity, and quality of services. CVM and its officers, employees, and agents will not use or supply individual medical information for non-health care uses, such as direct marketing, employment, or credit evaluation purposes other than as authorized by the Health and Human Services Privacy Regulations (HHS) (privacy regulations)

Collect and use individual medical information only-

• To provide proper diagnosis and treatment
• With the individual’s knowledge and consent/authorization
• To receive reimbursement for services provided.
• For research and similar purposes designed to improve the quality and to reduce the cost of health care.
• As a basis for required report of health information.

Recognize that medical information collected about patients must be accurate, timely, complete, and available when needed. CVM and its officers, employees, and agents will-

• Use their best efforts to ensure the accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of data and to ensure that authorized personnel can access it when needed.
• Complete and authenticate medical records in accordance with the law, medical ethics, and accreditation standards.
• Maintain medical records for the retention periods required by law and professional standards.
• Not alter or destroy an entry in a record, but rather designate it as an error while leaving the original entry intact and create and maintain a new entry showing the correct data.
• Implement reasonable, cost-effective measures to protect the integrity of all data maintained about patients.
• Recognize that patients have a right of privacy. CVM and its officers, employees, and agents will respect patients’ individual dignity at all times.   CVM and its officers, employees, and agents will respect patients’ privacy to the extent consistent with providing the highest quality medical care possible and with the efficient administration of the practice.

Act as responsible information stewards, treat all individual medical record data, and related financial, demographic, and lifestyle information as sensitive and confidential. Consequently, CVM and its officers, employees and agents will:

• Treat all individual medical record data (“protected health information”)

As confidential in accordance with the HHS privacy regulations, other legal requirements, professional ethics, and accreditation standards.

• Only use or disclose the minimum necessary health information to

Accomplish the particular task for which the information is used or disclosed.

• Not divulge medical record data unless the patient (or his or her authorized

representative) has properly consented to the release or the release is otherwise authorized by the privacy regulations and/or other law, such as

Communicable disease reporting, child abuse reporting, and the like.

• When releasing medical record data, take appropriate steps to prevent unauthorized redisclosures, such as specifying that the recipient may not further disclose the information without patient consent or as authorized by law.
• Implement reasonable, cost-effective measures to protect the confidentiality of medical and other information maintained about patients.
• Remove patient identifiers when appropriate, such as in statistical reporting and in medical research studies.
• Not disclose financial or other patient information except as necessary for billing or other authorized purposes as authorized by the privacy regulations, other laws, and professional standards.
• Recognize that some medical information s particularly sensitive, such as HIV/AIDS information, mental health and developmental disability information, alcohol and drugs abuse information, and other information of such information could severely harm patients, such as by causing loss of employment opportunities and insurance coverage, as well as the pain of social stigma. Consequently, CVM and its officers, employees, and agents will treat such information with additional confidentiality protections as required by law, professional ethics, and accreditation requirements.
• Recognize that although CVM “owns” the medical record, the patients has a right of access to information contained in the record.

Cardiovascular Medicine, PLLC and its officers, employees, and agent’s will-

Provide patients a Notice of Information Practices that details their rights, our duties, and how we will use and disclose their protected health information in accordance with the requirements of the privacy regulations.

O     Permit patients to access and copy their protected health information in accordance with the requirements of the privacy regulations.

O     Provide patients an opportunity to request correction of inaccurate data in their records in accordance with the requirements of the privacy regulations.

          O     Provide patients an accounting of uses and disclosures other than those for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations and those the patients consented to or authorized in accordance with the requirements of the privacy regulations.

          O   Permit patients to request restriction on the use and disclosure of their protected health information and to request alternate forms of communications in accordance with the requirement of the privacy regulations.

All officers, agents and employees of CVM must, adhere to this policy. Cardiovascular Medicine, PLLC. will not tolerate violations of this policy. Violations of this policy is grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment and criminal or professional sanctions in accordance with medical information sanction policy.