HIPAA Policy

NOTICE OF PRIVACY POLICY

Purpose

The Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), requires that The Children's Tooth Spa P.C. provide each patient with a Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP). The goal of the Notice of Privacy Practices is to inform patients of:

  • ​How the health care organizatiuon will use and disclose patient PHI

  • Patients rights and responsibilities with respect to their PHI

  • The duties of the covered entity with respect to patient PHI

​This Policy describes how The Children's Tooth Spa Notice of Privacy Practices is provided to patients, acknowledged, and provides the contact information for the workforce member whom patients should direct questions about the Notice of Privacy Practices

Policy

The Children's Tooth Spa offers every patient the Notice of Privacy Practices that describes how their PHI may be used and disclosed, the rights and responsibilities of patients with respects to their PHI, and the responsibilities of The Children's Tooth Spa with respect to the PHI it creates, collects and maintains. The Notice of Privacy Practices will also be posted on the wall in the patient area and is linked to the practice website.

Procedure

Each patient that receives healthcare services from The Children's Tooth Spa is offered a copy of or will view our Notice of Privacy Practices and will acknowledge receipt of this information in writing.

New Patients

When a new patient arrives at the office:

  1. The individual responsible for the patient's registration is responsible for providing the patient with the Notice of Privacy Practices and obtained a signed acknowledgement of receipt
  2. A copy of the acknowlegement form will be kept in the partient's medical record​

Existing Patients

When patient's file contains a signed Patient Acknowlegment Form, The Children's Tooth Spa is not required to provide the patient with an additional copy. If there is no documentation of a previous receipt and acknowledgement of the Notice of Privacy Practices for an existing patient, The Children's Tooth Spa will:

  1. Provide the patient with the Notice of Privacy Practices
  2. Request the patient to acknowledge receipt of the Notice of Privacy Practices by signing the patient Acknowledgement Form

​If the patient refuses or is unable to sign the Acknowledgement Form, The Children's Tooth Spa will:

  1. Document the patient's refusal to sign the Acknowledgement Form along with any efforts that were made to obtain the patient's acknowledgemnt
  2. File annotated Patient Acknowledgement Form in the patient's record

Requests for a Notice of Privacy Practices

If any individual requests a copy of Notice of Privacy Practices for the practice, The Children's Tooth Spa will provide a copy to the requesting individual. In addition, the Notice of Privacy Practices will be posted on The Children's Tooth Spa website 

Documentation

All documentation related to the receipt and acknowledgement of the Notice of Privacy Practices is maintained for a minimum of six (6) years.

Questions

Questions of the Notice of Privacy Practices or its contents as well as questions about the distribution and acknoledgement process should be directed to:

Telephone: (267) 296-1010
E-mail: [email protected]
Address: 801 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia PA 19123

Definition – Protected health Information

Protected Health Information is defined as information that may identify a patient and includes:

  • ​Demographic information that may identify a patient
  • Information related to the patient's past, present or future physical or mental health and condition
  • Information related to the health care services or payment for health care services

Revising the NPP

Whenever the Children's Tooth Spa privacy practices change or there is a change in law or HIPAA Rules that requires a change to the Notice of Privacy Practices, The Children's Tooth Spa shall determine whether the practice must revise the Notice of Privacy Practices and, if so, will revise the policy accordingly.

On or after the effective date of revisions to the Notice of Privacy Practices, then on or after the effective date of the revision, The Children's Tooth Spa will:

  1. ​Provide the new Notice of Privacy Practices to patients on their first appointment and ask them to sign the acknowledgement
  2. Have a supply of paper copies of the new Notice of Privacy Practices available in the practice and provide it to anyone who requests a copy
  3. Post the new Notice of Privacy Practices in a clear and prominent location in the practice
  4. Post the new Notice of Privacy Practices on the practice's website
  5. Retain at least one copy of both the old and new Notice of Privacy Practices for at least 6 years from the latter date when the document was created or the date when the document was last in effect

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