Our Commitment to Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used. To make this notice easy to find, we make it available in the footer on every page within this site and within specific pages where personally identifiable information may be requested.

Please click on the following links for specific Privacy Policy concerns.

Healthcare Information policies
On-line Transaction policies

Healthcare:
Introduction

At The Parkinson's Institute, we are committed to treating and using protected health information about you responsibly. The Privacy Regulations created as a result of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) require us to continue maintaining the confidentiality and security of your information. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes the personal information we collect, and how and when we use or disclose that information. It also describes your rights as they relate to your Protected Health Information (PHI). This Notice is effective March 1, 2003, and remains in effect until we replace it. It applies to all Protected Health Information as defined by federal regulations.

Understanding Your Health Record/Information

Each time you visit The Parkinson's Institute; a record of your visit is made. Typically, this record contains your symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care or treatment. This information, often referred to as your health or medical record, serves as a:

• Basis for planning your care and treatment, 
• Means of communication among the many health professionals who contribute to your care, • Legal document describing the care you received, 
• Means by which you or a third-party payer can verify that services billed were actually provided, • A tool in educating heath professionals, 
• A source of data for medical research, 
• A source of information for public health officials charged with improving the health of this state and the nation,
• A source of data for our planning and marketing, and  
• A tool with which we can assess and continually work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve.

Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used helps you to: ensure its accuracy, better understand who, what, when, where, and why others may access your health information, and make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others.

Your Health Information Rights

Although your health record is the physical property of The Parkinson's Institute, the information belongs to you. You have the right to:

Consent to use your PHI for Treatment, Payment, or healthcare Operations (TPO)

Provide a written authorization for other uses and disclosures not identified by this notice or permitted by applicable law

Delegate another person the authority to consent to, or authorize disclosure of, PHI

Obtain a paper copy of this notice of information practices upon request, and  

Inspect and copy your health record for a reasonable, cost-based fee, by as provided for in 45 CFR 164.524. Submit requests in writing to the Privacy Officer. The request will be processed within 30 days, and  

Amend your health record if you believe that it is incorrect or incomplete as provided in 45 CFR 164.528. S. Submit requests in writing to the Privacy Officer, with a reason that supports the request. The physician must make the amendment within 60 days. If the physician denies the request, you may write an objection to the denial, and require that all communications be documented and attached to future disclosures of PHI Obtain an accounting of non-routine, non-TPO disclosures of your health information after implementation of the Privacy Act for a reasonable, cost-based fee as provided in 45 CFR 164.528 Request communications of your health information by alternative means or at alternative locations Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information as provided in 45 CFR 164.522. Additionally, you have the right to request that we restrict our disclosure of your PHI to only certain individuals involved in your care or the payment for your care, such as family members and friends. We are not required to agree to your request; however, if we do agree, we are bound by our agreement except when otherwise required by law, in emergencies, or when the information is necessary to treat you. Revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken. Copies of these federal regulations are available through the Privacy Officer.

Our Responsibilities

The Parkinson's Institute is required to: 1) Maintain the privacy of your health information, 2) Provide you with this notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you, 3) Abide by the terms of this notice, which is now in effect, 4) Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction, and 5) Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations. We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain, including information previously created or received before the effective date. Should our information practices change, we will mail a revised notice to the address you've supplied us, or if you agree, we will email the revised notice to you. We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice. We will also discontinue using or disclosing your health information after we have received a written revocation of the authorization according to the procedures included in the authorization.

For More Information or to Report a Problem

If have questions and would like additional information, you may contact The Parkinson's Institute's Privacy Officer, Renee Rodriguez, at (408) 734-2800.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with the practice's Privacy Officer or with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint with either the Privacy Officer or the Office for Civil Rights. The address for the OCR is listed below:

Office for Civil Rights

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201

Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Operations

We will use your health information for treatment.

For example: Information obtained by a nurse, physician, or other member of your health care team will be recorded in your record and used to determine the course of treatment that should work best for you. Your physician will document in your record his or her expectations of the members of your health care team. Members of your health care team will then record the actions they took and their observations. In that way, the physician will know how you are responding to treatment. We will also provide your physician or a subsequent health care provider with copies of various reports that should assist him or her in treating you once you have completed your visit here.

We will use your health information for payment.

For example: A bill may be sent to you or a third-party payer. The information on or accompanying the bill may include information that identifies you, as well as your diagnosis, procedures, and supplies used.

We will use your health information for regular health operations.

For example: Members of the medical staff, the risk or quality improvement manager, or members of the quality improvement team may use information in your health record to assess the care and outcomes in your case and others like it. This information will then be used in an effort to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare and service we provide. Business associates: There are some services provided in our organization through contacts with business associates. Examples include physician services in the emergency department and radiology, certain laboratory tests, and a billing service we use. When these services are contracted, we may disclose your health information to our business associate so that they can perform the job we've asked them to do and bill you or your third-party payer for services rendered. To protect your health information, however, we require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your information.

Notification:

We may use or disclose information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative, or another person responsible for your care, your location, and general condition. Communication with family: Health professionals, using their best judgment, may disclose to a family member, other relative, close personal friend or any other person you identify, health information relevant to that person's involvement in your care or payment related to your care.

Research:

We may disclose information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your health information.

Funeral directors:

We may disclose health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law to carry out their duties. Organ procurement organizations: Consistent with applicable law, we may disclose health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking, or transplantation of organs for the purpose of tissue donation and transplant.

Marketing:

We may contact you to provide appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

Fund raising:

We may contact you as part of a fund-raising effort.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

We may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects, or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacement.

Workers compensation:

We may disclose health information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers compensation or other similar programs established by law.

Public health:

As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability, including child abuse and neglect.

Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence:

We may disclose PHI to appropriate authorities if we reasonable believe that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence or the possible victim of other crimes. We may share your PHI if it is necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of others. We will only make disclosures to a person or organization able to prevent the threat.

Correctional institution:

Should you be an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the institution or agents thereof health information necessary for your health and the health and safety of other individuals.

Law enforcement:

We may disclose health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena or court order Federal law makes provision for your health information to be released to an appropriate health oversight agency, public health authority or attorney, provided that a work force member or business associate believes in good faith that we have engaged in unlawful conduct or have otherwise violated professional or clinical standards and are potentially endangering one or more patients, workers or the public.

Specialized Government Functions:

Subject to certain requirements, we may use or disclose PHI for military personnel and veterans, to federal officials for national security and intelligence activities, for protective services for the President and others, for medical suitability determinations for the Department of State, for correctional institutions and other law enforcement custodial situations, and for government programs providing public benefits.

On-line Transactions:

The Information We Collect:

This notice applies to all information collected or submitted on the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center website. On some pages, you can make donations, order event tickets, and register to receive additional information. The types of personal information collected at these pages include:

Name
Address
Email address
Phone number
Credit/Debit Card Information
(etc.)

On some pages, you can submit information about other people. For example, if you make a donation in honor of someone and want an acknowledgement letter sent directly to them, you will need to submit the recipient's address. In this circumstance, the types of personal information collected are:

Name
Address
Phone Number
(etc.)

The Way We Use Information: 

We use the information you provide about yourself when placing a donation only to complete that donation. We do not share this information with outside parties.

We use the information you provide about someone else when placing a donation only to send them an acknowledgement letter. We do not share this information with outside parties.

We use return email addresses to answer the email we receive. Such addresses are not used for any other purpose and are not shared with outside parties.

You can register with our website if you would like to receive our newsletter. Information you submit on our website will not be used for this purpose unless you fill out the registration form.

Finally, we never use or share the personally identifiable information provided to us online in ways unrelated to the ones described above without also providing you an opportunity to opt-out or otherwise prohibit such unrelated uses.

Our Commitment To Data Security

To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

 How You Can Access Or Correct Your Information

 You can access all your personally identifiable information that we collect online and maintain by contacting us at info@thepi.org. To protect your privacy and security, we will also take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.

How To Contact Us

Should you have other questions or concerns about these privacy policies, please call us at 408-734-2800 or send us an email at info@thepi.org.

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