Cortica is committed to protecting medical, mental health, and personal information regarding you and your family. We are required by law to ensure the privacy of health information, provide you with information about our legal duties and privacy practices, and inform you of your rights and how we may use health information and disclose it to other entities and persons. You have the right to:
Acquire a copy of your paper or electronic medical record
Correct your paper or electronic medical record
Request confidential communication
Ask us to limit the information we share
Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information
Get a copy of this privacy notice
Choose someone to act for you
File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated
The following list describes ways we may use and disclose health information. We may use and share your information:
For treatment. We may use health information to provide medical services and disclose health information to doctors, therapists, nurses, technicians, or other Cortica personnel involved in taking care of you or those relatives for whom you are a caregiver (e.g., your children).
For payment. We may use or disclose health information so that treatment and services you receive from Cortica may be billed and payment collected from you, an insurance company, or another designated third party.
For operations. We may use or disclose health information to support our business operations. This includes quality and safety assurance, progress reporting, and support of our care models. We may also use and disclose your health information to Cortica business associates, who are required by law to keep it confidential.
For appointment reminders. We may inform you that you or your family member have an appointment with Cortica. Contact methods can include emails, SMS (texting), phone calls, emails, and other similar services.
For research. Cortica is routinely involved in research studies with other leading providers of neurologic care services. We may disclose health information about you or your family member for research purposes, subject to the confidentiality provisions of state and federal law. All research projects involving patients are approved by an internal review board and performed only upon express consent of the patient or of-age consenting family member.
As required by law. We will disclose health information about you when required to do so by federal or state law.
To respond to organ and tissue donation requests. This applies only if you or a patient you care for is a registered organ donor.
When working with a medical examiner or funeral director.
To address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests.
In response to lawsuits or other legal actions. We may disclose health information to courts, attorneys, and court employees during conservatorship, writs, and certain other judicial or administrative proceedings. We may also disclose Health Information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or response to a subpoena, discovery request, warrant, or other lawful process.
To assist with public health and safety issues.
Other uses. Other uses and disclosures of health information not covered by this notice will be made only with your written authorization. If you authorize us to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time. However, the revocation will not be effective for information that we have already used and disclosed based on the authorization.
Psychotherapy notes. Psychotherapy notes are notes recorded by a mental health professional documenting or analyzing the contents of conversation during a private or group, joint, or family counseling session. Psychotherapy notes have additional protections under federal law, and most uses or disclosures of psychotherapy require your written authorization.
We reserve the right to change Cortica’s privacy practices and this document. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed document effective for the health information we already have about you and any information we receive in the future. You may request a copy of the current Notice in effect at any time.