Compliance, Legal, and Policies

Notice of Privacy Practices (HIPAA)

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. Harmony Health will be referred to in this Notice of Privacy Practices ("Notice") as "Harmony". This Notice is given to you by a Harmony Facility to describe the ways in which Harmony may use and disclose your medical information (called "protected health information" or "PHI") and to notify you of your rights with respect to PHI in the possession of Harmony Health. Harmony Health protects the privacy of PHI, which also is protected from disclosure by state and federal law. In certain circumstances, pursuant to this Notice, patient authorization or applicable laws and regulations, PHI can be used by Harmony Health or disclosed to other parties. Below are categories describing these uses and disclosures, along with some examples to help you better understand each category.

Uses and Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations

Harmony Health may use or disclose your PHI for the purposes of treatment, payment and health care operations, described in more detail below, without obtaining written authorization from you.

For Treatment:

Harmony Health may use and disclose PHI in the course of providing, coordinating, or managing your medical treatment, including the disclosure of PHI for treatment activities at another healthcare facility. These types of uses and disclosures may take place between physicians, nurses, technicians, students, and other health care professionals who provide your health care services or are otherwise involved in your care. For example, if you are being treated by a primary care physician, that physician may need to use/disclose PHI to a specialist physician whom he or she consults regarding your condition, or to a nurse who is assisting in your care.

For Payment:

Harmony Health may use and disclose PHI to collect payment for the health care services provided to you. For example, Harmony Health may need to give PHI to your health plan to be reimbursed for the services provided to you. Harmony Health may also disclose PHI to their business associates, such as billing companies, claims processing companies, and others that assist in processing health claims. Harmony Health may also disclose PHI to other health care providers and health plans for the payment activities of such providers or health plans.

For Health Care Operations:

Harmony Health may use and disclose PHI as part of their operations, including for quality assessment and improvement, such as evaluating the treatment and services you receive and the performance of our staff in caring for you. Other activities include hospital training, underwriting activities, compliance and risk management activities, planning and development, and management and administration. Harmony Health may disclose PHI to doctors, nurses, technicians, students, attorneys, consultants, accountants, and others for review and learning purposes. These disclosures help make sure that Harmony Health is complying with all applicable laws and are continuing to provide health care to patients at a high level of quality. Harmony Health may also disclose PHI to other health care facilities plans for certain of their operations, including their quality assessment and improvement activities, credentialing and peer review activities, and health care fraud and abuse detection or compliance, provided that those other facilities and plans have, or have had in the past, a relationship with the patient who is the subject of the information.

For Sharing PHI Among Harmony Health and Professional Staff:

Harmony Health works together with physicians and other care providers on their professional staff to provide medical services to you when you are a patient at a Harmony Health Facility. Harmony Health and members of their respective professional staff will share PHI with each other as needed to perform their treatment, payment and health care operations activities.

Other Uses and Disclosures for Which Authorization Is Not Required

In addition to using or disclosing PHI for treatment, payment and health care operations, Harmony Health may use and disclose PHI without your written authorization under the following circumstances:

• As Required by Law and Law Enforcement: Harmony Health may use or disclose PHI when required by law, in response to court orders or to report crimes or other law enforcement purposes.
• For Public Health Activities and Public Health Risks: Harmony Health may disclose PHI to officials in charge of public health matters, such as reporting disease, child abuse, medication reactions, or product defects.
• For Health Oversight Activities: PHI may be disclosed for audits, investigations, inspections, or licensure actions.
• Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors: PHI may be disclosed to identify a decedent or determine cause of death.
• Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation: PHI may be released to facilitate organ, eye, or tissue donation and transplantation.
• Research: Under certain circumstances, Harmony Health may use and disclose PHI for medical research purposes.
• To Avoid a Serious Threat to Health or Safety: Harmony Health may disclose PHI to prevent or lessen a serious threat to a person’s or public’s health or safety.
• Specialized Government Functions: Harmony Health may disclose PHI of military personnel or veterans, or for national security and intelligence purposes.
• Workers' Compensation: PHI may be disclosed to comply with workers' compensation laws.
• Health-Related Benefits and Services: PHI may be used to inform you of treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits or services.
• Disclosures to You or for HIPAA Compliance Investigations: Harmony Health may disclose PHI to you, your representative, or to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for HIPAA compliance investigations.

Confidentiality of Alcohol & Drug Abuse Records:

Harmony Health may not disclose identifying information about a patient’s participation in its programs unless you consent, a court order allows it, or disclosure is made in a medical emergency, for research, or audit purposes.

Uses and Disclosures to Which You May Object

You may object to the inclusion of your information in a patient directory available to contacts you designate. You will receive a unique patient code for those contacts.

Other Uses and Disclosures of PHI for Which Authorization Is Required

Other types of uses and disclosures of your PHI not described above will be made only with your written authorization, which you have the limited right to revoke in writing.

Regulatory Requirements and Your Rights

• Restriction Requests: You may request restrictions on use and disclosure of your PHI. Harmony Health is not required to agree but will honor approved restrictions except in emergencies.
• Confidential Communications: You may request communications at specific locations or by specific means. Requests must be in writing to the Privacy Officer.
• Access and Copies: You may inspect or obtain copies of your PHI by submitting a written request. Harmony Health may charge reasonable fees for copying or mailing.
• Amendments: You may request corrections to your PHI by writing to the Medical Records Department.
• Accounting of Disclosures: You may request a list of PHI disclosures made in the past six (6) years, excluding specific categories.
• Paper Copy: You have the right to a paper copy of this notice even if received electronically.
• Complaints: You may file a complaint with Harmony Health’s Privacy Officer or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services without retaliation.

You also have the right to file a complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services at 200 Independence Avenue, S.E., Washington, DC 20201.

If you have any questions about this notice, please contact:
Harmony Health Administrator
7001 Bryant Irvin Rd, Fort Worth, TX 76152