Effective Date:10/15/2024

Lowcountry Lung & Critical Care

This Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed, and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Our Commitment to Your Privacy
At Lowcountry Lung & Critical Care, we are committed to protecting your medical information. This notice describes your rights and our legal duties regarding your Protected Health Information (PHI). PHI includes any information that identifies you and relates to your health, treatment, or payment for services.

How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

• For Treatment: We may use and share your health information with other healthcare providers who are involved in your care. This may include doctors, nurses, pharmacists, or other specialists.
• For Payment: We may use and disclose your health information to bill and collect payment for the services we provide. For example, we may send information to your health insurance plan to obtain payment for your treatment.
• For Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose your information for our practice’s operations, which are necessary to ensure quality care. This includes administrative activities like internal audits, training, and quality improvement.
• As Required by Law: We will disclose your information when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.

Other Ways We May Use or Disclose Your Information

• Business Associates: We may share your PHI with third-party organizations, known as business associates, who assist us in our operations, such as billing companies or IT services. These business associates are required to safeguard your information.
• Public Health and Safety: We may disclose your PHI to authorized public health officials for purposes such as preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability, and reporting vital events like births or deaths.
• Health Oversight: We may provide your information to government agencies that oversee the healthcare system or ensure compliance with healthcare laws.
• Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a lawsuit or legal proceeding, we may disclose your PHI in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.
• Law Enforcement: We may release PHI to law enforcement as permitted or required by law.

Your Health Information Rights

You have several rights regarding your health information:

• Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to request a copy of your medical records. We may charge a reasonable fee for copying and mailing.
• Right to Request Amendments: If you believe the information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you can ask us to amend your records.
• Right to Request Restrictions: You can request that we limit the use or disclosure of your health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. While we will consider your request, we are not required to agree to it.
• Right to Request Confidential Communications: You have the right to ask us to communicate with you in a certain way or at a specific location. For example, you can request that we send communications to your work address instead of your home.
• Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request a list of disclosures we have made of your PHI, excluding those for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or those made directly to you.
• Right to Revoke Authorization: If you have given us permission to use or disclose your health information, you have the right to revoke that authorization at any time, except when we have already relied on it.

Our Legal Duties

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and provide you with this notice.
• We will notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• We reserve the right to change this notice. Any changes will apply to all PHI we maintain, and we will post an updated notice on our website.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

To file a complaint with our practice, contact:

Privacy Officer
Lowcountry Lung & Critical Care
9150 Medcom St, Ste B, North Charleston, SC, 29406
Phone: (843) 572-3330
Email: questions@lowcountrylung.com

You can also file a complaint with HHS at:
Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone: 1-877-696-6775
Website: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/

 Contact Us
If you have questions about this notice or your privacy rights, please contact us at:
Lowcountry Lung & Critical Care
9150 Medcom St, Ste B, North Charleston, SC, 29406
Phone: (843) 572-3330
Email: questions@lowcountrylung.com