MedQuest Associates | Excellence in Radiology

Compliance

MedQuest's Commitment to Compliance

The regulatory environment in which MedQuest operates is exceedingly complex, and we at MedQuest have a fundamental obligation to our patients and the public to ensure that our participation in government and private reimbursement programs and the operation of our organization is consistent with applicable laws and regulations. To that end, MedQuest has always made a strong commitment to its compliance program. Simply stated, the objective of a compliance program is to create a corporate culture that fosters a high level of ethical and lawful corporate conduct. The compliance program provides a process for identifying and reducing risk and improving internal controls.

An effective compliance program plays an important role in helping all of us at MedQuest fulfill our obligations to public and private payers, financial stakeholders and the community at large. Creating an effective compliance program requires the commitment of every person in the organization to comply with all applicable laws and to be aware of how relevant laws and regulations impact the performance of each individual's job function. It is incumbent upon everyone to actively participate in MedQuest's compliance efforts. Should you ever have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Corporate Compliance Officer via MedQuest's Compliance Hotline at 877-272-5163.

MedQuest HIPAA Information

ABOUT HIPAA
Passed in 1996, The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") requires that healthcare providers adopt certain standards regarding individually identifiable patient health information. The goal of this legislation is to encourage overall administrative simplification and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the health care industry. Privacy and security of patient information was also a driving motivation for this legislation.

A major of HIPAA is it's "Privacy Rule" which assures that individual's health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public's health and well being. The Privacy Rule strikes a balance that permits important uses of information, while protecting the privacy of people who seek care and treatment. Given that the health care marketplace is diverse, the Rule is designed to be flexible and comprehensive to cover the variety of uses and disclosures involved with ordinary healthcare practice.

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW PROTECTED MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GAIN ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

OUR PLEDGE REGARDING YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION
We understand that information about you and your health is personal and we are committed to protecting this information. A record of the services you receive from a facility is created and maintained in order to provide you with quality services and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all the records of your care created or maintained by MedQuest. Your record may include documents provided to MedQuest by your insurance company or treating physician.

This notice will tell you how we may use and disclose your health information. It also describes your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of this information.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
The following categories describe different ways that we may use and disclose health information. For each category we will explain what we mean and in some instances provide an example. Not every use or disclosure will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose health information will fall within one of the following categories.

Treatment
We may use your health information in the normal course of providing you with necessary services or supplies. For example, we may review your health information in order to provide you with services or supplies prescribed by your physician. We may also disclose your health information to people outside of MedQuest who are involved with us in providing services or supplies to you.

Payment
We may use and disclose your health information to others for purposes of receiving payment for the services or supplies you receive. For example, a bill may be sent to you or an insurance company or health plan. The information on the bill may contain information that identifies you, your diagnosis and the services or supplies provided.

Healthcare Operations
We may use and disclose your health information for operational purposes, that is, for use by MedQuest staff other than those providing services or supplies. For example, your health information may be used for quality improvement purposes to evaluate the performance of our staff, assess the quality of care and outcomes in your case and in similar cases, and to determine how we may continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the services we provide. At times, we may remove identifiers from your health information so others may use the anonymous information to study healthcare delivery.

Appointment Reminders/Contacts
We may use and disclose your health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or to discuss with you an order of supplies. We may also use and disclose your health information in order to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care
We may release, with your permission, your health information to a friend or family member who is involved in your care or helps pay for your care.

Research
We may use or disclose your health information for research purposes pursuant to your signed authorization, or with institutional review board or privacy board approval.

As Required by Law
We will disclose your health information when required to do so by federal, state or local law.

To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We will disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of another person or the general public.

Government
If you are a member of the armed forces, we may disclose your health information as required by military command authorities. We may release your health information to authorized federal officials for national security activities as authorized by law.

Public Health Risks
We may disclose your health information for a number of public health activities. These include disclosures:

To prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
To report births and deaths;
To report child abuse or neglect;
To report adverse events, product defects or problems, to track products, to notify patients of product recalls, and to conduct post-marketing surveillance as required by the Food and Drug Administration;
To notify your employer under limited circumstances related primarily to workplace injury or illness or medical surveillance;
To notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or who may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition; and
To notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence.

We may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for health oversight activities authorized by law, which may include audits, investigations, inspections and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the healthcare 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 your health information in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose your health information in response to a subpoena, search warrant, discovery request or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute.

Law Enforcement
We may disclose your health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:

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 if there is reason to believe it may be the result of criminal conduct;
About criminal conduct at any of our facilities; 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/Funeral Directors
We may disclose your health information to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director to assist them in performing their duties.

OTHER USES OR DISCLOSURES

Uses or disclosures of your health information other than those identified in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke that authorization at any time.

YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION RIGHTS

You have the following rights regarding your health information:

To request restrictions/limitations on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. However, MedQuest is not required to agree to such a request;
To request to communicate with you about health matters in a certain way. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail;
To inspect and obtain a copy of your health record;
To receive a paper copy of this notice in addition to viewing it on our web site;
To request an amendment of incorrect or incomplete information in your health record; and
To receive an accounting of certain disclosures made to entities outside of MedQuest.
All requests must be submitted in writing.

COMPLAINTS
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with MedQuest or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. All complaints must be submitted in writing. MedQuest will investigate all complaints promptly and thoroughly. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint. Forms for making any requests referenced in this notice or for filing a complaint may be obtained from MedQuest's Privacy Officer (see Contact Information below).

MEDQUEST'S OBLIGATIONS TO YOU

MedQuest is required by law to:

Maintain the privacy of your health information;
Provide you with this notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information;
Abide by the terms of this notice;
Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction on how your health information is used or disclosed;
Accommodate reasonable requests you may make to communicate health information as requested; and
Obtain your written authorization to use or disclose your health information for reasons other than those listed above and permitted by law.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
We reserve the right to change this notice and its practices. 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 on our web site. The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right-hand corner, the effective date. In addition, each time you register or are admitted for treatment or health care services, we will offer you a copy of the current notice in effect.

HIPAA Contact Information

HIPAA Privacy Officer
MedQuest Associates, Inc.
3480 Preston Ridge Road, Suite 600
Alpharetta, Georgia 30005
1-877-272-5163
Email: Privacy Officer

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