Patient Privacy and HIPAA Compliance
Our detailed privacy policy below describes how personal information may be used, disclosed and how you can gain access to this information. Please read it carefully.
When you submit your information, New Wave Recovery Center will assume that you’ve read, understood, and consent to our privacy policy, and all guidelines proceeding. By submitting your information, we also assume that you consent to New Wave Recovery Center’s use of your data described to personally identify you.
New Wave Recovery Center will be referred to in this Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) as “Entity.” This Notice is given to you by Entity to describe the ways in which Entity may use and disclose your medical information (called “protected health information” or “PHI”) and to notify you of your rights with respect to PHI in the possession of Entity. Entity protects the privacy of PHI, which also is protected from disclosure by state and federal law. In certain circumstances, pursuant to this Notice, patient authorization or applicable laws and regulations, PHI can be used by Entity or disclosed to other parties. Below are categories describing these uses and disclosures, along with some examples to help you better understand each category. Entity may use or disclose your PHI for the purpose of treatment, payment, and health care operations, described in more detail below, without obtaining written authorization from you. Please review carefully.
For Treatment
Entity may use and disclose PHI in the adherence of providing, managing, or coordinating your medical treatment, including the disclosure of PHI for treatment activities of another healthcare provider. These types of uses and disclosures may take place between physicians, nurses, technicians, students, and other health care professionals who provide you health care services or are otherwise involved in your care. Information obtained by Entity will be used to furnish healthcare services, items, and supplies to you. We will document in your record information related to the items dispensed to you and services provided to you.
For Health Care Operations
Entity may use and disclose PHI as part of their operations, including for quality assessment and improvement, such as evaluating the treatment and services you receive and the performance of our staff in caring for patients. Other activities include hospital training, underwriting activities, compliance and risk management activities, planning and development, and management and administration. Entity may disclose PHI to doctors, nurses, technicians, students, attorneys, consultants, accountants, and others for review and learning purposes. These disclosures help make sure that Entity is complying with all applicable laws, and are continuing to provide healthcare to patients at a high level of quality. Entity may also disclose PHI to other health care facilities plans for certain of their operations, including their quality assessment and improvement activities, credentialing and peer review activities, and health care fraud and abuse detection or compliance, provided that those other facilities and plans have, or have had in the past, a relationship with the patient who is the subject of the information.
For Payment
Entity may use and disclose PHI in order to collect payment for the health care services provided to you. For example, Entity may need to give PHI to your health plan in order to be reimbursed for the services provided to you. Facility may also disclose PHI to their business associates, such as billing companies, claims processing companies, and others that assist in processing health claims. Facility may also disclose PHI to other health care providers and health plans for the payment activities of such providers or health plans. The information on the bill may include identifying information as well as items and services you are receiving.
Other Uses and Disclosures in Which Authorization is Not Required
In addition to using and disclosing PHI for treatment, health care operations and payment, Entity may use and disclose PHI without written authorization under the following circumstances:
As Required by Law and Law Enforcement
Entity may use or disclose PHI when required by law. Entity may also disclose PHI when ordered to in a judicial and administrative proceeding, in response to subpoenas or discovery requests, to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person, when dealing with gunshot and other wounds, about criminal conduct, to report a crime, its location or victims, or the identity, description or location of a person who committed a crime, or for other law enforcement purposes.
For Public Health Activities and Public Health Risks
Entity may disclose PHI to government officials in charge of collecting information about births and deaths, preventing and controlling disease, reports of child abuse or neglect and of other victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, reactions to medications or product defects or problems, or to notify a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease or may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or condition.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors
Entity may disclose PHI to coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors for the purpose of identifying a decedent, determining a cause of death, or otherwise as necessary to enable these parties to carry out their duties consistent with applicable law.
For Health Oversight Activities
Entity may disclose PHI to the government for oversight activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary actions, and other proceedings, actions or activities necessary for monitoring the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation
Entity may release PHI to organ procurement organizations to facilitate organ, eye, and tissue donation and transplantation.
Research
Under certain circumstances, Facility may use and disclose PHI for medical research purposes.
To Avoid a Serious Threat to Health or Safety
Entity may use and disclose PHI to law enforcement personnel or other appropriate persons, to prevent or lessen a serious threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.
Lawsuits and Disputes
If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, Facility may disclose health information about you in response to a court or administrative order.
Specialized Government Functions
Entity may use and disclose PHI of military personnel and veterans under certain circumstances. Entity may also disclose PHI to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities, and for the provision of protective services to the President or other authorized persons or foreign heads of state or to conduct special investigations.
Workers’ Compensation
Entity may disclose PHI to comply with workers’ compensation or other similar laws. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses.
Health-Related Benefits and Services; Limited Marketing Activities
Entity may use and disclose PHI to inform you of treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you, such as disease management programs. Entity may use and disclose your PHI to encourage you to purchase or use a product or service through a face-to-face communication or by giving you a promotional gift of nominal value.
Disaster Relief
Entity may disclose medical information about you to an entity assisting in disaster relief so that your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.
Disclosures to You or for HIPAA Compliance Investigations
Entity may disclose your PHI to you or to your personal representative, and are required to do so in certain circumstances described below in connection with your rights of access to your PHI and to an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI. Facility must disclose your PHI to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (the “Secretary”) when requested by the Secretary in order to investigate compliance with privacy regulations issued under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”).
Uses and Disclosures to Which You May Object
Other types of uses and disclosures of your PHI not described above will be made only with your written authorization, which you have the limited right to revoke in writing. You may object to the following uses and disclosures of PHI that Entity may make:
Disclosures to Individuals Involved in Your Health Care or Payment for Your Health Care
Unless you object, Entity may disclose your PHI to a family member, other relative, friend, or other person you identify as involved in your health care or payment for your health care. Entity may also notify those people about your location or condition.
Other Uses and Disclosures of PHI For Which Authorization is Required
Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes, and disclosures that constitute a sale of PHI require authorization. Other types of uses and disclosures of your PHI not described above will be made only with your written authorization, which with some limitations you have the right to revoke in writing.
Uses and Disclosures Subject to State and Other Laws
In addition to the federal privacy regulations that require this notice (called the “HIPAA” regulations), there are state and other federal health information privacy laws. These laws on occasion may require your specific written permission prior to disclosures of certain particularly sensitive information (such as mental health, substance use disorder, or HIV/AIDS information) in circumstances that the HIPAA regulations would permit disclosure without your permission. Entity is required to comply not only with the HIPAA regulations but also with any other applicable laws that impose stricter nondisclosure requirements.
Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes, and disclosures that constitute a sale of PHI require authorization. Other types of uses and disclosures of your PHI not described above will be made only with your written authorization, which with some limitations you have the right to revoke in writing.
Regulatory Requirements
Entity is required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI, to provide individuals with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI, to abide by the terms described in this Notice and to notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured PHI. Entity reserves the right to change the terms of this Notice and of its privacy policies, and to make the new terms applicable to all of the PHI it maintains. Before Entity makes an important change to its privacy policies, it will promptly revise this Notice and post a new Notice on our website.
Your Rights Regarding PHI
Right to Request Restrictions
You may request the Entity restrict the use and disclosure of your PHI: Entity is not required to agree to any restrictions you request, but if the Entity does so it will be bound by the restrictions to which it agrees except in emergency situations.
Right to Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that communications of PHI to you from Facility be made by particular means or at particular locations. For instance, you might request that communications be made at your work address, or by e-mail rather than regular mail. Your requests must be in writing and sent to the Privacy Officer. Your requests must be made in writing and sent to help@newwaverc.com. Entity will accommodate your reasonable requests without requiring you to provide a reason.
Right to Inspect and Copy
Generally, you have the right to inspect and copy your PHI that Entity maintains, provided that you make your request in writing and sent to help@newwaverc.com. Within thirty (30) days of receiving your request (unless extended by an additional thirty (30) days), Entity will inform you of the extent to which your request has or has not been granted. In some cases, Entity may provide you a summary of the PHI you request if you agree in advance to such a summary and any associated fees. If you request copies of your PHI or agree to a summary of your PHI, Entity may impose a reasonable fee to cover copying, postage, and related costs.
If Entity denies access to your PHI, it will explain the basis for denial and your opportunity to have your request and the denial reviewed by a licensed health care professional (who was not involved in the initial denial decision) designated as a reviewing official. If Entity does not maintain the PHI you request, if it knows where that PHI is located it will tell you how to redirect your request.
Right to Request Amendment
If you believe that your PHI maintained by Entity contains an error or needs to be updated, you have the right to request that Entity correct or supplement your PHI. Your request must be made in writing and sent to help@newwaverc.com and it must explain why you are requesting an amendment to your PHI. Within sixty (60) days of receiving your request (unless extended by an additional thirty (30) days), Entity will inform you of the extent to which your request has or has not been granted.
Entity generally can deny your request if your request relates to PHI: (i) not created by Entity; (ii) that is not part of the records Entity maintains; (iii) that is not subject to being inspected by you; or (iv) that is accurate and complete. If your request is denied, Entity will provide you a written denial that explains the reason for the denial and your rights to: (i) file a statement disagreeing with the denial; (ii) if you do not file a statement of disagreement, submit a request that any future disclosures of the relevant PHI be made with a copy of your request and Entity’s denial attached; and (iii) complain about the denial.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You generally have the right to request and receive a list of the disclosures of your PHI Entity has made at any time during the six (6) years prior to the date of your request. The list will not include disclosures for which you have provided a written authorization, and does not include certain uses and disclosures to which this Notice already applies, such as those: (i) for treatment, payment, and health care operations; (ii) made to you; (iii) for Entity’s patient directory or to persons involved in your health care; (iv) for national security or intelligence purposes; or (v) to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials.
You should submit any such request to help@newwaverc.com, and within sixty (60) days of receiving your request (unless extended by an additional thirty (30) days), Entity will respond to your request. You have the right to receive a paper copy of this notice upon request, even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically.
Right to File a Complaint
You may complain to Entity if you believe your privacy rights with respect to your PHI have been violated by contacting help@newwaverc.com and submitting a written complaint. Entity will in no manner penalize you or retaliate against you for filing a complaint regarding Entity’s privacy practices. You also have the right to file a complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Right to Electronic Access
You have the right to receive PHI in an electronic format, if electronic medical records are in use in the facility.
Right to a Paper Copy
You have the right to receive a paper copy of this notice upon request even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically. To obtain a paper copy of this notice, please contact the Privacy Officer (Contact information below).
Right to Breach Notification
You have the right to receive notice in the event of a breach of confidentiality.
Right to Opt Out of Communications
You have the right to opt out of all communications from our company including fundraising, call 1-978-581-0568.
Right to Restrict Disclosures When Paying Out-of-Pocket
You have the right to restrict disclosures of PHI to health plans if you have paid for services out of pocket in full.
New Wave Recovery Center uses remarketing services to advertise on third party web sites to you after you visited our Service. We, and our third party vendors, use cookies to inform, optimize and serve ads based on your past visits to our Service. We protect all personal health information in compliance with the standards of the national Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
We only release health information with the signed consent of patients. The only exceptions to this rule are if a patient reports suicidal or homicidal intentions, physical or sexual abuse or neglect of oneself, a minor or an elderly person. In these instances, our staff is required by law to contact the authorities.