Privacy Notice

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.

Personal Health Information (PHI)
Each time you visit the Delaware Valley College Health Center office and see a clinician (nurse, physician's assistant, or physician), a record of your visit is made. Your medical record is comprised of information about your symptoms, examinations, test results, medications you take, your allergies and the plan for your care. There are state and federal laws to protect the privacy of personal health information (PHI) that is contained in your medical record.

Uses and Disclosures of Health Information

Treatment
All the clinical staff involved in your care will document in your record about your examination and the care planned for you. We will provide another physician or a subsequent healthcare provider, who is treating you, with copies of various reports from your medical record that should assist him or her in treating you. We may also use health information about you to call you to remind you about an appointment or to follow up with diagnostic test results.

Regular healthcare operations
The Delaware Valley College physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners may look at your health information to complete a quality assurance review to assess the care and results in your case and others like yours.

Secretaries need access to the entire medical record in order to file all components of the chart. Secretaries also assist students with insurance questions may need to access the entire record in order to determine dates of service.

Other Disclosures

Business Associates
There are some services provided through contacts with business associates, most notably radiology and certain lab tests. To protect your PHI, we require the business associate to protect your information.

Communication with others
Health professionals, using their judgment, may disclose to a parent, guardian, or any person you identify, health information relevant to that person's involvement in your care or payment related to your care. Because parents not uncommonly call the Health Center after a student's visit, our check-in process requires a student to give or decline permission for the staff to discuss that day's visit to a parent or guardian who might contact us.

As required by Law
We may also disclose health information to the following types of entities but not limited to:

• Public Health authorities charged with disease prevention when required by law
• Law enforcement as required by law
• Courts and/or attorneys in accordance with a valid subpoena (We will attempt to contact the patient to verify permission.)
• National Security and Intelligence Agencies
• To avoid a serious threat to the health and safety of a person or the public
• The Privacy Policy restricts releasing information for non-medical purposes, including marketing by pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Authorizations to Release PHI
Medical records will be sent only with a written authorization at the request of the patient. Authorization forms that can be used for faxing or sending medical information are available at the Health Center. Only the minimum amount of information necessary to satisfy the needs will be sent. In the event of referring physicians, information will be exchanged with the specific verbal consent of the patient. Emergency situations and public safety concerns are exceptions to the usual authorization process.

Patient Rights

You have the right to:

• Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information; we are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.
• Obtain a paper copy of the notice of information practices upon request.
• Inspect and obtain a copy of your health record.
• Request an Amendment to your health records.
• Obtain an accounting or disclosures of your health information.
• Request communication of your health information in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you may request us to mail test results to a specific address rather than call you.
• Revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken.
• To exercise any of your rights, please inquire at the reception desk. We may ask you to submit your request in writing.

Our duties are to:

• Maintain the privacy of your health information;
• Provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect about you through this notice;
• Abide by the terms of this notice;
• Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction;
• Accommodate reasonable requests you have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations.

Security
Privacy measures are designed to protect the confidentiality of PHI. All staff will observe the following rules:

• Staff will observe due diligence to avoid being overheard when discussing PHI.
• All records will be kept secured. When the Center is closed, it is locked and alarmed.
• Individual charts are either in locked file cabinets or a locked room.

Privacy Contact
The Privacy Contact for the Delaware Valley College Health Center is Judith Wood 215-345-1500 X2267, who will monitor regulations changes, oversee staff training and enforce policy.

Enforcement/Complaint Process
Each employee must sign and date the "Notice of Privacy Policies and Procedures". Failure to adhere to the privacy policy or breach of confidentiality is grounds for disciplinary action.Any patient who believes his or her rights have been violated may contact the Privacy Contact and fill out a Complaint Form, available at the Health Center.

For More Information or to Report a Problem
We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and our privacy policies at any time. Before we make an important change to our policies, we will update this notice and make it available in our waiting room and on our web site. You may complain to the Student Health Center Privacy Contact, the Delaware Valley College Privacy Official, and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.