City
of Pittsburgh
Emergency Medical Services
Privacy Policy
The City of
Pittsburgh, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services cares about protecting
its patients’ privacy. In accordance with the Health Insurance
Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, the Bureau
is providing you with an explanation of your patient rights, information
about the use of certain information collected and the procedures
for acquiring your patient tripsheet.
COLLECTING
OF INFORMATION
We collect
and retain information necessary for us to provide services you
have requested or utilized when calling 911. During our interaction
with you or a family member, we may collect non-public information
from you because of your injury or illness.
SHARING
OF INFORMATION
We may share
information with certain departments within the hospital, legal
representatives acting on your behalf or family members regarding
your benefits and health coverage in order to comply with legal
or regulatory requirements.
INTERNAL
PROTECTION OF INFORMATION
We will restrict
access to non-public personal information about you to those employees
whom have a need to know. Our EMS is in full compliance with HIPAA,
which focuses on protecting your personal patient information, however
we will review records for Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement
and Billing purposes only. We maintain both electronic and physical
procedural safeguards to comply with Federal and State regulations
with regards to protecting this information.
DISCLOSURE
OF OUR PRIVACY POLICY
This notice
is being provided to you for informational purposes and may be amended
and updated as required. This privacy policy is available on the
City Website listed as: www.city.pittsburgh. pa.us/ems . No action
is necessary to ensure your privacy and no response is required.
Your information will only be disclosed in accordance with HIPAA.
PATIENT
RIGHTS & ACCESS
All patients
have the right to access their patient health information (PHI).
You may request to amend your records and or request a copy of your
tripsheet, which must be submitted in writing. If you have questions
about your tripsheet you should contact the EMS Office at 412-622-6940,
[Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.]. There is a charge
for access and a processing fee. On behalf of the Bureau of EMS
we thank you for your cooperation.
March 2003
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