Privacy Policy

Notice of Privacy Practices

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.

Our commitment

Bren OBGYN ("we" or "the practice") is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI), to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI in accordance with applicable law. We follow the terms of this notice while it is in effect.

Practice: Kathleen Bren, MD, FACOG · Bren OBGYN · Sibley Memorial Hospital area · 5215 Loughboro Road NW, Suite 520, Washington, DC 20016 · drbren@brenobgyn.com.

How we may use and disclose your PHI

The following categories describe ways we may use and disclose PHI without your written authorization, when permitted by law.

Treatment

We may use and share PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your care. Examples include consulting with other clinicians, coordinating with Sibley Memorial Hospital or Maternal-Fetal Medicine when imaging or delivery services are involved, and communicating with laboratories or pharmacies involved in your care.

Payment

We may use and share PHI to obtain payment for services. As a fee-for-service practice, this may include preparing superbills or documentation you submit for out-of-network reimbursement, billing for professional services, and communicating with insurers when you ask us to do so or when otherwise allowed.

Healthcare operations

We may use and share PHI for practice operations such as quality review, staff training, licensing, accreditation, business planning, and customer service related to your care experience.

Other uses permitted or required by law

Examples include disclosures:

• Required by law, court order, or lawful government request.
• For public health activities (such as reporting certain diseases or adverse events when required).
• Relating to victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, when required or permitted.
• For health oversight activities, including audits and investigations.
• To coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors as authorized by law.
• To avert a serious threat to health or safety.
• For workers' compensation or similar programs, as applicable.

We may also contact you about appointments, refill or follow-up reminders, and care-related logistics using the phone, email, or other contacts you provide.

Uses and disclosures that require authorization

Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes (if applicable), uses and disclosures for marketing, and disclosures that constitute a sale of PHI require your written authorization. Other uses and disclosures not described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we have already relied on it.

Your rights

You have the right to:

• Inspect and obtain a copy of PHI we maintain about you in a designated record set, with limited exceptions.
• Request an amendment if you believe PHI is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request in certain cases and will explain why in writing.
• Request an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI made by us, subject to legal limits.
• Request restrictions on certain uses or disclosures. We are not required to agree to every request, except as required by law for certain paid-in-full services.
• Request confidential communications, such as contacting you at an alternate address or phone number, when reasonable.
• Receive a paper copy of this notice upon request, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

To exercise these rights, contact the practice at the phone or email above. We will respond within the timeframes required by law.

Our duties

We are required to abide by the terms of this notice. We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and to make the revised notice effective for PHI we already have as well as information we receive in the future. The revised notice will be posted in the office and on our website, with an updated effective date.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the practice by contacting us at drbren@brenobgyn.com. You may also 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.

Acknowledgment

When you become a patient, we will ask you to acknowledge receipt of this Notice of Privacy Practices. Choosing care with Bren OBGYN after receiving this notice constitutes awareness of these practices.