Notice of Privacy Practices
HIPAA – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
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.
Life Choices is required, by law, to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of your protected health information
and to provide our Clients with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your protected health
information.
Disclosure of Your Health Care Information Treatment
We may disclose your health care information to other healthcare professionals within our practice for the purpose
of treatment, payment or healthcare operations. On occasion, it may be necessary to seek consultation regarding your condition from other health care providers associated with Life Choices. It is our policy to provide a substitute health care provider, authorized by Life Choices to provide
assessment and/or treatment to our Patients, without advanced notice, in the event of our Medical Director’s absence due to vacation, sickness, or other emergency situation.
Payment
Life Choices does not submit medical information for purposes of billing.
Emergencies
We may disclose health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member or another person responsible
for your care about your medical condition or in the event of an emergency or of your death.
Public Health
As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health authorities for the purposes related to:
preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting domestic violence,
reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications, and reporting
disease or infection exposure.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings
We may disclose your health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding.
Law Enforcement
We may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a
suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order or subpoena, and other law
enforcement purposes.
Deceased Persons
We may disclose your health information to coroners or medical examiners.
Organ Donator
We may disclose your health information to organizations involved in procuring, banking, or transplanting organs
and tissues.
Research
We may disclose your health information to researchers conducting research that has been approved by an
Institutional Review Board.
Public Safety
It may be necessary to disclose your health information to appropriate persons in order to prevent or lessen a serious
and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or to the general public.
Specialized Government Agencies
We may disclose your health information for military, national security, prisoner and government benefits purposes.
Appointment Reminder
As a courtesy to our Patients, it is our policy to call/text the number provided prior to your scheduled appointment
to remind you of your appointment time. If the call goes to voicemail, we will leave a reminder message on your
voicemail or with the person answering the phone with your permission. A text reminder will be sent if you indicate
that is your preference. We make every attempt to follow up with our Patients because your health is important to
us. No personal health information will be disclosed during the recording or message other than the date and time of
the appointment. (Please note that texting and emails are not encrypted).
Marketing
We may contact you for marketing purposes or fundraising purposes, as described below:
“It is our practice to participate in charitable events to raise awareness, donations, gifts, etc. During these
times, we may send you a letter, post card, invitation, or call your home to invite you to participate in the
activity. We will provide you with information about the type of activity, the dates and the location. No
personal health information will be disclosed during the recording, message, or written notice.”
Change of Ownership
In the event that Life Choices is sold or merged with another organization, your health information/record will
become the property of the new owner.
Your Health Information Rights
- You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. Please
be advised, however, that Life Choices is not required to agree to the restriction that you requested. - You have the right to have your health information received or communicated through an alternative
method or sent to an alternative location other than the usual method of communication or delivery, upon
your request. - You have the right to inspect and copy your health information.
- You have the right to request that Life Choices amend your protected health information. Please be
advised, however, that Life Choices is not required to agree to amend your protected health information. If
your request to amend your health information has been denied, you will be provided with an explanation
of our denial reason(s) and information about how you can disagree with the denial. - You have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your protected health information made by
Life Choices. - You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time upon request.
Changes to this Notice of Privacy Practices
Life Choices reserves the right to amend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future, and will make the
new provisions effective for all information that it maintains. Until such amendment is made, Life Choices is
required by law to comply with this Notice.
Life Choices is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of
its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information. If you have questions about any part of
this notice or if you want more information about your privacy rights, please call this office at 970-461-5050
(Loveland) or 303-651-2050 (Longmont) and ask for the Center Director. If the Center Director is not available, you
may make an appointment for a personal conference in person or by telephone within 2 working days.Complaints
Complaints about your Privacy Rights or how Life Choices has handled your health information should be directed
to the Executive Administrator by calling this office at 303-651-2050. If the Executive Administrator is not
available, you may make an appointment for a personal conference in person or by telephone within 2 working days.
If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles your complaint, you may submit a formal
complaint to:
DHHS, Office of Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 509F HHH Building
Washington, DC 20201
This notice is effective as of April 27, 2020.
