Patient Bill of Rights
AMA Code of Medical Ethics
1.1.3 PATIENT RIGHTS
The health and well-being of patients depends on a collaborative effort between patient and physician in a mutually respectful alliance. Patients contribute to this alliance when they fulfill responsibilities they have, to seek care and to be candid with their physicians.
Physicians can best contribute to a mutually respectful alliance with patients by serving as their patients’ advocates and by respecting patients’ rights. These include the right:
To courtesy, respect, dignity, and timely, responsive attention to his or her needs.
To receive information from their physicians and to have the opportunity to discuss the benefits, risks, and costs of appropriate treatment alternatives, including the risks, benefits, and costs of forgoing treatment. Patients should be able to expect that their physicians will provide guidance about what they consider the optimal course of action for the patient based on the physician’s objective professional judgment.
To ask questions about their health status or recommended treatment when they do not fully understand what has been described and to have their questions answered.
To make decisions about the care the physician recommends and to have those decisions respected. A patient who has decision-making capacity may accept or refuse any recommended medical intervention.
To have the physician and other staff respect the patient’s privacy and confidentiality.
To obtain copies or summaries of their medical records.
To obtain a second opinion.
To be advised of any conflicts of interest their physician may have in respect to their care.
To continuity of care. Patients should be able to expect that their physician will cooperate in coordinating medically indicated care with other health care professionals, and that the physician will not discontinue treating them when further treatment is medically indicated without giving them sufficient notice and reasonable assistance in making alternative arrangements for care.
Notice of Privacy Practices
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED, DISCLOSED, AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW THIS DOCUMENT CAREFULLY.
PATIENT HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI)
Under federal law, your patient health information (PHI) is protected and confidential. Patient health information (PHI) includes information about your symptoms, test results, diagnosis, treatment, and related medical information. Your patient health information (PHI) also includes payment, billing and insurance information. We are committed to protect the privacy of your PHI. How we use your patient health information (PHI) This Notice of Privacy Practices (Notice) describes how we may use within our practice or network and disclose (share outside of our practice or network)your PHI to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations, for administrative purposes, for evaluation of the quality of care, and so forth. We may also share your PHI for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. This Notice also describes your rights to access and control your PHI. Under some circumstances we may be required to use or disclose your PHI without your consent.
TREATMENT
We will use and disclose your PHI to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may also disclose your PHI to other health care providers who are participating in your treatment, to pharmacists who are filling your prescriptions, to laboratories performing tests, and to family members who are helping with your care, and so forth.
PAYMENT
We will use and disclose your PHI for payment purposes. For example, we may need to obtain authorization from your insurance company before providing certain types of treatment. We will submit bills and maintain records of payments from your health plan. PHI may be shared with the following: billing companies, insurance companies (health plans), government agencies in order to assist with qualifications of benefits, or collection agencies.
OPERATION
We may ask you to complete a sign-in sheet or staff members may ask you the reason for your visit so we can better care for you. Despite safeguards, it is always possible in a physician’s office that you may learn information regarding other patients or they may inadvertently learn something about you. In all cases, we expect and request that our patients maintain strict confidentiality of PHI. We may use and disclose your PHI to perform various routine functions (e.g. quality evaluations or records analysis, training students, other health care providers or ancillary staff such as billing personnel, to assist in resolving problems or complaints within the practice). We may use your PHI to contact you to provide information about referrals, for follow-up with lab results, to inquire about your health or for other reasons. We may share your PHI with Business Associates who assist us in performing routine operational functions,but we will always obtain assurances from them to protect your PHI the same as we do.
SPECIAL SITUATIONS (THAT DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR PERMISSION)
We may be required by law to report gunshot wounds, suspected abuse or neglect, and so on; we may be required to disclose vital statistics, diseases, and similar information to public health authorities; we may be required to disclose information for audits and similar activities, in response to a subpoena or court order, or as required by law enforcement officials. We may release information about you for worker’s compensation or similar programs to protect your health or the health of others or for legitimate government needs, for approved medical research, or to certain entities in the case of death. Your PHI may also be shared if you are an inmate or under custody of the law which is necessary for your health or the health and safety of other individuals.
MILITARY ACTIVITY AND NATIONAL SECURITY
When the appropriate conditions apply, we may use or disclose PHI of individuals who are Armed Forces personnel for activities deemed necessary by appropriate military command authorities, for the purpose of a determination by the Department of Veterans Affairs of your eligibility for benefits, or to foreign military authority if you are a member of that foreign military services. In some situations, we may ask for your written authorization before using or disclosing any identifiable health information about you. If you sign an authorization, you can later revoke the authorization.
HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE (HIE)
Health Information Exchange (HIE) is the electronic sharing of health information between participating providers in a way that ensures the secure exchange of health information to provide care to patients. You have a right to opt-out of HIE participation. If you choose to opt-out, providers will not be able to search for your most recent health information when determining treatment. Opting out will not affect your ability to access medical care. If you do not wish to participate in the HIE, you may request to opt-out by calling our 24-hour help desk at 1-800-491-0909.
OUR LEGAL DUTY
We are required by law to protect and maintain the privacy of your PHI, to provide this Notice about our legal duties and privacy practices regarding PHI, and to abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect. We may update or change our privacy practices and policies at any time. You may request a copy of our Notice at any time by calling our 24-hour help desk: 1-800-491-0909.
INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
You have certain rights with regard to your PHI, for example: Unless you object, we may share your PHI with friends or family members, or other persons directly identified by you at the level they are involved in your care or payment of services. If you are not present or able to agree/object, the healthcare provider using professional judgment will determine if it is in your best interest to share the information. We may use or disclose PHI to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative or any other person that is responsible for your care of your location, general condition or death. We may use or disclose your PHI to an authorized public or private entity to assist in disaster relief efforts.You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your PHI. We are not required to accept all restrictions. If you pay in full for a treatment or service immediately, you can request that we not share this information with your medical insurance provider or our Business Associates. We will make every attempt to accommodate this request and, if we cannot, we will tell you prior to the treatment.You may ask us to communicate with you confidentially by, for example, sending notices to a special address. In most cases, you have the right to get a copy of your PHI. There will be a charge for the copies.
If you believe the information in your record is incorrect, or if important information is missing, you have the right to request that we amend the existing information by submitting a written request. You may request a list of instances where we have disclosed PHI about you for reasons other than treatment, payment, or operations. The first request in a 12-month period is free. There will be charges for additional reports. You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this Notice from us, upon request. We will provide you a copy of this Notice on the first day we treat you at our facility. In an emergency situation, we will give you this Notice as soon as possible. You have the right to receive notification of any breach of your protected health information.If you are concerned about your privacy rights, or if you disagree with a decision we made about your records, you may contact the Privacy Officer listed below. You may also send a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be penalized in any way for filing a complaint.
If you have any questions, requests, or complaints, please contact:
SC Home RX
ATTN: Privacy Officer
111 Doctor’s Circle
Columbia, SC 29203
800-491-0909
SOUTH CAROLINA US DHHS
Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center,
Suite 16T70,
61 Forsyth Street, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30303-8909
800-368-1019 | ocrmail@hhs.gov
Financial Policy Notice
At SC Home RX, we believe in fostering clear and open communication with our patients, including transparency in financial matters. As part of our commitment to providing you with quality healthcare, we would like to outline our financial policies for your understanding.
For patients with insurance coverage, we accept most major insurance plans and will conduct the billing process directly with your insurer. However, we ask that you familiarize yourself with your insurance policy, including co-payments, deductibles, and any services not covered. We understand that some patients may not have insurance coverage or may require services that are not covered by their insurance plans. In such cases, we offer discounted self-pay rates to alleviate financial burdens. Our business office manager is available to provide further information and assistance regarding self-pay options. We accept various forms of payment including checks and major credit cards.
We hope that this overview of our financial policies provides clarity and reassurance regarding your financial responsibilities as a patient at our primary care practice. Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to your local care team or regional business office manager.Thank you for choosing SCHomeRX for your healthcare needs. We look forward to continuing to serve you with compassion and excellence.
LEGAL NOTICE
All pharmacies that dispense drugs on behalf of this website must be domiciled within South Carolina or Georgia, as these are the only jurisdictions in which SCHomeRx currently operates. Exceptions apply only where reciprocity exists, drug importation is expressly permitted by law, or other legal authority allows for pharmacy operations outside these jurisdictions.
Medical practitioners must also be domiciled or recognized in South Carolina or Georgia unless otherwise expressly permitted by law. Please note that shipping drugs or providing telemedicine outside these areas may involve legal restrictions.