THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU MAY GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.

Vanguard Brain & Spine Specialists, P.A. is dedicated to protecting your medical information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information and to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information. Vanguard Brain & Spine Specialists, P.A. is required by law to abide by the terms of the Notice.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS NOTICE, PLEASE CONTACT OUR PRIVACY OFFICER WHO IS Privacy Officer.

HOW YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION WILL BE USED AND DISCLOSED:

We will use your medical information as part of rendering patient care. For example, your medical information may be used by the doctor or other health care providers treating you, by the business office to process your payment for the services rendered and by administrative personnel reviewing the quality of the care you receive.

We may also use and/or disclose your information in accordance with federal and state laws for the following purposes:

TREATMENT: We will use and disclose your protected health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party that has already obtained your permission to have access to your protected health information. For example, we would disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to home health care, other treating physicians, referring physicians or other physicians or health care provider involved in your care by providing assistance with your health care diagnosis or treatment to your physician.

PAYMENTS: Your protected health information will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services. This may include certain activities that your health insurance plan may undertake before it approves or pays for the health care services we recommend for you such as making a determination of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits, reviewing services provided to you for medical necessity, and undertaking utilization review activities. For example, obtaining approval for a hospital stay may require that your relevant protected health information be disclosed to the health plan to obtain approval for the hospital admission.

EMERGENCIES: We may use or disclose your protected health information in an emergency treatment situation.

APPOINTMENT REMINDERS: We may contact you to provide appointment reminders via phone, voice mail, answering machine or US Mail.

DISCLOSURE TO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: We may disclose medical information when required by the United States Department of Health and Human Services as part of an investigation or determination of our compliance with relevant laws.

FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Unless you object, when the medical information is directly relevant to the involvement with your care, we may disclose your medical information to family members, other relatives, or close personal friends.

NOTIFICATION: Unless you object, we may disclose your medical information to notify a family member, a personal representative or another person responsible for your care of your location, general condition or death.

DISASTER RELIEF: We may disclose your medical information to a public or private entity, such as the American Red Cross, for the purpose of coordinating with that entity to assist in disaster relief efforts.

HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCY: We may use or disclose your medical information for public health activities, including the reporting of disease, injury, vital events and the conduct of public health surveillance, investigation and/or intervention. We may disclose your medical information to a health oversight agency for oversight activities authorized by law, including audits, investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary actions, administrative and/or legal proceedings.

ABUSE OR NEGLECT: In accordance with federal and state law, we may disclose your private health information if we believe you, as our patient, have been a victim of abuse, neglect or violence.

LAW ENFORCEMENT: We may also disclose protected health information, so long as applicable legal requirements are met, for law enforcement purposes.

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: We may disclose your protected health information to a person or company required by the Food and Drug Administration to report adverse events, product defects or problems, biologic product deviations, track products; to enable product recalls; to make repairs or replacements.

CORONERS, MEDICAL EXAMINERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS: We may disclose your medical information to a coroner, medical examiner or a funeral director.

ORGAN DONATION: If you are an organ donor, we may disclose your medical information to an organ donation and procurement organization.

WORKERS COMPENSATION: Your protected health information may be disclosed by us as authorized to comply with workers compensation laws and other similar legally-established programs.

INMATES: We may use or disclose your protected health information if you are an inmate of a correctional facility and your physician created or received your protected health information in the course of providing care to you.

BUSINESS ASSOCIATES: We will share your protected health information with third party "business associates" that perform various activities (e.g., billing, transcription services) for the practice. Whenever an arrangement between our office and an identified business associate involves the use or disclosure of your protected health information, we will share your protected health information, as necessary, to provide you with information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. We may also use and disclose your protected health information for other marketing activities. For example, your name and address may be used to send you a newsletter about our practice and the services we offer. We may also send you information about products or services that we believe may be beneficial to you. You may contact our Privacy Contact to request that these materials not be sent to you.

AUTHORIZATIONS: We will not use or disclose your medical information for any other purpose without your written authorization. You may revoke this authorization, at any time, in writing. Please mail request to Vanguard Brain & Spine Specialists, 1130 N. Church St., Ste. 200, Greensboro, NC 27401.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS: We may disclose protected health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceedings, in response to an order of a court (to the extent such disclosure is expressly authorized), in certain conditions in response to a subpoena, discovery request or lawful process.

CRIMINAL ACTIVITY: Consistent with applicable federal and state laws, we may disclose your protected health information, if we believe that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public. We may also disclose protected health information if it is necessary for the law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual.

MILITARY ACTIVITY AND NATIONAL SECURITY: We may also disclose your protected health information to authorized federal officials for conducting national security and intelligence activities, including for the provision of protective services to the President or other legally authorized.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION:

You have the following rights with respect to your medical information: