We may disclose your health information that is directly relevant to your care to individuals you wish to receive such information, including family members, relatives, close personal friends, or other persons you identify. Before we do so, we will ask you, and follow your instructions, as to whether or not to make such disclosures. If you are incapacitated, or involved in an emergency, we may use or make disclosures of your health information that we believe in our professional judgment are in your best interests, but only to the extent that such health information is directly relevant to the recipients’ involvement in your case.
Required by Law: We may use or disclose your health information to the extent such use or disclosure is required by law and is limited to the relevant requirements of such law.
Public Health, Health Oversight and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability. We may also be required by law to disclose your health information to health oversight agencies responsible for regulating the health care system, government benefit programs, and civil rights laws, so that they may conduct, among other things, audits, investigations, and inspections. For the purpose of activities relating to the quality, safety or effectiveness of a FDA-regulated product or activity, we may disclose to the FDA your health information relating to adverse events with drugs, supplements, and other products, as well as information needed to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacements.
Victims of Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence: If we reasonably believe that you are the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence, we may disclose your health information to a governmental authority responsible for receiving these types of reports, to the extent the disclosure is required by law, or you agree to the disclosure. If the disclosure is authorized by law, but not required, we may disclose your information if we determine that disclosure is necessary to prevent serious harm to you or others.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: If you are involved in a judicial or administrative proceeding we may, in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal, or in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process, disclose the specific portions of your health information that are requested. If the subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process is not accompanied by a court or administrative tribunal order, we may disclose your health information only after we are assured that reasonable efforts have been made to notify you of the request, and the time for you to raise objections to the request has expired, or reasonable efforts have been made by the requestor to seek a protective order concerning the requested health information
.
Law Enforcement: We may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for law enforcement purposes as required by law, a court ordered subpoena or summons, a grand jury subpoena or summons, or an administrative subpoena or summons, under certain circumstances.
In specific situations, the law also permits us to disclose limited pieces of your health information, when the information is needed by law enforcement officials to: 1) identify a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person; 2) identify a victim of a crime; 3) alert law enforcement officials concerning your death; 4) notify law enforcement officials when a crime has been committed on our premises; or 5) in an emergency, when necessary to alert law enforcement officials about a crime, its location, or the identity of a perpetrator.
Coroners Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors: We may disclose your health information to a coroner or medical examiner for the purpose of identifying you upon your passing, or to determine a cause of death. We may also disclose your health information to your funeral director if needed to completer his or her authorized duties.
Organ, Eye or Tissue Donation: If you are an organ, eye or tissue donor, we may release your health information to organizations that procure, bank or transplant organs for the purpose of facilitating organ, eye or tissue donation and transplantation.
Research: We may disclose your health information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board or privacy board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your health information, thereby meeting the requirements under HIPAA. We may also disclose your health information for the purpose of research, public health or health care operations pursuant to a Data Use Agreement protecting that information as specified by HIPAA.
Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety: Consistent with applicable law and standards of ethical conduct, we may, in limited circumstances, use or disclose your health information if we, in good faith, believe such use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety of a person or the public.
Military Personnel: If you are a member of the United States Armed Services, we may disclose your health information to the appropriate military command authority when such information is deemed necessary to assure the proper execution of the military mission.
National Security and Presidential Protective Services: We may disclose your health information to authorized federal officials for the conduct of lawful intelligence and national security activities, as well as the provision of protective services to the President and other protected individuals.
National Security and Presidential Protective Service: We may disclose your health information to authorized federal officials for the conduct of lawful intelligence and national security activities, as well as the provision of protective services to the President and other protected individuals.
Inmates and Individuals in Custody: If you are an inmate or otherwise in custody, we may disclose your health information to the correctional facility or law enforcement official having lawful custody of you.
Workers’ Compensation: We may disclose your health information to extend authorized and necessary to comply with laws relating to workers’ compensation or other similar programs established by law.
Appointment Reminders and Information on Treatment Alternative: We may contact you to provide appointment reminders, information concerning treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits, alternatives and services that may be of interest to you.