For Treatment, Payment of Health Care Operations
The following categories describe the ways that we may use and disclose your health information. For each type of use and disclosure, we will explain what we mean and present some examples.
Treatment. We may use or disclose your health care information in the provision, coordination or management of your health care. Our communications to you may be by telephone, cell phone, e-mail, patient portal, or by mail. For example we may use your information to call and remind you of an appointment or to refer your care to another physician. If another provider requests your health information and they are not providing care and treatment to you we will request an authorization from you before providing your information.
Payment. We may use or disclose your health care information to obtain payment for your health care services. For example, we may use your information to send a bill for your health care services to your insurer.
Health Care Operations. We may use or disclose your health care information for activities relating to the evaluation of patient care, evaluating the performance of health care providers, business planning and compliance with the law. For example, we may use your information to determine the quality of care you received when you had your surgery. If the activities require disclosure outside of our health care organization we will request your authorization before disclosing that information.
Without Your Written Authorization
The following categories describe the ways that Sauk Prairie Healthcare may use and disclose your health information without your authorization. For each type of use and disclosure, we will explain what we mean and present some examples.
Required by Law. We may use and disclose your health information when that use or disclosure is required by law. For example, we may disclose medical information to report child abuse or to respond to a court order.
Public Health. We may release your health information to local, state or federal public health agencies subject to the provisions of applicable state and federal law for reporting communicable diseases, aiding in the prevention or control of certain diseases and reporting problems with products and reactions to medications to the Food and Drug Administration.
Victims of Abuse, Neglect or Violence. We may disclose your information to a government authority authorized by law to receive reports of abuse, neglect or violence relating to children or the elderly.
Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose your health information to health agencies authorized by law to conduct audits, investigations, inspections, licensure and other proceedings related to oversight of the health care system.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. We may disclose your health information in the course of an administrative or judicial proceeding in response to a court order. Under most circumstances when the request is made through a subpoena, a discovery request or involves another type of administrative order, your authorization will be obtained before disclosure is permitted.
Law Enforcement. We may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, or missing person, or complying with a court order or other law enforcement purposes. Under some limited circumstances we will request your authorization prior to permitting disclosure.
Coroners and Medical Examiners. We may disclose your health information to coroners and medical examiners. For example, this may be necessary to determine the cause of death.
Cadaveric, Organ, Eye or Tissue Donation. If we are a hospital, we may disclose your health information to organizations involved in procuring organs and tissues for transplantation.
Research. Under certain circumstances, and only after a special approval process, we may use and disclose your health information to help conduct medical research which may involve an assessment of how well a drug is working to cure a heart disease or whether a certain treatment is working better than another.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health of Safety. We may disclose your health information in a very limited manner to appropriate persons to prevent a serious threat to the health or safety of a particular person or the general public. Disclosure is usually limited to law enforcement personnel who are involved in protecting the public safety.
Specialized Government Functions. Under certain and very limited circumstances, we may disclose your health care information for military, national security, or law enforcement custodial situations.
Workers’ Compensation. Both state and federal law allow the disclosure of your health care information that is reasonably related to a worker’s compensation injury to be disclosed without your authorization. These programs may provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.
Health Information. We may use or disclose your health information to provide information to you about treatment alternatives or other health related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
Fundraising. We may use certain information (name, address, telephone number or e-mail information, age, date of birth, gender, health insurance status, dates of service, department of service information, treating physician information or outcome information) to contact you for the purpose of raising money for Sauk Prairie Healthcare and you will have the right to opt out of receiving such communications with each solicitation. For the same purpose, we may provide your name to our institutionally related foundation. The money raised will be used to expand and improve the services and programs we provide the community. You are free to opt out of fundraising solicitation, and your decision will have no impact on your treatment or payment for services at SPH.
Sauk Prairie Healthcare Directory. Unless you object, we may use your health information, such as your name, location in our facility, your general health condition (e.g., “stable,” or “unstable”), and your religious affiliation for our directory. It is our duty to give you enough information so you can decide whether or not to object to release of this information for our directory. The information about you contained in our directory will not be disclosed to individuals not associated with our health care environment without your authorization.
If you do not object and the situation is not an emergency, and disclosure is not otherwise prohibited by law, we are permitted to release your information under the following circumstances:
- To individuals involved in your care—we may release your health information to a family member, other relative, friend or other person whom you have identified to be involved in your health care or the payment of your health care;
- To family—we may use your health information to notify a family member, a personal representative or a person responsible for your care, of your location, general condition, or death; and
- To disaster relief agencies—we may release your health information to an agency authorized by law to assist in disaster relief activities.