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HIPAA-Compliant Dermatologists Near Chicago, IL
At Skin MD, we care about our patients. Naturally, that care extends to their confidential health records and information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) established national standards for the management and sharing of sensitive health information. Your records cannot be disclosed without your consent or knowledge.
Additionally, HIPAA provides other specific protections and guidelines for your health records and information. At Skin MD, we believe in empowerment through education—both in dermatological matters and in patient rights. Find more details about HIPAA below so that you fully understand how your sensitive health information is protected, shared, and altered.
Your Health Information & Your Patient Rights Under HIPAA
An informed patient is a protected patient. Please review the finer points of HIPAA below so that you fully understand your rights. If you have questions about what this information means for you, contact Skin MD today.
Your Rights
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) gives patients certain specific rights when managing their health information and records. Here’s what you can do with HIPAA-compliant healthcare providers.
Request An Electronic/Paper Copy of Your Medical Record
At any time, you may request a digital or printed copy of your medical records. We will provide this copy/summary within 30 days of your request. There may be small fees associated.
Ask Us to Correct Your Medical Record
Patients may request edits to correct incorrect or incomplete information in their medical record. In some cases, we may decline this request, though we’ll explain in writing within 60 days.
Request Confidential Communications
You may choose the primary method or mode of communication with your healthcare provider. We will agree to all reasonable requests for communications through certain telephone numbers or email addresses.
Limit What Information We Use or Share With Others
Patients may place reasonable limits on shared health information for the purposes of treatment, payment, or business operations. We will only decline if doing so affects your care. When paying for a service out-of-pocket, you may ask us not to share that information with your insurance provider. We will agree unless a law compels us otherwise.
Know Who We’ve Shared Your Information With
At any time, you may request a full list (accounting) of parties with whom we’ve shared your information. This list includes all instances for the past six years prior to the date of asking. You will also know why we shared your information with these parties. The first request is free of charge, but a second request in a 12-month period may incur a small fee.
Get a Copy of This Privacy Notice
These rights are vital to receiving educated care from trustworthy providers. As such, you may request a paper copy of this privacy policy/notice at any time, even if you’ve agreed to receive a digital copy already.
Designate Someone to Act on Your Behalf
Patients may designate a caregiver, provide them with medical power of attorney, or allow a legal guardian to make choices about their healthcare and information. We will always certify that a caregiver has this authority before taking any action.
File a Complaint if You Feel Your Rights Are Violated
If you feel a healthcare provider has violated your rights, you may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. This may be done by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, by calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
When Will We Share Your Medical Information & Why?
At Skin MD, we’ll only ever share your information with trusted parties and for the right reasons. Here are some instances when/where we may share your information with your knowledge and consent.
- To Treat You Better – We may share your health information with other healthcare providers who are treating you. This improves the quality of care and allows for better patient outcomes.
- For Business Operations – We may use your information internally—both to improve your care and to contact you when necessary.
- For Billing Services – We may use your information to bill for services rendered or to secure payment from insurance providers, health plans, and other entities.
- Help With Public Safety – We may share your information for the purposes of preventing disease, product recalls, reporting adverse reactions, reporting abuse/neglect/domestic violence, and other limited public health and safety issues.
- Research – With your consent, we may use your health information to guide medical research.
- Comply with The Law – In some circumstances, state or federal law may require us to share information about you.
- Tissue & Organ Donation – If you opt for organ donation, we may share information about you with certain organizations.
- With Medical Examiners/Funeral Directors – We may share your information with coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors.
- Other Legal Issues – We may be required to share information about you during legal proceedings (such as lawsuits and legal actions) or during law enforcement and government requests (workers comp claims, special government functions).
Know and commit to defending your rights by becoming familiar with HIPAA regulations. For answers to your questions, call Skin MD today at 708-636-3767.
