FAMILIES FIRST

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.

This Notice describes how Families First protects the personal health information that we have about you which relates to health care services that you receive from us and how we may use and disclose this information. It also describes your rights with respect to your personal health information that we maintain or create and how you can exercise those rights. “Personal health information” is information about you that may identify you and that relates to your medical condition, the health care services you receive, any plan for future care to you, or the payment for health care services provided to you.

Our Pledge Regarding Your Health Information

We understand that your health information is personal, and we are committed to protecting this information. We create a record of the care and services you receive at Families First. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This Notice applies to all of the records relating to your health that we maintain, whether created by us or another provider. We are required by law to:

follow the terms of the Privacy Notice;

give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your personal health information; and

maintain the privacy of your personal health information.

Changes to This Notice.

We may change the terms of our Notice at any time. The new notice will be effective for all personal health information that we maintain at that time. If we make changes to this Notice, you may obtain a copy of the revised Notice by contacting the Privacy Officer at the address and phone number listed below. We will also make the revised Notice available in our entry and post it on our website: familiesfirstcolorado.org.

How We May Use and Disclose Your Personal Health Information.

The following categories describe different ways that we may use and disclose your personal health information.

Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations

We may use your personal health information to provide services to you, to get paid for our services or for the operations of Families First, as described below:

Treatment - We may use and disclose health information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, and others who are involved in your care. For example, we may send personal health information to a specialist as part of a referral.
Payment - We may use and disclose your personal health information so that the treatment and services you receive at Families First may be billed to and payment collected from you, your health plan, Medicaid, or a third party. For example, we may give your health plan or the third party administrator who manages your health plan information about services you received at Families First so that your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the services of Families First.
Health Care Operations - We may use and disclose personal health information to support the operations of Families First. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run Families First and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use personal health information to review our treatment and services.

Other Uses and Disclosures

We may also use and disclose personal health information for the following purposes under limited circumstances:

To a friend or family member who is involved in your care (such as to help with follow-up care).
To our business associates if they need to receive personal health information to provide a service to us. Examples of such business associates are billing companies, data processing companies, or companies that provide general administrative services. Our business associates are also required to keep your personal health information confidential.
To government regulatory agencies that have a right to collect health information or for audits, inspections and investigations.
To law enforcement officials in response to a request made through a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or to prevent danger or injury.
To prevent a services threat to life or safety of a person or the public.
For research studies that meet all privacy law requirements.
For other purposes required or permitted by law.

Uses and Disclosures Not Covered by this Notice

Other Uses of Personal Health Information - Other uses and disclosures of personal health information not covered by this Notice will be made only with your written authorization or that of your legal representative. You may revoke that authorization, in writing, at any time. Such authorization will be effective except to the extent that we have taken action in reliance on the authorization or if your authorization was obtained as a condition of obtaining health care services.

Your Rights Relating to Your Personal Health Information.

Right to Inspect and Copy Your Personal Health Information – In most cases, you have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your personal health information that we maintain for as long as we maintain it. If you want to copy your personal health information, you may be charged a fee for the costs of copying and mailing the information. In limited circumstances, we may deny your request to review or obtain a copy of your personal information. If we deny your request, we will advise you in writing of the reasons for the denial and explain your right to have the denial reviewed.
Right to Amend Your Personal Health Information – If you believe that information that we maintain about you is incorrect or if important information is missing, you have the right to request that we amend it. We may deny your request to amend the information under certain circumstances. If we deny your request, we will advise you in writing of the reason for the denial and explain your right to submit a statement disagreeing with the denial.
Right to Obtain a List of the Disclosures We Have Made – You have the right to obtain a list of the instances where we have disclosed your personal health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, health care operations, disclosures made directly to you, or where you have specifically authorized a disclosure. The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. We may charge you for our costs in responding to any additional requests.
Right to Request Restrictions on the Use and Disclosure of Your Personal Information – You have the right to request that we limit the way we use or disclose any part of your personal health information. We are not required to agree to a requested restriction. If we do agree, we will comply with your request except when you require emergency treatment.
Right to Request Confidential Communications – You have the right to request that we communicate with you about personal health information in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
Right to Obtain a Copy of this Notice – You have the right to request a copy of this Notice. A copy will be provided to you at your request.
Right to File a Complaint – If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint with us or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Under no circumstances will you be penalized or retaliated against for filing a complaint.

If you wish to request any of the above rights or if you have any questions about our privacy practices, you may contact the Privacy Officer, Claire Poole, PsyD. at Families First, P.O.Box 22419, Denver, CO 80222-0419, or by phone at: 303-745-0327. You may also contact our Privacy Officer if you have questions or comments about our privacy practices.