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Privacy Policy
(HIPPA Compliance)
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective Date: July 1, 2003
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION MAY BE USED
AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GAIN ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION.
PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS, OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
The Student Counseling Services is required by law to protect
the privacy of your health information and provide you with
this Notice of Privacy Practices. This notice describes how
we may use and share your health information and explains your
privacy rights. The center will use or disclose your information
only as described in this notice. We do, however, reserve the
right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this
notice and to make new provisions effective for all health information
that we maintain. Revised notices will be posted in the waiting
area, and we will make a copy of the revised notice available
to you upon request.
If at any time, you have questions or concerns about the information
in this notice or about our agency’s privacy policies,
procedures, or practices; you may contact the HIPAA coordinator
(Dr. Virginia Crawford)
USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED HEALTH
INFORMATION WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION
The law permits the Student Counseling Services to use or disclose
your health information without your written consent or authorization
for the following purposes:
Treatment: We may use health
information about you to provide treatment and services. We
may disclose your health information to counselors, supervisors,
or administrators at the center who are involved in your treatment.
Because some of our counselors are graduate students in training,
they are required to share information pertaining to your treatment
with their clinical supervisor. In addition, counselors may
share relevant details about your treatment during case staffing
with other counselors and psychologists.
Center Operations: We may use
your health information for the purposes of center operations.
For example, your records will be reviewed by the center staff
in order to make sure that the Student Counseling Services
is the best place for you to receive treatment. In addition,
your records may be reviewed by our Quality Assurance Team to
assess the care, outcomes, and quality of services you receive.
Since some of our counselors are in training, supervisors will
regularly review and co-sign notes, and your records may be
reviewed during the course of completing evaluations of these
counselors.
Contacting You: We may contact
you to regarding an appointment, to respond to your contact,
to notify you of your discharge, provide information about services
that may be of interest to you, or assess satisfaction with
ongoing treatment.
Other Circumstances: In addition, we may use or disclose
your health information for the following purposes without your
consent or authorization:
• As required or permitted by law (e.g., cooperation with
law enforcement, court officials, or government agencies)
• For health oversight activities (e.g., investigations,
inspections, accreditation, licensure, etc.)
• To avoid serious threat to health or safety
• As authorized by worker’s compensation laws or similar
programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or
illness
• Research approved by the The University of Southern Mississippi’s
Human Subjects Protection Review Committee.
USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED HEALTH
INFORMATION THAT REQUIRES YOUR AUTHORIZATION
Except as provided in this Notice of Privacy Practices, the
Student Counseling Services will not use or disclose your health
information without your written authorization. If you sign
an authorization form, you may withdraw your authorization at
any time, as long as your withdrawal is in writing.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PROTECTED
HEALTH INFORMATION
You have several rights with regard to your health information.
Specifically, you have the right to:
• Obtain a paper copy of this notice. You may request a
written copy of this notice at any time.
• Receive confidential communications. You have the right
to request in writing that the center only communicate to you
in a certain format (e.g., in writing) and/or location (e.g.,
your work address). We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
• Inspect and copy protected health information. This right
is subject to certain legal restrictions. For example, this
right does not apply to psychotherapy notes or information complied
for judicial proceedings. You may be charged a fee for copying
or postage.
• Request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures.
You have the right to ask for restrictions on how your health
information is used or to whom your information is disclosed.
We are not required to agree to your requested restriction,
but we will consider your request and the possibility of accommodating
it.
• Request to amendment. You have a right to request in
writing that portions of your records be corrected when you
feel information is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny your
request if the information was not created by this agency or
if we believe the information is accurate.
• Receive an accounting of disclosures. You have a right
to receive an accounting of disclosures of your health information
made by the center, except for disclosures such as treatment,
payment, center operations, and certain other disclosures as
provided for by law.
• Complain. If you believe your health information privacy
rights have been violated, you may contact the OCR Regional
Manager, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Atlanta Federal Center, Suite 3B70, 61 Forsyth
Street, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30303-8909, (404) 562-7886. If you
file a complaint, we will not take any action against you or
change our treatment of you.
CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Connie Morgan
HIPAA Coordinator
The Student Counseling Services, 118 College Drive #5066
The University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
(601) 266-5390 |
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CONTACT INFORMATION
AND HOURS OF OPERATION
118 College Drive #5075 Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
Telephone: (601) 266-4829
FAX: (601) 266-5146
Email: counseling@usm.edu
EMERGENCY: 911. Ask for University Police. Counselors are also available after-hours in emergency situations call: 601.818.6352.
Hours of Operation and Location:
M-F 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Kennard-Washington Hall Room 200
Walk-In Services for Students:
M-F 9:45 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
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