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Privacy Policies

Copa Health

Notice of Privacy Practices

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

This notice describes how behavioral health, medical, drug and alcohol related information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Copa Health (Copa) is required by law to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of information about you, your health and health care, and payment for the services we provide you. Information regarding your health care, including payment for your care, is protected by two federal laws: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and the Confidentiality Law, 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (“Part 2”).1 There are additional state law protections.

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.

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record

Ask Copa to correct your medical record

Request confidential communications

Ask Copa to limit what is used or shared

Get a copy of this privacy notice

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

Choose someone to act for you

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

Right to receive a notice from us if we think your personal health information has been improperly disclosed (often called a “breach”)

Copa will notify you in accordance with state and federal law if we discover a breach has occurred such that your protected health information has been compromised. If we decide this notice is necessary, it will happen after we do an investigation according to the state and federal laws.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell Copa your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, 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 Copa to:

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

In these cases, Copa never shares your information unless you give us written permission:

In the case of fundraising:

Our Uses and Disclosures:

How does Copa typically use or share your health information?

Copa is 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. For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.

To provide you services and treatment

Without your consent Copa may use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you unless we provide you with drug or alcohol services and then we need your consent to share information.

To operate our business

Sometimes Copa has agreements with other organizations that either help us with services or help us with running our business and our agreements allow us to share information. These agreements comply with federal law and require these organizations to treat information the same way we do.

To bill for our services

Without your consent, Copa may use your information to bill for our services that we have provided but only with your consent for drug and alcohol services.

Help with public health and safety issues

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

  • Preventing disease
  • Helping with product recalls
  • Reporting adverse reactions to medications
  • Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
  • Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety

Do research; respond to audits, investigations or evaluations

Copa can use or share your information for health research, audits, investigations or evaluations of our programs.

Comply with the law

Copa 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 law.

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests

Copa can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director

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

Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests

    Copa 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
  • These general rules change if your health information includes anything about alcohol or drug abuse treatment services, and we will tell you about these differences.

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

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

Working with a health information exchange

Copa also shares information with a Health Information Exchange (“HIE”). An HIE is a big database that allows us to coordinate and improve your care. We will talk with you about the HIE, and you can tell us if you don’t want your information shared.

Our Responsibilities

For more information see:

www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html

Changes to the Terms of this Notice

Copa can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our web site.

1 HIPAA can be found at 42 U.S.C. § 1320d et seq., 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 & 164. HIPAA protects your health information whether or not you receive services for drug or alcohol services. Part 2 can be found at 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2, 42 C.F.R. Part 2. Part 2 does not allow us to acknowledge to anyone outside our program that you receive services for drug or alcohol services except under certain circumstances.