Your Rights

Get a copy of your medical record

You may ask to inspect or receive an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we maintain about you. We generally provide access within the time required by law and may charge only fees permitted by law.

Ask us to correct your record

You may ask us to correct health information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny a request in certain circumstances, but we will explain a denial in writing when required.

Request confidential communications

You may ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a different address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share

You may ask us not to use or disclose certain information for treatment, payment, or health care operations. We are not always required to agree. If you pay in full out of pocket for a service or item, you may ask us not to disclose that information to your health plan for payment or health care operations, and we will honor the request unless disclosure is required by law.

Get an accounting of certain disclosures

You may request a list of certain disclosures of your health information made during the period allowed by law. Some disclosures, including many for treatment, payment, health care operations, and disclosures you authorized, are not included.

Get a copy of this Notice

You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

Choose someone to act for you

If someone has legal authority to act for you, such as a health care power of attorney or legal guardian, that person may exercise your rights after we verify the authority.

File a privacy complaint

You may complain to LCI if you believe your privacy rights were violated. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. LCI will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

In certain situations, you may tell us how you want your information shared, including with family members, close friends, or others involved in your care or payment for your care, and in disaster-relief situations. If you cannot tell us your preference, we may share information when permitted by law and when we reasonably believe disclosure is in your best interest or is needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat.

We will obtain your written authorization when required for uses or disclosures such as certain marketing activities, sale of protected health information, and most uses or disclosures of psychotherapy notes, if applicable. You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we have already acted on it.

How We May Use and Share Your Health Information

Treatment

We may use and share your health information with physicians and other health professionals involved in your care.

Payment

We may use and share health information to bill and obtain payment from health plans, patients, or other responsible parties.

Health care operations

We may use and share health information to operate our facility, improve quality, train staff, conduct compliance activities, coordinate services, and manage our practice.

Other uses and disclosures permitted or required by law

Subject to applicable legal conditions and limits, we may use or disclose health information for public-health and safety activities, health oversight, certain research, organ and tissue donation, workers’ compensation, certain government functions, coroners or medical examiners, judicial or administrative proceedings, and other purposes permitted or required by law.

Additional Uses and Disclosures

Business associates

LCI may share protected health information with vendors and contractors that perform services for us when permitted by law. When HIPAA requires it, those business associates must agree in writing to appropriately safeguard protected health information and use it only as permitted.

Appointment reminders and communications

We may use your contact information to communicate with you about appointments, scheduling, treatment, billing, care coordination, and other health-related services. Depending on the contact information and preferences you provide, communications may occur by telephone, voicemail, mail, email, text message, patient portal, or other permitted methods. Electronic communications can carry privacy risks, and we use reasonable safeguards appropriate to the method used.

Parents, guardians, and personal representatives

We recognize the rights of parents, guardians, health care agents, and other personal representatives as required by federal and Illinois law. In some circumstances, minors may have privacy rights over particular categories of health information, and we will follow the law that applies to the information and the individual involved.

Public health, oversight, legal, and safety activities

We may disclose health information when permitted or required for public health reporting, adverse-event or product-safety reporting, health oversight, workers’ compensation, law-enforcement purposes, judicial or administrative proceedings, subpoenas or court orders that satisfy applicable legal requirements, and to avert a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

Decedents, coroners, medical examiners, and organ donation

We may disclose information about a deceased person to coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, organ-procurement organizations, or others when permitted or required by law.

Research

Health information may be used or disclosed for research only when permitted by law, such as with your authorization or with an approved waiver or other legal permission.

Additional Illinois Privacy Protections

Illinois law may provide greater protection for certain health information. LCI will apply those more protective rules when they apply.

• General medical confidentiality: Illinois patients have rights to privacy and confidentiality of medical records and health care information, subject to disclosures permitted or required by law.
• Mental-health and developmental-disability records: records and communications protected by the Illinois Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act are not disclosed except as permitted by that Act and other applicable law.
• HIV-related information: HIV-related information is subject to the Illinois AIDS Confidentiality Act and will be disclosed only as authorized or required by that law and other applicable law.
• Genetic information: genetic testing information is confidential and privileged under the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act and is disclosed only as permitted by applicable law.
• Health information exchange: when applicable, Illinois law may provide patients rights regarding the transmission of certain health information through a health information exchange, including applicable opt-out rights.

Substance Use Disorder Records

Federal law provides additional protection for certain substance use disorder patient records governed by 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2 and 42 CFR Part 2. When LCI maintains information that remains protected by Part 2, LCI will comply with those additional restrictions, including restrictions on use or disclosure of such records in certain civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against the patient unless the patient consents in writing or a qualifying court order and subpoena or other legal authorization applies.

Our Responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of protected health information.
• We will notify affected individuals when required if a breach occurs that may compromise the privacy or security of their information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in the Notice currently in effect.
• We will not use or share information other than as described here unless you authorize us in writing or the law permits or requires it.

Changes to This Notice

We may change the terms of this Notice, and the changes may apply to health information we already have. A current Notice will be available upon request, at our office, and on this website.