Privacy Policy

Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT CLINIC PATIENTS MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW PATIENTS CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. IF YOU ARE A CLINIC PATIENT PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

The Swedish Institute Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic is required, by law, to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of patients' protected health information and to provide patients with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to their protected health information.

We may disclose patient health care information to other healthcare professionals within our practice for the purpose of treatment, payment or healthcare operations. For example, on occasion, it may be necessary to seek consultation regarding a patient's condition from other health care providers associated with Swedish Institute Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic.

It is our policy to provide a substitute Clinical Intern or Licensed Acupuncturist, authorized by Swedish Institute Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic to provide assessment and/or treatment to our patients, without advanced notice, in the event of a regularly assigned practitioner's absence due to vacation, sickness, or other emergency situation.

Please be advised that, on occasion, health care information may be inadvertently disclosed in the process of consultation and treatment.

We may disclose patient health information as necessary to comply with State Workers’ Compensation Laws.

We may disclose patient health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, or another person responsible for the patient's care, in the event of an emergency or patient death.

As required by law, we may disclose patient health information to public health authorities for purposes related to: preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting domestic violence, reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications, and reporting disease or infection exposure.

We may disclose patient health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding.

We may disclose patient health information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order or subpoena, and other law enforcement purposes.

We may disclose patient health information to coroners or medical examiners.

We may disclose patient health information to organizations involved in procuring, banking, or transplanting organs and tissues.

We may disclose patient health information to researchers conducting research that has been approved by an Institutional Review Board.

It may be necessary to disclose patient health information to appropriate persons in order to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or to the general public.

We may disclose patient health information for military, national security, prisoner and government benefits purposes.

We may call a patient's home to confirm a scheduled appointment. If the patient is not at home, we leave a reminder message on the answering machine or with the person answering the phone. No personal health information will be disclosed during this recording or message other than the date and time of the scheduled appointment along with a request to call our office if there is a need to cancel or reschedule the appointment.

In the event that the Swedish Institute Acupuncture Program is sold or merged with another organization, patient health information/records will become the property of the new owner.

Patients have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of their health information. Please be advised, however, that the Swedish Institute Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic is not required to agree to the restriction patients request.

Patients have the right to have their health information received or communicated through an alternative method or sent to an alternative location other than the usual method of communication or delivery, upon their request.

Patients have the right to inspect and copy their health information.

They have a right to request that the Swedish Institute Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic amend their protected health information. Please be advised, however, that Swedish Institute Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic is not required to agree to amend protected health information. If the patient request to amend health information has been denied, the patient will be provided with an explanation of our denial reason(s) and information about how to disagree with the denial.

Patients have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of their protected health information made by Swedish Institute Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic.

Patients have a right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time upon request.

The Swedish Institute Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic reserves the right to amend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future, and will make the new provisions effective for all information that it maintains. Until such amendment is made, the Swedish Institute Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic is required by law to comply with this Notice.

Swedish Institute Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic is required by law to maintain the privacy of patient health information and to provide patients with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to their health information.

Complaints about Privacy rights, or how the Swedish Institute Yu Wen Acupuncture Clinic has handled patient health information should be directed to Francesca Biryukov, L.Ac., the Dean of Acupuncture Program/Clinic Director by calling this office at 212-924-5900, ext. 130. If Francesca Biryukov, L.Ac. is not available, patients may make an appointment for a personal conference in person or by telephone within 5 working days.

If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles your complaint, you may submit a formal complaint to:

DHHS, Office of Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 509F HHH Building
Washington, DC 20201

For more information

If patients have questions about any part of this notice or if they want more information about their privacy rights, please contact: Francesca Biryukov, L.Ac. by calling this office at 212-924-5900, ext. 130. If Francesca Biryukov, L. Ac. is not available, you may make an appointment for a personal conference in person or by telephone within 5 working days.

This notice is effective as of May 5, 2009.