MedMark Treatment Centers (“MedMark”) is committed to protecting your privacy and understands the importance of safeguarding your medical information. We are required by federal law to protect the confidentiality and maintain the privacy of health information that identifies you or that could be used to identify you, including information related to your alcohol, drug, or mental health treatment (known as “Protected Health Information” or “PHI”). We also are required to provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices, which explains our legal duties and privacy practices, as well as your rights, with respect to PHI that we collect and maintain. We are required by federal law to abide by the terms of this Notice currently in effect. However, we reserve the right to change the privacy practices described in this Notice and make the new practices effective for all PHI that we maintain. Should we make such a change, you may obtain a revised Notice by contacting the MedMark Privacy Officer at (214) 379-3300 and requesting a copy be mailed to you, or accessing our website at medmark.com/patient-privacy-policy.
You may also contact the MedMark Privacy Officer with questions or for further information about matters covered by this Notice of Privacy Practices.
MedMark is part of the BayMark Affiliated Covered Entity (“BayMark ACE”) comprised of certain BayMark Health Services, Inc.’s affiliated outpatient and residential addiction treatment providers. As members of the BayMark ACE, the entities within the ACE may share your PHI with each other for treatment, payment, and health care operations purposes as permitted by law. This means that providers and staff within the BayMark ACE may access your PHI as necessary to coordinate your care, process payment for services rendered, and conduct health care operations activities.
The following list describes the ways we may use and disclose your PHI. The examples provided serve only as guidance and do not include every possible use or disclosure.
All such disclosures will be made in accordance with the requirements of federal and state laws and regulations.
These additional provisions apply when we create, receive, or maintain records relating to diagnosis, treatment, or referral for treatment of a substance use disorder that are protected by federal regulations (“SUD Records”). Unless specifically indicated below, your SUD Records will generally have the same protections and you will have the same rights related to your SUD Records as described in this Notice.
We may use or disclose your SUD Records without your consent, and only when all conditions required by applicable law are met, for medical emergencies, scientific research, management audits, financial audits, and program evaluations conducted by federal, state, or local governmental agencies, and to public health authorities when the SUD Records are de-identified.
For SUD Records protected by federal regulations, we may obtain your written consent for future uses of such records for certain treatment, payment, or health care operations, as required by law. Once we obtain your consent, we may use and disclose SUD Records for these purposes as permitted by law.
We will not use or disclose your SUD Records (or provide testimony based on such information) in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against you unless such use or disclosure is permitted with your written consent or a special court order required by federal regulations is obtained.
You have certain rights regarding your PHI, which are explained below. You may exercise these rights by submitting a request in writing to our Privacy Officer.
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the MedMark Privacy Officer. To file a complaint with us, contact the MedMark Patient Advocate Hotline at (800) 949-7840, and your complaint will be forwarded to the Privacy Officer for processing. You may also file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
All complaints should be submitted in writing. We will NOT retaliate against you in any way for filing a complaint