Home > Privacy

Privacy Policy

This notice of Privacy Pratices describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed (shared) and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Purpose of the Notice:

This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may share your "protected health information" (PHI) to carry out treatment, payment, health care operations, and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to see and control your PHI.

Sheppard Pratt is required by law to:

make sure PHI is kept private;
give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices that affect your PHI; and
follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.

Definitions:

Protected Health Information (PHI) is medical information that identifies you or may provide a basis for identifying you, including demographic information. Your PHI relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health condition and related health care services. Sheppard Pratt is required by law to keep records of the care which is provided to you.

You / Your is defined as any person receiving a health related service through Sheppard Pratt. If the subject of the PHI is a minor, patient means the parent (unless subject to a limiting court decree or custody agreement) or authorized legal representative(s). If the subject of the PHI is incapable of making an informed decision, patient means the authorized legal representative(s).

SHEPPARD PRATT in this Notice is defined as: Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Foundation which includes Sheppard Pratt Health System. The Sheppard Pratt Health System operates hospital programs in Towson and Ellicott City; partial hospitalization programs; The Retreat and Overlook at Sheppard Pratt; the Eleanor and Berkeley Mann Residential Treatment Center, Sheppard Pratt Respite Program, Jefferson Residential Treatment Center, and Sheppard Pratt Physician P.A. Also included are the affiliates of the Foundation: Mosaic Community Services, Inc.; Family Services Agency, Inc.; Granite House, Inc.; The North Baltimore Center and Way

Station, Inc. Our joint venture program Behavioral Health Partners of Frederick is also included under the Sheppard Pratt definition and this

Notice. These groups may share PHI with each other for treatment, payment or health care operation purposes described in this notice.

Right to Request Restrictions:

You have the right to request that we limit how we use and disclose your PHI. We are not legally required to agree to your request.

If we do agree, we will limit the information, unless it is needed to provide you emergency treatment.
To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing at the time of your admission or to your treating clinician for each admission and/or registration for services. Your request must list (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) who may not receive information.

Right to Choose Confidential Communications:

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about health care matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail.

To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to your treating clinician or Privacy Officer.
Your request must list how or where you wish to be contacted.
You do not have to give a reason for your request.
We will accommodate reasonable requests. "Sheppard Pratt" or "Sheppard Pratt Affiliate Agency" will appear on the Caller ID of the person called on all outgoing calls made from any Sheppard Pratt location.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice:

You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this notice.

You may obtain a copy of this notice at our website, www.sheppardpratt.org
To obtain a paper copy of this notice contact the Privacy Officer at the Sheppard Pratt facility where you are being treated or any of the Sheppard Pratt locations.

Changes to This Notice:

We have the right to change this notice. We have the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for protected health information PHI we already have about you, as well as any PHI we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice at Sheppard Pratt. The effective date of the notice will be posted in the notice. In addition, we will offer you a copy of the current notice in effect each time you register or are admitted to Sheppard Pratt as an inpatient or outpatient. Revisions to our notice will be posted on the Sheppard Pratt Health System web page.

Other Uses of PHI:

Other uses of PHI not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. If you give us permission to use or share PHI about you, you may take back that permission, in writing, at any time. If you take back your permission, we will no longer use PHI about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. We are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission. Also, you are unable to take back a permission to share

PHI if it was to permit the sharing of your PHI to an insurance company as a condition of obtaining coverage, to the extent that other law allows the insurer to contest claims or coverage. We are required to keep records of the care that we provided to you.

To take back your permission you must make your request in writing. Send your request to the Department of Health Information Management at the Sheppard Pratt location in which you gave your permission to share your PHI.
Written permission to use or share PHI about you is not a condition of receiving treatment at Sheppard Pratt except:
- If the treatment is research-related, provision of treatment may be conditional on receipt of written permission to use or share PHI related to the treatment as necessary for the research or:
- If the purpose of the treatment services is to create PHI for disclosure to a third party, provision of the services may be conditioned on receipt of written permission from you to share PHI to that third party.

Complaints:

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Sheppard Pratt, or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with Sheppard Pratt or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services please contact the Privacy Officer at Sheppard Pratt Health System or the Privacy Officer at the specific location you received treatment.

All complaints must be made in writing
You will not be penalized for filing a complaint

If you have questions about this Notice, or would like to exercise your Privacy Rights, please contact the Privacy Office for Sheppard Pratt Health System at 410-938-4281.