7301 Medical Center Dr.
Suite 103
West Hills, CA 91307-1904

Phone: (818) 346-4411
Fax: (818) 346-1798
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

West Valley Imaging Center, LLC.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Effective September 1, 2005

West Valley Imaging Center uses and shares protected health information about you to provide your health benefits. We use and share your information to carry out treatment, payment and health care operations. We also use and share your information for other reasons as allowed and required by law. We have the duty to keep your health information private. We have policies in place to obey the law. The effective date of this notice is September 1, 2005.

PHI stands for these words, protected health information. PHI means health information that includes your name, patient number or other identifiers, and is used or shared by West Valley Imaging Center.


Why does West Valley Imaging Center use or share your PHI?

We use or share your PHI to provide you with healthcare benefits. Your PHI is used or shared for treatment, payment, and health care operations.

For Treatment.
West Valley Imaging Center may use or share your PHI to give you, or arrange for, your medical care. This treatment also includes referrals between your doctors or other health care providers. For example, we may share information about your health condition with a specialist. This helps the specialist talk about your treatment with your doctor.

For Payment..
West Valley Imaging Center may use or share PHI to receive payment of our bill. This may include claims, approvals for treatment, and decisions about medical need. Your name, your condition, your treatment, and supplies given may be written on the bill. For example, we may let a payor know that you have received our services.

For Health Care Operations.
West Valley Imaging Center may use or share PHI about you to run our company. For example, we may use information from your claim to let you know about a health program that could help you. We may also use or share your PHI to solve patient concerns. Your PHI may also be used to see that our claims are paid right.

Health care operations involve many daily business needs. It includes but is not limited to, the following:

  • Improving quality
  • Actions in health programs to help members with certain conditions (such as asthma)
  • Conducting or arranging for medical review
  • Legal services, including fraud and abuse programs
  • Actions to help us obey laws
  • Address member needs, including solving complaints and grievances
We may also use your PHI to give you reminders about your appointments. We may use your PHI to give you information about other treatment, or other health-related benefits and services.


When can West Valley Imaging Center use or share your PHI without getting written authorization (approval) from you?

The law allows or requires West Valley Imaging Center to use and share your PHI for several other purposes including the following:

Required by law.
We will use or share information about you as required by law. We will share your PHI when required by the Secretary of the Department of Health an Human Services (DHS). This may be for a court case, other legal review, or when required for law enforcement purposes.

Public Health.
Your PHI may be used or shared for public health activities. This may include helping public health agencies to prevent or control disease.

Health Care Oversight.
Your PHI may be used or shared with government agencies. They may need your PHI for audits.

Law Enforcement.
Your PHI may be used or shared with police to help find a suspect, witness or missing person.

Victims of Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence.
Your PHI may be shared with legal authorities if we believe that a person is a victim of abuse or neglect.

Workers Compensation.
Your PHI may be used or shared to obey Workers Compensation laws.

Other Disclosures.
PHI may be shared with funeral directors or coroners to help them to do their jobs. When does West Hills Medical Imaging Center need your written authorization (approval) to use or share your PHI? West Valley Imaging Center needs your written approval to use or share your PHI for a purpose other than those listed in this notice. You may cancel a written approval that you have given us. Your cancellation will not apply to actions already taken by us because of the approval you already gave to us.


What are your health information rights?

You have the right to:

  • Request Restrictions on PHI Uses or Disclosures (Sharing of Your PHI) You may ask us not to share your PHI to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations. You may also ask us to not to share your PHI with family, friends or other persons you name who are involved in your health care. However, we are not required to agree to your request. You will need to fill out a form to make your request.
  • Request Confidential Communications of PHI You may ask West Valley Imaging Center to give you your PHI in a certain way or at a certain place to help keep your PHI private. We will follow reasonable requests, if you tell us how sharing all or a part of that PHI could put your life at risk. You will need to fill out a form to make your request.
  • Review and Copy Your PHI You have a right to review and get a copy of your PHI held by us. This may include records used in making coverage, claims and other decisions as a West Valley Imaging Center patient. You will need to fill out a form to make your request. We may charge you a reasonable fee for copying and mailing the records. In certain cases we may deny the request.
  • Amend Your PHI You may ask that we amend (change) your PHI. This involves only those records kept by us about you as a member. You will need to fill out a form to make your request. You may file a letter disagreeing with us if we deny the request.
  • Receive an Accounting of PHI Disclosures (Sharing of your PHI) You may ask that we give you a list of certain parties that we shared your PHI with during the six years prior to the date of your request. The list will not include PHI shared as follows:

    • for treatment, payment or health care operations;
    • to persons about their own PHI;
    • sharing done with your authorization, or
    • shared prior to April 14, 2003
We will charge a reasonable fee for each list if you ask for this list more than once in a 12-month period. You must fill out a form to request a list of PHI disclosures.

You may make any of the requests listed above, or may get a paper copy of this Notice. Please call our Director of Patient Services at 1-818-346-4411


What can you do if your rights have not been protected?

You may complain to West Valley Imaging Center and to the Department of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. We will not do anything against you for filing a complaint. Your care will not change in any way.

You may complain to us at:

Director of Patient Services
7301 Medical Center Dr., Suite 103,
West Hills, CA 91307
1-818-346-4411

You may file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at:

Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201.


What are the duties of West Valley Imaging Center?

West Valley Imaging Center is required to:
  • Keep your PHI private
  • Give you written information such as this on our duties and privacy practices about your PHI
  • Follow the terms of this Notice
This Notice is Subject to Change West Valley Imaging Center reserves the right to change its information practices and terms of this notice at any time. If we do, the new terms and practices will then apply to all PHI we keep. If we make any material changes, a new notice will be sent to you by US Mail.


Contact Information
If you have any questions, please contact the following office:

Director of Patient Services
West Valley Imaging Center, LLC.,
7301 Medical Center Dr., Suite 103,
West Hills, CA 91307

Phone: 1-818-346-4411
©2004-2005; West Valley Imaging Center