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.
VTS is dedicated to protecting your medical information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information and to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information. VTS is required by law to abide by the terms of this Notice.
HOW YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION WILL BE USED AND DISCLOSED:
We will use your medical information in supplying healthcare-related products. For example, your medical information may be used by our Mobility Consultants and your treating physician, by the business office to process your payment for the services rendered and by administrative personnel reviewing the quality of the care you receive. Your medical information may also be used, as necessary, to contact you to provide appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest of you. For example, your name and address may be used to send you a newsletter about health-related products offered by VTS current, new or alternative treatments, health resources, and other information related to your health.
We may also use and/or disclose your information in accordance with federal and state laws for the following purposes:
- Business Associates - We may disclose your health information to a business associate with whom we contract to provide services on our behalf. To protect your health information, we require our business associates to appropriately safeguard the health information of our customers.
- Personal Representatives - If your personal representative has the authority by law to act on your behalf in making decisions related to your health care, we may disclose your medical information to him or her. We may require your personal representative to produce evidence of his or her authority to act on your behalf. In the event of your death, an executor, administrator, or other person authorized under the law to act on behalf of you or your estate will be treated as your personal representative.
- Workers' Compensation - We may disclose your medical information as authorized by laws relating to workers' compensation or similar programs.
- Family and Friends - Unless you object, we may use and/or disclose your medical information to family members, other relatives or close personal friends when the medical information is directly relevant to that person's involvement with your care.
- Notification - Unless you object, we may use and/or disclose your medical information to notify a family member, a personal representative or another person responsible for your care of your location, general condition or death.
- Public Safety - We may use or disclose your medical information to prevent or lessen a serious threat to the health or safety of another person or to the public.
- Public Health Activities - We may use and/or disclose your medical information for public health activities and safety, for purposes related to controlling disease, injury, or disability.
- Disclosure to Department of Health and Human Services - We may use and/or disclose medical information when required by the United States Department of Health and Human Services as part of an investigation or determination of our compliance with relevant laws.
- Disaster Relief - We may disclose your medical information to a public or private entity, such as the American Red Cross, for the purpose of coordinating with that entity to assist in disaster relief-efforts.
- Health Oversight Activities - We may use or disclose your medical information for public health activities, including the reporting of disease, injury, vital events and the conduct of public health surveillance, investigation and/or intervention. We may disclose your medical information to a health oversight agency for oversight activities authorized by law, including audits, investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary actions, administrative and/or legal proceedings.
- Abuse or Neglect - We may disclose your medical information when it concerns abuse, neglect or violence to you in accordance with federal and state law.
- Legal Proceedings - We may disclose your medical information in the course of certain judicial or administrative proceedings.
- Law Enforcement - We may disclose your medical information for law enforcement purposes or other specialized governmental functions.
- Research - We may use or disclose your medical information for certain research purposes if an Institutional Review Board or a privacy board has altered or waived individual authorization, the review is preparatory to research or the research is on only decedent's information.
- Public Safety - We may use or disclose your medical information to prevent or lessen a serious threat to the health or safety of another person or to the public.
- Inmates - We may release medical information about inmates to correctional institution or law enforcement officials, as necessary to provide the inmate with health care, to protect the health and safety of the inmate or others, or for the health and safety of the correctional institution.
- Military and Veterans - We may release medical information as required by military command authorities, and as applicable, to appropriate foreign military authorities.
- Organ and Tissue Donation - If you are an organ donor, we may use and/or disclose medical information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue donation or transplantation.
- Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors - We may disclosure your medical information to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director to carry out their duties.
