Privacy Policy and Legal terms of Use

TERMS OF USE

Last modified: October 30, 2015

Welcome to the web site of the Heilman Center (“HeilmanCenter,” “us” or “we”). The following terms and conditions govern your access to and use of the web site, including any content offered on or through the web site. By accessing the web site, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not access or use the web site. We reserve the right to withdraw or change the web site, and any material we provide on the web site, in our sole discretion at any time. Your continued use of the web site constitutes your acceptance of these Terms of Use as they appear at the time of your access or use.

This web site is intended for use by individuals 18 years of age or older.

The materials and information on this web site are intended for educational and informational purposes only. The web site does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other professional health care advice, diagnosis and treatment. The materials and information on this web site are not intended to replace the services of a trained health professional and should not be relied on in lieu of professional advice. If you are in the United States and are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911 or call for emergency medical help on the nearest telephone.

This web site is not meant to be an exhaustive explanation of the indications of pain management or the HeilmanCenter program. Individual results of pain management and participation in the HeilmanCenter program will vary and depend on a number of factors, including patient compliance. None of the products or services offered through this web site represent or warrant that any particular service or product is safe, appropriate or effective for you. Any medical or other decisions should be made in consultation with a physician, and not based upon the information provided here.

The content contained on or made available through this web site is not intended to be and does not constitute medical advice; no physician-patient relationship is formed; and nothing submitted to this web site is treated as confidential. The accuracy, completeness, adequacy, or currency of the content is not warranted or guaranteed.

THE USE OF THE WEB SITE IS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. In no event shall the Heilman Center be responsible for ANY LIABILITIES OR damages of any nature whatsoever resulting from the use of or reliance upon this web site’s contents. YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THE WEB SITE IS TO STOP USING THE WEB SITE.

You understand and agree that this web site and its content is provided on an “as is” basis. the Heilman Center does not make any express or implied warranties, representations or endorsements whatsoever (including without limitation warranties of title or noninfringment, or the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose) with regard to any information provided through the web site. HeilmanCenter does not represent or warrant that this Web site will be error-free, free of viruses or other harmful components, or that defects or errors will be corrected. It does not warrant or represent that the information available on or through this web site will be correct, accurate, timely, or otherwise reliable. Improvements or changes to this web site’s features, functionality, or content may occur at any time.

Some of the patients whose photos and stories appear on this Web site were compensated for their travel, time, and other related expenses. The medical professionals who support our program are fully licensed in the states in which they practice. They are dedicated to pain management and are employed by their respective group practices.

the Heilman Center, HeilmanCenter and all other phrases marked with a TM are trademarks of the Heilman Center. The HeilmanCenter logo, Navigator logo and the Heilman Center logos are registered trademarks of the Heilman Center. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. You must not use such marks without the prior written permission of American Pain Management.

Last modified: October 30, 2013

This Privacy Policy describes the types of information that the Heilman Center (“HeilmanCenter”, “we” or “us”) may collect from you when you visit the web site: heilmancenter.com (the “web site”) and our practices for collecting and using that information. This policy applies to personal information we collect on this web site and does not apply to information collected by us offline or through any other means. Personal information is information that identifies you personally, either alone or in combination with other information available to us.

All of the facilities and health care practitioners who work with the HeilmanCenter program (“HeilmanCenter Providers”) believe that your health information is personal and private. In addition to this privacy policy, HeilmanCenter maintains and abides by its Notice of Privacy Practices, which governs our use of protected health information, as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

I. YOUR CONSENT

If you do not agree with our policies and practices, you may not use our web site. By accessing or using this web site, you agree to this Privacy Policy, which may change from time to time. If we make changes to this Privacy Policy, we will post the updated Privacy Policy to the web site with the date the changes became effective. Your continued use of this web site after we make changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes. Please check the policy periodically for updates.

II. INFORMATION WE COLLECT, HOW WE COLLECT IT AND HOW WE USE IT

Personal Information You Provide

Our website contains forms through which users may request information or supply feedback to us. In some cases, telephone numbers or return addresses are required so that we can supply requested information to you. If you choose to correspond with us via email or these forms, we may retain the content of your communication along with your email address and our responses. Any personal information that you provide us is used to respond you to provide the information and services you request. Information submitted through forms or via email may also be used to ensure technical functionality or to address inappropriate use of the web site. We may also use information collected for any other purpose with your consent.

Information Sent to Us By Your Web Browser

We may also collect web site use information that is sent to us automatically by your web browser when you view and navigate the web site. This information typically includes usage details, IP addresses and information collected through cookies. The information we collect automatically is statistical data and helps us to improve our web site and present our content to you. We may also use the information for security and fraud-prevention purposes.

Disclosure of Your Information

We do not save personal information to use for other purposes and no information is disclosed to anyone outside of HeilmanCenter and its service providers that perform administrative or other services on our behalf. We require these outside service providers to protect the confidentiality of your information and to use the information only for the purpose for which the disclosure is made. We may also share your personal information if we are required to do so by law or legal process in response to a request from government authorities. We may also disclose personal information if we believe disclosure is necessary to prevent or investigate a possible crime, such as fraud or identity theft or to protect our own rights or property or the rights, property or safety of others. We reserve the right to transfer your personal information in the event we sell or transfer all or a portion of our business. In such event, your personal information will continue to be protected by this Privacy Policy.

III. UPDATES TO YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND OPT OUT

If you wish to change information submitted to the web site or if you wish to opt out of a mailing list or other communication, please send an email to [email protected]. Please provide your full name, postal address and email address so that we can verify your identity. We will honor your request within a reasonable period of time and in any event, within the time limits established by law, unless the law permits or requires us to limit or deny your request or if we are unable to verify your identity.

IV. SECURITY

We take significant precautions to protect personal information stored on the web site’s servers from unauthorized access using industry standard computer security products, such as firewalls and carefully developed security procedures and practices. All employees must review and sign a written statement of these practices, which includes limiting access to sensitive information to only those employees who require the information and enforcing strict password protocols for all employees. Once the information is sent to our site, it is kept in secure databases where it is not available to users on the Internet. We use both internal and external resources to review the adequacy of our security measures on a regular basis.

While we strive to protect personal information, no data transmission is 100% secure and we do not guarantee the security of your personal information provided over the internet or stored in our databases. Your transmissions are at your own risk. HeilmanCenter is not responsible for disclosures of your personal information due to errors in transmission or unauthorized acts of third parties.

V. NO PATIENT-PHYSICIAN RELATIONSHIP

Providing information to HeilmanCenter through the web site or via email links or forms on the web site and any response you may receive will not create a patient-physician relationship. The materials and information on this web site are intended for educational and informational purposes only. The web site and any communication to or through the web site will not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other professional health care advice, diagnosis and treatment.

VI. CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 13

The web site is not intended for children under 13 years of age. No one under age 13 may provide any information to or on the web site. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 13. If you are under the age of 13, do not use this web site or provide any information about yourself to the web site. If you believe we might have received information from a child under the age of 13, please contact us at the address below.

VII. OTHER WEBSITES

This Privacy Policy applies only to this web site. The web site may link to other sites, many of which have their own privacy policies.

VIII. CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Privacy Officer
The Heilman Center
135 S Prospect St
Ypsilanti, MI 48198
734-796-7555

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 30, 2013

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.

All of the facilities and health care practitioners affiliated with the the Heilman Center program (“HeilmanCenter Providers,” “we” or “us”) believe that your health information is personal and private. We keep records of the care and services that you receive at facilities that participate in the HeilmanCenter program (“HeilmanCenter Facilities”) and we are committed to keeping your health information private. This Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) describes the privacy practices of all of the HeilmanCenter Providers, including how the HeilmanCenter Providers may use and disclose your health information, your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of your health information.

We are required by law to:

Maintain the privacy of protected health information;

Give you this Notice that describes our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information;

Follow the terms of our Notice that is currently in effect; and

Notify you following a breach of unsecured protected health information.

I. HeilmanCenter PROVIDERS

All of the HeilmanCenter Providers – our hospitals, employed physicians, allied health care practitioners, doctor’s offices, employees, students, facilities, and other affiliated programs, services, and health care practitioners – follow the terms of this Notice. The doctors and caregivers at other facilities who are not employed by or affiliated with HeilmanCenter Providers or the program may exchange information about you as a patient with HeilmanCenter Providers for reasons of treatment, payment, and health care operations as discussed below. These health care practitioners also may give you other privacy notices that describe their own privacy practices.

When you become a patient of an HeilmanCenter Facility, we will use your health information within the facility and disclose your health information outside of the facility for the reasons described in this Notice. The following examples describe some of the ways that we will use and disclose your health information.

II. PERMITTED USE AND DISCLOSURE OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

Treatment. We use your health information to provide you with health care services. We may disclose your health information to HeilmanCenter Providers – doctors, nurses, technicians, medical or nursing students, or other persons at HeilmanCenter Facilities – who need that information to take care of you. We also may disclose your health information to people outside HeilmanCenter Facilities who may be involved in your health care, such as treating doctors, home care providers, pharmacies, and drug or medical device experts. For example, an HeilmanCenter Provider treating you at an HeilmanCenter Facility may need to ask another doctor if you have a heart condition because a heart condition may complicate your treatment.

Payment. We may use and disclose your health information so that the health care you receive may be billed and paid for by you, your insurance company, or another third party. For example, we may give information about surgery you had at an HeilmanCenter Facility to your health plan so it will pay us or reimburse you for the surgery. We also may tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive so we can get prior payment approval or learn if your plan will pay for the treatment.

Health Care Operations. We may use your health information and disclose it outside an HeilmanCenter Facility for our health care operations. These uses and disclosures help us operate our facilities to maintain and improve patient care. For example, we may use your health information to review the care you received and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We also may combine health information about many patients to identify new services to offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain therapies are effective. We also may disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, and other persons at HeilmanCenter Facilities who are not directly involved in your care for learning and quality improvement purposes. We may remove information that identifies you so people outside HeilmanCenter Facilities may study your health data without knowing who you are.

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. When appropriate, we may share health information with a person who is involved in your medical care or payment for your care, such as your family or a close friend. We also may notify your family about your location or general condition or disclose such information to an entity assisting in a disaster pain relief effort.

More Stringent State and Federal Laws: The information in this Notice complies with the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations. In some cases, other state or federal laws may be more stringent than the HIPAA regulations. HeilmanCenter Providers will continue to abide by these more stringent state and federal laws. State law is more stringent when the individual is entitled to greater access to records than under HIPAA and when under state law the records are more protected from disclosure than under HIPAA.

Contacting You. We may use and disclose your health information to reach you about appointments and other matters. We may contact you by mail, telephone or e-mail. We may leave voice messages at the telephone number with which you provide us, and we may respond to your e-mail messages to us.

Health-Related Services. We may use and disclose health information about you to send you mailings about treatment alternatives or health-related products and services available at HeilmanCenter Facilities. We do not share or sell your health information to companies that market health care products or services directly to consumers for use by those companies to contact you, such as drug companies. We do maintain a list of individuals to whom we may have sent health improvement or health promotion materials and news about the HeilmanCenter Program. You may be included in this list. If you do not wish to be contacted for these communications, please notify us in writing addressed to the HeilmanCenter Privacy Officer, the Heilman Center, 135 S. Prospect Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48198 or [email protected].

III. PERMITTED USE AND DISCLOSURE WHERE YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO AGREE OR OBJECT

Patient Information. Our facilities maintain limited information about you in their patient directories, such as your name and possibly your location in the hospital and your general condition (for example: good, fair, serious, critical, or undetermined). We usually give this information to people who ask for you by name. We also may include your religious affiliation in the directories and give your name to members of the clergy. Releasing directory information about you enables your family and others (such as friends, clergy, and delivery persons) to visit you in the hospital and generally know how you are doing. We will not release any of this information if you tell the hospital’s admitting department or hospital administration not to do so.

Other Uses. As described above, we will use your health information and disclose it outside HeilmanCenter Facilities for treatment, payment, health care operations, and when permitted or required by law. We will not use or disclose your health information for other reasons without your written authorization. For example, we must obtain your prior written authorization before marketing a product or service to you if we will receive payment for the marketing communication. Likewise, we must obtain your written authorization if we will receive payment or other remuneration in exchange for your health information. Additionally, most uses of psychotherapy notes require your written authorization. If you provide us with authorization to use or disclose health information about you, you may cancel the authorization, in writing, at any time, but we cannot take back any uses or disclosures of your health information already made with your authorization.

IV. SPECIAL SITUTATIONS

As Required or Permitted by Law. Under certain circumstances, we are required to report specific health information to legal authorities, such as law enforcement officials, court officials, or government agencies. For example, we may disclose your health information in relation to cases of abuse, neglect, domestic violence or certain physical injuries, or to respond to a subpoena or court order.

For Research.Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose your health information for research. All research projects are subject to a special approval process. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of the health information. Your health information will not be released for a research project unless you consent in writing or an authorized Institutional Review Board has issued a waiver of authorization for review of records.

To Avoid a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. As required by law and standards of ethical conduct, we are permitted to release your health information, if we believe, in good faith, that such release is necessary to prevent or minimize a serious and approaching threat to your, the public’s, or another individual’s health or safety.

For Special Government Functions. If you are involved with the military, national security or intelligence activities, or you are in the custody of law enforcement officials or an inmate in a correctional institution, we are permitted to release your health information to the proper authorities so they may carry out their duties under the law. We are permitted to release medical information about you to authorized federal officials so that they may provide protection to the President of the United States of America, other authorized persons or foreign heads of state or conduct special investigations.

For Workers’ Compensation. We may disclose your health information to the appropriate persons in order to comply with the laws related to workers’ compensation or other similar programs.

Law Enforcement. We may release certain health information if asked by a law enforcement official if the information is (a) in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process, (b) limited information to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, (c) about the victim of a crime, (d) about a death resulting from criminal conduct, (e) about criminal conduct on the premises of a HeilmanCenter facility or (f) in an emergency to report a crime.

Business Associates. We may disclose health information to our business associates that perform functions on our behalf or provide us with services if the information is necessary for such functions or services. For example, we may use another company to perform billing services on our behalf. Whenever an arrangement between a business associate and us involves the use or disclosure of your health information, that business associate is required to keep your information confidential.

Organ and Tissue Donation. If you are an organ donor, we may release health information about organ, tissue, and eye donors and transplant recipients to organizations that manage organ, tissue, and eye donation and transplantation.

Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors. We may disclose health information to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director if it becomes necessary to identify a deceased person, to determine a cause of death or as necessary to carry out their duties.

Public Health and Health Oversight. We may disclose health information about you for public health reasons, like reporting reactions to medications, problems with medical products or death. We may release health information to help control the spread of disease or to notify a person whose health or safety may be threatened. We may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as for audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure.

V. YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION

Right to Inspect and Obtain Copy. With a few exceptions, you have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your health records. This includes medical and billing records, but this right does not apply to psychotherapy notes, information that has been gathered for a legal proceeding or that otherwise may be protected or prohibited by law. Your request to inspect or obtain a copy of your medical records must be submitted in writing to the Medical Records Department of the HeilmanCenter Facility that maintains your records and the request must be signed and dated. Requests for billing records should be sent to the Billing Department. We may charge a fee for processing your request. If we deny your request to inspect or obtain a copy of your records, you may appeal the denial to the HeilmanCenter Privacy Officer, the Heilman Center, 135 S. Prospect Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48198 or by sending an email message to: [email protected].

Right to Amend. If you feel that health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to ask us to amend your medical records. Your request for an amendment must be in writing, signed, and dated. It must specify the records you wish to amend, identify the HeilmanCenter Facility that maintains those records, and provide the reason for your request. You must address your request to the Privacy Official of the HeilmanCenter Facility that maintains the records you wish to amend or to the HeilmanCenter Privacy Officer, the Heilman Center, 135 S. Prospect Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48198 or email to [email protected]. We will respond to you within 60 days. We may deny your request and if we do, we will tell you why and explain your options.

Right to Accounting. You may request an accounting, which is a listing of the entities or persons (other than yourself) to whom an HeilmanCenter Provider or HeilmanCenter Facility has disclosed your health information without your written authorization within the last six years. The accounting would not include disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations, and certain other disclosures exempted by law. Your request for an accounting of disclosures must be in writing, signed, and dated. It must identify the time period of the disclosures and the HeilmanCenter Facility that maintains the records about which you want the accounting. Your request should indicate the form in which you want the list (for example, on paper or electronically). You must submit your written request to the Medical Records Department of the HeilmanCenter Facility that maintains the records. We will respond to you within 60 days. We will give you the first listing you request within any 12-month period free, but we will charge you for all other accountings requested within the same 12 months.

Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to ask us to restrict the uses or disclosures we make of your health information for treatment, payment, or health care operations. You also may ask us to limit the health information that we use or disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, such as, a family member or friend. We do not have to agree to your request, except that we must agree to a requested restriction on the disclosure of your protected health information to a health plan for payment or health care operations not required by law if the information pertains to an item or service for which you or someone other than the health plan has paid in full. A request for a restriction must be signed and dated, and must identify the HeilmanCenter Facility that maintains the information. The request also should describe the information you want restricted, state whether you want to limit the use or the disclosure of the information or both, and tell us who it is you do not wish to receive the restricted information. You must submit your request in writing to the Medical Records Department of the HeilmanCenter Facility that maintains the information you want restricted. We will tell you if we agree with your request or not. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency treatment.

Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail. Your request for confidential communications must be in writing, signed, and dated. It must identify the HeilmanCenter Facility making the confidential communications and specify how or where you wish to be contacted. You need not tell us the reason for your request, and we will not ask. You must send your written request to the HeilmanCenter Privacy Officer, the Heilman Center, 135 S. Prospect Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48198 or send an email message to: [email protected]. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.

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 paper copy of this Notice at any HeilmanCenter Facility.

VI. COMPLAINTS

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the HeilmanCenter Privacy Officer or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with the HeilmanCenter Privacy Officer, please submit your complaint in writing to the Privacy Official at the HeilmanCenter Facility where you believe your rights have been violated. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

VII. CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We may change this Notice at any time. Any change in this Notice could apply to medical information we already have about you, as well as any information we receive in the future. We will provide a copy of the current Notice at each HeilmanCenter Facility upon request and on our web site, www.HeilmanCenter.com. The Notice will contain the effective date.

If you have questions about this Notice, you may contact the HeilmanCenter Privacy Officer at the following address: [email protected].