Your Health Information Privacy
This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you may get access to this information
Who Will Follow This Notice
This notice describes Rimrock’s practices and that of:
- Any health care professional authorized to enter information into your treatment records.
- All departments and units of Rimrock.
- All employees, staff and other Rimrock personnel.
- All Rimrock entities, sites and locations, including the Michel’s House, will follow the terms of this notice and may share health information with each other for treatment, payment, or operations purposes described in this notice.
Our Pledge Regarding Health Information
We are committed to protecting health information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive at Rimrock. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by Rimrock. This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose health information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of health information.
We are required by law to:
- make sure that health information that identifies you is kept private;
- give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information about you; and
- follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
How We May Use And Disclose Health Information About You
The confidentiality of patient records maintained by Rimrock is protected by Federal law and regulations. Generally, Rimrock may not say to a person outside Rimrock that a patient attends Rimrock, or disclose any information identifying a patient except as described in the following categories. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.
Treatment
We may use health information about you to provide you with treatment or services. We may disclose health information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, counselors, student interns, or other Rimrock personnel who need such information to diagnose, treat, or refer for treatment. For example, our counselors may share information about you with our psychiatrist if you have symptoms of depression or other mental disorder which may affect your recovery. Likewise, our psychiatrist or medical doctor may share medical information about you with our nursing staff in order to coordinate the different things you need, such as prescriptions or lab work.
Health Care Operations
We may use and disclose health information about you for Rimrock operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run Rimrock and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use health information to review our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We may also combine health information about many Rimrock patients to evaluate trends in drug and alcohol use and to assess the effectiveness of our treatment services. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, student interns, and other Rimrock personnel for review and learning purposes. We may also combine the health information we have with health information from other treatment centers to compare how we are doing and see where we can make improvements in the care and services we offer. We will remove information that identifies you from this set of health information so others may use it to study treatment services without learning who the specific patients are.
Payment
We may only disclose medical information about you to insurance companies or other third-party payers with your prior consent. For example, if your health insurance company covers part or all of the cost of your care and treatment at Rimrock, we may not bill it for those services until you have provided us with your consent to do so.
Medical Emergencies
Medical information may be disclosed to medical personnel who have a need for information about you for the purpose of treating a condition which poses an immediate threat to the health of any individual and which requires immediate medical intervention.
Food and Drug Administration
Medical information may be disclosed to medical personnel of the Food and Drug Administration who assert a reason to believe that the health of any individual may be threatened by an error in the manufacture, labeling, or sale of a product under FDA jurisdiction, and that the information will be used for the exclusive purpose of notifying patients or their physicians of potential dangers.
Audit and Evaluation
Subject to certain limitations on copying, removal, redisclosure and use, health information may be disclosed for the purpose of audit or evaluation by any federal, state, or local government agency which provides financial assistance to Rimrock or is authorized by law to regulate our activities; or to any private person who provides financial assistance to Rimrock, or who is a third party payer covering our patients, or to a peer review organization performing utilization or quality control review, or to any person who is determined by our program director to be qualified to conduct the audit or evaluation activities.
Child Abuse or Neglect
We may report any information about suspected child abuse or neglect to appropriate state or local authorities.
Law Enforcement
We may disclose information about you to law enforcement officers concerning a crime committed on Rimrock premises or against any person who works for Rimrock or a threat to commit such a crime.
Vital Statistics
We may disclose information about you relating to cause of death under laws requiring the collection of death or other vital statistics or permitting inquiry into the cause of death.
Subpoena and Court Order
If we receive a subpoena to disclose information about you, we will not do so unless a court of competent jurisdiction enters an authorizing order. A court order may authorize disclosure only under very limited circumstances which are defined by federal regulations.
Other Uses Of Health Information
The following uses and disclosures will be made only with your written authorization:
- Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes which Rimrock may record and maintain,
- Uses and disclosures of your health information for marketing purposes,
- Disclosures that constitute a sale of your health information, and
- Other uses and disclosures of health information not covered by this Notice or the laws that apply to us.
If you provide us authorization to use or disclose health information about you, you may revoke that authorization, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your authorization, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.
Your Rights Regarding Health Information About You
You have the following rights regarding health information we maintain about you:
- Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to inspect and copy health information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes.To inspect and copy health information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to: Medical Records Department, Rimrock, 1231 North 29th Street, Billings, MT 59101. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request.We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to health information, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen by Rimrock will review your request and the denial. 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 Amend. If you feel that health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by Rimrock. To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to: Medical Records Department, Rimrock, 1231 North 29th Street, Billings, MT 59101. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request.We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
- Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
- Is not part of the health information kept by Rimrock;
- Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
- Is accurate and complete.
- Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an Accounting of Disclosures. This is a list of the disclosures we made of health information about you, other than disclosures to you or which you authorized.To request an Accounting of Disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to: Medical Records Department, Rimrock, 1231 North 29th Street, Billings, MT 59101. Your request must state a time period which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before April 14, 2003.The first Accounting of Disclosures you request within a 12 month period will be free. For additional requests, we may charge you for the costs of providing the Accounting. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.
- Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment or health care operations. We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.To request restrictions, you must submit your request in writing to: Medical Records Department, Rimrock, 1231 North 29th Street, Billings, MT 59101. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.
- Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about health matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at home or by mail.To request confidential communications, you must submit your request in writing to: Medical Records Department, Rimrock, 1231 North 29th Street, Billings, MT 59101. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.
- Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this notice. To obtain a paper copy of this notice, please contact the Medical Records Department, Rimrock, 1231 North 29th Street, Billings, MT 59101.
- Notice of Breach. We have the right to be notified in the event there is a breach of your unsecured health information.
Changes To This Notice
We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice at the Reception Desk at Rimrock. At the end of the notice will be the effective date. In addition, each time you are admitted to Rimrock Foundation for treatment or health care services as an inpatient or outpatient, we will offer you a copy of the current notice in effect.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Rimrock Foundation or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with Rimrock, contact our Privacy Officer, Rimrock, 1231 North 29th Street, Billings, MT 59101, phone number: 248-3175. All complaints must be submitted in writing.
You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
Federal Statutes And Regulations
This notice is issued pursuant to the following federal statutes and regulations:
Statutes:
42 U.S.C. 290dd-2
42 U.S.C. 1320d-1329d-8
42 U.S.C. 1320d-2
Regulations:
42 C.F.R. Part 2
45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164
Violation of the federal laws and regulations by Rimrock is a crime. Suspected violations may be reported to appropriate authorities in accordance with federal regulations.
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact:
Rimrock Medical Records Department
1231 North 29th Street, Room 107
Billings, Montana 59101
(406) 248-3175 or 1-800-227-3953
Revised Effective Date: November 1, 2013
Emails and Protected Shared Information
Rimrock’s email and shared information is protected and encrypted, to comply with all HIPAA and 42 C.F.R. Part 2 requirements. Click on the icon below for more information on this.
