Thank you for visiting our website and reviewing our privacy policy. We respect the right to privacy for all our visitors. Personal information sent to us, such as names, addresses, phone numbers, etc., is covered by the government's HIPAA Medical Privacy Act.

When submitting personal information for your medical records, you can be assured of the following:

• The information will not be shared with anyone not on our staff or involved in your medical care.
• We do not collect information for commercial marketing.

Your information will be used to:

• Respond directly to you for clarification.
• Process your request for materials, if you make one.
• Try and answer your questions if you ask them.
• Register you for an event, if you request it.

As a courtesy, this site provides links to other sites. These sites are not under our control, and we are not responsible for the contents of any linked sites, or the security and privacy practices of those sites.

Information provided on this site is not meant to replace the advice of medical professionals. Please check with your health care provider for advice or guidance specific to your case.

JOINT NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

BACKGROUND: In order to comply with federal law under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), Gerber Memorial Health Services (GMHS) will issue the Joint Notice of Privacy Practices to every individual seeking treatment. The Joint Notice of Privacy Practices is in effect April 14, 2003.

POLICY: Gerber Memorial Health Services may use or disclose protected health information of an individual, provided that the individual is informed in advance of the use or disclosure and has the opportunity to agree to or prohibit or restrict the use or disclosure, in accordance with the applicable requirements of federal/state law. To that end, GMHS will issue the Joint Notice of Privacy Practices.

This Joint Notice of Privacy Practices describes how information about an individual may be used and disclosed by GMHS and how the individual may obtain access of this information. This Joint Notice will apply to the privacy practices of:

a. Gerber Memorial Health Services
b. Any health care professional authorized to enter information into the individual's hospital chart
c. Any member or a volunteer group we allow to help the individual while they are in the hospital
d. All employees, staff, and other hospital personnel

This Joint Notice applies only to the individual's health care information and does not imply any legal relationship between GMHS and its Medical Staff.

The Joint Notice of Privacy Practices will also include a description of how an individual's protected health information may be used and/or disclosed, the individual's health information rights, an individual's right to complain, and Gerber Memorial Health Services responsibilities.

An individual will have the right to receive a written copy and may always request a copy of this notice at any time. The Joint Notice will be displayed in clear and prominent locations where it is reasonable to expect an individual seeking service from GMHS will be able to read the Joint Notice. The Joint Notice of Privacy Practices will also be posted on the GMHS website at www.gerberhospital.org .

If the Joint Notice of Privacy Practices is revised, GMHS will make the notice available upon request on or after the effective date of the revision and promptly have the revised notice available and posted.

PROCEDURE:

Gerber Memorial Health Services will provide a copy of the Joint Notice of Privacy Practices to an individual presenting to GMHS for direct treatment. The Joint Notice of Privacy Practices will be issued

a. no later than the date of the first service delivery, including service delivered electronically, to an individual on or after April 14, 2003; or
b. in an emergency situation, as soon as reasonably practicable after the emergency treatment situation.

The individual will have the Joint Notice of Privacy Practices issued to them at the time of registration for services. This may occur in the following departments or units of GMHS:

1. Registration/Office Services Department
2. Emergency Department
3. Specialty Clinics
4. Occupational Medicine
5. Rehab/Life Wellness in Fremont , Newaygo, and White Cloud)
6. Grant Medical Center
7. Hesperia Medical Center
8. Continu-Care

Other departments or areas of GMHS that may have the first contact with the individual for direct treatment, but may not necessarily register that patient, will issue the Joint Notice of Privacy Practices to that individual. These areas will include:

1. Outpatient Surgery
2. Pain Center
3. Diabetes Education
4. Dietary Counseling
5. Cardiac Rehab

At the time of issuing this Joint Notice, the GMHS associate will explain this notice by utilizing the prepared “ Script for Issuing the Joint Notice of Privacy Practices .”

After a full explanation has been given to the individual, a good faith effort will be made to obtain a signed Acknowledgment of receipt of the notice by either the individual or their representative. If an acknowledgment cannot be obtained, GMHS associate will document their good faith effort to obtain the acknowledgment and the reason why the acknowledgment was not obtained.

The Acknowledgment of receipt of the notice will be permanently maintained inside the front cover of the individual's medical record.

GMHS may also provide the Joint Notice to an individual by e-mail if the individual agrees to electronic notice. If the first service delivery to an individual is delivered electronically, GMHS must provide electronic notice automatically and immediately in response to the individual's first request for service. If Gerber Memorial Health Services knows that the e-mail transmission has failed, a paper copy of the Joint Notice must be provided to the individual. The individual retains the right to obtain a paper copy of the Joint Notice from GMHS upon request.