How do we use or disclose your medical information?
Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations:
We may use medical information about you in order to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other Hospital personnel who are involved in taking care of you at the Hospital. We may use and disclose medical information about your treatment and services to bill and collect payment from you, your insurance company, or a third party payer. We may use and disclose medical information about you for Hospital operations purposes. These uses and disclosures help us run our Hospital and to make sure that all of our patients receive quality care.
Business Associates:
There are some services provided in our organization through contracts with business associates. To protect your medical information, we share with our business associates only the minimum amount of information necessary for them to assist us. We require them to safeguard the information given to them according to contractual agreement.
Hospital Directory:
We may include certain limited information about you in the Hospital Directory while you are a patient. This information includes your name, location, your general condition, and your religious affiliation. Directory information, except for your religious affiliation, may be released to people who ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation may be provided to clergy, even if they do not ask for you by name. If you do not want to be included in the Hospital Directory, you need to ask the Admissions staff or the Privacy Official for the Directory Opt Out Form when you are admitted.
Communications about Services:
We may use your medical information to contact you to:
- Give a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at our Hospital.
- Tell you about possible treatment alternatives.
- Tell you about health-related benefits or services.
- Assess your satisfaction with our services.
- Marketing and Fundraising.
Individuals involved in your care or payment for your care:
We may release medical information about you to your legally authorized personal representative or to a designated family member who is involved in your medical care. We may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care.
What are the circumstances under which we may release parts of your information without your specific authorization?
Research:
Under certain circumstances, we use and disclose medical information about you for research purposes. All of our research projects are subject to established protocols and strict institutional review criteria to ensure the privacy of your medical information.
As Required or Authorized by Law:
We may disclose medical information about you when required or authorized by law. For further information, see the Notice of Privacy Practices.
Health Oversight Activities:
We may disclose medical information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law.
Public Threat to Health or Safety:
We may use and disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to the health and safety of the public, to you, or to another person.
Minors:
If you are an unemancipated minor under Virginia law, there may be circumstances in which we disclose medical information about you to a parent, guardian, or other person acting in loco parentis, in accordance with our legal responsibilities.
Your Permission:
Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by the Notice of Privacy Practices or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. If you provide us permission to use or disclose medical information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time.