Notice of Privacy Practices

About This Notice

Your privacy is very important to us, and we are committed to protecting health information that identifies you (“health information”). This Notice will tell you about the ways we may use and disclose health information. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of health information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of health information that identifies you, give you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information, and follow the terms of our Notice that is currently in effect.

This Notice applies to care and treatment you receive at the institutions that are part of the Surgery Consultants of Florida group of companies(“Surgery Consultants”). This Notice will be followed by any healthcare professional who treats you at any Surgery Consultants clinic, office or location. “Health information” includes any individually identifiable information that we obtain from you or others that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health, the healthcare you have received, or payment for your healthcare.

The clinics that are part of Surgery Consultants participate in joint activities, such as payment activities and quality improvement activities, and may share your health information among themselves for purposes of treatment, payment and operations. All of the institutions will abide by the privacy requirements of this Notice.

How We May Use and Disclose Health Information About You

For Treatment
We may use health information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose health information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students or other personnel who are involved in taking care of you. For example, a doctor treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have diabetes, because diabetes may slow the healing process. Different departments also may share health information such as prescriptions, lab work and X-rays to coordinate your treatment. We also may disclose health information to people outside of Surgery Consultants who may be involved in your medical care.

For Payment
We may use and disclose health information so that we may bill for treatment and services you receive and can collect payment from you, an insurance company or another third party. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about your treatment in order for your health plan to pay for that treatment. We also may tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment. In the event a bill is overdue, we may need to give health information to a collection agency to help collect the bill or may disclose an outstanding debt to credit reporting agencies.

For Healthcare Operations
We may use and disclose health information for healthcare operations purposes. These uses and disclosures are necessary to make sure that all of our patients receive quality care and for our operation and management purposes. For example, we may use health information to review the treatment and services you receive to check on the performance of our staff in caring for you. We also may disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students and other personnel for educational and learning purposes. We also may combine health information about many patients to decide what additional services we should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments are effective.

Family and Friends Involved in Your Care
If you do not object, we may release health information to a person who is involved in your medical care or helps pay for your care, such as a family member or close friend. We also may notify your family about your location, general condition or death, or disclose such information to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort.

As Required by Law
We will disclose health information when required to do so by international, federal, state or local law.

To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We may use and disclose health information when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, will be to someone who may be able to help prevent the threat.

Business Associates
We may disclose health information to our business associates that perform functions on our behalf or provide us with services, if the health information is necessary for such functions or services. For example, we may use another company to perform billing services on our behalf. All of our business associates are obligated, under contract with us, to protect the privacy of your health information and are not allowed to use or disclose any health information other than as specified in our contract.

Military and Veterans
If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release health information as required by military command authorities. We also may release health information to the appropriate foreign military authority if you are a member of a foreign military.

Workers’ Compensation
We may release health information for workers’ compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

Public Health Risks
We may disclose health information for public health activities. These activities generally include disclosures to:
(1) a person subject to the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for purposes related to the quality, safety or effectiveness of an FDA- regulated product or activity;
(2) prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
(3) report births and deaths;
(4) report child abuse or neglect;
(5) report reactions to medications or problems with products;
(6) notify people of recalls of products they may be using;
(7) a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition; and
(8) the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence and the patient agrees or we are required or authorized by law to make such disclosure.

Health Oversight Activities
We may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the healthcare system, government programs and compliance with civil rights laws.

Lawsuits and Disputes
If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order. We also may disclose health information in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

Law Enforcement
We may release health information if asked by a law enforcement official for the following reasons: (1) in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process; (2) limited information to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person; (3) about the victim of a crime under certain limited circumstances; (4) about a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct; (5) about criminal conduct on our premises; and (6) in emergency circumstances to report a crime, the location of the crime or victims, or the identity, description or location of the person who committed the crime.