HIPPA Notice of Privacy Practices
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.
PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
In this notice we use the term "we", "us", and "our" to describe MEDLINK LLC ( MEDCONN).
I. What is "Protected Health Information"
Your protected health information (PHI) is individually identifiable health information, including demographic information, about your past, present or future payment for your health care. Demographic information means information such as your name, social security number, address, date of birth. PHI also includes race/ethnicity, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, and pronoun data.
PHI may be in oral, written or electronic form. Examples of PHI include your medical record, claims record, enrollment or disenrollment information, and communications between you and your health care provider about your care.
Your individually identifiable health information ceases to be PHI 50 years after your death.
II. Our Responsibility to Protect Your PHI
By law, we must:
1. protect the privacy of your PHI;
2. tell you about your rights and our legal duties with respect to your PHI;
3. notify you if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI;
4. tell you about our privacy practices and follow our notice currently in effect.
We take their responsibilities seriously and have put in place administrative procedures and safeguards (such as security awareness training and policies and procedures), technical safeguards (such as encryption and password), and physical safeguards (such as locked areas) to protect your PHI. As in the past, we will continue to take appropriate steps to safeguard the privacy of your oral, written, and electronic PHI.
III. You Rights Regarding Your PHI
1. Your right to access and amend your PHI:
Subject to certain exceptions, you have the right to view or get a copy of your PHI that we maintain in records relating to your care or decisions about your care or payment for your care. Requests must be in writing.
After we receive your written request, we will let you know when and how you can see or obtain a copy of your record. If you agree, we will give you a summary or explanation of your PHI instead of providing copies. We may charge you a fee for the copies, summary, or explanation.
If we do not have the record you asked for but we know who does, we will tell you who to contact to request it. In limited situations, we may deny some or all of your request to see or receive copies of your records, but if we do, we will tell you why in writing and explain your right, if any to have our denial reviewed.
If you believe there is a mistake in your PHI or that important information is missing, you may request that we correct or add to the record. Please write to us and tell us what you are asking for and why we should make the correction or addition. Please write to us as described above in the section entitled "Your right to see and receive copies of your PHI." We will respond in writing after receiving your request. If we approve your request, we will make the correction or addition to your PHI. If we deny your request, we will tell you why and explain your right to file a written statement of disagreement.
Submit all written requests for access or amendments to us at MEDLINK LLC, 700 Professional Dr, Gaithersburg, MD 20879.
2. Your right to choose how we send PHI to you or someone else
You may ask us to send your PHI to you at a different address (for example, your work address) or by different means (for example, fax instead of regular mail).
If your PHI is stored electronically, you may request a copy of the records in an electronic format offered by MEDLINK LLC. You may also make a specific written request to Kaiser Permanente to transmit the electronic copy to a designated third party.
If the cost of meeting your request involves more than a reasonable additional amount, we are permitted to charge you our costs that exceed that amount.
3. Your right to request limits on uses and disclosures of your PHI
You may request that we limit our uses and disclosures of your PHI for treatment, payment, and health care operations purposes. We will review and consider your request. You may write to us at MEDLINK LLC at 700 Professional Dr, Gaithersburg, MD 20879, for consideration of your request.
4. Your right to receive a paper copy of this notice
You also have the right to receive a paper copy of this notice upon request.
IV. How We May Use and Disclose Your PHI
1. We may use or disclose your PHI for the purposes of treatment, payment or health care operations without authorization from the patient.
2. We will only use or disclose PHI to third parties for purposes other than treatment, payment or health care operations, or as permitted by the Privacy Rule or otherwise required by law, upon receipt of a valid, written authorization.
V. How to Contact Us About This Notice or To Complain about Our Privacy Practices
If you have any questions about this notice, or want to lodge a complaint about our privacy practices, please contact us by writing to MEDLINK LLC, 700 Professional Dr, Gaithersburg, MD 20879.
VI. Changes to This Notice
We may change this notice and our privacy practices at any time, as long as the change is consistent with state and federal law. Any revised notice will apply both to the PHI we already have about you at the time of the change, and any PHI created or received after the change takes effect. We will notify you by making a new notice available on our website at https://medconnhealth.com/.
VII. Effective Date of This Notice
This notice is effective on October 18, 2024.