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Privacy Policy

Legal Disclaimer

The information provided on this site is to be used for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical consultation, advice, diagnosis and/or treatment of any individuals medical symptoms. This site does not provide medical advice or diagnosis and should not be used as a substitute for seeking medical treatment. Users are strongly urged to always seek advice from a physician or other qualified healthcare provider for questions or information related to any medical condition, symptom or injury. DO NOT delay or disregard seeking medical treatment because of information obtained from this site or links from this site to other sites. Mercer Bucks Orthopedics, Inc. and all affiliated persons neither endorses nor recommends any specific testing, products, procedures, opinions or other information that may be mentioned on this site. Please consult with your doctor for any specific questions that you might have regarding these issues.

Notice of Privacy Practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

OUR OBLIGATIONS

We are required by law to:

- Maintain the privacy of protectedhealth information

- Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices regarding health information about you

- Follow the terms of our notice that iscurrently in effect

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION

The following describes the ways we may use and disclose health information that identifies you (“Health Information”). Except for the purposes described below, we will use and disclose Health Information only with your written permission. You may revoke such permission at any time bywriting to our practice PrivacyOfficer. For Treatment. We may use and discloseHealth Information for your treatment and to provideyou with treatment-related health care services. For example, we may disclose Health Information to doctors, nurses, technicians, or other personnel, including people outside our office, who are involved in your medical care and need the information to provide you with medical care.

For Payment. We may use and disclose Health Information so that we or others may bill andreceive payment from you, an insurance company or a third party for the treatment and services youreceived. For example, we may give your health plan information about you so that they will pay for your treatment.

For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose Health Information for health care operations purposes. These uses and disclosures are necessary to make sure that all of our patients receive quality care and to operate and manage our office. For example, we may use and disclose information to make sure the orthopedic care you receive is of the highest quality. We also mayshare information with other entities that have a relationship with you (for example, your health plan) for their health care operationactivities.

Appointment Reminders, Treatment Alternatives and Health Related Benefits and Services. Wemay use and disclose Health Information to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment with us. We also may use and disclose Health Information to tell you about treatment alternatives orhealth-related benefits and services that may be of interest toyou.

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. When appropriate, we may shareHealth Information with a person who is involved in your medical care or payment for your care, such asyour family or a close friend. We also may notify your family about your location or general condition or disclose such information to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort.

Research. Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose Health Information for research. For example, a research project may involve comparing the health of patients who received one treatmentto those who received another, for the same condition. Before we use or disclose Health Information for research, the project will go through a special approval process. Even without special approval,we may permit researchers to look at records to help them identify patients who may be included in their research project or for other similar purposes, as long as they do not remove or take a copy of any Health Information.

YOUR RIGHTS

You have the following rights regarding Health Information we have about you: Right to Inspect and Copy. You have a right to inspect and copy Health Information that may be used to make decisions about your care or payment for your care. This includes medical and billing records, other than psychotherapy notes. To inspect and copy this Health Information, you must make your request, in writing, to the Privacy Officer. We have up to 30 days to make your Protected Health Information available to you and we may charge you a reasonable fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request. We may not charge you a fee if you need the information for a claim for benefits under the Social Security Act or any other state of federal needs-based benefit program. We may deny your request in certain limited circumstances. If we do deny your request, you have the right to have the denial reviewed by a licensed healthcare professional who was not directly involved in the denial of your request, and we will comply with the outcome of the review.

You have the right to have a paper copy of this notice. An electronic copy of this notice is available in PDF format (click here).

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We reserve the right to change this notice and make the new notice apply to Health Information we already have as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of our current notice at our office. The notice will contain the effective date on the first page, in the top right-hand corner.

COMPLAINTS

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our office or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with our office, contact the Privacy Officer. All complaints must be made in writing. You will not be treated differently or penalized for filing a complaint.

Effective Date

This notice was published on September 23, 2013.

Privacy Officer Mercer-Bucks Orthopaedics, PC 1203 Langhorne-Newtown Rd, Suite 220 Langhorne, PA 19047 (215) 860-4274