Privacy Policy

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Introduction

At St. Jude’s Recovery Center, Inc. we are committed to treating and using protected health information about you responsibly. This Notice of Health Information Practices describes the personal information we collect from you, and how and when we use or disclose that information. It also describes your rights as they relate to your protected health information. This Notice is effective 4-14-03, and applies to all protected health information as defined by federal regulations.

Understanding Your Health Record/Information

Each time you contact St. Jude’s Recovery Center, Inc., a record of your contact is made. Typically, this record contains your symptoms, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care. It also contains a description of the equipment or supplies we provide for you. This information is often referred to as your health or medical record and serves as a:

•       Basis for planning your care and treatment,
•       Means of communication among the many health professionals who contribute to your care,
•       Legal document describing the care you received,
•       Means by which you or a third-party payer can verify that services billed were actually provided,
•       A tool with which we can assess and continually work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve.

Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used helps you to: ensure its accuracy, better understand who, what, when, where, and why others may access your health information, and make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others.

Your Health Information Rights

Your health record is the physical property of St. Jude’s Recovery Center, Inc. but the information it contains belongs to you. You have the right to:

•       Obtain a paper copy of this notice of information practices upon request,
•       Inspect and copy your health record as provided for in 45 CFR 164.524,
•       Request amendment to your health record as provided in 45 CFR 164.528,
•       Obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information as provided in 45 CFR 164.528,
•       Request communications of your health information by alternative means or at alternative locations,
•       Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information as provided by 45 CFR 164.522, and
•       Revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken.

Our Responsibilities

St. Jude’s Recovery Center, Inc. is required to:

•       Maintain the privacy of your health information,
•       Provide you with this notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you,
•       Abide by the terms of this notice,
•       Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction, and
•        Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations.

We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain. Should our information practices change, we will mail a revised notice to the address you’ve supplied us.
We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice. We will also discontinue to use or disclose your health information after we have received a written revocation of the authorization according to the procedures included in the authorization.

For More Information or to Report a Problem

If have questions and would like additional information, you may contact the Privacy Officer at 404-874-2224.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with the Privacy Officer, or with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint with either the Privacy Officer or the Office for Civil Rights. The address for the OCR is listed below:

Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201