HIPAA Privacy Policy

ONS HIPAA PRIVACY POLICY 

Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists (ONS) is committed to providing the highest quality healthcare while maintaining the privacy and security of your health information. Our Notice of Privacy Practices describes the ways in which we may use or disclose your protected health information.

ONS has an ongoing commitment to protect the privacy of our patients’ personal data and health information, as required under HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act) enacted by the United States Congress in 1996. To assist in this effort it is important that you inform us of any changes in your contact information and contact preferences. Please take advantage of our patient portal to update all necessary information regarding your medical history. If you choose to update this information on your next visit to our offices, please allow 30 minutes before your appointment time to complete the necessary forms. If you have not updated your contact information within the past year, you may be asked to do so when you check in for your next visit.

Please bring the following items with you to your next office visit:

• Your current health insurance card.

• Your driver’s license or other government-issued picture ID.

• Patients less than 18 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian with appropriate identification.

Another important step we are taking to protect your privacy is to verify during each telephone contact your name, date of birth, telephone number and home address. We will also only provide information concerning your treatment to you or to specifically designated family members, friends, or caregivers. Therefore, if you would like a family member, friend, or caregiver to be able to obtain information regarding your treatment, you must list each individual on ONS’s Designation of Disclosure form. You may obtain this form from one of our receptionists.

Thank you for helping us in our continuing efforts to protect the privacy of your information.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

At Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists, PC, we have a longstanding commitment to maintaining the confidentiality of your medical information.

This notice describes, in summary, how we may use and disclose your medical information. It also describes your rights and our legal obligations with respect to your medical information.

We make a record of the medical care we provide, and may receive such records from others. We use these records to provide or enable other health care providers to provide quality medical care, to obtain payment for services provided to you as allowed by your health plan, and to enable us to meet our professional and legal obligations to operate this medical practice properly.

This Summary is for your convenience and is not a substitute for reading the entire Notice of Privacy Practices, nor does it modify the terms of the Notice.

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW ORTHOPAEDIC & NEUROSURGERY SPECIALISTS (ONS) MAY USE OR DISCLOSE MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. Effective: January 1, 2019

HIPAA Privacy Policy Flyer

YOUR INFORMATION. YOUR RIGHTS. OUR RESPONSIBILITIES. 

YOUR RIGHTS

You have the right to:

• Get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record

• Correct your paper or electronic medical record

• Request confidential communication

• Ask us to limit the information we share

• Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information

• Get a copy of this privacy notice

• Choose someone to act for you

• File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated

YOUR CHOICES 

You have some choices in the way that we use and share information as we:

• Tell family and friends about your condition

• Provide disaster relief

• Include you in a hospital directory

• Provide mental health care

• Market our services and sell your information

• Raise funds

OUR USES AND DISCLOSURES 

We may use and share your information as we:

• Treat you

• Run our organization

• Bill for your services

• Help with public health and safety issues

• Do research

• Comply with the law

• Respond to organ and tissue donation requests

• Work with a medical examiner or funeral director

• Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests

• Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

AS REQUIRED BY LAW

By law we may be required to disclose your health information for matters of public health & health oversight, judicial & administrative proceedings, law enforcement, for coroner’s investigations, to avert a serious threat to the public health, or for specialized government functions. We will limit our use or disclosure to the relevant requirements of the law.

WORKER’S COMPENSATION We may disclose your health information as necessary to comply with worker’s compensation.

WHEN WILL ONS NOT USE OR DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION?

Except as described in our Notice of Privacy Practices, ONS will not use or disclose health information which identifies you without your written authorization.

INSPECT AND COPY
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy, including an electronic copy, from us in a timely manner of any of your health information that may be used to make decisions about you and your treatment for as long as we maintain this information in our records. This includes medical and billing records. We may charge a fee, as allowed by Connecticut law.

AMEND OR SUPPLEMENT
If you believe that the health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept in our records.

How to Make Your Request: To request an amendment, please write to Medical Records Department, ONS, 6 Greenwich Office Park, Greenwich, CT. A request to amend your health information must include a description of the amendment requested and should include the reasons why you think we should make the amendment.

Response Time: We will notify you in writing within 7 business days to explain the reason for the delay and when you can expect to have a final answer to your request.