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.

Healthy Choice Wellness Center is required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (found in Title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) (collectively referred to as “HIPAA”), as amended from time to time, to maintain the privacy of individually identifiable patient health information. This information is “Protected Health Information” and is referred to as “PHI”. Healthy Choice Wellness Center is also required to provide patients with a Notice of Privacy Practices regarding PHI. Healthy Choice Wellness Center will only use or disclose your PHI as permitted or required by HIPAA. This Notice applies to your PHI in our possession including the medical records generated by us.

Please read this Notice of Privacy Practices thoroughly. It describes how we will use and disclose your PHI.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO YOUR PRIVACY

Who will follow this notice: Healthy Choice Wellness Center and any programs associated with Healthy Choice Wellness Center. 

Our pledge regarding medical information: We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive in our facility. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all the records of your care. 

We are required by law to: 

• Maintain the privacy of Protected Health Information.
• Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information about you.
• Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PHI THAT DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION

Treatment:
Healthy Choice Wellness Center will use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and related services to carry out treatment functions. The following are examples of how Healthy Choice Wellness Center will use and/or disclose your PHI:

• To your physician(s) and other health care providers who have a legitimate need for such information in your care and continued treatment.
• To coordinate your treatment (e.g., appointment scheduling) with us and other health care providers by disclosing information such as name, address, employment, insurance carrier, etc.
• To contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at our facilities.
• To provide you with information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits or services.

Payment
We may use or disclose information regarding your health care to your insurance company to arrange payment for the services we provide

Health Care Operations:
Healthy Choice Wellness Center will use and disclose your PHI for health care operation purposes. The following are examples of how Healthy Choice Wellness Center will use and/or disclose your PHI:

• Quality assurance, utilization, accounting, auditing, education.
• To consultants, accountants, auditors, attorneys.

Law Enforcement Purposes:
Healthy Choice Wellness Center will disclose your PHI for law enforcement purposes as required by law, such as identifying a criminal suspect or a missing person or providing information about a crime victim or criminal conduct.

Required by Law:
Healthy Choice Wellness Center will disclose PHI about you when required by federal, state or local law. Examples include disclosures in response to a court order / subpoena, mandatory state reporting (e.g., gunshot wounds, victims of child abuse or neglect), or information necessary to comply with other laws such as workers’ compensation or similar laws.

Business Associates:

Healthy Choice Wellness Center will need to disclose your PHI to external persons or organizations who assist us with payment/billing, operations, and other activities. We require these business associates to appropriately safeguard your PHI.

Other Uses and Disclosures:

• In emergencies, such as to prevent a serious and imminent threat to a person or the public
• To coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors
• For public health activities, including reporting of disease, for required public health investigations, and to report adverse events or enable product recalls
• To your employer if we have participated in health screenings or health care at their request
• For national security or protective services activities

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PHI BASED ON A SIGNED AUTHORIZATION

Except as outlined herein, we will not use or disclose your PHI for any other purpose unless you have

signed a form authorizing the use or disclosure. You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we have already relied upon it.

• In some situations, a signed authorization form is required for uses and disclosures of your PHI, including:
• uses and disclosures for marketing purposes
• disclosures that constitute the sale of PHI
• the confidentiality of substance use disorder and mental health treatment records as well as HIV-related information maintained by us is specifically protected by state and/or federal law and regulations.

YOUR RIGHTS

Right to Inspect and Copy:
Subject to certain limited exceptions, you have the right to access your PHI and to inspect and copy your PHI as long as we maintain the data. In line with state and federal law, we may charge you for a copy of your medical records.

If Healthy Choice Wellness Center denies your request for access to your PHI, Healthy Choice Wellness Center will notify you in writing with the reason for the denial. You may have the right to have this decision reviewed.

You also have the right to request your PHI in electronic format in cases where Healthy Choice Wellness Center utilizes electronic health records.

Right to Amend:
You have the right to request amendments to your PHI for as long as Healthy Choice Wellness Center maintains the data if you believe information about you is incorrect or incomplete. You must make your request for amendment of your PHI in writing to Healthy Choice Wellness Center, including your reason to support the requested amendment.

Right to Request Restrictions:
You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your PHI to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations functions or to prohibit such disclosure. However Healthy Choice Wellness Center will consider your request but is not required to agree to the requested restrictions.

Right to Confidential Communications:
You have the right to request confidential communications of your PHI by alternative means or at alternative locations, and we will accommodate reasonable requests. For example, you may request that Healthy Choice Wellness Center only contact you at work or by mail.

Right to Receive a Copy of this Notice:
You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices, upon request.

Right to File a Complaint if You Believe Your Privacy Rights Have Been Violated: Section (d) explains this right in greater detail.

a) Breach of Unsecured PHI: If a breach of your unsecured PHI occurs, Healthy Choice Wellness Center is required to notify you of the breach.

b) Sharing and Joint Use of Your Health Information: In the course of providing care to you and in furtherance of Healthy Choice Wellness Center’s mission to improve the health of the community.

c) Changes to this Notice: Healthy Choice Wellness Center will abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect. Healthy Choice Wellness Center reserves the right to make changes to the terms of its Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all PHI that it maintains. Healthy Choice Wellness Center will distribute / provide you with a revised Notice at your first visit following the revision of the Notice in cases where it makes a material change in the Notice. You can also ask Healthy Choice Wellness Center for a current copy of the Notice at any time.

d) Complaints: If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint in writing with the Healthy Choice Wellness Center Privacy Official at the address below or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy Choice Wellness Center assures you that filing a complaint will not affect the quality of care we provide you. 

Privacy Official - Questions / Concerns / Additional Information.

If you have any questions, concerns, or want further information regarding the issues covered by this Notice of Privacy Practice or seek additional information please contact us at:

Healthy Choice Wellness Center
Attn: Privacy Policies & Procedures Officer
3800 North 28^th Way, Suite 1
Hollywood, Florida 33020