Concord Feminist Health Center (CFHC) is committed to safeguarding the privacy of your health information and the confidentiality of your visit. 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. Click here to read/download our CFHC Notice of Privacy Practices in pdf format.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
HIPAA requires that we give our patients notice outlining our privacy practices, patient rights regarding personal and protected health information, and our legal obligations regarding personal health information (PHI). CFHC reserves the right to revise this notice. CFHC may use your health information for the purpose of:
- Treatment - For example, a staff member or health care provider may record and use your health information within your medical chart in order to provide the best possible care for you.
- Payment - A staff member may use your personal health information in order to determine and obtain accurate payment, as in calling your insurance company to verify benefits.
- Operations - CFHC may use your health information to operate our business. Examples are:
a) Quality Assurance: Staff may use and review your health information in order to assess the quality of the care that you received.
b) Business Operations: CFHC collaborates with some business associates to run our organization. An example would be an accountant. All CFHC business associates are required to safeguard your information.
Disclosures required by law:
- Law Enforcement - CFHC may disclose health information when required to do so by law. For example, your health information could be disclosed in response to a valid subpoena. CFHC would make every effort to inform you prior to any disclosure required by law.
- Public Health - As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health authorities in order to prevent or control, disease, injury, disability or abuse.
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - We may disclose health information to the FDA. For example if a product, drug or device prescribed caused adverse effects or proved to be defective.
Your Health Information Privacy Rights
Although your health record is the physical property of CFHC, the information belongs to you. You have the right to:
- Request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your information.
- Inspect and have a copy your medical record. [Please note: CFHC retains records on clients for: 10 years after last date of service/treatment for adults over the age of 18. For minors, CFHC retains records for 7-years after the date of legal maturity, which in NH is age 18.]
- Request an amendment to the information in your medical record.
- Obtain an accounting of all disclosures of your health information not related to routine patient care (requests for such an accounting may not include dates prior to 4/14/03).
- Request confidential communications. You may request that we contact you at certain locations. We will make every attempt to honor your request. CFHC reserves the right to provide safe health care by being able to contact you.
- Authorize the disclosure of your personal health information for uses other than treatment, payment or operations. You make revoke any authorization.· You have a right to receive a copy of this notice.
- You have the right to file a complaint without fear of retaliation or penalty.
CFHC’s Responsibilities
We are required to:
- Maintain and respect the privacy of your health information.
- Abide by the terms of this notice.
- Attempt to accommodate your requests regarding restrictions on the use and disclosure of you health information.
- Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction or amendment.
- Accommodate reasonable requests you have for confidential communications.
How to File a Complaint
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated by CFHC, you may file a complaint addressed to the HIPAA Privacy Officer, CFHC 38 South Main Street, Concord, NH 03301 or by fax at (603) 228-6255. Your complaint must be in writing. You may also file a complaint with the federal government by contacting the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services at 200 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20201. You will not be penalized or retaliated against for filing a complaint.