THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH
INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS
TO THIS INFORMATION.
PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
THE PRIVACY OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT TO US
OUR LEGAL DUTY
We are required by applicable federal and state law to maintain the
privacy of your health information. We are also required to give you this
Notice about our privacy practices, our legal duties, and your rights
concerning your health information. We must follow the privacy practices
that are described in this Notice while it is in effect. This Notice takes
effect 04/01/03, and will remain in effect until we replace it.
We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this
Notice at any time, provided such changes are permitted by applicable law.
We reserve the right to make the changes in our privacy practices and the
new terms of our Notice effective for all health information that we
maintain, including health information we created or received before we
made the changes. Before we make a significant change in our privacy
practices, we will change this Notice and make the new Notice available
upon request.
You may request a copy of our Notice at any time. For more information
about our privacy practices, or for additional copies of this Notice,
please contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice.
USES AND DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION
We use and disclose health information
about you for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. For example:
Treatment: We may use or disclose your health information to a
physician or other healthcare provider providing treatment to you.
Payment: We may use and disclose your health information to obtain
payment for services we provide to you.
Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose your health
information in connection with our healthcare operations. Healthcare
operations include quality assessment and improvement activities,
reviewing the competence or qualifications of healthcare professionals,
evaluating practitioner and provider performance, conducting training
programs, accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing
activities.
Your Authorization: In addition to our use of your health
information for treatment, payment or healthcare operations, you may give
us written authorization to use your health information or to disclose it
to anyone for any purpose. If you give us an authorization, you may revoke
it in writing at any time. Your revocation will not affect any use or
disclosures permitted by your authorization while it was in effect. Unless
you give us a written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health
information for any reason except those described in this Notice.
To Your Family and Friends: We must disclose your health
information to you, as described in the Patient Rights section of this
Notice. We may disclose your health information to a family member, friend
or other person to the extent necessary to help with your healthcare or
with payment for your healthcare, but only if you agree that we may do so.
Persons Involved In Care: We may use or disclose health information
to notify, or assist in the notification of (including identifying or
locating) a family member, your personal representative or another person
responsible for your care, of your location, your general condition, or
death. If you are present, then prior to use or disclosure of your health
information, we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such
uses or disclosures. In the event of your incapacity or emergency
circumstances, we will disclose health information based on a
determination using our professional judgment disclosing only health
information that is directly relevant to the person's involvement in your
healthcare. We will also use our professional judgment and our experience
with common practice to make reasonable inferences of your best interest
in allowing a person to pick up filled prescriptions, medical supplies,
x-rays, or other similar forms of health information.
Marketing Health-Related Services: We will not use your health
information for marketing communications without your written
authorization.
Required by Law: We may use or disclose your health information
when we are required to do so by law.
Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your health information to
appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that you are a possible
victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence or the possible victim of
other crimes. We may disclose your health information to the extent
necessary to avert a serious threat to your health or safety or the health
or safety of others.
National Security: We may disclose to military authorities the
health information of Armed Forces personnel under certain circumstances.
We may disclose to authorized federal officials health information
required for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national
security activities. We may disclose to correctional institution or law
enforcement official having lawful custody of protected health information
of inmate or patient under certain circumstances.
Appointment Reminders: We may use or disclose your health
information to provide you with appointment reminders (such as voicemail
messages, postcards, or letters).
PATIENT RIGHTS
Access: You have the right to
look at or get copies of your health information, with limited exceptions.
You may request that we provide copies in a format other than photocopies.
We will use the format you request unless we cannot practicably do so.
(You must make a request in writing to obtain access to your health
information. You may obtain a form to request access by using the contact
information listed at the end of this Notice. We will charge you a
reasonable cost-based fee for expenses such as copies and staff time. You
may also request access by sending us a letter to the address at the end
of this Notice. If you request copies, we will charge you $0.15 for each
page, $ 20 per hour for staff time to locate and copy your health
information, and postage if you want the copies mailed to you. If you
request an alternative format, we will charge a cost-based fee for
providing your health information in that format. If you prefer, we will
prepare a summary or an explanation of your health information for a fee.
Contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice for a
full explanation of our fee structure.)
Disclosure Accounting: You have the right to receive a list of
instances in which we or our business associates disclosed your health
information for purposes, other than treatment, payment, healthcare
operations and certain other activities, for the last 6 years, but not
before April 14, 2003. If you request this accounting more than once in a
12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for
responding to these additional requests.
Restriction: You have the right to request that we place additional
restrictions on our use or disclosure of your health information. We are
not required to agree to these additional restrictions, but if we do, we
will abide by our agreement (except in an emergency).
Alternative Communication: You have the right to request that we
communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or
to alternative locations. {You must make your request in writing.} Your
request must specify the alternative means or location, and provide
satisfactory explanation how payments will be handled under the
alternative means or location you request.
Amendment: You have the right to request that we amend your health
information. (Your request must be in writing, and it must explain why the
information should be amended.) We may deny your request under certain
circumstances.
Electronic Notice: If you receive this Notice on our Web site or by
electronic mail (e-mail), you are entitled to receive this Notice in
written form.
QUESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS
If you want more information about our privacy
practices or have questions or concerns, please contact us.
If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you
disagree with a decision we made about access to your health information
or in response to a request you made to amend or restrict the use or
disclosure of your health information or to have us communicate with you
by alternative means or at alternative locations, you may complain to us
using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice. You also
may submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. We will provide you with the address to file your complaint with
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon request.
We support your right to the privacy of your health information. We will
not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Contact Officer: Douglas Knox
Telephone: 719-630-7727 Fax: 719-630-7739
E-mail: DCKNOX@ROBISONDENTAL.COM
Address: 3235 TEMPLETON GAP ROAD, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80907
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