Notice of Privacy Practices

Our responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.

We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.

We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

For more information, visit the Office for Civil Rights’ website

CAPS confidentiality policy

All health records are strictly confidential and are considered protected health information. In compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the university’s HIPAA Compliance Program, only the appropriate CAPS personnel shall have access to protected health information.

The level of access to protected health information shall be determined by the information necessary to fulfill the employee’s official role within CAPS. The IU Southeast CAPS must make reasonable efforts to limit the use and disclosure of protected health information to that which is minimally necessary to accomplish the intended purpose of the use, disclosure, or request of such information.

With exception to uses and disclosures that require an authorization under HIPAA, CAPS may use or disclose protected health information for the purposes of treatment and/or health care operations. Any uses or disclosures beyond the definition or treatment or health care operations require the written authorization from the subject of the protected health information.

Parents, employers, university administrators and faculty, attorneys, and law enforcement officials, etc., have access to protected health information only with the patient’s written authorization or by a valid court order. The only exceptions to this policy will be in life-threatening or emergency situations and in accordance with state and federal laws.

Additional information about confidentiality of CAPS services

CAPS counseling services are confidential for students age 18 and older. CAPS do not release information to others without your written permission. The only exceptions involve situations where protection against explicit harm to human life is involved or there is suspected abuse of a child or elderly person. Your counselor will talk with you about confidentiality at the beginning of your first visit and will answer any questions you may have.

 

Our uses and disclosures

How do we typically use or share your health information? We typically use or share your health information in these ways:

We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.

Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.

We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.

Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways—usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.

Get more information about your privacy rights under HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996).

We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:

  • Preventing communicable diseases
  • Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
  • Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or
  • Safety

We can use or share your information for health research when properly de-identified.

We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy laws.

We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.

We can use or share health information about you:

  • For workers’ compensation claims
  • For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
  • With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
  • For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services

We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order or in response to a subpoena.

We may use your information to send appointment reminders.

Your rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.

We will provide a copy or summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.

We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.

We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.

If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

You can ask us for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.

We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.

You can also print this page from your web browser.

If you have given someone medical power of attorney (POA) or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. Because you would have to be incapacitated in order for a medical POA to be used, it will be valid only at a hospital or emergency room—not at the Health Center.

You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting our Office of Equity and Diversity.

You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights by:

  • Sending a letter to:
    200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
    Washington, D.C. 20201

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described here, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us what to do:

  • Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
  • Share information in a disaster relief situation
  • Include your information in a hospital directory
  • Contact you for fundraising efforts

If you are not able to tell us your preference—for example, if you are unconscious—we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In the case of fundraising, we will not use your information for fundraising purposes.

In these cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

  • Marketing purposes
  • Sale of your information