We are required by law to protect the privacy of your information. We are providing this notice to you so that we can explain what our privacy practices are. We will follow the practices described in this notice or the current notice in effect.

We reserve the right to change our policies and notice of privacy practices at any time. If we should make a significant change in our policies, we will change this notice and post the new notice. You can also request a copy of our notice at any time.

For more information about our privacy practices or to place a complaint or report a concern or conflict, call the number listed below:

Lakeland Community Hospital – Privacy Officer

(205) 485-7277

If you prefer to report an anonymous concern, call 1-877-508-LIFE (5433). You may also send a written complaint to the United States Department of Health and Human Services if you feel we need to properly handle your complaint. You can use the contact listed above to provide you with the appropriate DHHS address. Under no circumstance will you be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Lakeland Community Hospital

42024 Highway 195 E.

(205) 486-5213

We may use health information about you for your treatment purposes, to obtain payment, or for healthcare operations and other administrative purposes. Examples of each item mentioned above include:

Treatment: We may need to send your medical record information to a specialist or physician as part of a referral for continuity of care.

Payment: We will use your health information and other identifying information for billing Medicare, Medicaid, or other health insurance plans.

Operations or administrative purposes: We use your information when processing your medical records for completeness and to compare patient data to improve our treatment methods.

As healthcare providers, we are subject to specific requirements in which we have to disclose your health information. These disclosures are generally routine to all patients and are done without your specific authorization for several reasons.

• State and Federal laws require us to report cases of abuse, neglect, or other reasons requiring law enforcement,
• public health activities,
• Health oversight agencies,
• judicial and administrative proceedings,
• death and funeral arrangements,
• organ donation,
• special government functions, including military and veteran requests, and to prevent a serious threat to health or public safety.

We may also contact you after your current visit for future appointment reminders or to provide information regarding treatment alternatives or other health-related services that may benefit you.

We will obtain your written authorization for any other disclosures beyond the reasons listed above.

Please remember, if you do authorize us to release your information, you always have the right to revoke that authorization later. We will honor that request except to the extent that we may have already acted.

The following list explains your rights regarding how your information can be used and disclosed.

In most cases, you have the right to look at or receive a copy of your health information. It may take up to 30 days to prepare your request, and a preparation fee may be associated with making the copies.