Phoenix Health Privacy Statement

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PHI

We may use and disclose your PHI in the following circumstances:

• For treatment. We may use or disclose your PHI to give you medical treatment or services and to manage and coordinate your medical care. For example, your PHI may be provided to a physician or other health care provider (e.g., a specialist or laboratory) to whom you have been referred to ensure that the physician or other health care provider has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you or provide you with a service. If you receive services through Telemedicine, we will also collect information as part of the services or information provided during the audio and/or video teleconference encounter itself, and, to the extent applicable, through other telephonic communications. We may also collect information from the electronic medical record system (if applicable) of your selected provider in order to facilitate the provision of services.
• For payment. We may use and disclose your PHI so that we can bill for the treatment and services you receive from us and can collect payment from you, a health plan, or a third party. This use and disclosure may include certain activities that your health insurance plan may undertake before it approves or pays for the health care services we recommend for you, such as making a determination of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits, reviewing services provided to you for medical necessity, and undertaking utilization review activities. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about your treatment in order for your health plan to agree to pay for that treatment.
• For health care operations. We may use and disclose PHI for our health care operations. For example, we may use your PHI to internally review the quality of the treatment and services you receive and to evaluate the performance of our team members in caring for you. We also may disclose information to physicians, nurses, medical technicians, medical students, and other authorized personnel for educational and learning purposes.
• Sharing your PHI with you. We must give you access to your own PHI. We may use and disclose PHI to contact you about appointment reminders, treatment alternatives, health-related benefits and services. We, including our affiliates and/or vendors, may call or text you by using an automatic telephone dialing system and/or an artificial voice. The calls may be about treatment options or other health-related benefits and services for you. If you do not want to be contacted by phone, just let the caller know and we will add you to our Do Not Call list. We will then no longer call or text you. However, if you initiate communications using e-mail, we will assume (unless you have explicitly stated otherwise) that e-mail communications are acceptable to you. Communications via email over the internet are not secure. Although it is unlikely, there is possibility information included in an email can be intercepted and read by other parties besides the person to whom it is addressed. You understand you must take reasonable steps to protect the unauthorized use of electronic communications by others, and the medical clinic is not responsible for breaches of confidentiality caused by you or an independent third party.
• Sharing your PHI with others. Unless you object in writing, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend or any other person you identify, your PHI that directly relates to that person’s involvement in your health care. If you are unable to agree or object to such a disclosure, we may disclose such information as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest based on our professional judgment.
• Other Reasons we may use or share your information: We are allowed, and in some cases required, to share your information in other ways- usually for the good of the public health and research. We can share your information for these specific purposes:

– Reporting public health risks and preventing disease

–  Helping with product recalls

–  Reporting adverse reactions to medicines

–  Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence

–  Doing health research

–  As required by law, if it requires disclosing your PHI to respond to a subpoena, discovery request or other legal process or as otherwise

required to do so by international, federal, state, or local law.

–  To avert a serious threat to health or safety

–  Responding to organ and tissue donation groups for research and as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and

transplantation.

–  Addressing workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests.

–  To respond to data breach notification requirements and provide notices as required by law.

–  To respond to a coroner, medical examiners, or funeral director so that they may carry out their duties.

–  As needed to our Business Associates, who perform functions on our behalf or provide us with services if the PHI is necessary for those functions or services. For example, we may use another company to do our billing or to provide transcription or consulting services for us. All of our business associates are obligated, under contract with us, to protect privacy and ensure the security of your PHI.

–  Disclosure to accreditation organizations for quality purposes. Any accreditation organization would be considered a Business Associate and would enter into an agreement with us to maintain confidentiality and protect the privacy of your PHI. To respond to a disaster relief organization inquiry that seeks your PHI to coordinate your care or notify family or friends of your location or condition in a disaster.