Family Medicine

Minor Emergencies

Occupational Medicine

Physicians Pointe

Family Medicine

Minor Emergencies

Occupational Medicine

ATTENTION:

Our office is still accepting patients with United Healthcare insurance.

We are aware letters have been sent by United Healthcare notifying otherwise but the situation has been settled and our office is still a participating provider with United Healthcare.

WALK-INS

Please be aware that there is no guarantee you will be seen the same day if you walk into the office without calling first as it all depends on how many walk-ins have already called ahead or walked-in before you. Walk-ins are welcome though we do limit the number of walk-ins we see on a daily basis.  We highly recommend you call the office first to see if there are any walk-in slots available.

Our Services

TELEHEALTH

wE ARE NOW OFFERING TELEHEALTH VISITS ON wEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS.

pLEASE CONTACT OUR OFFICE FOR DETAILS.

DR. NORVIN I. ONA
Physicians Pointe

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
As Required by the Privacy Regulations Created as a Result of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU (AS A PATIENT OF THIS PRACTICE) MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED, AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO YOUR INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFIABLE HEALTH INFORMATION.

PLEASE REVIEW THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY

A. OUR COMMITMENT TO YOUR PRIVACY

Our practice is dedicated to maintaining the privacy of your individually identifiable health information (IIHI). In
conducting our business, we will create records regarding you and the treatment and services we provide to you. by
law to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and the privacy practices that we maintain in our practice
concerning your IIHI. By federal and state law, we must follow the terms of the notice of privacy practices that we
have in effect at the time.

We realize that these laws are complicated, but we must provide you with the following important information:

•   How we may use and disclose your IIHI
•   Your privacy rights in your IIHI
•   Our obligations concerning the use and disclosure of your IIHI

The terms of this notice apply to all records containing your IIHI that are created or retained by our practice. We
reserve the right to revise or amend this Notice of Privacy Practices. Any revision or amendment to this notice will be
effective for all of your records that our practice has created or maintained in the past, and for any of your records
that we may create or maintain in the future. Our practice will post a copy of our current Notice in our offices in a
visible location at all times, and you may request a copy of our most current Notice at any time.

B. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS NOTICE, PLEASE CONTACT:
The Privacy Officer at 1925 Old Peachtree Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, Phone: (770) 339-5999.

C. WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFIABLE HEALTH INFORMATION (IIHI) IN THE
FOLLOWING WAYS:

The following categories describe the different ways in which we may use and disclose your IIHI.

1. Treatment. Our practice may use your IIHI to treat you. For example, we may ask you to have laboratory tests,
and we may use the results to help us reach a diagnosis. We might use your IIHI in order to write a prescription for
you, or we might disclose your IIHI to a pharmacy when we order a prescription for you. Many of the people who
work for our practice – including, but not limited to, our doctors and nurses – may use or disclose your IIHI in order to
treat you or to assist others in your treatment. Additionally, we may disclose your IIHI to others who may assist in
your care, such as your spouse, children or parents.
Finally, we may also disclose your IIHI to other health care providers for purposes related to your treatment.

2. Treatment Options. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI to inform you of potential treatment options or
alternatives.

3. Health-Related Benefits and Services. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI to inform you of health-related
benefits or services that may be of interest to you.

4. Health Care Operations. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI to operate our business. As examples of
the ways in which we may use and disclose your information for our operations, our practice may use your IIHI to
evaluate the quality of care you received from us, or to conduct cost-management and business planning activities
for our practice. We may disclose your IIHI to other health care providers and entities to assist in their health care
operations.

5. Appointment Reminders. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI to contact you and remind you of an
appointment.

6. Payment. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI in order to bill and collect payment for the services and
items you may receive from us. For example, we may contact your health insurer to certify that you are eligible for
benefits, and we may provide your insurer with details regarding your treatment to determine if your insurer will
cover, or pay for, your treatment. We also may use and disclose your IIHI to obtain payment from third parties that
may be responsible for such costs, such as family members. Also, we may use your IIHI to bill you directly for
services and items. We may disclose your IIHI to other health care providers and entities to assist in their billing and
collection efforts.

7. Release of Information to Family/Friends. Our practice may release your IIHI to a friend or family member that is
involved in your care, or who assists in taking care of you. For example, a parent or guardian may ask that a
babysitter take their child to the pediatrician’s office for treatment of a cold. In this example, the babysitter may have
access to this child’s medical information.

8. Disclosures Required By Law. Our practice will use and disclose your IIHI when we are required to do so by
federal, state or local law.

D. USE AND DISCLOSURE OF YOUR IIHI IN CERTAIN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

The following categories describe unique scenarios in which we may use or disclose your identifiable health
information:

1. Public Health Risks. Our practice may disclose your IIHI to public health authorities that are authorized by law to
collect information for the purpose of:

•   maintaining vital records, such as births and deaths
•   reporting child abuse or neglect
•   preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability
•   notifying a person regarding potential exposure to a communicable disease
•   notifying a person regarding a potential risk for spreading or contracting a disease or condition
•   reporting reactions to drugs or problems with products or devices
•   notifying individuals if a product or device they may be using has been recalled
•   notifying appropriate government agency (s) and authority (s) regarding the potential abuse or neglect of an
adult patient (including domestic violence); however, we will only disclose this information if the patient agrees
or we are required or authorized by law to disclose this information
•   notifying your employer under limited circumstances related primarily to workplace injury or illness or medical
surveillance.

2. Health Oversight Activities. Our practice may disclose your IIHI to a health oversight agency for activities
authorized by law. Oversight activities can include, for example, investigations, inspections, audits, surveys,
licensure and disciplinary actions; civil, administrative, and criminal procedures or actions; or other activities
necessary for the government to monitor government programs, compliance with civil rights laws and the health care
system in general.

3. Lawsuits and Similar Proceedings. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI in response to a court or
administrative order, if you are involved in a lawsuit or similar proceeding. We also may disclose your IIHI in
response to a discovery request, subpoena, or other lawful process by another party involved in the dispute, but
only if we have made an effort to inform you of the request or to obtain an order protecting the information the party
has requested.

4. Law Enforcement. We may release IIHI if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:

•   Regarding a crime victim in certain situations, if we are unable to obtain the person’s agreement
•   Concerning a death we believe has resulted from criminal conduct
•   Regarding criminal conduct at our offices
•   In response to a warrant, summons, court order, subpoena or similar legal process
•   To identify/locate a suspect, material witness, fugitive or missing person
•   In an emergency, to report a crime (including the location or victim(s) of the crime, or the description,
identity or location of the perpetrator)

5. Deceased Patients. Our practice may release IIHI to a medical examiner or coroner to identify a deceased
individual or to identify the cause of death. If necessary, we also may release information in order for funeral
directors to perform their jobs.

6. Organ and Tissue Donation. Our practice may release your IIHI to organizations that handle organ, eye or tissue
procurement or transplantation, including organ donation banks, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation
and transplantation if you are an organ donor.

7. Research. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI for research purposes in certain limited circumstances.
We will obtain your written authorization to use your IIHI for research purposes except when an Internal Review Board
or Privacy Board has determined that the waiver of your authorization satisfies the following: (i) the use or disclosure
involves no more than a minimal risk to your privacy based on the following: (A) an adequate plan to protect the
identifiers from improper use and disclosure; (B) an adequate plan to destroy the identifiers at the earliest
opportunity consistent with the research (unless there is a health or research justification for retaining the identifiers
or such retention is otherwise required by law); and (C) adequate written assurances that the PHI will not be re-used
or disclosed to any other person or entity (except as required by law) for authorized oversight of the research study,
or for other research for which the use or disclosure would otherwise be permitted; (ii) the research could not
practicably be conducted without the waiver; and (iii) the research could not practicably be conducted without access
to and use of the IIHI.

8. Serious Threats to Health or Safety. Our practice may use and disclose your IIHI when necessary to reduce or
prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of another individual or the public. Under
these circumstances, we will only make disclosures to a person or organization able to help prevent the threat.

9. Military. Our practice may disclose your IIHI if you are a member of U.S. or foreign military forces (including
veterans) and if required by the appropriate authorities.

10. National Security. Our practice may disclose your IIHI to federal officials for intelligence and national security
activities authorized by law. We also may disclose your IIHI to federal officials in order to protect the President, other
officials or foreign heads of state, or to conduct investigations.

11. Inmates. Our practice may disclose your IIHI to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials if you are an
inmate or under the custody of a law enforcement official. Disclosure for these purposes would be necessary: (a) for
the institution to provide health care services to you, (b) for the safety and security of the institution, and/or (c) to
protect your health and safety or the health and safety of other individuals.

12. Workers’ Compensation. Our practice may release your IIHI for workers’ compensation and similar programs.

E. YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR IIHI

You have the following rights regarding the IIHI that we maintain about you:

1. Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that our practice communicate with you about your
health and related issues in a particular manner or at a certain location. For instance, you may ask that we contact
you at home, rather than work. In order to request a type of confidential communication, you must make a written
request to The Privacy Officer at 1925 Old Peachtree Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30043 specifying the requested
method of contact, or the location where you wish to be contacted. Our practice will accommodate reasonable
requests. You do not need to give a reason for your request.

2. Requesting Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction in our use or disclosure of your IIHI for
treatment, payment or health care operations. Additionally, you have the right to request that we restrict our
disclosure of your IIHI to only certain individuals involved in your care or the payment for your care, such as family
members and friends. We are not required to agree to your request; however, if we do agree, we are bound by our
agreement except when otherwise required by law, in emergencies, or when the information is necessary to treat
you. In order to request a restriction in our use or disclosure of your IIHI, you must make your request in writing to
The Privacy Officer at 1925 Old Peachtree Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30043. Your request must describe in a clear
and concise fashion:

(a)   the information you wish restricted;
(b)   whether you are requesting to limit our practice’s use, disclosure or both; and
(c)   to whom you want the limits to apply.

3. Right to Provide an Authorization for Other Uses and Disclosures. Our practice will obtain your written
authorization for uses and disclosures that are not identified by this notice or permitted by applicable law. Any
authorization you provide to us regarding the use and disclosure of your IIHI may be revoked at any time in writing.
After you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose your IIHI for the reasons described in the
authorization. Please note, we are required to retain records of your care.

4. Amendment. You may ask us to amend your health information if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete, and
you may request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for our practice. To request an
amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to The Privacy Officer at 770-339-5999. You must
provide us with a reason that supports your request for amendment. Our practice will deny your request if you fail to
submit your request (and the reason supporting your request) in writing. Also, we may deny your request if you ask
us to amend information that is in our opinion: (a) accurate and complete; (b) not part of the IIHI kept by or for the
practice; (c) not part of the IIHI which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or (d) not created by our practice,
unless the individual or entity that created the information is not available to amend the information.

5. Accounting of Disclosures. All of our patients have the right to request an “accounting of disclosures.” An
“accounting of disclosures” is a list of certain non-routine disclosures our practice has made of your IIHI for non-
treatment, non-payment or non-operations purposes. Use of your IIHI as part of the routine patient care in our
practice is not required to be documented. For example, the doctor sharing information with the nurse; or the billing
department using your information to file your insurance claim. In order to obtain an accounting of disclosures, you
must submit your request in writing to The Privacy Officer at 1925 Old Peachtree Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30043,
Phone: 770-339-5999. All requests for an “accounting of disclosures” must state a time period, which may not be
longer than six (6) years from the date of disclosure and may not include dates before April 14, 2003. The first list
you request within a 12-month period is free of charge, but our practice may charge you for additional lists within the
same 12-month period. Our practice will notify you of the costs involved with additional requests, and you may
withdraw your request before you incur any costs.

6. Inspection and Copies. You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of the IIHI that may be used to make
decisions about you, including patient medical records and billing records, but not including psychotherapy notes.
You must submit your request in writing to The Privacy Officer at 1925 Old Peachtree Road, Lawrenceville, GA
30043 in order to inspect and/or obtain a copy of your IIHI. Our practice may charge a fee for the costs of copying,
mailing, labor and supplies associated with your request. Our practice may deny your request to inspect and/or
copy in certain limited circumstances; however, you may request a review of our denial. Another licensed health
care professional chosen by us will conduct reviews.

7. Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice. You are entitled to receive a paper copy of our notice of privacy practices.
You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. To obtain a paper copy of this notice, contact The
Privacy Officer at 770-339-5999.

8. Right to File a Complaint. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our
practice or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with our
practice, contact The Privacy Officer at 1925 Old Peachtree Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, Phone: 770-339-
5999. All complaints must be submitted in writing. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

Again, if you have any questions regarding this notice or our health information privacy policies, please contact The
Privacy Officer at 1925 Old Peachtree Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, Phone: 770-339-5999.