Mittleman Eye Privacy Policy
Providing lifetime of vision care in a setting of excellence
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.
Mittleman Eye is committed to keeping your health information private, and we are required by law to respect your confidentiality.
This Notice describes the privacy practices of Mittleman Eye. This Notice applies to all of the health information that identifies you and the care you receive. This information may consist of paper, digital, or electronic records but could also include photographs, testing and other electronic transmissions that are created during your care and treatment. We are legally required to keep your health information private, to notify you of our legal responsibilities and privacy practices that relate to your health information, and to notify you if there is a breach of your unsecured health information. We are also legally required to give you access to this Notice and to follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
You, the patient, understands that Mittleman Eye, may share or disclose Protected Health information for reasons of treatment, payment, and health care operations as described below.
HOW MITTLEMAN EYE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
When you become a patient of Mittleman Eye, we will use and disclose your health information for the reasons described in this Notice. The following categories describe some of the ways that we will use and disclose your health information.
Treatment. We use your health information to provide you with health care services. We may disclose your health information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical or nursing students, or other persons who need the information to take care of you. For example, a doctor treating you for a cataract may need to ask another doctor if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the eye’s healing process. This may involve talking to doctors and others not employed by us. We also may disclose your health information to people outside of Mittleman Eye who may be involved in your health care, such as treating doctors, home care providers, pharmacies, drug or medical device experts, and family members.
Payment. We may use and disclose your health information so that the health care you receive can be billed and paid for by you, your insurance company, or another third party. For example, we may give information about surgery you had here to your health plan so it will pay us or reimburse you for the surgery. We may also tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive so we can get prior payment approval or learn if your plan will pay for the treatment.
Health Care Operations. We may use your health information and disclose it outside of Mittleman Eye for our health care operations. These uses and disclosures help us to maintain and improve patient care. For example, we may use your health information to review the care you received and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We also may combine health information about many patients to identify new services to offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain therapies are effective. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, and other persons at Mittleman Eye for learning and quality improvement purposes. We may remove information that identifies you so people outside Mittleman Eye can study your health data without knowing who you are.
Contacting You. We may use and disclose health information to reach you about appointments and other matters. We may contact you by mail, telephone, Text or email. For example, we may leave voice messages at the telephone number you provide us with, and we may respond to your email address.
Health Information Exchanges. We may participate in certain health information exchanges whereby we may disclose your health information, as permitted by law, to other health care providers or entities for treatment, payment, or health care operations purposes. Certain disclosures to family members
- Certain disclosures of health information for patient information directory purposes
- Certain disclosures of health information for payment purposes
- Certain disclosures of health information for health care operations purposes
- Certain disclosures or use of health information for solicitation or marketing purposes
- Certain disclosures of health information for research purposes
- Certain disclosures of health information relating to sexually transmitted diseases
- Certain disclosures of health information that include genetic testing or DNA analysis results
SMS / TEXT MESSAGING
Mittleman Eye may send text (SMS) messages to the mobile number you provide for appointment reminders, medical updates, and general inquiries. SMS consent and phone numbers are not shared with any third parties/affiliates for marketing purposes. No mobile opt-in data is shared.
Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to any message to cancel. Reply HELP for assistance.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION
Right to Accounting. You may request an accounting, which is a listing of the entities or persons (other than yourself) to whom Mittleman Eye has disclosed your health information without your written authorization. The accounting would not include disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations, and certain other disclosures exempted by law. Your request for an accounting of disclosures must be in writing, signed, and dated. It must identify the time period of the disclosures. Your request should indicate the form in which you want the list (for example, on paper or electronically). You must submit your written request to the medical records department at Mittleman Eye. We will respond to you within 30 days. We will send you an electronic copy of the listing for a $5.00 charge, or if a paper copy is requested the charge will be $1.00 per page up to 25 pages then $0.25 per page thereafter.
Right to Amend. If you feel that health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to ask us to amend your medical records. Your request for an amendment must be in writing, signed, and dated. It must specify the records you wish to amend and give the reason for your request. You must address your request to the Privacy Official at Mittleman Eye. We will respond to you within 30 days. We may deny your request; if we do, we will tell you why and explain your options.
Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to ask us to restrict the uses or disclosures we make of your health information for treatment, payment, or health care operations, but we do not have to agree. You also may ask us to limit the health information that we use or disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, such as a family member or friend. Again, we do not have to agree. A request for a restriction must be signed and dated. The request should also describe the information you want restricted, say whether you want to limit the use or the disclosure of the information or both, and tell us who should not receive the restricted information. You must submit your request in writing. We will tell you if we agree with your request or not. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency treatment. However, if you pay out of pocket and in full for a health care item or service, and you ask us to restrict the disclosures we make to a health plan of your health information relating solely to that item or service, we will agree to the extent that the disclosure to the health plan is for the purpose of carrying out payment or health care operations and the disclosure is not required by law.
Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail. Your request for confidential communications must be in writing, signed, and dated. It must specify how or where you wish to be contacted. You need not tell us the reason for your request, and we will not ask. You must send your written request to Mittleman Eye, attention Privacy Official, 2000 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd, Suite 400, West Palm Beach, FL 33409.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this Notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to view this Notice electronically on our website ww.mittlemaneye.com, you are still entitled to a paper copy. You may obtain a paper copy of this Notice at any of our offices or by calling the Privacy Officer at 561-478-2015.
Right to Access and Copies of Your Records. You have the right to access your records. There is no charge for access when utilizing the patient portal. The practice will also provide a copy of your last exam, at no charge, either by paper or electronically. Should you require records beyond the portal or last exam, then please note the following;
- You will need to put the request in writing and will need to sign the request.
- The request will be processed in a timely manner not to exceed 30 days.
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The cost to retrieve and organize your records is calculated as follows;
$1 per page up to 25 pages and then $.25 per page after that.
This fee is payable prior to the release of your records.
COMPLAINTS
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Privacy Official or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint, you must submit your complaint in writing to the Privacy Official, Mittleman Eye, 2000 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd, Suite 400, West Palm Beach, FL 33409. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
We may change this Notice at any time. Any change in the Notice could apply to 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 website, www.mittlemaneye.com. The effective date of the Notice is on the first page in the top right corner.
QUESTIONS
If you have questions about this Notice, you may call the Privacy Officer at 561-500-2020