Notice of Privacy Practices

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. Your health information also includes records relating to diagnosing or treating a substance use disorder.

We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 15 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 communication.

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.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

• Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care.

• Share information in a disaster relief situation.

• Provide mental health care.

• Include your information in a hospital directory.

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. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

• Marketing purposes.

• Sale of your information.

• Most sharing of psychotherapy or substance use disorder counseling notes.

Certain types of highly sensitive health information are given additional protection under federal and state laws. We may be required under those laws to obtain your written permission to share the following:

• Genetic testing/counseling information under certain circumstances.

• Communicable disease information, including HIV testing and status under certain circumstances.

In the case of fundraising:

We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

If we have your substance use disorder patient records, subject to 42 CFR part 2, we will give you clear and obvious notice in advance and a choice about whether to receive fundraising communications that use your Part 2 information.

Treat you:

We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.

Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.

Health Information Exchange (HIE):

A HIE is a way to share health information electronically with your healthcare providers or other healthcare entities not affiliated with us. Participants in HIEs can access your health information to treat you, bill for care and treatment received, healthcare operations, and other purposes allowed by law. By sharing information with HIEs, it assists participating physicians and providers in giving better, more efficient care to their patients by the sharing of health information across systems. You have the right to decline to have your health information shared with HIEs by emailing your written request to opt-out at dataintegrityEMPI@childrens.com.

Run our organization:

We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.

Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.

Bill for your services:

We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.
Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

In all cases, including those listed below, if we have substance use disorder patient records about you, subject to 42 CFR part 2, we cannot use or share information in those records in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against you without (1) your consent or (2) a court order and a subpoena.

Help with public health and safety issues:

• 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:

We can use or share your information for health research.

Comply with the law:

We 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:

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

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director:

We 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:

• 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.

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions:

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

Help train health care workers:

We can use and share your health information to help us train health care professionals such as medical and nursing students, residents and fellows.

Artificial Intelligence:

We may use and share your health information with Artificial Intelligence technologies to assist in documenting care, analyzing health data, supporting clinical decisions and other healthcare operations.

These tools may analyze medical images, laboratory results and/or other health information to support but do not replace the professional judgement of the patient’s care team.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.

We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your 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 see: https://hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.

This Notice of Privacy Practices explains how Children’s Health, its employees, medical/dental staff, volunteers, students and trainees, and all facilities, departments and clinics may use and provide your Protected Health Information (PHI) to others and describes your rights to access and control your PHI.

Children’s Health is a collection of health care organizations, including affiliated covered entities. Children’s Health complies with applicable federal and state laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin or disability.

Being an organized health care arrangement (OHCA) allows separate covered entities to share PHI across the covered entities for activities such as providing integrated care, utilization review, quality assessment and improvement activities, or payment activities if the OHCA participants share the financial risk for delivering health care.

Children’s Health participates in an OHCA with the covered entities listed at childrens.com/ohca.

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, in our facilities, and on our web site.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated by contacting us using the information below:

Chief Privacy Officer
1935 Medical District Drive | Dallas, TX 75235
Email: privacy@childrens.com
Phone: 214-456-4444

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 https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html.

You can file a complaint with the Office of the Texas Attorney General through its Consumer Complaint Portal by visiting: https://consumerprotection.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumercomplaintportal/s/

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.