Notice of Privacy Practices

United Woundcare Institute PLLC and its affiliates (“UWI”) is committed to providing you with the highest quality of care in an environment that protects your privacy and the confidentiality of your health information. This notice explains our privacy practices, as well as your rights, with regard to your health information.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions. In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

• Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care.
• Share information in a disaster relief situation.
• Include your information in a hospital directory.

If you are not able to tell us your preference (for example, if you are unconscious), we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

How We May Use and Share Your Health Information

We may, without your written permission, use your health information within our organization and share or disclose your health information to others outside our organization for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. We may use and disclose your health information without your written authorization for treatment, payment and health care operations.

• 1. Treatment

  • We may use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. For example, a physician treating you for an injury may ask another physician about your overall health condition. Note, however, that we may ask for your written permission if certain kinds of information are being disclosed (such as sensitive health information).
  • We may keep your information electronically using an electronic medical record (“EMR”). In some cases, you may be asked to give permission to allow the sharing of your health information.

• 2. Payment

• We may use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. For example, we may send health information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.
• We may also disclose your information to other providers for their payment activities.

• 3. Healthcare Operations

  • We may use and disclose your health information to run our organization, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. For example, we use health information to manage your treatment and services, including to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment for medical care.

• 4. Those instances that require the use or disclosure of your health information we may disclose your health information without your written permission:

  • With some limited exceptions, to you or someone who has the legal right to act on your behalf (your personal representative).
  • To the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, if necessary, to make sure your privacy is protected.
  • When required by law.

• 5. Other purposes for which we are allowed or required to use or disclose your health information:

  • We may use or disclose your health information to others without your written permission in other ways, usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We must meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information see: hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.

Examples include:

• To help with public health and safety issues we may share health information about you for certain situations such as:
  • Preventing disease
  • Helping with product recalls
  • Reporting adverse reactions to medications
  • Reporting suspected abuse, neglect or domestic violence
  • Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
• For research, your medical information may be used for research purposes in accordance with state and federal law. For example, researchers may look at your medical information for the following research purposes.
• To respond to organ and tissue donation requests we may share patient information with organ procurement organizations for the purpose of facilitating a patient’s organ, eye or tissue donation and transplantation.
• To work with a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director we may share health information with a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director when an individual dies.
• To address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests we may use or share health information about you:
  • For workers’ compensation claims
  • For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
  • With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
  • For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
• To respond to lawsuits and legal actions, we may disclose health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
• To business associates, we may disclose your health information to our “business associates,” or individuals or companies that provide services to us. For example, a business associate would include the company that administers the billing claims for us, a software vendor, a telehealth or other digital health solutions company, and other service providers. We require that business associates keep your information safe.
• For immunization purposes, we may disclose immunization records to schools to support public health efforts if we obtain and document an oral or written agreement from the parent, guardian or other person acting in loco parentis.
• To parents and legal guardians of minors, we may share a minor’s health information with his or her parents or guardians unless such disclosure is otherwise prohibited by law. For example, a minor’s parents may discuss medical treatment with the care team. Note, however, that if a minor is emancipated, married, pregnant or a parent, we will not share information with the minor’s parents or guardians. Also, if a minor is receiving certain types of treatment (such as genetic or HIV testing; testing for sexually transmitted diseases; mental health, or drug or alcohol abuse counseling; or other certain types of treatments), we will not disclose information to the minor’s parents or guardians except in certain situations as required or allowed by law (including, but not limited to, if doing so is necessary to protect the minor’s safety or that of a family member or other individual or if, in the professional judgment of the health care provider, notification would be in the minor’s best interest and we have first sought unsuccessfully to persuade the minor to notify his or her parents).

Additional State and Federal Requirements

Some Illinois State and federal laws provide additional privacy protection of your health information. These include:

• Special health information. Some types of health information are particularly sensitive, and the law, with limited exceptions, may require that we obtain your written permission or in some instances, a court order, to use or disclose that information. Special health information includes information dealing with mental health and developmental disabilities, HIV/AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse treatment, genetic testing and genetic counseling.
  • Prior to receiving care from us, a patient signs, where required by law, a consent to allow us to use and disclose special health information in the same way that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) allows us to use and share non-special health information for treatment, payment and healthcare operations as described in this Notice. For example, we may use and share special health information in order to better coordinate care for our patients.
• Information used in certain disciplinary proceedings. State law may require your written permission if certain health information is to be used in various review and disciplinary proceedings by state health oversight boards (such as the Department of Professional Regulation).
• Information used in certain litigation proceedings. State law may require your written permission for certain providers to disclose information in certain legal proceedings.
• Disclosures to certain registries. Some laws require your written permission if we disclose your health information to certain state-sponsored registries.

We are committed to following all applicable state and federal legal requirements.

Our Responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
• We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this Notice and offer you a written copy of it.
• We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can do so in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

Changes to This Notice

We can change the terms of this Notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new Notice will be available upon request. However, any changes to the terms will not change our commitment to complying with applicable laws and ensuring the privacy of patient information.

Who Will Follow This Notice

This Notice will be followed by all UWI employees, contractors, agents, and/or other healthcare professionals who treat you.

Who To Contact For Information or With a Complaint

If you have any questions about this Notice, or any complaints, please contact the Compliance Department at compliance@unitedwounds.org or (630) 242-5464.

EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS NOTICE

This Notice is effective as of January 2023.