Privacy Policy

SOUTHVIEW MEDICAL GROUP, P.C. NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND ABOUT HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

The policy of Southview Medical Group, P.C. is to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and security of our patients' protected health and personal information and to prevent unauthorized access to or the use or disclosure of such information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and provide you with this notice of our duties and obligations. This policy applies to current or former patients of Southview Medical Group, P.C.

Individually identifiable health and personal information is any information obtained by Southview Medical Group, P.C., concerning providing healthcare treatment, obtaining payment, and related healthcare operations. This information relates to the past, present, or future information Southview Medical Group, P.C.  receives from you as our patient.

Southview Medical Group, P.C. collects personal information to learn about your medical history and conditions, render treatment, and collect payment for our services. We gather this information from your patient forms, health questionnaires, and other forms you will be asked to complete occasionally. In addition, we will assemble information based on our discussions and conversations with you, your representative, and your family members. Your healthcare plan or insurance carrier may provide information to our office.

We will use this information to provide you with caring and quality medical care. Examples include diagnosis, treatment, and communications such as follow-up and appointment reminders, as well as treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits that may interest you or your medical condition. As part of our standard treatment and healthcare operations, we may share information with a facility such as a hospital, laboratory, diagnostic service, or healthcare provider to coordinate your treatment plan efficiently. For contracted insurers, your information will be used for claims management and to obtain payment from your insurance carrier. We will exchange paper and electronic data with your insurance carrier for eligibility, benefit and coverage determinations, precertification, utilization review, and related activities. For workers' compensation, information about work-related conditions can be exchanged with the employer.

Your information is maintained by our office in our Electronic Health Record system. We may also keep information about you in a paper medical chart. Southview Medical Group, P.C. limits access to your protected health information to those employees and business associates who need that information. With some limitations, you have the right to inspect, amend, copy, and receive an accounting of disclosures of your medical and billing records.

We do not disclose personal information to third parties unless one of the following exceptions applies:

• We receive explicit authorization from you to release individually identifiable information. This authorization must be in writing and give exact details regarding whom the disclosure applies, the nature of the data to be released, and the applicable date and signed by the patient (or guardian). You may revoke this authorization by providing a written statement to the Southview Medical Group, P.C. Privacy/Security Officer.
• Federal, state, or other applicable laws require us to share protected information or records. Your information may be disclosed to a health agency for licensure, certification, audits, investigations, and inspections. It may also be disclosed as required for law enforcement purposes or in response to a valid subpoena or court order. Other disclosures could be required by law for military duty, national security activities, or for coroners or funeral directors to carry out their duties.

We are obligated to abide by the terms of this notice. We will contact you for permission to use and disclose your information for reasons not described in this Notics. We will notify youift you are affected by a breach of information. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and make new notice provisions effective for all health information we maintain.

With some exceptions, you can inspect, review, or obtain a copy of your health information. This request must be in writing, and there may be a reasonable charge for providing you with a copy of your information. You also have the right to request your records be amended, to request special accommodations and restrictions on your health information, including your health plan, and to receive an accounting of the disclosures of your information. You have the right to request to receive communications of your information in a suniquemanner or location. Southview Medical Group, P.C. is not obligated to agree to a requested restriction. We must receive a written request from you to administer these rights. Please speak to the receptionist for further information or to begin exercising any of these rights.

If you have a complaint about managing your health information or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact our Privacy Officer, Jennifer Collett, at 205 933 4640 or jcollett@southviewmed.com. You have the right to file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, and you will not be retaliated against for filing one.

EFFECTIVE DATE 4/1/2014