You may file a complaint with Meridian and/or your Managed Care Organization and/or the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services if you feel that your privacy rights have been violated under HIPAA.
If you choose to file a complaint, we will not take any action against you or change our treatment with you in any way. To file a complaint with Meridian, document your complaint in writing along with your full name, address, and phone number. A Client Problem Resolution form can be used for this purpose.
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and provide you with a notice of our legal duties and privacy practices. We are required to abide by the terms of this notice. We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice. The current notice is available upon request.
The privacy of your medical information is important to us. We understand that your medical information is personal and we are committed to protecting it. We create a record of the care and services you receive at our organization. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice will tell you about the ways we may use and share medical information about you. This notice also describes your rights and certain duties we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.
For further information regarding your Privacy Rights please contact the Privacy Officer at 828-631-3973.
Meridian Behavioral Health Services (Meridian) has access to your medical information in the following ways:
Information regarding your health care, including payment for health care is protected by these federal laws:
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 & 164 and Confidentiality Law, 42, C.F.R. Part 2
In the state of North Carolina the General Statutes 122 C also protects your information. Under these laws, Meridian may not disclose to any person outside our agency that you are a client, nor may we disclose any information identifying you as a client except as permitted by federal and state law.
Meridian must obtain your written authorization before we can disclose information about you for payment purposes. For example, we must obtain your written consent before we can disclose information to your health insurer in order for Meridian to be paid for services. If you do not authorize us to release information to your insurance company, full payment will be required at the time of service. Meridian may use and disclose your protected health information for health care operations, some of which are described here. Within our offices, clinical staff, are authorized to review medical records for the purposes of providing client care and treatment and facilitating service authorization and utilization review. Support and billing staff are authorized to review protected health information for the purposes of carrying out their routine jobs. Staff members conducting quality management activities such as individual case reviews and complaint resolution may access protected health information. Protected information may also be accessed by student interns who have signed a confidentiality agreement with us and are working with Meridian staff members to practice and improve their skills.
Under state and federal laws, no one can share information with another about the services you receive without your consent. Meridian will only share the minimum information necessary for coordination of care and services, services are not contingent upon such consent, unless treatment is court ordered. These same laws, however, allow us to share information under the following conditions:
Before we can use or disclose any information about you in a manner not described in the items above we must obtain your specific written authorization. Any such written authorization may be revoked by you in writing except to the extent action has already been taken.
Meridian may contact you to provide appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. If you choose not to be contacted by us via telephone, letters or messages advise your service provider.