Revised February 2022
This notice describes how health information about you may be
used and disclosed by BCRC and how you can get access to this
information. Please review it carefully. If you have any
questions about this Notice, please contact: BCRC at (512) 524-2560
This Notice tells you the ways we may use and disclose your
Protected Health Information (referred to in this Notice as “health
information”). It also describes your rights and our obligations
regarding the use and disclosure of your health information.
The BCRC collects information from you that allow us to provide
you the services to best meet your needs as well as provide aggregate
information to our funders. We will enter the following information into
our secure database: names, addresses, phone numbers, ethnicity, income status,
age, physician names, diagnosis information, marital status, insurance status
and caregiver information. In addition, we will note information in our
database including your treatment status and updates, BCRC educational programs
you attend, support circles you participate in, obstacles to treatment that we
have identified and whether or not we have helped to resolve them.
Our Responsibilities BCRC is required to:
1. Maintain the
privacy and security of your health information;
2. Provide you with
notice of our legal duties and privacy obligations with respect to information
we collect and maintain about you;
3. Abide by the
terms of this notice;
4. Notify you if we
are unable to agree to a requested restriction; and
5. Notify you of
any unauthorized acquisition, access, use or disclosure of your unsecured
health information. We are required by law to notify you following a breach of
unsecured protected health information, i.e. health information not secured by
technology that renders the information unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable
as required by law.
The Methods in Which We May Use and
Disclose Health Information about You
The following categories describe different ways we may use and
disclose your health information. The examples provided serve only as
guidance and do not include every possible use or disclosure.
1. For Assistance
Finding Breast Cancer Resources: Your PHI may be used and disclosed by those
who are involved in your care for the purpose of providing, coordinating, or
managing your health care treatment and related services. This includes
consultation with BCRC supervisors or other BCRC patient navigation team
members. We may disclose PHI to any other community partners only with
your authorization.
2. For Fundraising:
BCRC is a non-profit agency that is funded through donation and grants.
In support of fundraising efforts we may use and disclose de-identified health
information so that we can engage in activities including applying for grants and
statistical reporting to major benefactors. This type of reporting would
generally be of client aggregates and statistical in nature, referring to the
client population that BCRC serves. Any such reporting would not include
information that could be associated with any one BCRC client.
3. For Health Care
Operations: We may use or disclose, as needed, your PHI in order to support our
business activities including, but not limited to quality assessment
activities, employee review activities, and conducting or arranging for other
business activities. For example, we may share your PHI with third
parties that perform various business activities (e.g., bookkeeping or claims
payment) provided we have a written contract with the business that requires it
to safeguard the privacy of your PHI. We may use your PHI to follow up
with you regarding your treatment and to assess the quality of services you
receive.
4. To friends
and family if you have authorized us to do so
5. As
Required by Law. We will disclose health information about you if and
when required to do so by federal or Texas laws or regulations. We may disclose
health information about you in response to a court or administrative order and
we may release information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official in
response to a court order or subpoena.
6. Other Uses or
Disclosures. Any other use or disclosure of PHI will be made only upon
your individual electronic, verbal or written authorization. You may revoke an
authorization electronically or in writing at any time provided we have not
already relied on the authorization.
7. Electronic
Disclosure. We may use and disclose your health information
electronically to contact you. For example, we may use your name,
telephone number and email address if you authorize us to do so or if you
request that we contact you in this way.
DISCLOSURES REQUIRING AUTHORIZATION
1. Marketing.
Marketing generally includes a communication made to describe a health-related
product or service that may encourage you to purchase or use the product or
service. BCRC does not engage in this type of marketing, however if we
were to do so we will obtain your prior electronic authorization to use and
disclose PHI for marketing purposes.
You have the right to revoke such authorization electronically,
except to the extent that we have already taken action in reliance on your
prior authorization.
2. Sale of your
Health Information. BCRC will not sell your health information for any
marketing purpose without your electronic authorization and only as permitted
by law.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH
INFORMATION IN INSTANCES WHERE THE LAW REQUIRES YOUR AUTHORIZATION
You have the following rights regarding your health information:
1. Right to Revoke
an Authorization. There are certain types of uses or disclosures that
require your express authorization. BCRC does not plan to ever sell your
information to a third party for marketing purposes. However, by way of
example, BCRC may not sell your information to a third party for marketing
purposes without first obtaining your authorization. If you provide
authorization for a particular use or disclosure of your information, you may
revoke such authorization electronically. We will honor your revocation
except to the extent that we have already taken action in reliance of the
specific authorization.
2. Right to Receive
a Copy of this Document. You have a right to obtain an electronic copy of
this document upon request.
Links to Other Sites
We may offer links to sites that are not operated by the Breast
Cancer Resource Center. If you visit one of these linked sites, you
should review their privacy and other policies. We are not responsible for the
policies and practices of other companies/organizations.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
We reserve the right to change our Notice of Privacy Practices
at any time. We will post the amended Notice of Privacy Practices on the
BCRC website. You may download a copy of the revised NPP from the
website.
COMPLAINTS
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may
file a complaint with the BCRC. To file a complaint with the BCRC, contact
BCRC:
Breast Cancer Resource Center
8127 Mesa Dr, Ste B206, #131
Austin, TX 78759
Or by email: mailto:support@bcrc.org
All complaints should be submitted in writing or by email as
indicated above. You will NOT be penalized for filing a complaint.
PLEASE PRINT A COPY OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY FOR YOU RECORDS AND
PLEASE CHECK THE SITE FREQUENTLY FOR ANY CHANGES.