Kathryn Jean Lucas, MD
611 N 35th St
Morehead City, North Carolina 28557

BeachDoctor.com Privacy Policy

BeachDoctor.com does not store any data on your PC or collect any information about visitors to this Internet site.  We therefore store no data of any kind about visitors to this web site on our computers.  The only possible exception is if you should choose to e-mail BeachDoctor.com with questions or comments.  (See e-mail policy)  We may store such e-mail as part of your medical record.  We may also store your e-mail address on our computer.  We respect your privacy as if it were our own.  We will therefore never sell, give away, or share any information you send us with any third party.  E-mail address are collected exclusively for the purpose of notifying you of information concerning healthcare issues or changes to our office environment and personnel.  

This site contains links to other sites.  BeachDoctor.com is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such linked Web sites.

  
Diabetes & Endocrinology Consultants, PC

PRIVACY POLICY NOTICE

 WE HAVE A LEGAL DUTY TO PROTECT HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU.

Diabetes & Endocrinology Consultants, PC is committed to protecting the privacy of the medical or health information and other personal information we keep regarding our patients. We call this "protected health information" or PHI throughout this notice. We handle your protected health information as required by state and federal laws.

We must give you notice of our legal responsibility and privacy practices concerning PHI and this Privacy Policy Notice describes our commitment and policies for protecting the privacy of your protected health information.

This Notice describes the types of uses and disclosures that we may make and gives you some examples. In addition, we may make other uses and disclosures which occur as a byproduct of the permitted uses and disclosures described in this Notice.  We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make new notice provisions effective for all PHI that we maintain by first:

·        Posting/distributing the revised notice in our offices;

·        Making copies of the revised notice available upon request. 

What Information Do We Collect About You?  

In providing services to you, we collect and use information that is necessary to administer health care services, to consult with other healthcare providers in regard to your medical care, and to bill and collect for the services we provide. We gather the types of
information described below through communications with the persons described below.

In the normal course of our operations, we may collect protected health information from:

• You (through information you give us on your registration record or on other forms, through telephone or in-person interviews with you, and through information you provide to an insurance agent or your employer) such as your address, telephone number, information about your health status, and questions about the type of insurance coverage you have.

• Health care providers who you indicate are currently treating you or have treated you in the
  past, and maintain information about your health status.

• Your insurance company, should we need to confirm your health insurance coverage and terms of coverage as it relates to medical services provided by Diabetes & Endocrinology Consultants, PC 

WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU WITHOUT YOUR AUTHORIZATION IN THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES.

We will use and disclose your protected health information only as permitted or
required by law, or as authorized by you pursuant to a general consent we
obtain during the registration process or a separate authorization or consent we
otherwise obtain from you.  If you cease to be our patient, we will not share information about you except with your consent or as permitted or required by law.

• We may use and disclose PHI about you to provide health care and treatment to you.   In connection with our delivery of health care services to you, we may use and disclose PHI with a variety of other health care providers regarding your treatment and coordinating and managing your health care with others.  For example, we may use and disclose PHI about you when you need a prescription, lab work, an x-ray, or other health care services.  In addition, we may use and disclose PHI about you when referring you to another health care provider.   

• We may use and disclose PHI about you to obtain payment for services.  Generally, we may use and give your medical information to others to bill and collect payment for the treatment and services provided to you.  Before you receive scheduled services, we may share information about these services with your health plan(s).  Sharing information allows us to ask for coverage under your plan or policy and to ask for approval of payment, when required, before we provide the services.  We may also share portions of your medical information with the following:

         Billing departments;
         Insurance companies, health plans and their agents which provide you coverage;
         Collection departments or agencies. 

·        We may use and disclose your PHI for health care operations.  We may use and disclose PHI in performing business activities, which we call “health care operations.” These “health care operations” allow us to improve the quality of care we provide and reduce health care costs.  Examples of the way we may use or disclose PHI about you for “health care operations” include the following:

1. We may use PHI to contact you to provide a reminder of an appointment you have for treatment or for medical care. 

2. We may use PHI to contact you regarding services or treatments provided or results of diagnostic testing.       

3. We may use PHI and contact you with information about treatments, services, products and/or healthcare providers.

4. Reviewing and improving the quality, efficiency and cost of care that we provide to you and other patients.        

5. Reviewing and evaluating the skills, qualifications, and performance of health care providers taking care of you.

6. Providing training programs for students, trainees, and other healthcare providers to help them practice or improve their skills.

7. Cooperating with outside organizations that assess the quality of the care we and others provide.

8. Cooperating with outside organizations that evaluate, certify, or license health care providers, staff or facilities in a particular field or specialty.

9. Assist various people who review our activities. For example, PHI may be seen by doctors reviewing the services provided to you, and by accountants, lawyers, and others who assist us in complying with applicable laws.

WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE PHI UNDER OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES WITHOUT YOUR AUTHORIZATION.

We may use and/disclose PHI about you for a number of circumstances in which you do not have to consent, give authorization or otherwise have an opportunity to agree or object.  Those circumstances include:

• When the use and/or disclosure is required by law.  For example, when a disclosure is required by federal, state, or local law or other judicial or administrative proceeding.

• Disclose information to certain non-insurance entities where these
  disclosures are reasonably necessary to enable the entity to perform a
  business, professional or insurance function for us or to enable the
  entity to provide information to determine eligibility or detect fraud
  in connection with services being provided to you;

• When the use and/disclosure is necessary for public health activities.  For example, we may discuss PHI about you if you have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or condition.

• When the use and/or disclosure is for health oversight activities.  For example, we may disclose PHI about you to a state or federal health oversight agency which is authorized by law to oversee our operations.

• When the disclosure is for judicial and administrative proceedings. For example, we may disclose PHI about you in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal.

• When the disclosure is for law enforcement purposes. For example, we may disclose PHI about you in order to comply with laws that require the reporting of certain types of wounds or other physical injuries. 

• When the use and/or disclosure relate to decedents.  For example, we may disclose PHI about you to a coroner or medical examiner for the purposes of identifying you should you die.                                                                                               

• When the use and/or disclosure relates to cadaveric organ, eye or tissue donation purposes.

• When the use and/or disclosure is to avert a serious threat to health or safety.  For example, we may disclose PHI about you to prevent or lessen a serious and eminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.

• When the use and/or disclosure relates to specialized government functions.  For example, we may disclose PHI about you if it relates to military activities, national security and intelligence activities, and medical suitability or determinations of the Department of State.

• When the use and/or disclosure relates to correctional institutions and in other law enforcement custodial situations.
   

Under circumstances other than those listed above, we will ask for your written authorization before we use or disclose PHI about you.  If you sign a written authorization allowing us to disclose PHI about you in a specific situation, you can later cancel your authorization in writing.  If you cancel your authorization in writing, we will not disclose PHI about you after we receive your cancellation, except for disclosures which were being processed before we received your cancellation. 

What are our policies for protecting your Personal Information? 

• We protect personal information we maintain about you by using physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that meet or exceed applicable law.  When our business activities require us to provide personal information to third parties, they must agree to follow appropriate standards of security and confidentiality regarding the personal information provided. 

• Access to your PHI is restricted to appropriate business purposes, and our employees, who are carefully selected and screened, receive education and training on how to properly handle personal information. 

• Each of our employees signs a confidentiality statement when they are hired, agreeing to abide by our policy. 

• In addition to those safeguards, we have developed a variety of other protections, including:

1. Using, where appropriate, confidentiality provisions in our contracts with third parties and restricting use and disclosure of your PHI

2. Restricting access to PHI through internal security procedures and pass code access to our computer systems.

You have several rights regarding your Protected Health Information. 

• You have the right to request restrictions on uses and disclosures of PHI about you. 

• You have the right to request that we restrict the use and disclosure of PHI about you.

• We are not required to agree to your restrictions if your physician believes it is not in the best interests of your healthcare. However, even if we agree to your request, in certain situations, your restrictions may not be followed.  These situations include emergency treatment, disclosures to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and uses and disclosures described on pages three and four of this Notice.  You may request a restriction by contacting our medical records department at 252-222-5700. 

• You have the right to request different ways to communicate with you. 

• You have the right to request how and where we contact you about PHI.  For example,

• You may request that we contact you at your work address or phone number.  Your request must be in writing.  We will accommodate reasonable requests.  You may request alternative communications by contacting our medical records department at 252-222-5700.

• You have the right to see and copy PHI about you. 

You have the right to request to see and receive a copy of PHI contained in clinical, billing and other records used to make decisions about you.  Your request must be in writing.  We may charge you a copy fee of fifty cents per page.  Instead of providing you with a full copy of the PHI, we may give you a summary or explanation of PHI about you, if you agree in advance to the form and cost of the summary or explanation.  There are certain situations in which we are not required to comply with your request. Under these circumstances, we will respond to you in writing, stating why we will not grant your request and describing any rights you may have to request a review of our denial.  You may request to see and receive a copy of PHI by contacting our medical records department at 252-222-5700.                                                                                                              

• You have the right to request amendment of PHI about you.

• You have the right to request that we make amendments to clinical, billing and other records used to make decisions about you. Your request must be in writing and must explain your reason (s) for the amendment. We may deny your request if: 1) the information was not created by us; 2) the information is not part of the records used to make a decision about you; 3) we believe the original information is correct and complete; or 4) you would not have the right to see and copy the record as described in the preceding paragraph. We will tell you in writing the reasons for the denial and describe your rights to give us a written statement disagreeing with the denial.                                                                                                                    

• If we accept your request to amend the information, we will make reasonable efforts to inform others of the amendment, including persons you name who have received PHI about you and who need the amendment.  You may request an amendment of your PHI by contacting our medical records department at 252-222-5700.                                                                  

• You have a right to a listing of disclosures we have made.

If you ask our contact person in writing, you have the right to receive a written list of certain of our disclosures of PHI about you, not including disclosures made prior to April 14, 2003.  

We are required to provide a listing of all disclosures except the following:

1. For your treatment

2. For billing and collection of payment for your treatment

3. For our health care operations

4. Made to or requested by you or that you authorized

5. Occurring as a byproduct of permitted uses and disclosures

6. Allowed by law when the use and/or disclosure relate to certain specialized government functions or relate to correctional institutions and in other law enforcement.

This list will include the date of the disclosure, the name (and address, if available) of the person or organization receiving the information, a brief description of the information disclosed, and the purpose of the disclosure. 

If you request a list of disclosures more than once in 12 months, we can charge you a reasonable fee.  You may request a listing of disclosures by contacting our medical records department at 252-222-5700. 

You have the right to a copy of this Notice.

      You have the right to request a paper copy of this Notice at any time by contacting our   

       medical records department at 252-222-5700.  We will provide a copy of this Notice

       no later than the date you first receive service from us (after April 14, 2003) except for

       emergency services, and then we will provide the Notice to you as soon as possible.

You may file a complaint about our privacy practices.

If you think your privacy rights have been violated by us, or you want to complain to us about our privacy policy practices, you can contact the person listed below:

Medical Records Coordinator/Privacy Officer
Diabetes & Endocrinology Consultants, PC
611 N 35th St,
Morehead City, North Carolina 28557 

You may also send a written complaint to the United States Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

If you file a complaint, we will not take any action against you or change our treatment of you in any way.

Send mail to Seth.Medlin@BeachDoctor.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Send mail to Dr. Lucas lucas@BeachDoctor.com
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