Dedicated to serving the needs of Pratt, Kansas,
Pratt Regional Medical Center is a progressive
medical center serving south central Kansas and
the panhandle of Oklahoma.
NOTICE OF INFORMATION PRACTICES
Pratt Regional Medical Center/Pratt Rehabilitation & Residence Center /
Bone & Joint Center / Surgicenter / Stafford Clinic /
Kinsley Rural Health Clinic / South Central
Sylvia Clinic / St. John Clinic
Effective Date: 07-07-2012
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
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the HIPAA Privacy Officer by phone at 620-672-7451 or
by mail at Pratt Regional Medical Center ATTN: HIPAA Privacy Officers, 200 Commodore, Pratt, KS 67124
Who will follow this notice
This notice describes our hospital’s practices and that of:
Any health care professional authorized to enter information into your hospital chart.
All departments and units of the hospital.
Any member of a volunteer group we allow to help you while you are in the hospital.
All employees, staff and other hospital personnel.
Pratt Medical Plaza Laboratory
PRMC Lab Drawing Station (PFP)
South Central Kansas Bone and Joint Center
Surgicenter
Pratt Rehabilitation & Residence Center
Kinsley Rural Health Clinic
Stafford Clinic
St. John Clinic
Sylvia Clinic
Students who rotate through any hospital owned entity for education purposes.
All these entities, sites and locations follow the terms of this notice. In addition, these entities, sites and
locations may share medical information with each other for treatment, payment or hospital operations
purposes described in this notice.
Our pledge regarding medical information
We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting
medical information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive at the hospital. We need this
record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of
the records of your care generated by the hospital, whether made by hospital personnel or your personal doctor.
Your personal doctor may have different policies or notices regarding the doctor`s use and disclosure of your
medical information created in the doctor`s office or clinic.
This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you. We also
describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.
We are required by law to:
make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private;
give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you; and
follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
How we may use and disclose medical information about you
The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information. For each category of
uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a
category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within
one of the categories.
For Treatment We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose
medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other hospital personnel who
are involved in taking care of you at the hospital. For example, a doctor treating you for a broken leg may need
to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. In addition, the doctor may need
to tell the dietitian if you have diabetes so that we can arrange for appropriate meals. Different departments of
the hospital also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need,
such as prescriptions, lab work and x-rays. We also may disclose medical information about you to people or
entities outside the hospital who may be involved in your medical care after you leave the hospital, such as
family members, clergy, retail pharmacies or others we use to provide services that are part of your care. For
example, a retail pharmacy may request a list of medications you are taking to prevent drug interactions.
For Payment We may use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at the
hospital may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company or a third party. For
example, we may need to give your health plan information about surgery you received at the hospital so your
health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the surgery. We may also tell your health plan about a treatment
you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.
For Health Care Operations We may use and disclose medical information about you for hospital operations. These uses and disclosures are
necessary to run the hospital and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may
use medical information to review our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in
caring for you. We may also combine medical information about many hospital patients to decide what
additional services the hospital should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments
are effective. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, and other
hospital personnel for review and learning purposes. We may also combine the medical information we have
with medical information from other hospitals to compare how we are doing and see where we can make
improvements in the care and services we offer. We may remove information that identifies you from
this set of medical information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without
learning who the specific patients are.
Your Rights Regarding Electronic Health Information Exchange As explained above, health care providers and health plans may use and disclose your health information
without your written authorization for purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations. Until now,
providers and health plans have exchanged this information directly by hand-delivery, mail, facsimile, or email.
This process is time consuming, expensive, not secure, and often unreliable.
Electronic health information exchange, or HIE, changes this process. New technology allows a provider or a
health plan to submit a single request through a health information organization, or HIO, to obtain electronic
records for a specific patient from other HIE participants.
An organization known as the Kansas Health Information Exchange, or KHIE, regulates HIOs operating in
Kansas. Only properly authorized individuals may access information through an HIO operating in Kansas, and
only for purposes of treatment, payment, or health care operations.
Under Kansas law, you have the right to decide whether providers and health plans can access your health
information through an HIO. You have two choices. First, you can permit authorized individuals to access
your electronic health information through an HIO for treatment, payment, or health care operations only. If
you choose this option, you do not have to do anything.
Second, you can restrict access to your electronic health information through any HIO operating in Kansas with
the exception of access by a properly authorized individual as needed to report specific information as required
by law (for example, reporting of certain communicable diseases or suspected incidents of abuse).
If you wish to restrict access, you must complete and submit the required form to KHIE. You must provide
specific information needed to put your requested restrictions in place. The form is available at
http://www.khie.org/for-consumers/opt-out.
For your protection, each request is subject to verification procedures which may take several days to
complete. Your failure to provide all information on the required form may result in additional delay.
Once your request has been processed, your electronic health information no longer will be available through
HIOs operating in Kansas except for mandatory reporting requirements. You may change your mind at any
time and permit access by submitting another request to KHIE.
Please understand your decision to restrict access to your electronic health information through an HIO will
limit your health care providers’ ability to provide the most effective care for you. By submitting a request for
restrictions, you accept the risks associated with that decision.
If you have questions regarding electronic health information exchange or HIOs, please visit http://www.khie.org for additional information.
Your decision to restrict access to your electronic health information through an HIO does not impact other
disclosures of your health information. Providers and health plans may continue to share your information
directly through other means (such as by facsimile or secure e-mail) without your specific written authorization.
If you receive health care services in a state other than Kansas, different rules may apply regarding restrictions
on access to your electronic health information (i.e., your information may be disclosed unless you take some
action in that state). Please communicate directly with your out-of-state health care provider about what action,
if any, you need to take to restrict access.
Appointment Reminders We may use and disclose medical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for
treatment or medical care at the hospital.
Treatment Alternatives
We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or
alternatives that may be of interest to you.
New Media
We may release medical information to the news media (such as newspaper, television, and radio.) For
example, we will release information to the local newspaper about your admission, discharge, and condition
(such as critical, fair, good), unless you instruct us not to do so at time of registration.
Web Site
We may release information about you on our web site. For example, we may release information about your
admission, discharge, and condition (such as critical, fair, good), unless you instruct us not to do so at time of
registration.
Health-Related Benefits and Services
We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of
interest to you.
Fund-raising Activities
We may use medical information about you to contact you in an effort to raise money for the hospital and its
operations. We may disclose Protected Health Information about you to a foundation related to the hospital
which would only include your name, address and phone number and the dates you received treatment or
services at the hospital. If you do not want the hospital to contact you for fund-raising efforts, you must notify
the Director of Pratt Health Foundation, in writing.
Hospital Directory
We may include certain limited information about you in the hospital directory while you are a patient at the
hospital. This information may include your name, location in the hospital, your general condition (e.g., critical,
fair, good, etc.) and your religious affiliation. The directory information, except for your religious affiliation,
may also be released to people who ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation may be given to a member
of the clergy, such as a priest or rabbi, even if they don’t ask for you by name. This is so your family, friends
and clergy can visit you in the hospital and generally know how you are doing.
Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care
We may release medical information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical
care. We may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care. We may also tell your family or
friends your condition and that you are in the hospital. In addition, we may disclose medical information about
you to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition,
status and location.
Research
Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose medical information about you for research purposes.
For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one
medication to those who received another, for the same condition. All research projects, however, are
subject to a special approval process. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of medical
information, trying to balance the research needs with patients` need for privacy of their medical information.
Before we use or disclose medical information for research, the project will have been approved through this
research approval process, but we may, however, disclose medical information about you to people preparing to
conduct a research project, for example, to help them look for patients with specific medical needs, so long as
the medical information they review does not leave the hospital. We will almost always ask for your specific
permission if the researcher will have access to your name, address or other information that reveals who you
are, or will be involved in your care at the hospital.
Vendors
We may disclose medical information about you to vendors who are present for the purpose of new medical
devices. For example, a surgical vendor may be present to demonstrate a medical device used in your surgery.
Durable Medical Equipment Vendors (DME)
We will disclose medical information to DME’s when required for billing of equipment rental. For example,
you may require a medical device that is to be billed directly to you. The DME vendor will require information
for purpose of billing.
As Required By Law
We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We may use and disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your
health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only
be to someone able to help prevent the threat.
Special situations
Organ and Tissue Donation
If you are an organ donor, we may release medical information to organizations that handle organ procurement
or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue
donation and transplantation.
Military and Veterans
If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release medical information about you as required by military
command authorities. We may also release medical information about foreign military personnel to the
appropriate foreign military authority.
Workers’ Compensation
We may release medical information about you for workers` compensation or similar programs. These
programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.
Public Health Risks
We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities. These activities generally include
the following:
to prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
to report births and deaths;
to report child abuse or neglect;
to report reactions to medications or problems with products;
to notify people of recalls of products they may be using;
to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading adisease or condition;
to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect
or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by
law.
Health Oversight Activities
We may disclose medical information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These
oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are
necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with
civil rights laws.
Lawsuits and Disputes
If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose medical information about you in response to a
court or administrative order. We may also disclose medical information about you in response to a subpoena,
discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been
made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
Law Enforcement
We may release medical information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:
In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;
To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person`s agreement;
About a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
About criminal conduct at the hospital; and
In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description or location of the person who committed the crime.
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors
We may release medical information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to
identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also release medical information about
patients of the hospital to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.
National Security and Intelligence Activities
We may release medical information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence,
counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.
Protective Services for the President and Others
We may disclose medical information about you to authorized federal officials so they may provide protection
to the President, other authorized persons or foreign heads of state or conduct special investigations.
Inmates
If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may
release medical information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release
would be necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety
or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.
Your rights regarding medical information about you
You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you.
Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and receive a copy of your medical information that may be used to make
decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include
psychotherapy notes.
To inspect and receive a copy of your medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you
must submit your request in writing to the Director of Health Information Management, Pratt Regional Medical
Center, 200 Commodore, Pratt, KS 67124. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the
costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request.
We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to
medical information, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional
chosen by the hospital will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the review will not be the
person who denied your request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.
Right to Amend
If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the
information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for the
hospital.
To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to the Director of Health
Information Management, Pratt Regional Medical Center, 200 Commodore, Pratt, KS 67124. In addition, you
must provide a reason that supports your request.
We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the
request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to
make the amendment;
Is not part of the medical information kept by or for the hospital;
Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
Is accurate and complete.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request an "accounting of disclosures." This is a list of the disclosures we made of medical
information about you.
To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to the Director of
Health Information Management, Pratt Regional Medical Center, 200 Commodore, Pratt, Kansas 67124. Your
request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before April
14, 2003. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper, electronically).
The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the
costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify
your request at that time before any costs are incurred.
Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we use or disclose about you
for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical
information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a
family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery
you had.
We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the
information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.
To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to the Director of Health Information
Management, Pratt Regional Medical Center, 200 Commodore, Pratt, KS 67124. In your request, you must tell
us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to
whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.
Right to Request Confidential Communications You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a
certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail.
To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to the Director of Health
Information Management, Pratt Regional Medical Center, 200 Commodore, Pratt, KS 67124. We will not ask
you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how
or where you wish to be contacted.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. Although we have posted a copy in prominent locations
throughout the facility and on our website, you may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. Even if
you have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this notice.
You may obtain a copy of this notice at our website, www.prmc.org.
To obtain a paper copy of this notice, contact the HIPAA Privacy Officer at 620-672-7451 or Pratt Regional
Medical Center, 200 Commodore, Pratt, KS 67124.
Changes to this Notice
We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective
for medical information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will
post a copy of the current notice in the hospital. The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right-hand
corner, the effective date. In addition, each time you register at or are admitted to the hospital for treatment or
health care services as an inpatient or outpatient, we will offer you a copy of the current notice in effect.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the hospital or with the
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with the hospital, contact the
HIPAA Privacy Officer by phone at 620-672-7451, or in writing to Pratt Regional Medical Center, 200
Commodore, Pratt, KS 67124. All complaints must be submitted in writing.
YOU WILL NOT BE PENALIZED FOR FILING A COMPLAINT.
Other Uses of Medical Information
Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be
made only with your written permission. If you provide us permission to use or disclose medical information
about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no
longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization.
You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission,
and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.
