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Proper Web Site Use/Disclaimer
While this website may offer a wide range of valuable health information,
it is NOT intended to substitute for medical advice from a physician
or other health care professional. If you have a question about
your health, we urge you to consult a physician or other health
care professional directly.
This site provides an opportunity for you to make online purchases
of tickets or sponsorships related to Milton Hospital fundraising
events, as well as opportunities to donate funds to support Milton
Hospital. Those portions of the site are maintained and managed
by Auctionpay, Inc., and are verified to be secure by VeriSign.
Information exchanged on those pages is encrypted before transmission.
To confirm the security of these pages, you may click on the VeriSign
logo at the bottom of those pages. On some other Milton Hospital
web pages, you can send comments to the hospital or submit your
contact information. Milton Hospital uses this information to communicate
back to you, either by responding directly to your inquiry, or sending
you information about the hospital, such as newsletters, brochures,
e-newsletters or other forms of informative communication. If at
any time you wish to be stop receiving information from Milton Hospital,
please contact the Public Relations department at 617-696-4600,
x1220.
Milton Hospital will not intentionally share the contents of any
e-mail from you with any third party. However, due to the nature
of electronic communications, Milton Hospital cannot and does not
provide any assurances that the contents of your e-mail will not
become known or accessible to third parties. Any dispute arising
out of the use of this website shall be governed by the laws of
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA)
(effective 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 REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS
This Notice applies to services furnished at Milton Hospital by
the medical staffs, physicians, nurses, and other personnel of the
following Milton Hospital organizations/affiliates, including:
Milton Hospital, Inc.
Community Physicians Associates, Inc.
Milton Radiologists Inc.
Milton Pathology Associates P.C.
Emergency Associates of Milton P.C
Greater Boston Anesthesia Associates Inc.
As of April 14th, 2003, we are required under the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Massachusetts law
to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide
you with this Notice of Privacy Rights & Practices.
This document explains in detail how we use your Protected Health
Information (PHI). PHI is any information about you that could identify
you and your past, present, or future physical or mental health
condition(s). Your acknowledgement of receipt of this document will
be required the first time you receive services after April 14th,
2003, at one of the Milton Hospital affiliates listed above.
Examples of how we can use and disclose your information without
your authorization include:
Treatment – we keep a record
of each visit and/or admission. These records may include your test
results, diagnoses, medications or other therapies. These records
are used and disclosed to allow doctors, nurses, spiritual care
and other health care and clinical staff providers to offer high
quality care to meet your needs.
Payment – we maintain a record of and may use and disclose information
related to services and supplies you receive at each visit and/or
admission, so that we can be paid by you, an insurance company,
or a third party. We may tell your health plan and other payors
about an upcoming treatment or service which requires their prior
approval and authorization.
Health Care Operations – we use and disclose your medical information
to improve the services we provide, to train staff and students,
for business management, and for customer service purposes. Your
information may be shared amongst Milton Hospital affiliates, other
health care providers, third party payors and our Business Associates
to facilitate treatment, payment or health care operations.
ADDITIONAL USES AND DISCLOSURES
There are additional times when we are permitted or required to
use/disclose medical information without your permission. These
circumstances are listed below:
In emergency treatment
situations,
If required by law,
To assist incommunicative patients,
For law enforcement,
To protect victims of abuse, neglect or domestic violence,
For public health activities (tracking diseases or medical devices),
For organ donations,
For health oversight activities such as fraud investigations,
To Workers' Compensation if you are injured at work,
For certain judicial or administrative proceedings,
To coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors,
For government functions, such as national security and intelligence,
To a correctional institution, if you are an inmate,
For research following an appropriate review or waiver of authorization
by an institutional review board to ensure protection of information,
To avert serious threat to public health or safety.
NOTICE OF PRIVACY RIGHTS AND PRACTICES
We may also use your information without your permission to:
Recommend treatment alternatives,
Tell you about health benefits and/or services,
Send or call you with appointment reminders,
Ask you to make a charitable gift,
List your name, location, and general condition in the patient directory
for the duration of your stay,
List your religious affiliation in the patient directory provided
to clergy for the duration of your stay,
To communicate with those involved in your care.
Except as otherwise permitted by law, all other uses and disclosures
not described above will require your signed authorization. You
may revoke any authorization you provide at any time by delivering
a written statement directly to the Privacy Officer, except to the
extent that we have already taken action in reliance on your authorization.
Please know that federal and state law requires special privacy
protections for certain highly confidential information about you,
including but not limited to:
1) confidential communications
with psychotherapists,
2) mental health and developmental disabilities services,
3) alcohol and drug abuse prevention, treatment and referral,
4) HIV/AIDS testing, diagnosis or treatment,
5) venereal disease(s),
6) genetic testing,
7) mammography records,
8) research involving controlled substances,
9) community mental health records.
In order for us to disclose your Highly Confidential Information
for a purpose other than those permitted by law, we must obtain
your written authorization.
YOUR RIGHTS
Under HIPAA, you have the right to request in writing:
Restrictions on how we use or disclose your medical information,
Confidential communications to an alternate phone or address other
than your home,
Access to your medical information to review and obtain a copy,
subject to federal and state laws (fees may apply),
An amendment to your medical information if you feel you or your
health care provider need to make additions or corrections,
An accounting of disclosures of your medical information for purposes
other than treatment, payment, health care operations or made pursuant
to an authorization,
A paper copy of this Notice, even if you have received it electronically,
A revocation of any specific authorization obtained in connection
with your privacy, such as for marketing and research.
While we will consider all requests for privacy restrictions carefully,
we are not required to agree to any requested restrictions.
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your medical information,
to provide you with this written Notice of Privacy Rights and Practices,
and to abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect. We
reserve the right to change this Notice and our privacy practices
and make the new provisions effective for all information we maintain.
Revised Notices will be posted in our facilities and offices, and
will be available from your direct treatment provider.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
If you would like further information about your privacy rights,
are concerned that we have violated your privacy rights or disagree
with a decision that we made about access to your PHI, you may contact
our Privacy Officer at the address or phone number below. You may
also file written complaints with the Director, Office for Civil
Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Upon
request, the Privacy Officer will provide you with the correct address
for the Director. We will not retaliate against you if you file
a complaint with us or with the Director.
Milton Hospital and its employees are committed to protecting patient
privacy.
MILTON HOSPITAL
PRIVACY OFFICER
INFORMATION SERVICES
MILTON, MA 02186
Phone: (617) 696-4600
Fax: (617) 696-7699
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