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Your Privacy Matters
At Algonac Family Practice, your privacy and the protection of your personal health information are our top priorities. This notice describes how your medical information may be used and disclosed, and how you can access this information.
Please review it carefully.
Our Legal Duty
We are required by law under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to:
- Maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information (PHI).
- Provide you with this notice explaining our legal duties and privacy practices.
- Notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
- Follow the terms of this notice as long as it remains in effect.
How We May Use and Disclose Your Information
We may use or share your health information for the following purposes:
For Treatment
To provide, coordinate, or manage your medical care. For example, we may share information with other healthcare providers involved in your treatment, such as specialists, laboratories, or pharmacies.
For Payment
To bill and collect payment for services. This includes sharing necessary information with your insurance company, third-party payers, or billing services.
For Healthcare Operations
To operate and improve our practice. This may include quality assessments, staff training, and business management activities.
For Appointment Reminders and Communication
We may contact you to remind you of appointments, provide test results, or inform you about treatment alternatives or health-related services that may be of interest to you.
As Required by Law
We will disclose information when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
For Public Health and Safety
We may disclose PHI to public health authorities to help prevent or control disease, injury, or disability, or to report adverse events or product recalls.
To Avoid Serious Threats to Health or Safety
We may share information when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health or the health and safety of others.
For Health Oversight Activities
We may share PHI with government agencies for audits, investigations, or licensing purposes.
For Legal and Administrative Proceedings
We may disclose PHI in response to a court order, subpoena, or other lawful process.
For Workers’ Compensation
We may disclose PHI as required to comply with workers’ compensation laws.
For Law Enforcement Purposes
We may release limited information to law enforcement officials for legitimate purposes such as identifying a suspect, witness, or missing person.
patient rights
Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
You have the following rights under HIPAA and applicable state law:
Right to Access
You may request to see or obtain a copy of your medical record or other health information we maintain. Requests must be made in writing.
Right to Request Amendment
If you believe your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we correct or update it.
Right to Request Restrictions
You may ask us not to use or share certain information for treatment, payment, or operations. We will consider all requests but are not required to agree unless the restriction applies to a disclosure to a health plan for payment or operations purposes and the information relates solely to services you paid for in full out of pocket.
Right to Confidential Communications
You may request that we contact you in a specific way (for example, only at work or by mail).
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You may request a list of certain disclosures we made of your PHI in the past six years (excluding disclosures for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations).
Right to a Copy of This Notice
You may request a paper or electronic copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
Our Responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
- We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you give us written permission.
- If you give us authorization to use or disclose information, you may revoke that authorization at any time in writing.
Special Situations
Certain uses and disclosures of health information require your explicit authorization, such as:
- Marketing communications not related to your treatment.
- Sale of health information to third parties.
- Most sharing of psychotherapy notes.
We will always ask for your written permission before sharing your PHI for these purposes.
Electronic Communications
Algonac Family Practice uses secure, HIPAA-compliant systems such as Patient Fusion to protect your electronic health information. Messages, lab results, and appointment requests shared through Patient Fusion are encrypted and stored in accordance with federal security standards. Please do not use email or unencrypted text messages to share sensitive medical information.
Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Policy at any time. Updates will be posted on our website and available in our office. The revised notice will apply to all health information we maintain.
Questions or Complaints
If you have questions about this notice or believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact:
Privacy Officer
Algonac Family Practice
329 Columbia St
Algonac, MI 48001
P (810) 671-3190
F (810) 671-3263