Healthy Boy

Privacy Policy

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GAIN ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Uses and Disclosures
STEP Pediatrics, PA may use and disclose your medical information limited to the following purposes:

  1. STEP Pediatrics, PA physicians, clinical staff, and/or business/administrative office staff may use medical information about you for:
    1. Treatment: information may be disclosed to other STEP Pediatrics, PA physicians or staff to follow a plan of care prescribed for you by a physician or Nurse Practitioner. Information may also be disclosed to other physicians that may be directly involved in the plan of care such as your Primary Care Provider, another Specialist, outpatient or inpatient facility or surgical center or hospital.
    2. Payment: Private Health Information may be disclosed to your insurance carrier(s) and/or Medicare for the purposes of payment of claims for Medical Services.
    3. Health Care Operations: Your Private Health Information may be disclosed to pharmaceutical or medical equipment suppliers for the purposes of obtaining supplies or equipment for you surgical procedure determined by the physicians’ plan of care.
  2. STEP Pediatrics, PA may use and/or disclose your Private Health Information when the practice is permitted or required to use or disclose confidential information without the individual’s written authorization.
    1. Uses and disclosures for public health activities such as Immunization reporting, various contagious diseases, and/or bioterrorism planning and prevention;
    2. Reporting about victims of abuse, neglect or domestic violence such as Child Abuse;
    3. Disclosures for health oversight activities;
    4. Disclosures for judicial and administrative proceedings such as Civil and Criminal trials and divorce proceedings;
    5. Disclosures for law enforcement purposes;
    6. Uses and disclosures about decedents such as disease or cancer screening;
    7. Uses and disclosures for cadaveric organ, eye or tissue donation purposes;
    8. Disclosures to avert a serious threat to health or safety such as bioterrorism and epidemic diseases; and
    9. Uses and disclosures for specialized government functions such as audits by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Texas Department of Insurance, Texas Department of Health, etc.
  3. Other uses and disclosures will be made only with your written authorization and you may revoke such authorization in writing.
  4. The practice may contact you to provide appointment reminders of information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you; or
  5. The practice may contact the individual to raise funds for the practice such as billing and collections.

Individual Rights
You have certain rights with respect to protected health information and you may exercise your rights, as follows:

  1. The right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures, including a statement that the practice is not required to agree to a requested restriction.
  2. The right to receive confidential communications.
  3. The right to inspect and copy protected health information.
  4. The right to amend protected health information.
  5. The right to receive an accounting of disclosures of protected health information.
  6. The right of an individual (including that of an individual who has agreed to receive the notice electronically) to obtain a paper copy of the notice from the practice upon request.

See the Implementation section for detailed description of individual’s rights.

Medical Practice’s Duties
The notice must contain:

  1. STEP Pediatrics, PA is required by law to maintain the privacy of confidential information and to provide individuals with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to such information.
  2. STEP Pediatrics, PA is required to abide by the terms of the notice currently in effect.
  3. STEP Pediatrics, PA reserves the right to change the terms of its notice and to make the new notice provisions effective for all confidential information that it maintains. When there is a change to this notice, the revised notice will be

displayed in an easily viewed location within the STEP Pediatrics, PA offices and you may be informed verbally that a new notice is on display.

Complaints
You may complain to STEP Pediatrics, PA and to the Secretary of the DHHS if you believe your privacy rights have been violated; STEP Pediatrics, PA will not retaliated against you for filing complaints.

Contact
STEP Pediatrics, PA’s Privacy and Compliance Office is Paul M. Purcell, MBA. You may reach him to report any privacy violation at 281-364-8600.