BILLING QUESTIONS

II. PMC has a legal duty to safeguard Protected Health Information (PHI).

III. How we may use and disclose Protected Health Information?

1.      For the following reasons documented in our agreements:

a.       To obtain payment for treatment.
PMC uses and discloses PHI on behalf of health care providers in order to forward insurance claims electronically and on paper for payment by insurance carriers, and to electronically forward patient billing information for collections.

b.      For health care operations.
PMC uses and discloses PHI on behalf of insurance payers by forwarding responses regarding the status of insurance claims to health care providers. PHI may also be disclosed to health care providers, insurance companies, and other covered entities as part of the Provider Enrollment, Payer Connections and Customer Service operations of the organization. We may also provide PHI to our attorneys, consultants and others in order to ascertain our compliance with the laws that affect us.

2.      We may use and disclose PHI which are not documented in our agreements:

 .        When a disclosure is required by federal, state or local law, judicial or administrative proceedings, or law enforcement.
For example, PMC will make disclosures when a law requires that we report information to government agencies and law enforcement personnel, or when ordered in a judicial or administrative proceeding.

a.       For public health activities.
In certain circumstances, we may report information about births, deaths, and various diseases, to government officials in charge of collecting that information.

b.      For health oversight activities.
For example, we will provide information when required by a governmental agency conducting an investigation or inspection of a health care provider or organization.

c.       For research purposes.
For example, we may provide PHI in order to conduct medical research.

d.      To avoid harm.
In order to avoid a serious threat to the health or safety of a person or the public, we may provide PHI to law enforcement personnel or persons able to prevent or lessen such harm.

e.       For specific government functions.
PMC may disclose PHI of military personnel and veterans in certain situations. And we may disclose PHI for national security purposes.

3.      All other uses and disclosures require prior written authorization.
In any other situation not described in sections III-A or B above, PMC will ask for written authorization before using or disclosing any trading partners, business associates and other covered entities' PHI. This authorization can later be revoked in writing to stop any future uses and disclosures, to the extent that PMC has not taken any action relying on the authorization.

IV. Rights regarding PHI

1.      The right to request limits on uses and disclosures of PHI.
You have the right to ask that PMC limit how we use and disclose your PHI. We will consider your request but are not legally required to accept it. If we accept your request, we will put any limits in writing and abide by them except in emergency situations. You may not limit the uses and disclosures that we are legally required or allowed to make.

2.      The right to choose how we send PHI to you.
You have the right to ask that we send information to an alternate address (physical or electronic) or by alternate means (regular mail or electronic). We must agree to your request so long as we can easily provide it in the format you requested.

3.      The right to see and get copies of your PHI.
In most cases, you have the right to look at or get copies of your PHI that we have. If PMC does not have your PHI but know who does, we will tell you that. If a request is made for PHI other than as discussed above, you must make the request in writing. PMC will respond to you within 30 days of receipt of your written request. In certain situations, we may deny your request. If we do, we will tell you, in writing, our reasons for the denial and explain your right to have the denial reviewed.

4.      The right to get a list of the disclosures we have made.
You have the right to get a list of instances in which we have disclosed your PHI. The list will not include uses or disclosures that you have already consented to, such as those made for payment or health care operations. The list also will not include uses and disclosures made for national security purposes, to corrections or law enforcement personnel, or before April 3, 2002.

5.      The right to get this notice by e-mail.
You have the right to get a copy of this notice by e-mail. Even if you have agreed to receive notice via e-mail, you also have the right to request a paper copy of this notice.

V. How to complain about our privacy practices:

VI. Person to contact for information about this notice or to complain about our privacy practices.

VII. Effective date of this notice.

VIII. Supercedes all others written and/or oral.