USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION BASED UPON YOUR WRITTEN CONSENT
Your protected health information may be used and disclosed by Calcium and others outside Calcium that are involved in your care and treatment for the purpose of providing health care services to you. Your protected health information may also be used and disclosed as necessary to support the operation of Calcium.
Set forth below are examples of the types of uses and disclosures of your protected health care information that Calcium is permitted to make. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but rather to describe for you the types of uses and disclosures that may be made by Calcium,
Examples: We may use or disclose, as needed, your protected health information in order to support the normal business activities of Calcium. Examples of these activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment activities, employee review activities, training, licensing, and conducting or arranging for other business activities.
We also may need to share your protected health information with certain of our “business associates” or other third parties that perform various activities (e.g., coordinating care, transcribing records) in connection with the services provided by Calcium. Whenever an arrangement between Calcium and a business associate involves the use or disclosure of your protected health information, we will have in place the legally required safeguards to protect the privacy of your health information.
USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION BASED UPON YOUR WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION
Other uses and disclosures of your protected health information will be made only with your written authorization, unless otherwise permitted or required by law as described below. You may revoke your authorization, at any time, in writing, except to the extent that Calcium has taken an action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.
OTHER USES AND DISCLOSURES THAT MAY BE MADE AND TO WHICH YOU MAY AGREE OR OBJECT
In the circumstances listed below, you may agree or object to the use or disclosure of the protected health information in the manner described. In the absence of agreement or objection, Calcium may, using reasonable and good-faith judgment, determine whether the disclosure of health information is in your best interest. If such a determination is made, only the protected health information that is relevant to your health care will be disclosed.
Others Involved in Your Healthcare: At your direction, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend or any other person you identify, your protected health information that directly relates to that person’s involvement in your health care. We 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. Finally, we may use or disclose your protected health information to an authorized public or private entity to assist in disaster relief efforts and to coordinate uses and disclosures to family or other individuals involved in your health care.
Emergencies: In an emergency treatment situation, we may have to use or disclose your protected health information in a context in which consent for the release of information has not already been given. If this happens, Calcium will try to obtain your consent to the release of information as soon as reasonably practicable after the delivery of the treatment.
OTHER PERMITTED AND REQUIRED USES AND DISCLOSURES THAT MAY BE MADE WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT, AUTHORIZATION OR OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT
There are other circumstances in which we may have to use or disclose your protected health information, even without your consent or authorization. These situations include:
Communication Barriers: If Calcium attempts to obtain consent from you but is unable to do so due to substantial communication barriers and Calcium determines, using professional judgment, that you would consent to the use or disclosure under the circumstances, we may use and disclose your protected health information.
Disclosure Required By Law: We may use or disclose your protected health information to the extent that the use or disclosure is required by law. The use or disclosure will be made in compliance with the law and will be limited to the relevant requirements of the law. You will be notified, as required by law, of any such uses or disclosures.
Public Health: We may disclose your protected health information for public health activities and purposes to a public health authority that is permitted by law to collect or receive the information. The disclosure will be made for the purpose of controlling disease, injury or disability. We may also disclose
your protected health information, if directed by the public health authority, to a government agency that is collaborating with the public health authority.
Communicable Diseases: We may disclose your protected health information, if authorized by law, to a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading the disease or condition.
Health Oversight: We may disclose protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, and inspections. Oversight agencies seeking this information include government agencies that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, other government regulatory programs and civil rights laws.
Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your protected health information to a government authority that is authorized by law to receive reports of child abuse or neglect. In addition, we may disclose your protected health information if we believe that you has been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence to the governmental entity or agency authorized to receive such information. In this case, the disclosure will be made consistent with the requirements of applicable federal and state laws.
Food and Drug Administration: We may disclose your protected health information to a person or company required by the Food and Drug Administration to report adverse events, product defects or problems, biologic product deviations, track products; to enable product recalls; to make repairs or replacements; or to conduct post marketing surveillance, as required.
Legal or Administrative Proceedings or Investigations: We may disclose protected health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding or investigation, in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal (to the extent such disclosure is expressly authorized), in certain conditions in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process or request.
Law Enforcement: We may disclose protected health information, so long as applicable legal requirements are met, for law enforcement purposes. These law enforcement purposes include requests: (1) pursuant to legal processes or as otherwise required by law; (2) for limited information for identification and location purposes; (3) pertaining to potential victims of a crime; (4) relating to suspicion that a death has occurred as a result of criminal conduct; (5) in the event that a crime occurs at Calcium ; or (6) relating to a medical emergency (not at Calcium ) and it is necessary to alert law enforcement regarding a potential crime.
Coroners, Funeral Directors, and Organ Donation: We may disclose protected health information to a coroner or medical examiner for identification purposes, determining cause of death or for the coroner or medical examiner to perform other duties authorized by law. We may also disclose protected health information to a funeral director, as authorized by law, in order to permit the funeral director to carry out his/her duties. We may disclose such information in reasonable anticipation of death. protected health information may be used and disclosed for cadaveric organ, eye or tissue donation purposes.
Threat to Public Safety: Consistent with applicable federal and state laws, we may disclose your protected health information, if we believe that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public. We may also disclose protected health information if it is necessary for law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual.
Research. We may use or disclose your protected health information without your consent or authorization if an Institutional Review Board or Privacy Board approves a waiver of authorization for such disclosure.
Information Not Personally Identifiable. We may use or disclose your protected health information in ways that do not personally reveal your identity.