Privacy

Pathology Consultants of New Mexico   →  Privacy

Privacy

Privacy

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.

If you have any questions about this notice, please contact: PCNM, 600 North Richardson, Roswell, NM 88201.

Who Will Follow This Notice
This notice describes the medical information practices of Pathology Consultants of New Mexico (“PCNM”).

Our Pledge Regarding Medical Information

We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you. This notice applies to all of the medical records we maintain.

This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you. It also describes our obligations and your rights regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.

We are required by law to:

  • make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private
  • give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you
  • follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect

How We May Use and Disclose Medical Information About You

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and present some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

For Treatment
We may use or disclose medical information about you to facilitate medical treatment or services by providers. We may disclose medical information about you to providers, including doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other hospital personnel who are involved in taking care of you. For example, we might disclose information about your patient laboratory cases to the physicians who are treating you in order to assist the physicians in decision making related to your care.

For Payment
We may use and disclose medical information about you to determine your eligibility for insurance benefits, to facilitate payment for the treatment and services you receive from us, or to coordinate insurance coverage. For example, we may tell your healthcare company about your medical history to determine whether your health insurance will cover the treatment.

For Health Care Operations
We may use and disclose medical information about you to support the business activities of our practice. These uses and disclosures are necessary to provide quality treatment to you. For example, we may use medical information in connection with conducting quality assessment and improvement activities, business planning and development such as cost management, business management and general administrative activities.

As Required By Law
We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law. For example, we may disclose medical information when required by a court order in a litigation proceeding such as a malpractice action.

To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We may use and disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or to the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat. For example, we may disclose medical information about you in a proceeding regarding the licensure of a physician.

Special Situations
Organ and Tissue Donation
If you are an organ donor, we may release medical information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.

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

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

Public Health Risks
We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities. These activities generally include the following:

  • to prevent or control disease, injury or disability
  • to report births and deaths
  • to report child abuse or neglect
  • to report reactions to medications or problems with products
  • to notify people of recalls of products they may be using
  • to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition
  • to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law

Health Oversight Activities
We may disclose medical 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 health care 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 medical information about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose medical information about you 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 medical information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:

  • in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process
  • to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person
  • about the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person’s agreement
  • about a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct
  • about criminal conduct at the hospital
  • in emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identify, description or location of the person who committed the crime

Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors
We may release medical information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also release medical information about patients of the hospital to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

National Security and Intelligence Activities
We may release medical information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.

Inmates
If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release medical information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.

Your Rights Regarding Medical Information About You

You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:

Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and copy your protected health information.  To inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to PCNM Privacy Official, 600 North Richardson, Roswell, NM 88201. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a reasonable fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request.  We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain circumstances, such as if your request is for information compiled in reasonable anticipation of a civil or criminal action, or if the information is related to medical research in which you have agreed to participate. If you are denied access to medical information, you may request that the denial be reviewed.

Right to Amend
If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by PCNM.

To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to PCNM Privacy Official, 600 North Richardson, Roswell, NM 88201. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request.

We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:

  • is not part of the medical information kept by or for PCNM
  • was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment
  • is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy
  • is accurate and complete

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request an “accounting of disclosures” where such disclosure was made for any purpose other than treatment, payment, or health care operations.

To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to PCNM Privacy Official, 600 North Richardson, Roswell, NM 88201. Your request must state a time period which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before April, 2003. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, paper or electronic). The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.

Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment of your care, like a family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had.

We are not required to agree to your request unless the restriction pertains solely to a health care item or service for which we have been paid out of pocket in full.

To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to PCNM Privacy Official, 600 North Richardson, Roswell, NM 88201. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosure to your spouse.

Right to Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail.

To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to PCNM Privacy Official, 600 North Richardson, Roswell, NM 88201. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.

Notification of Breach
You have the right to receive a notification upon a breach of any of your unsecured protected health information.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this notice.

To obtain a paper copy of this notice, you must make your request in writing to PCNM Privacy Official, 600 North Richardson, Roswell, NM 88201.

Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for medical information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice on the PCNM’s website. The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right-hand corner, the effective date.

Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint with PCNM. To file a complaint, contact PCNM Privacy Official, 600 North Richardson, Roswell, NM 88201; 575-622-5600 All complaints must submitted in writing.  If we are unable to resolve your complaint, you may address your concerns to the Secretary of Health and Human Services: Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington DC 20201.

We will never retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Other Uses of Medical Information
Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. If you provide us permission to use or disclose medical information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.