Privacy Policy
Kansas City Cancer Center, LLC
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective Date: February 15, 2010
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.
This Notice outlines our legal duties for protecting the privacy of your health information and explains your rights to access and control your health information. We will create a record of services we provide to you, and this record will include your heath information. “Protected Health Information” or “PHI” is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services. We understand that your PHI is personal, and we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your PHI is used appropriately.
Our Responsibilities
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI and provide you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI. We will abide by the terms of this Notice. This Notice applies to all physicians/employees of KCCC, regardless of the location you receive your care.
For More Information or to Report a Problem
If you have questions or would like additional information about KCCC’s privacy practices, you may contact our Privacy Officer at (913) 541-4669 or at the following address:
Kansas City Cancer Center
Attn: Privacy Officer
9200 Indian Creek Pkwy, Suite 300
Overland Park, Kansas 66210
Examples of How We May Use and Disclose PHI
We will use PHI for Treatment: We may use your PHI to provide you with medical treatment. For example, your PHI will be disclosed to the oncology nurses or other employees who participate in your care. We may disclose your PHI to another physician’s office for the purpose of a consultation.
We will use PHI for Payment: We may use and disclose your PHI to third parties so they will pay us for your treatment. For example, a bill may be sent to you and your insurance company. The bill may contain information that identifies you, your diagnosis, and treatment or supplies used in the course of treatment. We may share your PHI with patient assistance programs and patient support organizations in order to assist you in obtaining payment for certain parts of your care.
We will use PHI for Health Care Operations: We may use and disclose your PHI in order to support our business activities. For example, we may use your PHI for quality assurance activities, training of medical students, credentialing and for other essential activities. We may ask you to sign-in at a registration desk and we may call your name in an entry room when we call you for your appointment.
We may also use or disclose PHI for the following purposes:
Business Associates: We may disclose your PHI to a third party that performs services on our behalf, such as management services, or dictation services. In these cases, we will enter into a written agreement with the third party to ensure they protect the privacy of your PHI.
Appointment Reminders & Test Results: We may use and disclose your PHI in order to contact you to remind you of an upcoming appointment or provide test follow up.
Treatment Alternatives and Health-Related Benefits and Services: We may use your PHI to inform you of services or programs that we believe would be beneficial to you. We may call, mail or e-mail you information about these services or goods. For example, we may contact you to make you aware of new products, supply product information, or a new patient assistance program that may be available to you.
Fundraising Activities: We may use your demographic information, such as name, address and phone number, and the dates you received services from us, to contact you in an effort to raise money for charitable purposes. If you do not want KCCC to contact you for fundraising activities, please notify the front desk or your nurse. For any such disclosures, you will have a clear opportunity to opt out of receiving such contacts or information.
Media/Advertising: You may be asked to participate in various media/advertising events on behalf of KCCC. If you do not want KCCC to contact you for any Media activities, please notify the front desk or your nurse.
Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care: We may release PHI, including information about your condition, to a family member or friend who, in your physician’s reasonable judgment, is involved in your medical care or payment for your care. If you would like us to refrain from releasing your PHI to a family member or friend, please notify the front desk or your nurse.
Disaster Relief Efforts: We may also disclose your PHI to disaster-relief organizations so that your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.
We may also use or disclose your PHI without your authorization for the following purposes:
As Required by Law: We may use and disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state or local law.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: If you are involved in a legal proceeding, we may disclose your PHI in response to a court or administrative order. We may also release your PHI in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
Health Oversight Activities: We may use and disclose your PHI to health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government benefit programs, compliance with government regulatory programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
Law Enforcement: We may disclose your PHI, within limitations, to law enforcement officials for several different purposes, including to comply with a court order, warrant, subpoena, summons, or other similar process, to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, or related to certain criminal conduct in limited circumstances.
Public Health Activities: We may use and disclose your PHI for public health activities, including, among others, the following: to prevent or control diseases, including communicable disease injury, or disability; to report births or deaths; to report child abuse or neglect; to report adverse events, product defects or problems or recalls; to track FDA-regulated products;
Serious Threat to Health or Safety: If there is a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person, we may use and disclose your PHI to someone able to help prevent the threat.
Organ/Tissue Donation: If you are an organ donor, we may use and disclose your PHI to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye, or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors: We may use and disclose PHI to a coroner or medical examiner. This disclosure may be necessary to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also disclose PHI to funeral directors to assist them in performing their duties.
Workers’ Compensation: We may disclose your PHI for workers’ compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.
Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence: We may disclose PHI to the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree, or when required or authorized by law.
Military and Veterans Activities: If you are a member of the Armed Forces, we may disclose your PHI to military command authorities. PHI about foreign military personnel may be disclosed to foreign military authorities.
National Security, Intelligence Activities and Protective Services: We may disclose your PHI to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law and to certain federal officials so they may provide protective services for the President and others, including foreign heads of state.
Inmates: If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may disclose your PHI to the correctional institution or law enforcement official to assist them in providing you health care, protecting your health and safety or the health and safety of others, or for the safety of the correctional institution.
Research: We may use and disclose your PHI for certain limited research purposes. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. We may disclose your PHI to people preparing to conduct a research project; for example, to help them look for patients with specific medical needs, so long as the PHI they review does not leave the practice. Disclosures for Research purposes typically involve outside institutional review board protocols to ensure the privacy of your PHI.
Other Uses and Disclosures of Your PHI: Other uses and disclosures of your PHI not covered by this Notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your authorization. If you authorize us to use or disclose your PHI, you may revoke that authorization, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose your PHI as specified by the revoked authorization, except to the extent that we have taken action in reliance on your authorization.
Your Rights Regarding Your PHI
You have the following rights regarding PHI we maintain about you:
Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request restrictions on how we use and disclose your PHI for treatment, payment or health care operations. We are not required to agree to your request. To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing and submit it to the front desk or your nurse. You may request that we not disclose your PHI to your Health Plan, provided you pay in full for the services we provide to you.
Right to Request Communications by Alternate Means or Locations: You have the right to request that we communicate with you in a certain manner or at a certain location regarding the services you receive from us. For example, you may ask that we only contact you at work or only by mail. To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing and submit it to the front desk or your nurse. We will attempt to accommodate all reasonable requests.
Right to Inspect and Copy your PHI: You have the right to inspect and copy PHI about you for as long as KCCC maintains such records, including when applicable, electronic copies or records. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes or information that is compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or use in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding. To inspect and copy your PHI, you must make your request in writing by filling out the appropriate form provided by us and submitting it to the front desk or your nurse. If you request a copy of your PHI, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or preparing the requested documents. We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to your PHI, you may request that the denial be reviewed by a licensed health care professional chosen by us. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.
Right to Request an Amendment of your PHI: If you feel that your PHI is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we amend your information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for us. To request an amendment, you must make your request in writing by filling out the appropriate form provided by us and submitting it to the front desk or your nurse. We may deny your request for an amendment. If this occurs, you will be notified of the reason for the denial and given the opportunity to file a written statement of disagreement with us.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request an accounting of certain disclosures we make of your PHI. Please note that certain disclosures, such as those made for treatment, payment or health care operations are not included in the accounting we provide to you (other than for any Electronic Health Records we maintain, which will account for such disclosures).. To request an accounting of disclosures, you must make your request in writing by filling out the appropriate form provided by us and submitting it to the front desk or your nurse. Your request must state a time period which may not be longer than six years, and which may not include dates before April 14, 2003. The first accounting you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional accountings, we may charge you for the costs of providing the accounting. We will notify you of the costs involved and give you an opportunity to withdraw or modify your request before costs have been incurred.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive this Notice electronically. To obtain a paper copy of this Notice, please contact the front desk or your nurse. You may also obtain a paper copy of this Notice at our web site, www.kccancercenters.com
Right to File a Complaint: If you have any questions about this Notice or would like to file a complaint about our privacy practices, please direct your inquiries to our Privacy Officer at the address and phone number on the front of this Notice. You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be retaliated against or penalized for filing a complaint.
Changes to this Notice
We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time. We reserve the right to make the new Notice provisions effective for all PHI we currently maintain, as well as any PHI we receive in the future. If we make material or important changes to our privacy practices, we will promptly revise our Notice. We will post a copy of the current Notice in the lobby at each practice site. Each version of the Notice will have an effective date listed on the first page. Updates to this Notice are also available at our web site, www.kccancercenters.com
Effective Date:
This notice is effective as of February 15, 2010
Kansas City Cancer Centers Contact Information
KCCC – East
Phone: (816) 478-2050
KCCC – North
Phone: (816) 746-4570
Phone: (816) 333-1326
KCCC – South
Phone: (816) 333-1326
KCCC – West
Phone: (913) 299-8846
KCCC – Central
Phone: (816) 531-2740
KCCC – Southwest
Phone: (913)-234-0400
KCCC – WEST, radiation oncology
Phone: (913) 299-8846
KCCC – Medical Mall
Phone: (816) 942-5800
KCCC – Blue Springs
Phone: (816) 655-5592
KCCC Business Office
Phone: (913)-541-4600