YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION PRIVACY RIGHTS
You have privacy rights under federal and state laws that protect your health information. These rights are important for you to know. You can exercise these rights, ask questions about them, and file a complaint if you think that your rights are being denied or your health information isn’t being protected. CRC must comply with your rights as follows:
To Request Restrictions on Certain Uses and Disclosures of PHI. You have the right to request restrictions on our use or disclosure of your PHI by sending a written request to the Privacy Office. We are not required to agree to those restrictions. We cannot agree to restrictions on uses or disclosures that are legally required, or which are necessary to administer our business. We must agree to the request to restrict disclosure of PHI to a health plan if the disclosure is for the purpose of carrying out payment or health care operations and is not otherwise required by law, and the PHI pertains solely to a health care item or service for which you, or another individual other than a health plan on behalf of you, has paid us in full.
To Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that PHI be communicated to you by alternative means or at alternative locations. For example, you can ask that you only be contacted at work or by mail. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
To Access PHI. You have the right of access to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI. You may not be able to obtain all of your information in a few special cases such as, if your treatment provider determines that the information may endanger you or someone else. In most cases, your copies must be given to you within fifteen (15) days.
We may charge you a fee for the costs of copying, mailing and supplies that are necessary to fulfill your request.
In accordance with Texas law, you have the right to obtain a copy of your PHI in electronic form for records that we maintain using an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system capable of fulfilling the request. Where applicable, we must provide those records to you or your legally authorized representative in electronic form within fifteen (15) days of receipt of your written request and a valid authorization for electronic disclosure of PHI. You may request a copy of an authorization from the Privacy Office at the address below.
To Obtain a Paper Copy of This Notice Upon Request. You may request a copy of our current Notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive the Notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy. You may obtain a paper copy from the Privacy Office at the address below. A reasonable fee may be charged for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request.
To Request an Amendment of PHI. If you feel that PHI we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may request an amendment to the information. Requests must identify: (i) which information you seek to amend, (ii) what corrections you would like to make, and (iii) why the information needs to be amended. We will respond to your request in writing within 60 days (with a possible 30-day extension). In our response, we will either: (i) agree to make the amendment, or (ii) inform you of our denial, explain our reason, and outline appeal procedures. If denied, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with the decision. We will provide a rebuttal to your statement and maintain appropriate records of your disagreement and our rebuttal.
To Receive an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an accounting of your PHI disclosures for purposes other than treatment, payment or healthcare operations. Your request must state a time period. The time period for the accounting of disclosures must be limited to less than 6 years from the date of the request. We will respond in writing within 60 days of receipt of your request (with a possible 30 day extension). We will provide an accounting per 12 month period free of charge, but you may be charged for the cost of any subsequent accountings. We will notify you in advance of the cost involved, and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time.
To Notification in the Event of a Breach. You have a right to be notified of an impermissible use or disclosure that compromises the security or privacy of your PHI. We will provide notice to you as soon as is reasonably possible and no later than sixty (60) calendar days after discovery of the breach and in accordance with federal and state law.