HIPAA Privacy Office

Bertram C. Oparaku, JD, MPH, CHC, CHPC
Chief Privacy Officer
Phone: 956-665-2652
Email: privacy@utrgv.edu

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(877) 882-3999

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Notice of Privacy Practices

Dear Patient,

Federal law mandates UT Rio Grande Valley to provide this Notice of Privacy Practices ("Notice") to all persons and to make a good faith effort to obtain a signed document acknowledging patients' receipt of this Notice.  If you have any questions about this notice, please call me at (956) 665-2652.

Thank you,
UTRGV Chief Privacy Officer

When is the notice effective?

This notice became effective on June 17, 2019. UTRGV reserves the right to change this notice after the effective date. We reserve the right to make the revised notice apply for all health information that we already have about you, as well as any information we receive in the future. This is the current notice. (Last revision: October 2022)

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record

  • You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
  • We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask us to correct your medical record

  • You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
  • We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications.

  • You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
  • We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share

  • You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.
  • If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information

  • You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
  • We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Get a copy of this privacy notice

You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.

Choose someone to act for you

  • If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
  • We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

  • You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting the Privacy Officer at utrgv.ethicspoint.com or (877-882-3999).
  • You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.
  • We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

  • Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
  • Share information in a disaster relief situation.
    If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are incapacitated, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

  • Marketing purposes
  • Sale of your information
  • Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

In the case of fundraising:

  • We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

What are our responsibilities to you?

  • Your health information is personal. We are required by law to protect the privacy of your health information.
  • We will only release your health information as allowed by law or with special written permission (authorization) from you.
  • We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
  • We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
  • We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.
  • We use the minimal amount of information needed to do our work. Only those who need your health information to provide services are allowed to use it. UTRGV protects your information whether verbal, on paper or electronic.

How do we use and release your health information?

UTRGV primarily maintains your health information in a secure electronic format. Your health information will most often be used, shared, or disclosed electronically. The following section explains some of the ways we are permitted to use and release health information without authorization from you.

Use and release of your health information without your authorization

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

Treat you

We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.

Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.

Run our organization

We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.

Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.

Bill for your services

We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.

Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.

Help with public health and safety issues

We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:

  • Preventing disease
  • Helping with product recalls
  • Reporting adverse reactions to medications
  • Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
  • Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety

Do research

We can use or share your information for certain research purposes, but only if protections are in place to ensure the privacy of your information.

Comply with the law

We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests

We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director

We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.

Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests

We can use or share health information about you:

  • For workers’ compensation claims
  • For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
  • With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
  • For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

Other Instructions for Notice

If you have questions or concerns about the privacy of your health information, please contact the HIPAA Privacy Officer at privacy@utrgv.edu or 956-665-2652.

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our web site.

Effective Date of this Notice 06/17/2019.

Additional rights under European Union law

UTRGV intends to comply with all EU law concerning personal data and collects data for the lawful purpose of providing health care services. You may have additional rights under EU law. For additional information or for actions to exercise these additional rights under EU law, please contact the Privacy Office.

What can you do if you have a complaint?

If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with UTRGV or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. To receive help in filing a complaint with UTRGV, you may contact the Privacy Office at the address at the end of this notice. You will not be denied treatment or penalized in any way if you file a complaint.

Privacy Officer Contact Information

The Chief Privacy Officer
UTRGV Administrative Office
701 E. Expressway 83,
MRIO 3.404 (3rd floor)
McAllen, TX 78501
privacy@utrgv.edu