Gateway is committed to protecting the privacy and security of all personal and healthcare information obtained about our clients and their families. Personal and healthcare information is gathered regarding the care and services you receive at Gateway to allow us to provide the best and most appropriate care to you. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by Gateway.

This privacy notice (effective February 1, 2003) describes how information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact: Quality Improvement, 1401 South 20th Street, Birmingham, Alabama, 35205 or go to our website at www.gway.org and use the ‘feedback’ form at the bottom of the page.

Who will follow this notice:
All professional staff, volunteers, departments and programs of Gateway. All sites and locations of Gateway; though all sites and locations of Gateway may share information with each other in the course of care, payment or other purposes described in this notice.

Gateway is required by law to:
*make sure that information that identifies you is kept private
*give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices
*follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect
*provide you with a copy of this notice if it is revised

Uses of Your Information:

TO PROVIDE CARE & SERVICES TO YOU
We may provide information to other agencies that are also working with you, such as DHR (The Department of Human Resources), DMH (Department of Mental Health), Court Systems, or anyone else who has referred you to our services, or is involved in your care.

FOR BILLING & PAYMENT
We may provide information to your insurance company, HMO, or other health care plan if required for payment of services.

FOR AGENCY OPERATIONS & PLANNING
We may use information about your care and services to assure that you’ve received quality services. For example, we may use your information to review what services have been provided, and to make sure that our staff are doing a good job.

APPOINTMENT REMINDERS
We may use your information to contact you as a reminder that your have a scheduled appointment.

TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES
We may use your information to tell you about related services that you may be interested in.

AS REQUIRED BY LAW
We will disclose information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law.

TO PREVENT A SERIOUS THREAT TO HEALTH OR SAFETY
We may use and disclose 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 of harm.

MILITARY & VETERANS
If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release information about you as required by military command authorities. We may release information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
We may release information about you for workers’ compensation or similar programs, when involving work-related injuries or illness.

PUBLIC HEALTH RISK
We may disclose information about you for the following public health reasons:
*to report births and deaths
*to report child abuse or neglect
*to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a person has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when we are required or authorized by law.

HEALTH OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES
We may disclose information to health oversight agencies for activities authorized under law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, accreditations and licensures. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor health care systems and the care provided, and to remain in compliance with civil rights laws.

LAWSUITS AND DISPUTES
We may disclose information about you in response to a court order, subpoena, discovery process or other lawful process. We may respond to 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 is requested.

NATIONAL SECURITY
We may release information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counter intelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.

YOUR RIGHTS
You have the following rights regarding the information we maintain about you:
Access/review the information kept regarding your care
If you wish to review the information, you must submit a request in writing to your primary therapist & the GATEWAY RECORDS DEPARTMENT. All written requests are processed within 90 days.

In order to review/access your information, an appointment will be scheduled for you with an agency staff member. The information will be reviewed with the staff member present. Information cannot be removed from the record. If you feel that information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask to amend the information. To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to the GATEWAY RECORDS DEPARTMENT. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request. A statement by you noting corrections or amendments will be added to the record.

In some limited circumstances, access may be denied to your information. If so, you may request a review of the denial. Another licensed health care professional chosen by the agency will review your request and denial. The person conducting the review will not be the same person who denied your request. The agency will comply with the outcome of the review.

RIGHT TO AN ACCOUNTING OF DISCLOSURES
You have the right to request an “accounting of disclosures”. This is a list of the disclosures we have made of information about you.

To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit a written request to the GATEWAY RECORDS DEPARTMENT, 1401 South 20th Street, Birmingham, Alabama, 35205. Your request must state a time period no longer than six years, and may not include dates before 26 February, 2003. The first list you request within a 12- month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. You will be notified of the costs involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request before any costs are incurred.

RIGHT TO REQUEST RESTRICTIONS
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the information we use or disclose about your for care, treatment, payment or agency operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the 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.
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 care or treatment.
To request restrictions, you must submit a written request to the GATEWAY Quality Improvement office, 1401 20th Street South, Birmingham, Alabama, 35205.
In your request, you must tell us
1. what info you want to limit
2. whether you want to limit our use, disclosure, or both
3. to whom you want the limits to apply (for example, disclosures to your spouse)

RIGHT TO REQUEST CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about 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 make a request for confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to the GATEWAY Quality Improvement office, 1401 20th Street South, Birmingham, Alabama, 35205. We will not ask the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your written request must note how or where you want to be contacted.

GATEWAY reserves the right to change this notice. A copy of the current notice is posted in the agency. Each time a person begins receiving services through GATEWAY, this notice will be provided to them.

COMPLAINTS
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint with:
Gateway Quality Improvement office 1401 20th Street South, Birmingham, Alabama, 35205

or email: Qualityimprovement@gway.org

or with:
Secretary, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201
or email: HHS.Mail@hhs.gov

All complaints must be submitted in writing.