Privacy Notice

JOINT NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

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.

This joint notice of privacy practices applies to all of the health information created or received by the medical staff members, healthcare workers, employees, contract staff, students, trainees, and volunteers at all Northwest Kidney Centers (NKC) buildings and programs, including:

Auburn Kidney Center, Auburn
Elliott Bay Kidney Center, Seattle
Haviland Kidney Center, Seattle
Lake City Kidney Center, Lake Forest Park
Lake Washington Kidney Center, Bellevue
Mount Rainier Kidney Center, Renton
Port Angeles Kidney Center, Port Angeles
Scribner Kidney Center, Seattle
SeaTac Kidney Center, SeaTac
Snoqualmie Ridge Kidney Center, Snoqualmie
Totem Lake Kidney Center, Kirkland
West Seattle Kidney Center, Seattle
NKC Pharmacy
NKC Home Care Programs
NKC Hospital Service
NKC Clinical Research Department
NKC Blagg Pavilion
NKC Distribution & Service Center
NKC SeaTac Pavilion

This notice applies to the health information and health records used for your care.  We share your health information as needed among the centers and programs listed above to give you treatment, get payment, do needed business activities or follow the law.

Solely for purposes of complying with the federal privacy laws, NKC and its medical staff, which includes members of the Division of Nephrology from the University of Washington, characterize themselves as an “organized health care arrangement” and have agreed to follow this notice for services provided by, at, or through NKC.  These providers may share health information with each other for treatment, payment (subject to authorization), and the health care operations of the organized health care arrangement and as described in this notice.  NKC is not responsible for actions by independent medical staff members.

This notice restates the NKC notice of privacy practices dated April 14, 2003.

Our Duties

NKC is required by law to keep your health information private.  NKC must give you a notice of its legal duties and privacy practices.  Also, we must follow the practices that are stated in this notice.  This notice tells you how your health information may be used and shared (disclosed).  You have a right to ask for and get a paper copy of this notice.  NKC will not use or share your health information except as stated in this notice.

Using Your Personal Health Information

When you are first admitted to NKC, and each time you visit a center, a record of your visit is made.  This information, called your medical record, serves as a

	Basis for planning your care and treatment;
	Means of sharing information among the different healthcare workers who take part in your care;
	Legal record of the care you received;
	Way for you or a third-party payer (insurance, Medicare, etc.) to make sure that the services billed for were actually provided;
	Tool that helps teach healthcare workers;
	Source of data (facts) for medical research;
	Source of information for public health staff who work to improve the health of the nation;
	Source of data (facts) used in making plans for centers, buildings and programs.

Examples of Uses and Disclosures of Your Health Information for Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations

Treatment:  We may use and disclose your health information to give you care and to coordinate and manage your treatment or other services.  For example, a doctor needing to perform surgery on you may need to know if you are on dialysis because this may affect the surgery care plan.  Also, we will provide your health information to a doctor who is seeing you in his or her office.

Payment:  We may use and disclose your health information to bill and collect payment from you or your health insurance plan for services received.  We will get your authorization to disclose this information.  For example, we may give information about your dialysis to your health plan or Medicare so we can be paid.  We also may share your information with other providers who are involved in your care for their payment purposes.

Health Care Operations:  We may use and disclose information about you for our business operations.  For example, our quality improvement teams may use your health information to assess the care and outcomes in your case and others like it. 

Appointment Reminders, Treatment Alternatives, and Health-Related Benefits and Services:  We may use and disclose your health information to:  remind you about appointments with us; tell you about alternative treatment therapies, providers, or settings of care; and tell you about health-related products, benefits, or services related to your treatment or care.  We may send you newsletters about general health matters, our services, local health fairs, wellness programs, and similar events.

Other Uses and Disclosures

The following categories describe different ways we use and disclose health care information.  We may use and disclose your health information:

	To family and friends who are involved in your care or to notify family and friends of your condition or location.
	To Federal, State and Local Governments or Regulatory Agencies who require specific types of information to be reported or disclosed.
	For research.  Although most clinical research studies require your authorization, there are instances where a record review may be conducted without patient consent.  In such instances, your information will be “de-identified” so that no researcher will know your identity, or as we otherwise are permitted to do so by law.
	For fundraising.  We may contact you as part of a fundraising effort.
	For education.  We may send educational materials and newsletters to you to keep you informed of issues relating to your care.
	To other businesses that we contract with to assist us in your care.  We require these businesses to protect the privacy and confidentiality of your health information.
	Through our appointment schedule.
	To avert serious threat to health or safety.
	In response to court orders, subpoenas, search warrants, discovery requests and similar legal processes.
	For certain law enforcement and security purposes.
	As required or permitted by law.

Other uses and disclosures will be made only with your written permission.  In most cases you have the right revoke or cancel your permission.

Special Authorizations

There are Federal and State laws that protect certain kinds of personal health information.   These laws require NKC to get special written permission from you to share this information.  This information includes such things as certain sexually transmitted and other communicable disease, drug and alcohol abuse, and certain mental health services.  When your personal health information falls under these special protections, we will ask you for the needed written permission to share the information. 

Your Rights

You have personal rights over the use and sharing of your personal health information, including the rights listed below.  You may act on these rights by contacting your NKC Social Worker, or the NKC Privacy Officer at (206) 292-2771, ext 6014.

Restrict Use and Disclosure: You may ask in writing that we restrict uses or disclosures of your information for treatment, payment and business purposes, or for people involved in your care.  We will consider your request, but we may deny your request in certain situations.

Receive confidential information:  You have the right to receive confidential communication in other ways or at other locations.  This includes a different mailing address or an e-mail address.

Inspect and copy:  In most cases, you have the right to look at your health information or request a copy of it.

Request changes:  You have the right to request that we correct information in your record that you believe is incorrect, or that we add information that you believe is missing.  We will consider your request, but we may deny your request in certain situations.

Know about disclosures:  You have the right to request and receive a list of times where we have disclosed information except for treatment, payment, related business purposes or other disclosures specified by law.

Copy of this Notice:  You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice.

Complaints:  If you are concerned that your privacy rights may have been violated, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your record, you may contact our Patient Relations Office at (206) 292-2771, ext 6923.  You also may send a written complaint to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.  You will not be penalized for filing a complaint. 

Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change this notice.  The revised notice will be effective for information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future.  Unless required by law, the revised notice will be effective on the new effective date of the notice.  If you would like a copy of the current notice, please ask at one of our registration areas.  The current notice also will be posted on our website and in our facilities.  The notice will state an effective date.

Questions

For further information, please contact Palmer Pollock at 206-292-2771, extension 6014.