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. Orange Coast College Student Health Center is committed to protecting your medical information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI), give you a Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices regarding your PHI, and follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
This Notice applies to all of the PHI that we generate or maintain and use to make decisions about your care. All individuals employed in the Student Health Services area are required to abide by the Privacy Practices described in this Notice.
The following categories describe the ways that we may use and disclose your PHI with your consent. Not every use or disclosure in a category will necessarily be listed.
TREATMENT: We will use your PHI to provide medical treatment and other health care services. We may contact you for appointment reminders or medical follow-up. We may disclose your PHI to another health care provider who needs to provide follow-up on additional care to you, or to a business associate of the Student Health Center, such as our laboratory.
BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION TEAM (BIT): In rare cases where there is a risk or concern with the student or the community, the Student Health Center staff reserves the right to notify the OCC Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) and share pertinent information. Furthermore, if a case is referred by the BIT or an OCC administrator, pertinent information will be shared with that team. This shared information with the BIT will remain confidential within that team.
PAYMENT: Your PHI may be released to an insurance company or to an agency that bills government based or private insurance, so that the Student Health Service or Community College District can receive reimbursement for medical services you have received.
HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS: We may use your PHI for conducting quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence of health care professionals, arranging for legal or auditing services, and business management and planning activities. We may use your PHI to contact you for the purpose of conducting patient satisfaction surveys.
TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES: We may use your PHI to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives, or to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN YOUR CARE, OR PAYMENT FOR YOUR CARE: We may release your PHI to a family member or legal guardian who is involved in your medical/health care or who helps pay for your care. We may tell your family or guardian your condition and, if you have been sent off-campus to another health care provider, your location. In addition, we may disclose your PHI to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status, and location.
**The following categories describe the ways that we may use or disclose your PHI without your consent.**
PUBLIC SAFETY: We may use and disclose your PHI to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of another person.
PUBLIC HEALTH: We may disclose PHI about you for public health activities intended to:
- Prevent or control disease, injury, or disability,
- Report abuse, neglect, or violence as required by law,
- Report reactions to medications or problems with medical products,
- Notify you of a recall of a medical product you may be using, or
- Notify you that you have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting a contagious disease or condition.
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: We may disclose PHI related to adverse health events due to food, dietary supplements, and products or product defects.
HEALTH OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES: We may disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law and may include audits, investigations, and inspections. These activities are necessary to monitor the health care system.
LAWSUITS AND DISPUTES: If you are involved in a lawsuit or a legal dispute, we may disclose your PHI in response to a court or administrative order. We may disclose your PHI in response to a subpoena or discovery request, but only if efforts have been made to inform you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested, unless the health care provider/patient privilege has been waived by your written consent.
LAW ENFORCEMENT: We may release PHI if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:
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In response to a court order, warrant, or summons, and
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In emergency circumstances to report a crime, the location of a crime or victims or the identity, description or location of the person who committed the crime.
MILITARY AND VETERANS: We may disclose your PHI as required by military command authorities if you are a member of the armed forces.
INMATES: If you are an inmate of a correctional facility or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release your PHI to these agents to enable the correctional facility to provide you with health care and/or to protect the health and/or safety of you and/or other people.
We must obtain a separate, specific written authorization from you to use or disclose your PHI for any purpose not covered by this Notice or the laws that apply to us.
YOUR RIGHTS: You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of the PHI that we generate, maintain, and use to make decisions about your care. You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of the Mental Health progress notes maintained in your file.
You have the right to request amendment to your medical information by adding clarifying language, if you feel that the information we created is incorrect or incomplete. We cannot delete or destroy any information already included in your PHI. You must provide a reason that supports your amendment request. We may deny your request if we did not create the information unless the person that created the information is not available to make the amendment.
You have a right to an accounting of disclosures. You may request one free list of disclosures every 12 months. We do not have to keep track of disclosures made for treatment, payment, or health care operations or for those disclosures that are authorized in writing by you. Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than 6 years and may not include dates before April 1, 2004. If you request more than one accounting in a 12 month period, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the PHI we use or disclose about you unless our use and/or disclosure is required by law.
You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice. Copies of this Notice will be available in the Student Health Center.