1. Treatment
HCPH may use or disclose your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage health care or related services. This includes providing care to you, consulting with another health care provider about you, and referring you to another health care provider. For example, HCPH can disclose your health information to refer you to a high-risk clinic or a hospital for services. HCPH may also contact you to remind you of an appointment or to tell you about other health-related information that may be of interest to you.
2. Payment
HCPH may use or disclose health information about you to pay or collect payment for your health care. For example, HCPH can use or disclose your health information to bill your insurance company, Medicaid, or other funding sources such as The Texas Department of Health, for health care provided to you.
3. Health Care Operations
HCPH may use or disclose health information about you for health care operations. Health care operations include:
- Conducting quality assessments, improvement activities, training health-care professionals
- Analyzing and displaying geographical data to identify and monitor infection sources and communicable diseases
- The general administrative activities of HCPH.
4. Family Member, Other Relative, or Close Personal Friend
HCPH may disclose health information about you to a family member, other relative or close personal friend when the health information is related to that person’s involvement with your care or payment for your care and you have had an opportunity to stop or limit the disclosure before it happens.
5. Health Oversight Activities
HCPH may sometimes use or disclose health information about you for health oversight activities. Health oversight activities include audits, inspections, and investigations of possible fraud.
6. Public Health
HCPH may disclose health information about you to a public health authority for purposes of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability, or to report vital statistics; and problems with FDA-regulated products or activities.
7. Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence
If HCPH believes you are the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence we may disclose health information about you to a governmental agency that requires reports of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence as mandated by Texas law.
8. Serious Threat to Health or Safety
HCPH may use or disclose health information about you if we believe the use or disclosure is needed to prevent or lessen a serious and immediate threat to the health and safety of a person or the public.
9. As Required by Texas Law
HCPH may use or disclose health information about you when a law requires the use or disclosure.
10. Contractors
HCPH may disclose health information about you to a contractor if the contractor needs the information to perform services for us and agrees to protect the privacy of your information.
11. Purposes Relating to Death
HCPH may disclose health information about you to hospitals for the purpose of organ transplants, coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors.
12. Research
HCPH may use or disclose health information about you for research if the HCPH Research Review Committee approves the use. The committee will ensure that your privacy is protected when your health information is used in research.
13. HCPH Does Not Use Your Information For Marketing Purposes.