PRIVACY POLICY

This notice describes how your medical information may be used and disclosed, as well as our access to this information. Please review this notice carefully.

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Healthcare ExtraOrdinare, LLC (HCE) is required by law to provide you with this Notice so that you will understand how we may use or share your information from the Designated Record Set. The Designated Record Set includes financial and health information referred to in this Notice as "Protected Health Information" (PHI) or simply "health information."  We are required to adhere to the terms outlined in this Notice. If you have questions about this Notice, please let us know.

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Understanding  Your Health Record and Information

Each time you are seen by HCE, a record of your care is made that contains health and financial information. Typically, this record contains information about your condition, the treatment we provide, and payment for these services. We may use and/or disclose this information in order to:

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• Plan your care and treatment

• Communicate with other health professionals involved in your care

• Document the care you receive

• Educate health professionals

• Provide information to public health officials

• Evaluate and improve the care we provide

• Obtain payment for the care we provide

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Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used helps you to:

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• Ensure it is accurate

• Better understand who may access your health information

• Make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others

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How We May Use and Disclose Your PHI

The following categories describe the way that we use and disclose health information. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall into one of these categories.

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For Treatment. We may use or disclose health information about you to provide you with medical treatment. We may disclose health information about you to doctors, nurses, therapists, or other HCE personnel who are involved in taking care of you. For example, a doctor treating your for a leg wound may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. We may also share health information about you in order to coordinate your care and provide you with medication, lab work,, and X-rays. We may disclose health information about you to people outside HCE who may be involved in your medical care. This my include referrals to specialists or other healthcare providers, imaging or other diagnostic services, providers, or your family members or caregivers.

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For Payment.  We may use and disclose health information about you so that the treatment and services you receive may be billed to you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, in order to be pid, w may need to share information with your health plan about services provided to you. We may also tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive or obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.

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For Healthcare Operations.  We may use and disclose health information about you for our day-to-day health care operation. Your health information may be used and disclosed for the business management and general activities of HCE including resolution of internal grievances, customer service, and due diligence in connection with a sale or transfer of HCE. In limited circumstances, we may disclose your health information to another entity subject to HIPPA for its own health care operations. We may remove information that identifies you so that the heath information may be used to study health care and health care delivery without learning the identities of patients.

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Other Allowable Uses of Your Health Information

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Affiliate Providers.  Some services may be provide to you by our affiliate providers. If so, we may use or disclose your health information to them to enhance your care.

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As Required by Law.  We will disclose health information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law.

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Business Associates.  There are some services provided in HCE through contracts with business associates. Examples include our electronic health record provider, medical supply vendors, and our attorney. When these services are contracted, we may disclose your health information 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 the health information, however, we require the business to associate to appropriately safe guard your information.

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Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors.  We may disclose medical information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also disclosed medical information to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

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Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care.  Unless you object, we may disclose health information about you to  friend or family member who is involved in your care. We may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care. In addition, we may disclose health information about you to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort.

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Law Enforcement.  We may disclose health information when requested by a law enforcement official. Should you become an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the institution, or its agents, health information necessary for your health and the health safety of others.

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Marketing Activities.  We may use health information about you to help develop our marketing activities.

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Military and Veterans.  If you are, or were, a member of the armed forces, we may disclose health information about you as required by the military authorities or agencies. We may also disclose health information about foreign military personel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

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National Security and Intelligence Activities.  We may disclose health information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security.

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Organ and Tissue Donation.  If you are an organ donor, we may disclose health information to organizations that handle organ procurement to facilitate donation and transplantation.

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Reminders and Health-Related Benefits Services.  We may contact you to provide appointment reminders or other health related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

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Reporting.  Federal and state laws may require or permit HCE to disclose certain health information.

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Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities may include audits, investigation, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

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Judicial and Administrative Proceedings.  If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose health information about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose health information about you in response to a subpoena, a discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

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Public Health Risks.  We may disclose health information about you for public health purposes, including:

• Prevention or control of disease, injury or disability

• Reporting births and deaths

• Reporting child abuse or neglect

• Reporting reactions to medications or problems with products.

• Notifying people of recalls of products

• Notifying a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease

• Notifying the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

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Research.  Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose health information abut you for research purposes. For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one medication to those who received another, for the same condition. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of health information, trying to balance the research needs with patients' need for privacy of their health information. Before we use or disclose health information for research, the project will have been approved through this research approval process. We may, however, disclose health information about you to people preparing to conduct a research project so long as the health information they review does not leave HCE.

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Threats to Health or Safety.  We may use an disclose health information about you to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. We would do this only to help prevent the threat.

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Treatment Alternatives.  We may use and disclose health information to tell you about possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

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Workers' Compensation.  We may disclose health information about you for workers' compensation or similar programs.

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Other Uses of Health Information

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Other uses and disclosures of health information not covered by this Notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your permission. If you provide us permission to use or disclose health information about you, you may revoke that permission in writing at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose health information about you for the reasons covered by your authorization. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.

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Your Right Regarding Health Information About You

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Although your health record is the property of HCE, the information belongs to you. You have the following rights regarding your health information:

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Accounting of Disclosures.  You have the right to request an "accounting of disclosures." This is a list of certain disclosures we made of your health information, other than those made for purposes such as treatment, payment, or health care operations. You must submit your request in writing and Your request must state a time period not longer than seven (7) years from the date of request. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper or electronically). The first list that you request within a twelve (12) month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any cost are incurred.

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Amendments. If you feel that health information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have this right as long as the information is kept by or for HCE. You must submit your request in writing and you must provide a reason for your request.

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We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support your request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that;

• Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment

• Is not part of the health information kept by HCE

• Is accurate and complete

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Copies of Your health Records. With some exceptions, you have the right to review and copy your health information. You must submit your request in writing and we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other costs associated with your request.

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Copy of this Notice.  You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices, even if you have agreed to receive the Notice electronically. You ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time.

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Right to Request Alternative Communications.  You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a confidential manner or using a specific method. For example, you may ask that we only contact you via e-mail. You must submit your request in writing and Your request must specify how you wish to be contacted and we will try to accommodate all reasonable requests.

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Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you. For example, you may request that we limit the health information we disclose to someone whois involved in your care or the payment for your care. You could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had to a family member or friend. However, we are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you with urgent or emergency treatment. You must submit your request in writing and Your request must indicate:

• What information you want to limit

• Whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both

• To whom you want the limits to apply, for example disclosures to your spouse

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Changes to This Notice

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We reserve the right to change this Notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed Notice effective for health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will make a copy of any revised Notice available in our office, on our website, or both.

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Complaints

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If you believe your privacy rights have been infringed, we want to know and we want to make it right. If you believe this is the case, please immediately notify us. You will not be penalized in any way for filing a complaint.

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