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The office is permitted by federal privacy laws to make uses and disclosures of your health information
for purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations. Protected health information is that we
create/obtain in providing services to you. Such information may include documenting your symptoms,
exam/test results, diagnoses, treatment, and apply for future care or treatment. It also includes
billing documents for those services.
Examples of Use of Your Health Information for Treatment Purposes are:
- A nurse obtains treatment information about you and records it in a health record.
- During the course of your treatment, the physician determines he/she will need to
consult with another specialist in the area. He/she will share the informatoin with such
specialist and obntain his/her input..
- Appointment reminders to remind you of need for follow up appointments.
- Newsletters letting you know about services provided by us.
Examples of Uses of Your Health Information for Treatment Purposes: We submit requests
for payment to your health insurance company. The health insurance company (or other business associate
helping us obtain payment) requests information from us regarding medical care given. We will
provide information to them about you and the care given.
Example of Use of Your Information for Health Care Operations: We obtain services from our insurers or
other business associates such as quality assessment, quality improvement, outcome evaluation, protocol and
clinical guideline development, training programs, credentialing, medical review, legal services,
and insurance. We will share information about you with such insurers or other business associates as necessary
to obtain these services.
Your Health Information Rights
Health/billing records we maintain are the physical property of the office. The information in it, however,
belongs to you. You have a right to:
- Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of you health information by delivering the
request to our office - we are not required to grant the request, but we will comply with any request granted;
- Obtain a paper copy of the current Notice of Privacy Practices for Protected Health Information ("Notice")
by making a request at our office.
- Request that you be allowed to inspect and copy your health record and billing record - you may exercise this
right by delivering the request to our office
- Appeal a denial of access to your protected health information, except in certain circumstances
- Request that your health care record be amended to correct imcomplete or incorrect information by
delivering the request to our office. We may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
- Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created that information is no longer
available to make the amendment;
- Is not part of the health information kept by or for the office;
- Is not part of the information that you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or,
- Is accurate and complete.
If you request is denied, you will be informed of the reason for the denial and will have an opportunity to
submit a statement of disagreement to be maintained with your records;
- Request that communication of your health information be made by alternative means or at an alternative location by delivering the request in writing to our office.
- Obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information as required to be maintained by law by
delivering a request to our office. An accounting will not include uses and disclosures of information
for treatment, payment, or operations; disclosures or uses made to you or made at your request; uses or
disclosures made pursuant to an authorization signed by you; uses or disclosures made in a facility
directory or to family members or friends relevant to that person's involvement in your care or in payment
for such care; or, uses or disclosures to notify family or others responsible for your care of you location,
condition, or your death.
- Revoke authorizations that you made previously to use or disclose information by delivering a
written revocation to our office, except to the extent information or action has already been taken.
If you want to exercise any of the above rights, please contact Thomas H. Swinehart (303)744-7000,
950 East Harvard Avenue, Suite 630, Denver, CO 80210, in person or in writing, during regular
business hours. He will inform you of the steps that need to be taken to exercise your rights.
Our Responsibilities - The office is required to:
- Maintain the privacy of your health information as required by law;
- Provide you with a notice as to our duties and privacy practices as to the information
we collect and maintain about you;
- Abide by the terms of this Notice;
- Notify you if we cannot accommodate a requested restriction or request; and,
- Accommodate you reasonable requests regarding methods of communication health information
to you.
We reserve the right to amend, change, or elimination provisions in our privacy practices and access practices
and to enact new provisions regarding the protected health information we maintain. If our information
practices change, we will amend our Notice. You are entitled to receive a revised copy of the
Notice by calling and requesting a copy of our "Notice" or by visiting our office and picking up a copy.
To Request Information or File a Complaint
f you have questions, would like additional information, or want to report a problem regarding the handling
of your information, you may contact Thomas H. Swinehart, (303)744-700, 950 East Harvard Avenue, Suite 630,
Denver CO 80210.
Additionally, if you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint at our office
by delivering the written complaint to Thomas H. Swinehart. You may also file a complaint by mailing it or
e-mailing it to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, whose street address and e-mail address is:
Office for Civil rights - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - 200 Independance Avenue S.W. - Room
509F, HHH Building - Washington D.C. 20201.
- We cannot, and will not, require you to waive the right to file a complaint with the secretary of
Health and Human Services (HHS) as a condition of receiving treatment from the office.
- We cannot, and will not retaliate against you for filling a complaint with the secretary of Health
and Human Services.
Other Disclosures and Uses
Communcation with Family - Using our best judgment, we may disclose to a family member, other relative,
close personal friend, or any other person you identify, health information relevant to that person's involvement
in your care or in payment for such care if you do not object or in an emergency.
Notification - Unless you object, we may use or disclose you protected health information to notify,
or assist in notifying, a family member, personal representative, or other person responsible for your care,
about your location, and about your general condition, or your death.
Research - We may disclose information to researchers when their research has been approved be an
institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the
privacy of your protected health information.
Disaster Relief - We may use and disclose your protected health information to assist in disaster
relief efforts.
Orgain Procurement Organizations - Consistent with applicable law, we may disclose your protected
health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking,
or transplantation of organs for the purpose of tissue donation and transplant.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - We may disclose to the FDA you protected health information
relating to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, products and product defects, or post-marketing
surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacements.
Workers Compensation - If you are seeking compensation through Workers Compensation, we may disclose
your protected health information to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to Workers Compensation.
Public Health - As authorized by law, we may disclose your protected health information to public health
or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability; to report reactions
to medications or problems with products; to notify people of recalls; to notify a person who may have been
exposed to a disease or who is at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition.
Abuse and Neglect - We may disclose your protected health information to public authorities as allowed
by law to report abuse or neglect.
Employers - We may release health information about you to your employer if we provide health care
services to you at the request of your employer, and health care services are provided either to conduct an
evaluation relating to medical surveillance of the workplace or to evaluate whether you have a work-related
illness or injury. In such instances, we will give you wirtten notice of such release of information to your
employer. Any other disclosures to your employer will be made only if you execute a specific authorization
for release of that information to your employer.
Correctional Institutions - If you are an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the
institution or its agents the protected health information necessary for your health and the health and safety
of other individuals.
Law Enforcement - We may disclose your protected health information for law enforcement purposes as
required by law, such as when required by a court order, or in cases involving felony prosecution, or to
the extent an individual is in the custody of law enforcement.
Health Oversight - Federal law allows us to release your protected health information to appropriate
health oversight agencies or for health oversight activities.
Judicial/Administrative Proceedings - We may disclose you protected health information in the course
of any judicial or administrative proceeding as allowed or required by law, with your authorization, or as
directed by a proper court order.
Serious Threat - To avert a serious threat to health or safety, we may disclose your protected health
information consistent with applicable law to prevent or lessen a serious, imminent threat to the health or
safety of a person to the public.
For Specialized Governmental Functions - We may disclose your protected health information for specialized
government functions as authorized by law such as to Armed Forces personnel, for national security purposes,
or to public assistance programs personnel.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors - We may release health information to a coroner
or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the
cause of death. We may also release health inforamtion about patients to funeral directors as necessary
for them to carry out their duties.
Other Uses - Other uses and disclosurers, besides those identified in this Notice, we will be made
only as otherwise required by law or with your written authorization, and you may revoke the authorization
as previously provided in this Notice under "Your Health Information Rights."
Website - If we maintain a website that provides information about our entity, this Notice will be
on the website.
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