PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY

This is the web site of Georgia Cancer Treatment Center.
Our postal address is:
483 Upper Riverdale Road
Riverdale, Georgia 30274
We can be reached via e-mail at c.Lawson@gacatc.com
or you can reach us by telephone at (770) 909-1550

For each visitor to our Web page, our Web server automatically recognizes no information regarding the domain or e-mail address.

We collect the e-mail addresses of those who communicate with us via e-mail, aggregate information on what pages consumers access or visit, information volunteered by the consumer, such as survey information and/or site registrations and Contact Us.

The information we collect is used for internal review and is then discarded, used to improve the content of our Web page, shared with other reputable organizations to help them contact consumers for marketing purposes, not shared with other organizations for commercial purposes.

With respect to cookies: We do not set any cookies.

If you do not want to receive e-mail from us in the future, please let us know by sending us e-mail at the above address.

If you supply us with your postal address on-line you may receive periodic mailings from us with information on new products and services or upcoming events. If you do not wish to receive such mailings, please let us know by calling us at the number provided above, ore-mailing us at the above address. Please provide us with your exact name and address. We will be sure your name is removed from the list we share with other organizations.

With respect to Ad Servers: We do not partner with or have special relationships with any ad server companies.

With respect to security: We always use industry-standard encryption technologies when transferring and receiving consumer data exchanged with our site, When we transfer and receive certain types of sensitive information such as financial or health information, we redirect visitors to a secure server and will notify visitors through a pop-up screen on our site, We have appropriate security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of information that we have collected from you at our site.

If you feel that this site is not following its stated information policy, you may contact us at the above addresses or phone number.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU.

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information.  For each category of uses or disclosures, we will elaborate on the meaning and provide specific examples.  Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed.  However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

·         For Payment.  We may use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at our Practice may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company or a third party.  For example, it may be essential that you provide us with your health plan information regarding surgery you receive at our Practice so that our health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the surgery.  In addition, we may tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive in order to obtain necessary approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.

·         For Treatment. We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services.  We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other personnel who are involved in taking care of you at GCTC. For example, a doctor treating you for cancer may need to know if you have diabetes so that he/she can consider potential complications when determining your care.  Different departments of GCTC also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate the different services you need, such as chemotherapy, prescriptions, lab work and x-rays.  We also may disclose medical information about you to people outside GCTC who may be involved in your medical care after you leave GCTC, such as family members, clergy or other persons that are part of your care.

·         For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose medical information about you for our Practice operations.  These uses and disclosures are necessary to run GCTC and ensure that all of our patients receive quality care.  For example, we may combine medical information about a variety of our Practice’s patients to decide what additional services GCTC should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments are effective.  We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, and other practice personnel for review and learning purposes.  We may combine the medical information we have along with medical information from other oncology practices to compare how we are doing and thus, evaluate where we can make improvements in the care and services we provide.  We may remove information that identifies you from this set of medical information so that others may use it to study health care and health care delivery, without learning the identity of the patients.

WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE.

·         Any health care professional authorized to enter information into your chart.

·         All departments of our Practice.

·         Any member of a volunteer group, in which, we allow to help you while you are in our Practice.

·         All employees of our Practice.

POLICY REGARDING THE PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION:

We understand that medical information pertaining to you and your health is personal.  We are committed to protecting your medical information.  We create a record of the care and services you receive at our Practice.  We need this record in order to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements.  This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by our Practice.

This notice will inform you about the different ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you.  We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.

The law requires us to:

·         Make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private;

·         Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you; and

·         Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.

OTHER CATEGORIES OF OUR INFORMATIONTHAT WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE, INCLUDE

·         Appointment Reminders.  We may use and disclose medical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at our Practice.

·        As Required By Law.  We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law.

·        Fundraising Activities. We do not use fundraising to generate funds for our Practice. However, we do participate in other fundraising activities for research in Cancer Care. We may use or disclose personal information about you for these fundraising activities such as American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. If you do not wish to be contacted about these fundraisers please notify our Privacy Officer in writing at: Georgia Cancer Treatment Center

                            P.O. Box 962619

                            Riverdale, GA. 30296-6925

                            ATTN:  Claudia Lawson, Privacy Officer

·         Health-Related Benefits and Services. We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interests to you.

·         Directory. We may include certain limited information about you in our Practice directory while you are a patient at our Practice.  This information may include your name, location in our Practice, your general condition (e.g. fair, stable, etc.).  The directory information may also be released to people who ask for you by name. This is so your family, friends and clergy can visit you in our Practice and generally know how you are faring.

·         Individual Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care.  We may release medical information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care.  We may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care.  We may also inform your family or friends about your condition and that you are in our Practice.  In addition, we may disclose medical information about you to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.

·         Research.  Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose medical information about you for research purposes.  For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received another, for the same condition.  All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process.  This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of medical information in order to balance the research needs with patients’ need for privacy of their medial information.  Before we use or disclose medical information for research, the project will have been approved through this research approval process, but we may, however, disclose medical information about you to people preparing to conduct a research project, for example, to help them look for patients with specific medical needs, as long as the medical information they review does not leave our Practice.  We will almost always ask for your specific permission if the researcher obtains access to your name, address or other information that reveals who you are, or will be involved in your care at our Practice.

·         To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety.  We may use and disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.  Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.

·         Treatment Alternatives. We may use and disclose medical information to inform you about, recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

LESS FREQUENT USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION INVOLVING THOSE NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN YOUR CARE COULD INCLUDE:

·         Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors.  We may release medical information to a coroner or medical examiner, in order to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death.  We may also release medical information about patients of our Practice to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their services.

·         Health Oversight Activities.  We may disclose medical information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law.  These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure.  These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws. 

·         Inmates.  If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release medical information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official.  This release would be necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.

·         Law Enforcement.  We may release medical information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:

o        In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;

o        To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;

o        About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person’s agreement;

o        About a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;

o        About criminal conduct at our Practice; and

o        In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or to identify, description or location of the person who committed the crime.

·         Lawsuits and Disputes.  If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose medical information about you in response to a court or administrative order.  We may also disclose medical information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

·         Military and Veterans.  If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release medical information about you as required by military command authorities.  We may also release medical information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

·         National Security and Intelligence Activities.  We may release medical information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.

·         Organ and Tissue Donation.  If you are an organ donor, we may release medical information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.

·         Protective Services for the President and Others.  We may disclose medical information about you to authorized federal officials so they may provide protection to the President, other authorized persons, and foreign heads of state or conduct special investigations.

·         Public Health Risks.  We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities.  These activities generally include the following, but are not limited to:

o        Preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability;

o        Reporting births and deaths;

o        Reporting child abuse or neglect;

o        Reporting reactions to medications or problems with products;

o        Notifying people of recalls of products they may be using;

o        Notifying a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;

o        Notifying the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence.  We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

·         Worker’s Compensation.  We may release medical information about you for worker’s compensation or similar programs.  These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

·         Other Disclosures. As an oncology (cancer) practice we participate in community cancer care. We may use or disclose your medical information to the local hospitals’ Tumor Registries (follows statistics and incidents of cancer), as required by law. This information is used to follow local occurrences of diseases.

In addition, our physicians participate as clinical educators and we may use your medical information for teaching purposes. In most circumstances only your diagnosis and treatment are used. We also participate in local Tumor Boards; these are groups of multiple physicians from different specialties review and discuss different patient cases. Your medical information may be used, however you are not routinely identified in these discussions.

You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:

·         Right to an Accounting of Disclosures.  You have the right to request an “accounting of disclosures.”  This is a list of the disclosures we made of medical information about you.

To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to:

                                            Georgia Cancer Treatment Center

                                             P.O. Box 962619

                                             Riverdale, GA. 30296-6925

                                             ATTN:  Claudia Lawson, Privacy Officer

Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before February 26, 2003.The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free.  For additional lists, we may charge you for the cost 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.

·         Right to Amend.  If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information.  You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for our Practice.  To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to:

                                            Georgia Cancer Treatment Center

                                            P.O. Box 962619

                                            Riverdale, GA. 30296-6925

                                           ATTN:  Claudia Lawson, Privacy Officer

      In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request. 

We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request.  In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:

o        Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;

o        Is not part of the medical information kept by or for our Practice;

o        Is not part of information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or

o        Is accurate and complete.

·         Right to Inspect and Copy.  You have the right to insect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about your care.  Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes.

To inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to:

                                 Georgia Cancer Treatment Center

                                 P.O. Box 962619

                                 Riverdale, GA. 30296-6925

                                ATTN:  Claudia Lawson, Privacy Officer

 If you request a copy of the information, we are entitled to charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request.

We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain very limited circumstances.  If you are denied access to medical information, you may request that the denial be reviewed.  Another licensed health care professional chosen by our Practice will review your request and the denial.  The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your request.  We will comply with the outcome of the review.

·         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.gactc.com_, to obtain a paper copy of this notice contact our office. 

·         Right to Request Confidential Communications.  You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical 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:

                                    Georgia Cancer Treatment Center

                                     P.O. Box 962619

                                    Riverdale, GA. 30296-6925

                                   ATTN:  Claudia Lawson, Privacy Officer

  We will not ask you the reason for the request and will accommodate all reasonable requests.  Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.

·         Right to Request Restrictions.  You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations.  You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or friend.  For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had. Or you may choose not to have your information included in our facility directory. We are not required to agree to your request.  If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment. 

      To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to:

                                             Georgia Cancer Treatment Center

                                             P.O. Box 962619

                                             Riverdale, GA. 30296-6925

                                            ATTN:  Claudia Lawson, Privacy Officer

In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit

our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to

your spouse.  

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We reserve the right to change this notice.  We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for medical information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future.  We will post a copy of the current notice in our Practice.  The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right-hand corner, the effective date.  In addition, each time you register at or are admitted to our Practice for treatment or health care services as an inpatient or outpatient, you may request a copy of the current notice in effect.

COMPLAINTS

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Practice or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.  To file a complaint with our Practice, contact:

                      Georgia Cancer Treatment Center

                     P.O. Box 962619

                     Riverdale, GA. 30296-6925

                     ATTN:  Claudia Lawson, Privacy Officer

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

OTHER USES OF MEDICAL INFORMATION

Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to use will be made only with your written permission.  If you provide us permission to use or disclose medical information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time.  If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization.  You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provide to you. 

If you have any questions about this notice, please contact this organization’s Privacy Officer.

Effective Date: April 1, 2003