LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY 

HEALTH CARE SERVICES DIVISION

LALLIE KEMP MEDICAL CENTER

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

FOR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

The law requires us to make sure that medical information that tells who you are is kept private. It also requires us to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices to tell you what we do with the medical information about you. We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice. To better understand this law, you may want to read it. It is in 45 CFR Part 164.

We have the right to change this notice and our privacy practices in the future. Any changes made will apply to all of the medical information we have about you at that time. If we make a change, we will put up a notice in our building. We will also give you a copy of the new notice if you ask for it.  

WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE

This notice describes the practices that the Hospital and other health care providers and employees affiliated with the Hospital will follow. For example, the contracted and employed medical staff and the employees in our LSU HCSD headquarters will follow the privacy practices outlined here. This includes our emergency room practitioners, radiologists, and pathologists. These individuals will share your protected health information as necessary to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations related to the health care provided here at Lallie Kemp Medical Center.

HOW YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION MAY BE USED:

In general, we may use your medical information in the following ways:

To provide patient care to you. Your medical information may be used by the doctors,nurses and other professionals who are treating you. For example, your medical informationis used to help them find out your problem and to decide the best way to treat you. Also, wemay use your medical information to contact you to remind you of appointments, and to giveyou information about other treatment options, or other health-related benefits and servicesthat may be of interest to you. However, when communicating appointment reminders,treatment options, or other related benefits and services that the hospital receives cash orcash equivalents for, you will be asked for your authorization. The hospital typically doesnot receive cash or cash equivalents for such reminders.

This hospital participates in shared electronic health records systems and other patient information ("Shared Systems") and may electronically share your health information for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and other purposes permitted under HIPAA with other participants in the Shared Systems. The Shared Systems allows your health care providers to efficiently access and use your pertinent medical information necessary for treatment and other lawful purposes.

The disclosure of your health information to other Hospitals and health care providers may be shared electronically through our electronic health record system. The disclosure may be done electronically through a health information exchange (HIE) that allows providers involved in your care to access some of your Lallie Kemp records. Also, some selected providers may directly access and view Lallie Kemp’s electronic health record. This electronic access allows your health care services to be better coordinated. If you do not want health care providers outside of Lallie Kemp to have access to your records in this way, contact Lallie Kemp Medical Center’s Health Information Department. They will ask you to put your request in writing. You will also need to notify your other health care provider(s) of this restriction.

To obtain payment. Your medical information may also be used by our business office to prepare your bill and process payments from you as well as from any insurance company, government program or other person who is responsible for payment

For our healthcare operations. For example, your medical information may be used to review the quality and appropriateness of the care you receive. We may also use your medical information to put together information to see how we are doing and to make improvements in the services and care we give you. In addition we may have students, trainees, or other health care personnel, as well as some non health care personnel, who come to our facility to learn under our guidance to practice or improve their skills.

To create de-identified databases. Sometimes your information is used for research purposes. To do so, your information may be completely de-identified or partially de-identified. If your information is partially de-identified, it is called a "limited data set." This de-identified information may be stored in a secure data base for later research use.

HOW YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION MAY BE DISCLOSED:

In addition to using your medical information, we may disclose all or part of it to certain other people. This includes giving your information to:

You. In order to get copies of your medical information, you will need to fill out an authorization form. You may also have to pay for the cost of some or all of the copies. You may also use the patient portal to access your electronic health record free of charge on the internet. In order to use this internet function, you must sign up and have a secure password.

People You Ask Us To Give It To. If you tell us that you want us to give your medicalinformation to someone, we will do so. You will need to fill out an authorization form. Youmay stop this authorization at any time. We are not allowed to force you to give uspermission to give your medical information to anyone. We cannot refuse to treat youbecause you stop this authorization. Other uses and disclosures not described in this Noticeand not required or permitted by law will be made only with your authorization.

Payers. We have the right to give your medical information to insurance companies,government programs (such as Medicare and Medicaid) and the people who process theirclaims as well as to others who are responsible for paying for all or part of the cost oftreatment provided to you. For example, we may tell your health insurance company what iswrong with you and what treatment is recommended or has been given. Also, if yourtreatment is or may be covered by worker’s compensation, we may give medical informationto the people who handle your worker’s compensation, the Louisiana Office of Worker’sCompensation Administration and to your employer.

Our "business associates." Business associates are companies or people that we contractwith to do certain work for us. Examples include information to auditors, attorneys andspecialized people providing management, analysis, utilization review or other similarservices to us. Another example is the giving of health information to a business associate sothat the business associate can create a de-identified data base. Business associates arerequired to agree to take reasonable steps to protect the privacy of your medical information.

Limited Data Set Recipients . If we use your information to make a "limited data set," wemay give the "limited data set" that includes your information to others for the purposes ofresearch, public health action or health care operations. The persons who receive "limiteddata sets" are required to agree to take reasonable steps to protect the privacy of your medicalinformation.

The Secretary of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Secretaryhas the right to see your records in order to make sure we follow the law.

Public Health Authorities. We may disclose your medical information to a public healthauthority responsible for preventing or controlling disease, maintaining vital statistics orother public health functions. We may also give your medical information to the Food andDrug Administration in connection with FDA-regulated products.

Law Enforcement Officers. We may reveal your medical information to the police incertain situations or as required by law. We may also give your medical information topersons whose job is to receive reports of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. And, if webelieve that releasing this information is needed to prevent a serious threat to the health orsafety of a person or the public, we are allowed to reveal your medical information.

Health Oversight Agencies. We may give your medical information to agencies responsiblefor health oversight activities, such as investigations and audits, of the health care system orbenefit programs, as allowed by law.

Courts and Administrative Agencies. We may reveal your medical information asrequired by a judge for a legal issue.

Coroners and Funeral Directors. We may reveal medical information about persons whohave died to coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors, as allowed by law.

Organ Transplant Services. We may reveal your medical information to agencies that areresponsible for getting and transplanting organs.

Research. We may reveal your medical information in connection with certain researchactivities. With your authorization, we may disclose pertinent information such as yourname, social security number, study name, and dates of participation to our Accounts Payabledepartment to issue human research subjects reimbursement and/or compensation payments.

Specialized Governmental Functions. We may disclose your medical information forcertain specialized governmental functions, as allowed by law. Such functions include:

Military and veterans activities

National security and intelligence activities

Protective services to the President and others

Medical suitability determinations; and

Correctional institutions and other law enforcement custodial

situations.

Required by Law. We may also reveal your medical information in any other circumstancewhere the law requires us to do so.

OBJECTIONS TO USES AND DISCLOSURES:

In certain situations, you have the right to object before your medical information can be used or revealed. This does not apply if you are being treated for certain mental or behavioral problems. If you do not object after you are given the chance to do so, your medical information may be used:

Patient Directory . In most cases, this means your name, room number and generalinformation about your condition may be given to people who ask for you by name. Also,information about your religion may be given to members of the clergy, even if they do notask for you by name.

Family and Friends. We may disclose to your family members, other relatives and closepersonal friends, any medical information that they need to know if they are involved incaring for you. For example, we can tell someone who is assisting with your care that youneed to take your medication or get a prescription refilled or give them information abouthow to care for you. We can also use your medical information to find a family member, apersonal representative or another person responsible for your care and to notify them whereyou are, about your condition or of your death. If it is an emergency or you are not able to communicate, we may still give certain information to persons who can help with your care. 

Disaster Relief. We may reveal your medical information to a public or private disasterrelief organization assisting with an emergency.

Marketing and Sale of Your Information. Lallie Kemp Medical Center does not engage inpractices involving certain marketing communications and/or the sale of your protected health information. However, if it did, it would obtain your authorization first.

Psychotherapy Notes. Lallie Kemp Medical Center does not provide services that wouldresult in psychotherapy notes. But if it did, it would have to have your permission to release such notes before doing so.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION

You also have the following rights regarding your medical information:

You have the right to ask us to treat your medical information in a special way, differentfrom what we normally do. Unless you have the right to object to the use of the information,we do not have to agree with you. If we do agree to your wishes, we have to follow yourwishes until we tell you that we will no longer do so.

You have the right to tell us how you would like us to send your information to you. Forexample, you might want us to call you only at work or only at home. Or you may not wantus to call you at all. If your request is reasonable, we must follow your request.

You have the right to look at your medical information and, if you want, to get a copy of it.You have the right to receive the copy in an electronic or paper format. We can charge youfor a copy, but only a reasonable amount. Your right to look at and copy your medicalrecords is based upon certain rules. For example, we can ask you to make your request inwriting or, if you come in person, that you do so at certain times of the day.

You have the right to ask us to change your medical information. For example, if you thinkwe made a mistake in writing down what you said about when you began to feel bad, you cantell us. If we do not agree to change your record, we will tell you why, in writing, and giveyou information about your rights.

You have the right to be told to whom we have given your medical information in the sixyears before you make your request. This does not apply to all disclosures. For example, ifwe gave someone your medical information so that they could treat you or pay for your care,we do not have to keep a record of that.

You have the right to receive notifications of breaches of your medical information.

You have a right to restrict disclosures of your medical information to your payor if you wishto pay out of pocket in full for items or services provided to you.  

 You have the right to choose someone to act on your behalf. If you have given someonemedical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise yourrights and make choices about your health information. We will make sure the person hasthis authority and can act for you before we take any action.

You have the right to opt out of receiving communications regarding fundraising.

You have the right to get a copy of this notice at no charge.

You have the right to complain to us or to the United States Department of Health andHuman Services if you believe that we have violated your privacy rights. To complain to us,please contact our Patient Advocate at 985-878-1259 or by writing to us at 52579 Highway51 South, Independence, LA. 70443. If you choose to file a complaint, you will not bepenalized in any way.

If you would like further information about your rights or about the uses and disclosures of your medical information, you may contact our Compliance/Privacy Office at 1-800-735-1185 or by writing to LSU HCSD, Compliance/Privacy Office, P.O. Box 91308, Baton Rouge, LA 70821.

Notice Effective Date: March 23, 2015 (date of last revision)

 

Lallie Kemp Regional Medical Center
52579 Hwy 51 South, Independence, LA 70443
(985) 878-9421 | map | directions