CSU Health Network Care for Body and Mind

CSU Health Network may access, use or share medical information.

1. Treatment. During the course of your care, Protected Health Information (known as “PHI”) may be disclosed to medical/mental health care providers as appropriate/necessary to ensure the quality and continuity of your care.  For example: if another care provider is treating you, we may discuss your treatment in order to coordinate care between us.  In this instance, the kinds of health care information we may disclose about you could include your diagnosis, x-ray reports, lab results, etc.
    
2. Payment. We may use and give your medical information to others to bill and collect payment for the treatment and services provided to you. For example: if you are seen at CSU Health Network at Hartshorn for a sore throat, any associated charges and medical information necessary to process your claim may be provided.
    
3. Regular Health Care Operations. To maintain efficient, quality and cost effective medical care, PHI is routinely reviewed by authorized personnel to ensure that the highest quality standards of patient care are consistently being practiced. For example: PHI may be seen by regulatory agencies that oversee clinical laboratories during routine quality assurance procedures.
    
4. Information Provided Directly to You or Mailed to You. For example: your medical provider may give you a copy of your lab results or you may receive a bill sent to your address on file for any outstanding balances.

1. Notification and Communication with Family. We may disclose your health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, your emergency contact or another person responsible for your care about your location, general condition, or in the event of your death. However, if you are able and available to agree or object, we will give you the opportunity to do so prior to making this notification. If you are unable or unavailable to agree or object, our health professionals will use their best judgment in communication with your family and others.
2. Required by Law. As required by law, we may use and disclose your health information. (See next point for an example)
3. Public Health. As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting domestic violence, reporting to the FDA problems with products and reactions to medications, and reporting disease or infection exposure.
4. Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose your health information to health agencies during the course of audits, investigations, inspections, licensure, and other proceedings.
5. Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. We may disclose your health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding.
6. 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, and complying with a court order or subpoena, and other law enforcement purposes.
7. Deceased Person Information. We may disclose your health information to coroners, medical examiners or funeral directors.
8. Organ Donation. We may disclose your health information to organizations involved in procuring, banking or transplanting organs and tissues.
9. Research. We may disclose your health information to researchers conducting research that has been approved.
10. Public Safety. We may disclose your health information to appropriate persons in order to prevent, lessen or coordinate a response to a serious and imminent threat to the health/safety of a particular person, the campus community or the general public.
11. Specialized Government Functions. We may disclose your health information for military, national security, intelligence activities, and/or protective services for the President, prisoner and government benefits required by law.
12. Worker’s Compensation. We may disclose your health information as necessary to comply with worker’s compensation laws.
13. Marketing.We may contact you to provide appointment reminders or to give you information about other treatments or health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
14. Fund Raising. We may contact you to participate in fund-raising activities associated with CSU Health Network.

Except as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices, CSU Health Network will not use or disclose your health information without your written authorization. If you do authorize CSU Health Network to use or disclose your health information for another purpose, you may revoke your authorization in writing at any time (if request has not been fulfilled). CSU Health Network has procedures to assist you with your rights to your medical information. You may askCSU Health Network staff for a hard copy of this notice at any time. An electronic copy of this notice is also available on our web site at www.colostate.edu/Depts/CSU Health Network.

Any request you may have of CSU Health Network must be submitted in writing, including complaints. All required forms are available in the Medical Records Release Office. You have the right to:
 

1. Request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. CSU Health Network is not required to agree to the restriction that you requested.
2. Request CSU Health Network to contact you by E-mail or fax, at a specific address or fax number.
3. Inspect (at no charge) and receive a copy of your medical information. If copies are requested, you may be charged for copies made and any associated postage fees. If chart summaries are given, a fee may be assessed for this service.
4. Change or add information to your designated records. However, CSU Health Network may not change the “original” documents.
5. An accounting of disclosures of your health information made by CSU Health Network. However, CSU Health Network does not have to account for disclosures related to treatment, payment, health care operations, information provided to the patient, specialized government functions, and disclosures authorized by the patient.

1. If you need more information, have complaints, or feel that your privacy rights have been violated, contact: Sharon Myrah by phone at (970) 491-1751 or by mail at Colorado State University, CSU Health Network, Room 212, Fort Collins, CO 80523-8031.
    
2. If you are not satisfied with how CSU Health Network handles your concern, you may submit a formal complaint to: Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Civil Rights, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 509F, HHH Building, Washington, DC 20201.

If you file a complaint, we will not take any action against you or change our treatment of you in any way.