Notice on Privacy Practices

Salisbury University is dedicated to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI). PHI is individually identifiable health information that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and/or related health care services. This notice of Privacy Practices provides you with the following important information: our obligations concerning your PHI; how we may use and disclose your PHI; and your rights in your PHI.

Student Health Services’ medical providers, professional staff, employees, and volunteers follow the privacy practices described in this notice. Your medical information is maintained in records that will be handled in a confidential manner, as required by law. SHS representatives must use and disclose your medical information to the extent necessary to provide you with quality health care. To do this, your medical information may sometimes be shared with others as necessary treatment, payment, and health care operations. Although federal privacy requirements for protected health information (PHI) generally exclude student health information, the confidentiality of such information is protected under the Federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Maryland state law and/or Salisbury University Policy, as applicable. Student health services recognizes the need for confidentiality and privacy with respect to student health information, and we will use, disclose, and otherwise treat your health information accordingly, following the requirements of applicable law and University Policy. Both FERPA and Maryland law give you the right to control the release of your health information most instances, and we will generally obtain your consent before we release such information except under certain circumstances when your consent is not required under applicable law. Both FERPA and Maryland law also give you certain rights to inspect and correct your health information.

Treatment include sharing information among health care providers involved in your care. For example, your treatment provider may share information about your condition with other treatment providers in clinic and hospital settings in order to make a diagnosis or to improve the quality of care, e.g., for review and training purposes. In addition, we also may use your medical information as required by your insurer to obtain payment for your treatment.

Your medical information may be used, unless you ask for restrictions on a specific use of disclosure, for the following purposes:

• Appointment reminders.
• To inform you of treatment alternatives or benefits or services related to your health. (You will have an opportunity to refuse this information.)
• To carry out health care treatment, payment, and operations functions through business associates, e.g., to install a new computer system.
• Health care operations including our administrative, financial, legal, and quality improvement activities. For example, we may use your PHI to evaluate the quality of care you received from our facility or the competence, performance, or qualifications of our health care professionals and staff. Other examples include accreditation evaluations, training programs for health care professionals, fraud and abuse detection, cost-management, business planning, and the preparation of de-identified information and limited data sets.
• Alcohol and drug abuse information has special privacy protections. SHS medical providers will not disclose any information relating to substance abuse treatment unless: (i) consent is obtained in writing; (ii) a court order requires disclose of the information; (iii) medical personnel need to information to meet a medical emergency; (iv) qualified personnel use this information for the purpose of conducting scientific research, management audits, financial audits, or program evaluation; or (v) it is necessary to report a crime or a threat to commit a crime, or to report abuse or neglect as required by law.
• Workers’ Compensation. (Your medical information regarding benefits for work-related illnesses may be released as appropriate.)
• Health oversight activities, e.g., audits, inspections, investigations, and licensure.
• Certain research projects.
• To prevent a serious threat to health or safety.
• Law enforcement (e.g., in response to a court order or other legal processes; to identify or locate an individual being sought by authorities; about the victim of a crime under restricted circumstances; about a death that may be the result of criminal conduct; circumstances relating to reporting information about a crime.)
• Disaster relief agency if injured in a disaster.
• National security and intelligence activities.
• Protection of the President or other authorized persons for foreign heads of state, or to conduct special investigations.
• Lawsuits and disputes. (We will attempt to provide you advance notice of a subpoena before disclosing the information.)
• As required by the State Health Department for communicable disease reporting.

As required by law.

Except as described above, we will not use or disclose your medical information unless you authorize us in writing to disclose your information. You may revoke your permission, which will be effect only after the date of your written revocation. Your medical records may also contain psychotherapy notes from individual, joint, group or family sessions you may have participated in. You will need to sign a separate authorization form for the use and disclosure of this information. You may revoke your permission to use and disclose your psychotherapy records by sending a written revocation to Student Health Services.

You have the following rights regarding your medical information, provided that you make a written request to invoke the right.

• Right to request restrictions. You may request limitations on your medical information we use or disclose for health care treatment, payment, or operations (e.g., you may ask us not to disclose that you have had a particular treatment,) but we are not required to agree to your request. If we agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency services.
• Right to confidential communications. You may request communication in a certain way or at a certain location, but you must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.
• Right to inspect and request a copy. You have the right to inspect and request a copy of your medical information regarding decisions about your care. We may charge a fee for copying, mailing, and supplies. Under limited circumstances, your request may be denied; in that instance you may request review of the denial by another licensed health care professional chosen by SHS medical providers. The SHS will comply with the outcome of the review.
• Right to request amendment. If you believe that the medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may request an amendment, which requires certain specific information. The SHS medical providers are not required to accept the amendment.
• Right to accounting disclosures. You may request a list of the disclosures of your medical information that have been made to persons or entities other than for health care treatment, payment, or operations in the past (6) years, but not prior to April 14, 2003. After the first request, there will be a charge.
• Right to a copy of the Notice. You may request a copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have been provided with an electronic copy.

Student Health Services’ medical providers are required by law to provide you with this Notice. We will be governed by this Notice for as long as it is in effect. We may change this Notice and these changes will be effective for medical information we have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. Each time you register for health care services, you may receive a copy of the Notice in effect at the time.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Administration of Student Health Services. You will not be penalized or retaliated against in any way for making a complaint to these organizations.