Our Uses & Disclosures

Typical Uses

How do we typically use or share your health information? We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

To 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.

To 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.

To 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.

Other Uses & Disclosures

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. For more information please visit the Department of Health and Human Services website.

To Help With Public Health & 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

To Do Research

We can use or share your information for health research.

To 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.

To Respond to Organ & Tissue Donation Requests

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

To 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.

To Address Workers' Compensation, Law Enforcement, & 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

To Respond to Lawsuits & Legal Actions

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

Disclosure to Law Enforcement

Local health departments typically want to cooperate with law enforcement officials but are sometimes constrained by federal or state confidentiality laws, which may prohibit a disclosure altogether, or may allow it but only if certain conditions are met.
Local health departments may disclose protected health information (PHI) to law enforcement officials only if the disclosure is specifically allowed by all confidentiality laws that apply to the information which may include any or all of the following:
- The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule
- North Carolina confidentiality laws, such as the state statute that limits the disclosure of communicable disease information
- Any other applicable federal laws that address the confidentiality of the information, such as the federal regulation restricting the disclosure of information about Title X family planning clients