BHC Alhambra Hospital
Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective Date: April 14, 2003

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.

PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.

Understanding Your Medical and Mental Health Record Information

Each time you visit a hospital, physician, or other healthcare provider, the provider makes a record of your visit. Typically, this record contains your health history, current symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care or treatment. This information, often referred to as your medical record, serves as a:

• basis for planning your care and treatment.
  
• means of communication among the many health professionals who contribute to your care.
  
• legal document describing the care you received.
  
• means by which you or a third-party payer can verify that you actually received the services billed for.
  
• a tool in medical education.
  
• a source of information for public health officials charged with improving the health of the regions they serve.
  
• a tool to assess the appropriateness and quality of care you received.
  
• a tool to improve the quality of healthcare and achieve better patient outcomes.

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

• ensure its accuracy and completeness.
• understand who, what, where, why, and how others may access your health information.
• make informed decisions about permitting disclosure to others.
• better understand how to protect your right to confidentiality.
• better understand the health information rights detailed below.

Our Responsibilities Under the Federal Privacy Standard

BHC Alhambra Hospital is required to protect the privacy of health information about you, called "protected health information," or "PHI" for short. BHC Alhambra Hospital must give you notice of its legal duties and privacy practices concerning PHI. BHC Alhambra Hospital's responsibilities include the following:

• Maintain the privacy of your health information, including implementing reasonable and appropriate physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to protect the information.
• Provide you with this notice as to BHC Alhambra Hospital's legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI about you.
• Explain how, when, and why BHC Alhambra Hospital uses and/or discloses PHI about you.
• Abide by the terms of this Notice, as may be revised from time to time.
• Train BHC Alhambra Hospital personnel concerning privacy and confidentiality.
• Implement a sanction policy to discipline those who breach privacy/confidentiality or BHC Alhambra Hospital policies with regard thereto.
• Mitigate (lessen the harm of) any breach of privacy/confidentiality.

BHC Alhambra Hospital will make copies of this Notice available at its facility upon request. BHC Alhambra Hospital also will post this Notice at the facility, so you may read it there, and on its website, so that you may retrieve it electronically.

BHC Alhambra Hospital reserves the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make the new provisions effective for all PHI it maintains. Should BHC Alhambra Hospital change this Notice, BHC Alhambra Hospital will promptly:

• Post the revised Notice in its facility;
• Make copies of the revised Notice available upon request (either at the BHC Alhambra Hospital facility or through the contact person listed on this Notice); and
• Post the revised notice on its website.

BHC Alhambra Hospital will not use or disclose your health information without your consent or authorization, except as described in this Notice or as otherwise required by law.

BHC Alhambra Hospital may use and disclose PHI about you without your consent or authorization in the following circumstances:

In general, BHC Alhambra Hospital is required by law to obtain your written consent or authorization prior to using or disclosing your PHI that does not identify you as a substance abuser or a patient of substance abuse services. However, there are exceptions to this requirement.

Treatment. Within BHC Alhambra Hospital, employees, students, consultants and volunteers involved in your case, treatment, or habilitation may exchange PHI as necessary for the purpose of carrying out their responsibilities in serving you. Upon specific request, your PHI may be released to the physician or psychologist who referred you to BHC Alhambra Hospital. A responsible professional at BHC Alhambra Hospital may disclose your PHI, as necessary, to another physician or health care provider who provides you with emergency medical services.

Next of Kin. In addition, BHC Alhambra Hospital may disclose the fact of your admission or discharge to your next of kin if the responsible professional determines that such disclosure is in your best interest. If you have a next of kin who is substantially involved in your care, upon his or her request, BHC Alhambra Hospital shall provide this kin with information relating to your admission or discharge from BHC Alhambra Hospital, any decision on your part to leave BHC Alhambra Hospital against medical advice, and referrals and appointment information for treatment after discharge once BHC Alhambra Hospital notifies you that such information was requested.

Business Associates. BHC Alhambra Hospital also may disclose your PHI to providers of support services who have entered into Business Associate agreements with BHC Alhambra Hospital. BHC Alhambra Hospital provides some services through contracts with "Business Associates." For example, BHC Alhambra Hospital may provide certain diagnostic tests through a third party, or it may contract with a copy service to make copies of medical records. These entities constitute Business Associates of BHC Alhambra Hospital. When BHC Alhambra Hospital contracts for these services, BHC Alhambra Hospital may disclose your PHI to the Business Associate so that it can perform the function(s) BHC Alhambra Hospital has contracted with them to do and bill you or the third-party payor for the services rendered. To protect your PHI, BHC Alhambra Hospital requires the Business Associate to appropriately safeguard your information in accordance with a written agreement.

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