Patient Rights Policy

Introduction
EBM Internal Medicine has adopted this Patient Rights Policy to comply with our responsibility to protect individually identifiable health information and the system components that such data resides in under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), the security and privacy regulations implementing HIPAA, other federal and state laws protecting confidentiality of health information, professional ethics, and accreditation requirements.  This policy governs the administration of patient rights under HIPAA.  All personnel of EBM Internal Medicine must comply with this policy. Demonstrated competence in the requirements of this policy is an important part of every employee’s responsibilities.

Assumptions
This Patient Rights Policy is based on the following assumptions:

• HIPAA provides certain federally protected Rights to patients, to access and control their protected health information. The Rights accorded to patients under HIPAA are:

• The Right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of protected health information. The covered entity is not required to agree to a requested restriction.
• The Right to receive confidential communications of protected health information through alternate means, such as an alternate address, or via fax. 
• The Right to inspect and copy protected health information in the Designated Record Set. 
• The Right to amend protected health information in the Designated Record Set. 
• The Right to receive an accounting of disclosures of protected health information required to be tracked by the covered entity.
• The Right to obtain a paper copy of the Notice from the covered entity upon request.

Policy

EBM Internal Medicine shall provide for and administer the patient Rights provided for under HIPAA, in a timely, courteous, and professional manner. EBM Internal Medicine’s Privacy Officer shall be responsible for administering and managing patient Rights.

The Privacy Officer shall prepare and administer Request Forms for each of the patient Rights. Each Request Form shall include:

• The nature of the Patient Right covered by the form.
• The terms and restrictions defining the Right covered by the form.
• The cost(s), if any, for the data or service(s) requested.
• The turnaround or delivery time for the data or service requested, if applicable
• Space for the patient to indicate his/her name, address, signature, date, and other necessary details on the form.

The Privacy Officer shall receive Request Forms from patients, shall ensure that each form is properly filled-out and signed, and shall process each request in a timely manner.

The Privacy Officer shall deliver to each patient who has made a valid request, the appropriate data or service called for in the request, in a timely manner, according to the terms and conditions set forth on each form, and in the Notice of Privacy Practices.

Where patient requests must be denied or refused, for reasons provided for in HIPAA regulations, the Privacy Officer will inform the patient in a manner that is courteous and sensitive to the patient’s concerns. Standard explanations for refusal or denial of patient Rights requests shall be prepared and used consistently.

All provision of patient Rights shall be administered under the terms provided for under HIPAA’s Privacy Rule.

Compliance and Enforcement

The Privacy Officer and all supervisors are responsible for enforcing this policy.  Employees who violate this policy are subject to discipline up to and including termination in accordance with EBM Internal Medicine’s Sanction Policy.



To file a complaint please contact :
Dr. Ernst B. Michel
835 Cesery Boulevard
Jacksonville, Florida
32211

Or

Department of Health & Human Services
Office for Civil Rights, Region 4
61 Forsyth Street, S.W.
Atlanta Federal Center, Suite 3870
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8909