HIPPA Privacy Policy

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.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law designed to protect your privacy whenever your healthcare providers, such as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), have to discuss your case or send information about you to different offices. I am required to keep a file to record our consult, but the private, protected health information (PHI) in it will be kept confidential. IBCLCs can freely share all the details of your personal health information for “treatment, payment, and health care operations.” That means the IBCLC can talk to you about your situation and discuss it with your other healthcare providers. If you are referred to other specialists, the IBCLC can send the information to them. The IBCLC can also share information with your health insurance company if they need it. The law also requires me to share your information in other, specific situations. For example, if a subpoena has been served requiring me to turn over medical records, or if a federal agency is investigating a complaint that I have not been protecting your privacy. Any other time that I or any other IBCLC shares your personal health information must be with your specific, written authorization first. When you give me permission to turn over information about you, I can only give out the minimum amount of information needed.

In the event that there are other instances where I may wish to share your information, you will be asked to consent to each instance separately. You may choose not to consent to any or all of this additional sharing. Under HIPAA, an IBCLC can call or write you to remind you to come back for an appointment or to tell you how you can get a product or service that might interest you and your family.

You have four rights under HIPAA:

1. Access: you can ask an IBCLC to see all of your protected health information (PHI) on file

2. Amendment: you can ask an IBCLC to change their files to amend inaccurate PHI

3. Disclosure Accounting: you can ask to whom an IBCLC has given your PHI

4. Restriction Request: you can put limits on an IBCLCʼs use and sharing of your PHI.

My duty under HIPAA is to give you this notice, so you understand that I have promised to keep your private health information confidential.

If this notice is amended in the future, I will make a new copy available. I, Crystal Cooper, am happy to answer any of your questions or concerns about how your privacy is protected. My phone number is (808) 223-0057.

You can complain if you think your privacy hasn’t been protected, and I have a duty to attempt to address the situation. If I do not address your complaint adequately, you can go to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the federal Health and Human Services Dept., to ask that a formal investigation be made. You cannot be penalized for making a complaint. You can get all the details from them by calling (toll-free) 1- 800-368-1019 or by filing a complaint at: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/index.html

The consent form you sign at a Lactation Consultation appointment acknowledges that you have access to this HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practice and have read and understood it.