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. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) passed in Federal Law in 1996 and provide the following standards:
As an essential part of our commitment to you, Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One maintains the privacy of your confidential health care information, known as Protected Health Information or PHI. We are required by law to protect your health care information and to provide you with the attached Notice of Privacy Practices. The Notice outlines our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI. It not only describes our privacy practices and your legal rights, but lets you know, among other things, how we and our business associates are permitted to use and disclose PHI about you, how you can access and copy that information, how you may request amendment of that information, and how you may request restrictions on our use and disclosure of your PHI. We are also required to abide by the terms of the version of this Notice currently in effect. In most situations we may use this information as described in this Notice without your permission, but there are some situations where we may use it only after we obtain your written authorization. We respect your privacy, and treat all health care information about our patients with care under strict policies of confidentiality that all of our staff are committed to following at all times.