Notice of privacy practices.

This notice applies to King Physical Therapy and Fitness and to all of the health information we create or receive about you at either of our clinics. A paper copy is available at the front desk in Connellsville and in Scottdale, and we will give you one on request at any time.

Our duties.

We are required by law to protect the privacy of your protected health information, to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect. We are also required to notify you if a breach occurs that compromises the privacy or security of your information.

How we use and disclose your health information.

For treatment. We use your health information to provide your care and to coordinate it with others involved in it. Your licensed physical therapist reviews your history and evaluation findings to build your plan, discusses your progress with other clinicians in the practice who are treating you, and shares relevant information with your physician, your surgeon, or another provider you have been referred to or from.

For payment. We use and disclose your health information to bill and collect payment for the care you receive. This includes confirming your coverage with your health plan, obtaining prior authorization where a plan requires it, and providing a plan with the information it needs to determine what it will pay, such as your diagnosis, the treatment provided, and the dates of your visits.

For health care operations. We use your health information to run the practice well: reviewing the quality of care, training students and staff, evaluating clinician performance, arranging audits and legal or accounting services, and general business management. Where we can, we use information that does not identify you.

Other uses and disclosures permitted or required by law.

• Appointment reminders and treatment alternatives. We may contact you to remind you of an appointment, or to tell you about treatment options or health-related services that may be of interest to you.
• People involved in your care. Unless you object, we may share information relevant to your care with a family member, friend, or other person you have identified as helping with your treatment or payment.
• As required by law. We will disclose your information when federal, state, or local law requires it.
• Public health and safety. We may disclose information to public health authorities, to report abuse or neglect, for product safety, or to prevent a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of you or someone else.
• Health oversight. We may disclose information to an agency conducting audits, investigations, inspections, or licensure activity.
• Judicial and administrative proceedings. We may disclose information in response to a court or administrative order, or to a subpoena or discovery request that meets the requirements of the privacy rule.
• Law enforcement. We may disclose information for limited law enforcement purposes permitted by law, such as identifying a suspect or reporting a crime on our premises.
• Workers’ compensation. We may disclose information as authorized by workers’ compensation laws.
• Coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, and organ donation. We may disclose information as permitted by law.
• Research. We may use or disclose information for research that has been approved through a process protecting your privacy.
• Military, national security, and inmates. We may disclose information as required for these limited purposes.

Uses that require your written authorization.

Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, any use or disclosure for marketing, and any sale of your health information require your written authorization. Any other use or disclosure not described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already acted on it.

Your rights.

• To inspect and copy. You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your health information used to make decisions about your care, including an electronic copy where we hold it electronically. Ask us in writing. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copying and postage. In limited circumstances we may deny a request, and where the law allows, you may ask for that denial to be reviewed.
• To request an amendment. If you believe information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us in writing to amend it, with a reason for the request. We may deny the request if the information was not created by us, is not part of the records we keep, is not information you would be permitted to inspect, or is accurate and complete. If we deny it, you may file a statement of disagreement, which becomes part of your record.
• To an accounting of disclosures. You have the right to request a list of the disclosures we made of your health information, other than disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations, and certain other exceptions. Ask us in writing and state the period, which may not be longer than six years. The first accounting in any twelve-month period is free; we may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for additional requests.
• To request restrictions. You may ask us to restrict how we use or disclose your information for treatment, payment, or health care operations, or to a person involved in your care. We are not required to agree to a restriction, except that we must agree to withhold information from a health plan when the disclosure is for payment or operations and you have paid for the service in full out of pocket.
• To confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you at a particular phone number or address, or by a particular method. We will accommodate reasonable requests and will not ask you why.
• To a paper copy of this notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically. Ask at the front desk at either clinic.
• To be notified of a breach. You have the right to be notified if a breach of your unsecured health information occurs.

Complaints.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the practice or with the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. To complain to us, contact our privacy officer:

Emily Watkins, Privacy Officer
King Physical Therapy and Fitness
171 W Crawford Avenue
Connellsville, PA 15425
(724) 628-7288

To complain to the federal government, write to the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201, call 1-877-696-6775, or file online at hhs.gov. All complaints must be made in writing to us. You will not be penalized or retaliated against in any way for filing a complaint.

Changes to this notice.

We reserve the right to change this notice and to make the revised notice effective for health information we already hold as well as information we receive in the future. The current notice is posted on this page and displayed at both clinics, and a paper copy is available at either front desk on request. Questions about anything on this page can go to Emily Watkins at (724) 628-7288 or jking@kingptandfitness.com.