Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
The mission of RMHA is to provide a range of high quality mental health and substance abuse services to our clients. In order to fulfill this mission we must maintain a commitment to ensure that all individuals who are involved in our services are treated with respect and that all information is treated with the utmost confidentiality and privacy. As such, this notice is designed to inform you about RMHA’s Privacy Practices. These privacy practices are followed by our employees.
We are required by law to give you this notice. This notice will describe how we may use and disclose information that is called “protected health information” (PHI). PHI is any information oral, recorded, or demographic data that may identify you (i.e. name, address, and diagnosis) or that may relate to your past, present or future mental health and/or substance abuse condition and services. We will also outline your rights and our obligations regarding the use and disclosure of that information.
RMHA is required to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices which go into effect as of April 14, 2003.
Any changes to this notice will be posted at RMHA and will be available on our website (www.rmha.org)
If you have any questions/issues in regard to this notice please contact:
Riverdale Mental Health Association, Inc.
5676 Riverdale Avenue
Bronx, New York 10471
718-796-5300
Email: rmha@rmha.org
PERMITTED USES: RMHA may use and disclose your protected health information for the following purposes:
Treatment
We may use protected health information about you to better serve your treatment/services needs. We may disclose this information in an attempt to coordinate or manage your care and any related services. This may include sharing information with other mental health, substance or healthcare providers to better assist you in achieving your personal goals. It is also important for you to be aware that at times your case record may be reviewed by specific agency staff as part of an on-going process to ensure that RMHA is providing quality service and care.
Payment
RMHA may disclose protected health information about you in order to obtain payment for health care services. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about a service, your diagnosis, your name/address, or type of treatment received in an effort to secure payment from your insurance.
We may also need to tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval, or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.
Health Care Operations
We may use and disclose health information about you to staff responsible for agency operations and make sure that you and other individuals involved with RMHA receive quality care. For example, RMHA may use your health information to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We may also need to share PHI with our attorneys, consultants and others in order to ensure that RMHA is in compliance with applicable NYS Laws.
Appointment Reminders
RMHA may use PHI in an effort to notify you or remind you about an upcoming or scheduled appointment for treatment.
Treatment Alternatives
RMHA may use and disclose PHI to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.
Serious Threat to Health or Safety
As required by law and standards of ethical conduct, we may release your health information to the proper authorities if we believe, in good faith, that such release is necessary to prevent or minimize a serious and approaching threat to you or the public’s health or safety.
Required by Law
RMHA will disclose health information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law.
Workers Compensation
RMHA may release your protected health information in order to comply with the laws related to similar programs.
Public Health Matters
RMHA may be required to report your health information to authorities to help prevent or control disease, injury, or disability. This may require RMHA to report information about births, deaths, or suspected child/elder abuse or neglect.
Health Oversight Activities
RMHA may disclose health information to individuals/agencies for the purpose of audits, investigations, inspections, or licensing purposes.
These disclosures may be necessary for certain state and federal agencies to monitor RMHA and ensure compliance with government and civil rights laws.
Research
At this time RMHA is not involved in any formal research activities. Should this status change RMHA would notify you that RMHA may use or disclose your PHI to help conduct research. Any research project would first require approval from the RMHA Board of Directors to ensure that it meets the mission and ethical standards of the agency.
Military, Veterans, National Security
If you are or were involved with the military, national security or intelligence activity, RMHA may be asked by military or government authorities to release protected health information about you to the proper authorities so they may carry out their duties under the law.
Law Enforcement/Lawsuits Court Services
RMHA may release protected health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process, subject to all applicable legal requirements.
Inmates
We may use or disclose your protected health information if you are an inmate of a correctional facility so the proper authorities may carry out their duties under the law.
Victims of Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence
RMHA may notify the appropriate government authorities if we believe a client has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. Such a disclosure will only be made if you agree or when required or authorized by law.
Death/Organ Donation
RMHA may release health 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 disclose your health information to people involved with obtaining, storing or transporting organs or tissue donations.
Emergencies
RMHA may use or disclose your protected health information in an emergency treatment situation.
Family/Friends/Caregivers/Payment
If people such as family members, relatives, or close personal friends are helping care for you, RMHA may release important Health information about you to those people. RMHA may use or disclose protected health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative or any other person that is responsible for your care of your location, general condition or death. You have the right to object to such disclosure, unless you are unable to function or there is an emergency.
In addition, RMHA may release your health information to organizations authorized to handle disaster relief efforts so those who care for you can receive information about your location or health status. RMHA may allow you to agree or disagree orally to such release, unless there is an emergency.
OTHER USES AND DISCLOSURE OF HEALTH INFORMATION
Except for the above outlined areas, RMHA would require your written Authorization to release protected health information (PHI). At any time during your treatment or care with RMHA, you may revoke our Authorization, in writing. If you would like to withdraw your Authorization please submit your request in writing to the RMHA Privacy Officer, Riverdale Mental Health Association, 5676 Riverdale Avenue, Bronx, New York 10471.
Your Rights
You have the following rights regarding the protected health information RMHA maintains about you:
Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and copy your health information, such as medical and billing records that we use to make decisions about your care.
You must submit your request in writing to the RMHA Privacy Officer, Riverdale Mental Health Association, 5676 Riverdale Avenue, Bronx, New York 10471.
RMHA may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other associated supplies. RMHA may also deny your request to inspect and/or copy in certain limited circumstances. If you are denied access to your health information, you may ask that the denial be reviewed.
Right to Make Changes
If you believe RMHA has health information about you that is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask RMHA to correct the information by contacting the RMHA Privacy Officer in writing. You must state what information needs to be changed and why. RMHA may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that RMHA did not create, or if RMHA believes the information is complete and accurate.
Right to Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request an accounting of disclosures. This is a list of the disclosures RMHA made of health information about you for purposes other than treatment, payment and health care operations, national security, law enforcement corrections, and certain health oversight activities.
To obtain this list, you must submit your request in writing to the RMHA Privacy Officer. Please include time frames, which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before April 14, 2003. RMHA will review all requests individually and will comply with your request within 30 days, unless you agree to a 30-day extension. RMHA may charge a nominal fee for this list if a request is made more than one time annually. You will be notified of all charges prior to completion of your request.
Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the protected health information RMHA uses, or discloses about you for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the health information RMHA discloses about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for it, like a family member or friend. However, RMHA is not required to agree in all circumstances to your requested restriction. Such a request should be submitted in writing to the RMHA Privacy Officer.
Right to Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail. Such requests should be submitted in writing to the RMHA Privacy Officer.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to a paper copy of this notice even if you earlier agreed to receive it electronically.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our office or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint. If you would like to file a complaint please contact the RMHA Privacy Officer.