PRS, Inc.

Your Privacy is Important
PRS understands your privacy is important. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information and to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information. We are required to abide by the terms of this notice. We will handle this information only as allowed by federal/state law and agency policy, adhering to the most stringent law that protects your health information.

If at any time you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may verbally, or in writing, contact:

PRS President and Chief Executive Officer
PRS Senior Vice President/Director of Clinical and Rehabilitation Services
State Human Right’s Advocate
Secretary of Health and Human Services of the Federal government, Office of Civil Rights

Addresses and phone numbers to use are listed at the end of this notice. You will not suffer any change in services or retaliation for filing a complaint.

Each time you receive services from us, the provider documents utilization of services. Typically, the clinical record contains your assessment, service plan, progress notes, diagnoses, treatment, and plan for future care or treatment.

Your Federally defined rights under 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164 (HIPAA Privacy Standards), and under The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Administrative Code, Title 12, sections 35-115-80 and 35-115-90 (Human Rights)

You have the right to review or request copies of the information contained in your clinical record, with the assistance of your PRS Case Manager, and a written request documenting the purpose of the review or request. The date of the review and outcome shall be recorded in a progress note in the record. This right is not absolute. In certain situations, such as if access would cause harm, we can deny access. If denied access, you will receive a timely, written notice of the decision and reason. A copy of this request and written reply becomes part of your record.

You have the right to request amendment of your clinical records if you believe information in the records is inaccurate or incomplete. You must make this request in writing to your PRS Case Manager.

You have the right to receive an accounting of the PRS disclosures of your protected health information that were not for the purpose of treatment, payment, health care operations, or that were not otherwise authorized by you. You also have the right to be given the names of anyone, other than employees of the agency, who received information about you from PRS.

You have the right to request from your PRS Case Manager a restriction with regards to the use or disclosure of your protected health information. This request will be given serious consideration by PRS staff and you will be informed promptly whether we will be able to honor the requested restriction and still offer effective services, receive payment and maintain health care operations. Legally we are not required to agree to any restrictions you request, but if we do agree, we are bound by that agreement except under certain emergency circumstances.

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about clinical/medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. Such requests must be made in writing to your PRS Case Manager. We will agree to all reasonable requests.

You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this PRS Notice of Privacy Practice at any time upon request.

Use and Disclosure of Your Information
Upon the individual’s written acknowledgement of receipt of the PRS Notice of Privacy Practices, you allow us to use and disclose the minimum necessary information about you within the agency and with business associates in order to provide treatment/service, receive payment for provided treatment/service, and conduct our day-to-day health care operations.

Examples:

In order to effectively provide treatment/service, your PRS Case Manager may consult with various services providers within PRS. In the process of team work health information about you may be shared.
In order to receive payment for services provided, your health information may be sent to those companies or groups responsible for payment coverage, and a monthly bill may be sent to the Responsible Party.
Trained staff may handle your clinical record in order to have the record assembled, available for review by the PRS Case Manager or for filing of documentation. Certain data elements are entered into our computer system that processes billing and for the statistical reporting. As a part of our continuous quality improvement efforts to provide the most effective services, your record may be reviewed by professional staff to assure accuracy, completeness and organization. Records may also be reviewed by funding, licensing or accrediting bodies.

Enhancing Your Healthcare
PRS Staff members may contact you to provide:

Appointment reminders by call or letter

Information about treatment alternatives

Information about health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you

The PRS sites offering food programs are required by the USDA to maintain a log of those participating.

Specific Circumstances for Disclosure
This agency is allowed by Federal and State law, in certain circumstances, to disclose specific health information about you.

These specific circumstances are:

As required by law (e.g. reports required for public health purposes, such as reporting certain contagious diseases)

Judicial and Administrative proceedings (e.g. order from a court or administrative tribunal, or legal, counsel to the agency, or Inspector General)
Law Enforcement purposes (e.g. reporting of gun shot wounds; limited information requested about suspects, fugitives, material witnesses, missing persons; criminal conduct on premises)

To avert a serious threat to Health and Safety of another person (e.g. in response to a specific threat made by person served to harm another)

Children or incapacitated adults who are victims of abuse, neglect or exploitation

Specialized Government functions

Military Services (e.g. in response to appropriate military command to assure the proper execution of the military mission)

National Security and Intelligence activities (e.g. in relation to protective services to the President of the United States)

State Department (e.g. clinical suitability for the purpose of security clearance)

Correctional Facilities (e.g. to correctional facility about inmate)

Coroners and Clinical Examiners for identification of a deceased person or to determine cause of death

To the Federal Department of Health and Human Services in connection with an investigation for compliance with federal regulations.

Other Uses and Disclosures of Your Information by Authorization Only
We are required to get your authorization to use or disclose your protected health information for any reason other than for treatment/services, payment, or health care operations, and those specific circumstances outlined previously.

We use a Release of Information form that specifically states what information will be given to whom, for what purpose, and is signed by you or your legal representative. You have the ability to revoke the signed authorization at any time by a written statement except to the extent that we have acted on the authorization.

Changes to Privacy Practices
PRS reserves the right to change its privacy policy and any of its privacy practices at any time, as allowed by Federal and State law and to make the change effective for all protected health information that we maintain.

A Revised Notice of Privacy Practices will be posted at all service sites, and available upon request by mailing or discussion with a PRS representative or electronically on the PRS’s Web page or a combination of the three.

For additional information concerning our Privacy Practices or the federal and state laws pertaining to privacy or to file a complaint please contact one of the following:

Your PRS Case Manager, PRS President and Chief Executive Officer or PRS Senior Vice President/Director of Clinical and Rehabilitation Services
500 W. Annandale Road
Falls Church, VA 22046
703 536-9000
TTY: 703-536-4055

State Human Rights Regional Advocate
Northern Virginia Training Center
9901 Braddock Rd.
Fairfax, VA 22032
703-323-2098
TTY: No current number available (as of 8/8/08)

Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services
Office of the Secretary,
Huber Humphrey Building
2000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201
202-690-7000
TTY: 215-861-4440

Privacy Statement