NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

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 of Privacy Practices is intended to describe the ways we may use and disclose your Protected Health Information. Protected Health Information is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you. It also includes information about your past, present or future physical or mental health, related healthcare services or payment for these services.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR HEALTH RECORD/INFORMATION:

Each time you visit a hospital, physician, or healthcare provider, or are visited by a home health care professional, a record of your visit is made. Typically, this record contains your symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care or treatment. This information, often referred to as your health or medical record, serves as a basis for planning your care and treatment and serves as a means of communication among the many health professionals who contribute to your care. Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used helps you to ensure its accuracy, better understand who, what, when, where, and why others may access your health information and make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others.

Your Health Information Rights:

Unless otherwise required by law your health record is the physical property of the healthcare practitioner or facility that compiled it, the information belongs to you. You have the right to request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information and request amendments to your health record. This includes the right to obtain a paper copy of the notice of information practices upon request, inspect, and obtain a copy of your health record. Obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information, request communications of your health information by alternative means or at alternative locations, revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken.

Our Responsibilities:

This organization is required to maintain the privacy of your health information. In addition, provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you. This organization must abide by the terms of this notice, notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction, accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations. We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain. Should our information practices change, we will post the most recent Notice and individuals may request a copy to take with them. We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice.

For More Information or to Report a Problem:

If you have questions and would like additional information, you may contact the Privacy Officer, Leigh Harman, at 410-833-6255. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint.

Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment, and Health Operations:

Versatile will use and disclose your protected health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and related services. This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party. We may disclose your protected health information from time-to-time to another agency or practitioner, such as physicians, physical therapists, and other health care professionals, involved in your care. This includes pharmacists who may be provided information on other drugs you have been prescribed to identify potential interactions.

In emergencies, we will use and disclose your protected health information to provide the treatment you require. Information obtained from our evaluations, and other information related to your health history, such as, evaluations, laboratory testing, radiology reports, and other protected health information will be kept in your record and used to determine the best course of treatment for you. Upon your request, we will provide other health care practitioners with a copy of the evaluations and reports that are contained in your health record to assist them in treating you. We will use your health information for payment. This may include certain activities such as determining eligibility or coverage for benefits, reviewing services provided to you for medical necessity, and undertaking utilization review activities. For example: A bill may be sent to you or a third-party payer. The information on or accompanying the bill may include information that identifies you, as well as your diagnosis, procedures, and supplies used.

We will use your health information for regular health operations. We may use or disclose, as needed, your protected health information to support the daily activities related to your care. For example, we will share your protected health information with third-party business associates who perform various activities or services on our behalf. The business associates will also be required to protect your health information.

Business Associates: There may be some services provided in our practice through contracts with Business Associates. An example includes, billing services through a billing clearinghouse. When these services are contracted, we may disclose some of your health information to our Business Associate so that they can perform the job we've asked them to do. To protect your health information, however, we require the Business Associate to appropriately safeguard your information.

Notification: We may use or disclose information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative, or another person responsible for your care, your location, and general condition. Communication with family: Health professionals, using their best judgement, may disclose to a family member, other relatives, close personal friends or any other person you identify, health information relevant to that person's involvement in your care or payment related to your care.

Funeral Directors: We may disclose health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law to carry out their duties.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA): As required by law, we may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects, or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacement.

Workers compensation: We may disclose health information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers compensation or other similar programs established by law. Public Health: As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities charged with tracking birth and defects, as well as with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability. Correctional Institution: Should you be an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the institution or agents thereof health information necessary for your health and the health and safety of other individuals. Law Enforcement: We may disclose health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena. Federal law makes provision for your health information to be released to an appropriate health oversight agency, public health authority or attorney, provided that a work force member or business associate believes in good faith that we have engaged in unlawful conduct or have otherwise violated professional or clinical standards and are potentially endangering one or more patients, workers, or the public.

Notice of Privacy Practices availability: This notice will be prominently posted in the office where registration occurs. Patients will be provided a hard copy as well.

This notice becomes effective on 10/21/04.