Notice of Privacy Practices

This notice describes how health information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Effective Date: Nov. 1, 2022

At Heartbeat Medical, we believe your health information is personal. We are committed to keeping your health information private and secure, and we are required by law to respect your confidentiality.  

This Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) describes how Heartbeat Medical Group, PC; Jeffery D. Wessler, MD, PC; Heartbeat Medical Group of California, PC; Heartbeat Medical Group of New Jersey, PC; and Heartbeat Medical Group of Kansas, LLC (collectively “Heartbeat Medical,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) may use and disclose your health information to carry out treatment, payment, or business operations and for other legally permissible purposes, as well as your rights to access and control that information.  

As used in this Notice, “health information” refers to any information we maintain that reasonably can be used to identify you and that relates to your physical or mental health condition, the provision of health care to you, or the payment for such health care.

HOW HEARTBEAT MEDICAL MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION 

When you become a patient of Heartbeat Medical, we will use your health information within Heartbeat Medical and disclose your health information outside Heartbeat Medical for the reasons described in this Notice. The following categories describe some of the ways that we will use and disclose your health information.

  • To Treat You: We will use your health information within Heartbeat Medical to treat you and provide you with medical services. We may also disclose your health information to other physicians or healthcare providers so that they can treat you and provide you with medical services. 
  • To Bill for Your Services: We can use and share your health information to get paid and for other payment activities. For example, we will send a claim to your health insurer to get paid. We may share health information with other entities covered by HIPAA, such as health plans, for their payment activities.
  • To Run our Organization: We may use and disclose your health information to run our practice – for example, to improve medical services, provide customer service, conduct quality review, contact you about the services available to you and health benefits, monitor the qualifications of providers, and other healthcare operations activities. We may share health information with other entities covered by HIPAA, such as health plans, for their business operations only if they also have or had a relationship with you.

In addition, we are permitted or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research, or to comply with law. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. Those situations include the following:  

  • For public health activities such as reporting certain diseases or reporting adverse reactions to medications  
  • For health research 
  • For judicial and administrative proceedings such as responding to subpoenas
  • For workers compensation claims
  • For state and federal health oversight activities such as physician licensing and disciplinary action
  • When required by law or for law enforcement purposes
  • To prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat of harm to a person or the public
  • To protect victims of abuse or neglect, such as child abuse and elder neglect
  • For specialized government functions such as national security 
  • For organ donation and transplantation
  • To coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors in limited circumstances
HEARTBEAT MEDICAL’S RESPONSIBILITIES 
  • We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your health information.
  • We will comply with the requirements of applicable privacy laws related to notifying you in the event of a breach of your health information.
  • We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
  • We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

For more information, please see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION 

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you. You have the right to:

  • Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record.  You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
  • Ask us to correct your medical record.  You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.
  • Request confidential communications. You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address. We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.
  • Ask us to limit what we use or share. You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.  If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.
  • Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information. You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why. We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
  • 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. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.
  • Choose someone to act for you. If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.
  • File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated. You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the contact information at the bottom of this Notice. You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.  We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

In addition, for certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share.  You have both the right and choice to tell us whether to share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care, or whether to share information in a disaster relief situation. If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest.

USES AND DISCLOSURES THAT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION:

Other permitted and required uses and disclosures will be made only with your consent, authorization, or opportunity to object unless permitted or required by law. Without your authorization, we are expressly prohibited from using or disclosing your health information for marketing purposes as defined by law. We may not sell your health information without your authorization. Your health information will not be used for fundraising. We will not use or disclose your psychotherapy notes without your authorization, except as permitted by law. If you provide us with an authorization for certain uses and disclosures of your information, you may revoke such authorization, at any time, in writing, except to the extent that we have taken an action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.

CHANGES TO THE TERMS OF THIS NOTICE 

We 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, and will be posted on our website.

CONTACTING US

If you have questions about this Notice or would like to file a complaint, you may contact us Heartbeat Medical Group, Attn: Privacy Officer, 156 W 56th Street, Suite 1000, New York, NY 10019, 866.826.5888 (toll free), privacy@hearbeathealth.com.