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NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES It is our goal to provide our patients with the best medical care and maintain the
highest standards of excellence throughout our practice to accomplish this.
The intent of this notice is to describe the information we have about our patients and how it may be
used and disclosed. It also explains how this information may be accessed by the patient. Please review this information carefully.
At University Orthopedics, Inc., we are committed to treating and using protected health information about our patients responsibly. This Notice of Health Information Practices describes the personal information we collect, how and when we use this information. This notice is effective 4/14/03 and applies to all protected health information as defined by federal regulations.
We may change our Privacy Policy at any time by posting revisions to this website. Our Privacy Policy shall be applicable to any person or entity who directly or indirectly, themselves or through an agent or representative, visits our website or inputs information into or on our website, and is applicable to all information input into or on our website.
What Personal Information Do We Collect?
We may obtain information such as your Internet service provider, your computer’s operating system and Web browser, your Web site use and your property and search preferences.
We use collected information to setup or improve our website. We do not share e-mail or other addresses with third parties, except in connection with providing the services you request. Also, we will not sell or rent personal identification information to anyone and we will not disclose any collected information to others in ways different from what is disclosed in this statement.
We use IP addresses to analyze trends, administer our website, track general usage, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information. We may disclose personal information if required by applicable law, judicial process or in court proceedings.
No personal information about our visitors or customers is stored on our website or in any connected databases.
UNDERSTANDING HEALTH RECORD/INFORMATION
Each visit made by each patient at University Orthopedics, Inc., results in a record of the appointment.
Typically, this record consists of the patient’s symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment
and plan for future treatment or care. This information is referred to as a health or medical record and
serves as a:
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Basis for planning treatment or care
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Means of communicating among the many health professionals who contribute
to a patient’s care
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Legal documentation outlining the care received
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Means by which services provided can be verified by the patient or a thirdparty
payer
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A tool in educating healthcare professionals
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A source of data for medical research
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An information source for public health officials charged with improving the
health of the citizens of this state and this nation
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A source of data for our planning and marketing
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A basis of information we use to assess and continually work to improve the
care we render and the outcomes we achieve
Understanding what is in each patient’s medical record and how the health information is used helps each
of us to: insure its accuracy, better understand who, what, when, where and why others may access health
information and make informed decisions authorizing disclosures.
Health Information Rights
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Although our health records are the property of University Orthopedics, Inc., the information belongs to the
patient. The patient has the right to:
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Obtain a notice of information practices upon request.
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Inspect a copy of their health record as provided by RI Gen. Laws 53722
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Request to amend their medical record
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Obtain an accounting of disclosures of their health information, except those
provided by law. [RI Gen. Laws 537.34(a).]
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Request communications of your health information by alternative means or
alternative locations.
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Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information.
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Revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the
extent that action has already been taken.
Responsibilities of University Orthopedics Inc
We are required to:
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Maintain the privacy of patient health information
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Provide each patient with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices
with respect to the information we collect and maintain about them.
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Abide by the terms of this notice.
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Notify the patient if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction.
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Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations.
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We reserve the right to change our practices and to make new provisions e ective for all protected health
information we maintain. Any change to this notice will be posted and dated immediately. A copy of the
revised Notice of Practice Policies will be available upon request. We will not use or disclose health
information without patient authorization, except as described in this notice. We will discontinue to use or
disclose health information after we have received a written revocation of the authorization according to
the procedures included in the authorization.
For more information or to report a problem:
If you have questions or would like additional information, you may contact the practice’s Privacy Officer:
Mary Selmanie Spurr, CHPC
2 Dudley Street, Suite 200
Providence, Rhode Island 02905
4014571506
Email: mspurr@universityorthopedics.com
If a patient believes their privacy rights have been violated, they can file a complaint with the practice’s
Privacy Officer or the Office of Civil Rights. We, at University Orthopedics, respectfully acknowledge
privacy rights and there will be no retaliation for filing a complaint.
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201
Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Operations
We will use a patient’s health information for treatment. Information obtained by a nurse practitioner,
physician’s assistant, physician or other member of our healthcare team will be recorded in the patient’s
record and used to determine the course of treatment that should result in optimum results. The physician
will document in the patient’s record his or her expectations of the members of the patient’s healthcare
team. These members will then record the actions they took and their observations. This will then enable
the physician to know how a patient is responding to treatment.
We will also provide a patient’s physician or subsequent healthcare provider with copies of reports that
should assist him or her in treating the patient upon discharge from this practice.
We will use health information for payment.
For example: A bill may be sent to a patient or a thirdparty payer. The bill may include or be accompanied
by information that identifies the patient, as well as the diagnosis, procedures and supplies used.
We will use a patient’s health information for regular health operations.
Any members of the medical staff, the risk or quality improvement teams may use information in the
patient’s healthcare record to assess the care and outcomes of a case or similar cases. This information will
be used in an effort to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare and service we
provide.
Business Associates
We may make contractual arrangements with outside vendors to provide services necessary to the
operations of our organization. Examples include physician services in the emergency room, radiology,
laboratory tests, insurance companies and medical supplies vendors. It may be necessary to disclose all or
part of a patient’s health record to allow these Business Associates to perform the job we need them to do.
To protect the patient’s health information, we require ALL Business Associates to sign a contract
acknowledging their responsibility in safeguarding the Protected Health Information of our patients.
Notification
We may use or disclose information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal
representative or another person responsible for the care of a patient or for the payment related to the
patient’s care.
Research
We may disclose information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional
review board that has reviewed the proposal and establish protocols to ensure the privacy of patients’
healthcare information.
Mailings/Marketing
We may contact patients to provide appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or
other healthrelated benefits and services that may be of interest to them.
Denial of Access to Patient Information
University Orthopedics reserves the right to deny access to patient information if, in the physician’s
professional judgment:
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The patient’s access may endanger the life or safety of the patient or another person.
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The information makes reference to another person who is not a healthcare
provider and that the access requested is reasonably likely to cause substantial
harm to that person.
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The request for access is made by a patient representative and the provision of access to that representative is reasonably likely to cause substantial harm to the
patient or another person.
Quick navigation links:
About University Orthopedics in Rhode Island | Spine | Sports Medicine | Joint Replacement | Hand & Wrist | Shoulder & Elbow | Pediatric Orthopedics | Foot & Ankle | Trauma & Fracture | Physician Bios | What Hurts? | Treatment | Education | Patient Center | Contact Information for Orthopedic Specialty Offices | Driving directions to offices in: Newport | Providence (Butler Drive) | Providence (Dudley St.) | East Greenwich
Disclaimer:
Where pictures of patients are displayed, the patients of University Orthopedics have consented to have their picture in this website for the purpose of patient education.
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