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Notice of Privacy Practices

Carington Health Services, PLLC
PO Box 24035
Knoxville, TN  37933
Telephone: 865-200-7618

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

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.

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

Get a paper copy of your medical record

• You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
• We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask us to correct your medical record

• You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
• We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications

• You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
• We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share

• You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.
• If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information

• You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
• We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Get a copy of this privacy notice
You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.

Choose someone to act for you

• If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
• We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

• You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information on page 1.
• You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
• We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

• Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
• Share information in a disaster relief situation

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

Our Uses and Disclosures

How do we typically use or share your health information?

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

Treat you
We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.
Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.

Run our organization
We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.
Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.

Bill for your services
We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.
Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for tests or consults that we order.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.

Help with public health and safety issues
We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:

• Preventing disease
• Helping with product recalls
• Reporting adverse reactions to medications
• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
• Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety

Do research
We can use or share your information for health research.

Comply with the law
We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.

Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
We can use or share health information about you:

• For workers’ compensation claims
• For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
• With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
• For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

Our Responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
• We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
• We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.

Changes to the Terms of this Notice

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our web site.

Effective date of this notice: February 14, 2021

Health Services Agreement

This agreement is entered into between Carington Health Services (CHS), a primary medical care medical practice, and you.  “You”  a person who is seeking medical care from CHS, or you are a legal representative or guardian of a minor seeking said care.  By “minor,” it is meant a person under the age of 16.  “The patient” applies to any person seeking said care.  CHS provides said care through a “Provider,” in this case, Saleh R Shahid, MD, a Doctor of Medicine duly licensed by, and in good standing within the state of Tennessee.

You agree that the patient is not enrolled or enrolling as a beneficiary of Medicare.

You agree that the patient is not seeking care for a problem that qualifies as an emergency.

Scope of Service

Provider will provide medical care to the patient for a single visit, according to the standard of care for his profession, utilizing whatever resources are available to him at the time of the visit, and that he deems appropriate based on his professional judgement and discretion.

Provider and You agree to terminate the provider-patient relationship at the end of the visit.  Provider will continue to be available to you for 30 days after the visit by electronic communication for consultation on urgent matters.  You can renew and reset this relationship at any time by purchasing another visit.

It is the policy of CHS and the provider not to prescribe opioid pain medicine, and to limit the use of other controlled substances believed to have a higher risk of complications, misuse, dependency, or diversion.

Non-participation in insurance

You acknowledge that CHS does not participate in any health insurance or HMO plans or panels.  CHS makes no representation that the fees paid under this agreement are covered by the patient’s health insurance or other third-party payment plans.

Communications

While CHS takes reasonable precautions to protect the privacy of your health information (see our Notice of Privacy Practices), you acknowledge that communications with Provider or CHS employees using e-mail, facsimile, video chat, cell phone, texting, and other forms of electronic communication can never be absolutely guaranteed to be secure or confidential methods of communication.  As such, You expressly waive the obligation of Provider and CHS to guarantee confidentiality with respect to the above means of communication.  You further acknowledge that all such communications may become part of the medical record.

Severability

If any provision in the agreement is determined to be invalid or unenforceable by a court or arbitrator of competent jurisdiction, the parties desire and agree that the remaining provisions of the agreement will nevertheless continue to be valid and enforceable.

No Rule of Strict Construction

The language of this agreement will be deemed to have been approved by all parties, and no rule of strict construction will be applied against any party.

Governing Law

This agreement will be construed in accord with, and any dispute or controversy arising from any breach or asserted breach of this agreement by the laws of the State of Tennessee.