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Notice of Privacy Practices — Visionary Women's Health

 

Visionary Women's Health 5450 Knoll North Drive, Suite 180, Columbia, Maryland 21045

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.

Our commitment to your privacy

Visionary Women's Health ("VWH," "we," "us") is required by law to protect the privacy of your health information. This information is called protected health information (PHI). It includes anything that identifies you and relates to your past, present, or future health, the care you receive, or payment for that care.

This Notice explains how we may use and share your PHI, your rights over it, and our legal duties. It applies to all records of your care created or received by VWH, its physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, staff, and trainees. It applies whether your visit is in person or by telehealth.

How we use and share your information for treatment, payment, and operations

We may use and share your PHI without your written authorization for the following purposes.

  • Treatment. To provide, coordinate, and manage your care. Examples: sharing results with your primary care physician, sending prescriptions to your pharmacy, referring you to a specialist, sending specimens to a laboratory, or using an interpreter service during your visit.

  • Payment. To bill and collect for your care. Examples: sending claims to your health plan, confirming coverage, and getting prior authorization for a procedure or medication.

  • Health care operations. To run our practice and improve care. Examples: quality review, staff training and supervision, clinical preceptorships, credentialing, audits, legal and compliance services, and business planning. This includes a sale, transfer, or merger of our practice, in which case records may move to the new owner under the same protections.

  • Business associates. Some services are performed for us by outside companies, such as our electronic health record, billing, laboratory, answering, and clinical documentation vendors. Before any of them receives PHI, they must sign a Business Associate Agreement. That agreement legally requires them to protect your information and to use it only for the services they provide to us.

  • Appointment reminders and care communication. We may contact you by phone, text, email, or patient portal about appointments, results, and between-visit care. You may ask us to use a different method (see Your rights).

  • Treatment options and health-related services. We may tell you about treatment alternatives, programs, or services we offer that may interest you.

  • Family and others involved in your care. We may share information with a family member, friend, or other person you identify as involved in your care or payment, unless you object. If you cannot agree or object, such as in an emergency, we will use our professional judgment.

AI-assisted clinical documentation

With your consent on your intake forms, your clinician may use an AI documentation tool (an "ambient scribe") during your visit. We currently use OpenEvidence. You can read its privacy policy at openevidence.com.

  • What it does. The tool listens to the conversation during your visit and prepares a draft of your visit note. Your clinician reviews, corrects, and signs every note and is responsible for its accuracy.

  • What we keep. VWH does not keep audio recordings of visits. The permanent record of your visit is your clinician's signed note in your medical chart.

  • How the vendor is bound. OpenEvidence works under a Business Associate Agreement with VWH. That agreement requires it to safeguard your information under HIPAA and limits its use to providing this service to us. [Confirm and insert your account's data-deletion setting, e.g., "Audio and transcripts are deleted by the vendor within [24 hours]."]

  • Your consent. Maryland law requires the consent of all parties before a conversation is recorded. We will not use the tool unless you have agreed in writing, and your clinician will confirm your agreement at the start of the visit.

  • Your choice. Using the tool is always optional. You may decline or stop it at any time, including in the middle of a visit, and it will not affect your care. To opt out for all future visits, tell your clinician or the front desk and we will note it in your chart.

We may replace this vendor in the future. The current vendor's name is available at any time from our front desk or Privacy Officer.

Other uses and disclosures allowed without your authorization

The law allows or requires us to share PHI in these situations, subject to specific conditions:

  • As required by law, including federal, state, or local law.

  • Public health, such as reporting certain diseases, preventing disease, reporting adverse reactions to medications or products, or reporting suspected abuse or neglect as required by law.

  • Health oversight, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure by government agencies.

  • Lawsuits and legal proceedings, in response to a court order, or a subpoena or other lawful process when legal requirements are met.

  • Law enforcement, for limited purposes and as permitted by law.

  • Serious threat to health or safety, to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to you, another person, or the public.

  • Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors, as needed to carry out their duties.

  • Organ and tissue donation, to organizations that handle organ, eye, or tissue procurement.

  • Research, when approved under a process that protects your privacy, or with your authorization.

  • Specialized government functions, such as military, national security, and protective services, as permitted by law.

  • Workers' compensation, as authorized by and to comply with those laws.

Maryland law (the Maryland Confidentiality of Medical Records Act) may give you more protection than HIPAA in some cases. When it does, we follow the stricter rule.

Uses that require your written authorization

We will not do the following without your written permission:

  • Use or share psychotherapy notes, except in limited cases allowed by law.

  • Use or share your PHI for marketing.

  • Sell your PHI.

  • Any other use or disclosure not described in this Notice.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. Revoking it stops future uses and disclosures, but not those already made in reliance on it.

Information with special protections

  • Reproductive and sexual health. Maryland law gives extra protection to information about legally protected health care, including reproductive health care. We will not disclose it for an investigation or proceeding against a person for seeking, receiving, or providing care that is lawful in Maryland, except as the law requires.

  • Substance use disorder records. If we receive records from a substance use disorder program covered by federal law (42 CFR Part 2), those records have added protections. They will not be used or disclosed in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceeding against you without your written consent or a court order that meets federal requirements.

  • HIV/AIDS, genetic, and mental health information. Additional federal and Maryland limits apply, and we follow them.

  • Fundraising. If we ever contact you for fundraising, you have the right to opt out, and we will tell you how.

Your rights

To use any of these rights, contact our Privacy Officer. Some requests must be made in writing.

  • Get a copy of your records. You may see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical and billing records. We will respond within 30 days, and we may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee as permitted by law.

  • Ask us to correct your records. If you believe information in your record is wrong or incomplete, you may ask us to amend it. If we say no, we will explain why in writing within 60 days, and you may submit a statement of disagreement.

  • Request confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, a particular phone number) or at a different address. We will agree to all reasonable requests.

  • Ask us to limit what we use or share. You may ask us not to use or share certain information for treatment, payment, or operations. We are not required to agree, except in one case: if you pay for a service or item in full, out of pocket, you may ask us not to share that information with your health plan, and we will agree unless the law requires the disclosure.

  • Get a list of disclosures. You may ask for a list (an "accounting") of the times we shared your PHI in the six years before your request. It will not include disclosures for treatment, payment, or operations, or ones you authorized. One list per year is free.

  • Get a copy of this Notice. You may ask for a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

  • Choose someone to act for you. If someone is your legal guardian or holds your health care power of attorney, that person can use your rights for you.

  • Be notified of a breach. We will notify you if a breach occurs that compromises the privacy or security of your PHI.

  • Decline AI-assisted documentation. You may decline the use of an ambient scribe at any visit (see AI-assisted clinical documentation).

Our duties

  • We must keep your PHI private and secure, as required by law.

  • We must give you this Notice and follow the version currently in effect.

  • We must tell you promptly if a breach affects your information.

  • We will not use or share your information except as described here, unless you tell us in writing that we can.

Changes to this Notice

We may change this Notice, and the changes will apply to all information we hold about you. The current version will be posted in our office and on our website, and paper copies are available at the front desk.

Questions and complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with:

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