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This Notice of Privacy Practices (this “Notice”) describes how Lin Health Medical Group, P.A. and all members of its Affiliated Covered Entity (collectively, “Lin Health Professionals”, “we”, and “our”), operating with support from Lin Health, Inc. (collectively, “Lin Health”), may use and disclose your protected health information to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. An Affiliated Covered Entity is a group of health care providers under common ownership or control that designates itself as a single entity for purposes of compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and its implementing regulation (“HIPAA”). The members of the Lin Health Professionals Affiliated Covered Entity will share protected health information with each other for the treatment, payment, and health care operations of the Lin Health Professionals Affiliated Covered Entity and as permitted by HIPAA and this Health Information Privacy Policy. For a complete list of the members of the Lin Health Professionals Affiliated Covered Entity, please contact the Lin Health’s Privacy Officer at support@lin.health.
Please review this Notice carefully. Capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the respective meanings given to them in the Lin Health Terms of Service.
How is patient privacy protected?
We understand that information about you and your health is personal. By “health information,” we mean protected health information as defined under HIPAA. Not only is it our legal obligation, but it is our business imperative to ensure the confidentiality of your health information. We continuously seek to safeguard your health information through administrative, physical, and technical means, and otherwise abide by applicable federal and state laws.
How do we collect and maintain your health information?
The health information that we collect or maintain may include:
- Your name, age, email address, username, login passcodes, and other registration information.
- Health information that you provide us, which may include information or records relating to your medical or health history, health status and laboratory testing results, diagnostic images, and other health related information.
- Health information about you prepared or obtained by the clinical professionals and support staff who provide clinical services through Lin Health such as medical records, treatment and examination notes, remote monitoring data, and other health related information.
- Billing information that you provide us, such as credit card information, or that we receive from a health plan or other provider of healthcare benefits on your behalf.
How do we use and disclose health information?
We use and disclose your health information for the normal business activities that the law sees as falling in the categories of treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. Generally, we do not need your permission for these disclosures under applicable laws. Below we provide examples of those activities, although not every use or disclosure falling within each category is listed:
- Treatment – We keep a record of the health information you provide us. This record may include your test results, diagnoses, medications, your response to medications or other therapies, and information we learn about your medical condition through our services. We may disclose this information so that other healthcare professionals and entities connected to your treatment can meet your healthcare needs.
- Payment – We may use your health information to seek payment for health care services that we provide to you, including from your health plan, from other sources of coverage such as an automobile insurer, workers compensation carrier or from credit card companies that you may use to pay for services, or consumer reporting agencies relating to collection of premiums or reimbursement. For example, your health plan may request and receive information on dates of service, the services provided and the medical condition being treated.
- Health Care Operations – Health information is used in our daily operations, such as to improve the services we provide, train staff, for business management, quality assessment and improvement, and for customer service. For example, we may use your health information to review our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you.
To the extent that we have your substance use disorder patient records, subject to 42 CFR Part 2, we will not share that information for investigations or legal proceedings against you without your written consent or a court order and a subpoena.
We may also use and disclose your health information to:
- Comply with federal, state or local laws that require disclosure.
- Assist in public health activities such as tracking diseases or medical devices.
- Inform authorities to protect victims of abuse or neglect.
- Comply with federal and state health oversight activities such as fraud investigations.
- Respond to law enforcement officials or to judicial orders, subpoenas or other processes.
- Inform coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors of information necessary for them to fulfill their duties.
- Facilitate organ and tissue donation or procurement.
- Conduct research following internal review protocols to ensure the balancing of privacy and research needs.
- Avert a serious threat to health or safety.
- Assist in specialized government functions such as national security, intelligence and protective services.
- Inform military and veteran authorities if you are an armed forces member (active or reserve).
- Inform a correctional institution if you are an inmate.
- Inform workers’ compensation carriers or your employer if you are injured at work.
- Recommend treatment alternatives.
- Tell you about health-related products and services.
- Communicate within our organization for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.
- Communicate with other providers, health plans, or their related entities for their treatment or payment activities, or health care operations activities relating to quality assessment and improvement, care coordination and the qualifications and training of healthcare professionals.
- Provide information to other third parties with whom we do business, such as a record storage provider. However, you should know that in these situations, we require third parties to provide us with assurances that they will safeguard your information.
- We may also use or disclose your personal or health information for operational purposes. For example, we may communicate with individuals involved in your care or payment for that care, such as family or guardians, and send appointment reminders.
All other uses and disclosures, not previously described, may only be done with your written authorization or consent depending on the circumstances. We will also obtain your authorization before we use or disclose your health information for marketing purposes or before we would sell your information. You may revoke your authorization at any time; however, this will not affect prior uses and disclosures. In some cases state law may require that we apply extra protections to some of your health information.
In all cases, including those listed above, if we have substance use disorder patient records about you that are subject to 42 CFR Part 2, we cannot use or share information in those records in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against you without your consent or a court order and a subpoena.
What are the Healthcare Professional’s Responsibilities?
We are required by law to:
- Maintain the privacy of your health information.
- Provide this Notice to you.
- Abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
- Tell you if there has been a breach that compromises your health information.
We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and make the new practices effective for all the information we maintain. Revised notices will be posted on the Site.
What rights do you have under HIPAA?
HIPAA entitles you to:
- Inspect and copy certain portions of your health information. We may deny your request under limited circumstances. You may request that we provide your health records to you in an electronic format.
- Request amendment of your health information if you feel the health information is incorrect or incomplete. However, under certain circumstances we may deny your request.
- Receive an accounting of certain disclosures of your health information made for the prior six (6) years, although this excludes certain disclosures for treatment, payment, and health care operations. (Fees may apply to this request.)
- Request that we restrict how we use or disclose your health information. However, we are not required to agree with your requests, unless you request that we restrict information provided to a payor, the disclosure would be for the payor’s payment or healthcare operations, and you have paid for the health care services completely out of pocket.
- Request that we communicate with you at a specific telephone number or address.
- Obtain a paper copy of this Notice even if you receive it electronically.
We may ask that you make some of these requests in writing.
Changes to this Notice
We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office (where we have a physical office), and on our website.
What if you have a complaint?
If you believe that your privacy has been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. We will not retaliate or penalize you for filing a complaint with us or the Secretary. To file a complaint with us or receive more information contact:
Phone: (888) 691-5818
Email: support@lin.health
Address: 3513 Brighton Blvd, Denver, CO 80216
To file a complaint with the Secretary of Health and Human Services you can write to 200 Independence Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. 20201, call 1-800-537-7697, or file an online complaint at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/smartscreen/main.jsf.