Our Pledge Regarding Medical Information

We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive from Pecos County Memorial Hospital District. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by Pecos County Memorial Hospital District, whether made by Pecos County Memorial Hospital District or another provider that you were referred to. Other physicians you may see in the course of your treatment may have different policies or notices regarding the doctor's use and disclosure of your medical information created in the doctor's office or clinic. This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information. Law requires us to:

●Make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private;

●Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you; and

●Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.

SPECIAL SITUATIONS

Organ and Tissue Donation:
If you are an organ donor, we may release medical information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.

Workers' Compensation:
We may release medical information about you for workers' compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

Public Health Risks:
We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities. These activities generally include the following:

●To prevent or control disease, injury or disability;

●To report births and deaths;

●To report child abuse or neglect;

●To report reactions to medications or problems with products;

●To notify people of recalls of products they may be using;

●To notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;

●To notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

Health Oversight Activities:
We may disclose medical information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

Lawsuits and Disputes:
If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose medical information about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose medical information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

Law Enforcement:
We may release medical information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:

●In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;

●To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;

●About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person's agreement;

●About a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;

●About criminal conduct at Pecos County Memorial Hospital; and

●In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description or location of the person who committed the crime. Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors: We may release medical information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify
a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also release medical information about patients of Pecos County Memorial Hospital to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties. Military, Veterans, National Security and Other Government Purposes: If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release your medical information as required by military command authorities or to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Pecos County Memorial Hospital District may also disclose medical information to federal officials for intelligence and national security purposes, or for presidential Protective Services. Inmates. If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release medical information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.