Terms & Policies

HOOVER, BACHMAN & ASSOCIATES, INC.

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.

Uses and Disclosures
There are a number of situations where we may use or disclose to other persons or entities your confidential medical information. Your confidential medical information is defined under federal law as “protected health information” (“PHI”). When we retain your confidential medical information on its computer system, it is called “electronic protected health information” (“ePHI”). This Notice applies to all PHI and ePHI related to your care that we have created or received. It also applies to any personal or general information we receive from patients, including information contained on driver’s licenses. Certain uses and disclosures will require you to sign an Acknowledgement that you received our Notice of Privacy Practices, including treatment, payment and health care operations. Any use or disclosure of your protected health information required for anything other than treatment, payment or health care operations requires you to sign an Authorization. Certain disclosures required by law or under emergency circumstances, may be made without your Acknowledgement or Authorization. Under any circumstance, we will use or disclose only the minimum amount of information necessary from your medical records to accomplish the intended purpose of the disclosure.

Use and Disclosure without Patient Acknowledgement of this Notice
We will attempt in good faith to obtain your signed Acknowledgement that you received this Notice to use and disclose your confidential medical information for the following purposes:

Treatment: We will use your medical information to make decisions about the provision, coordination or management of your health care, including diagnosing your condition and determining the appropriate treatment for that condition. It may also be necessary to share your medical information with another health care provider whom we need to consult with respect to your care.

Payment: We may need to use or disclose information in your medical record to obtain reimbursement from you or your health insurance plan, or another insurer for our services rendered to you. This may also include determinations of eligibility or coverage under the appropriate health plan, pre-certification and pre-authorization of services or review of services for purposes of reimbursement. This information may also be used for billing, claims management and collection purposes together with related health care data processing through our system.

Operations: Your medical records may be used in our business planning and development operations, including improvement in our methods of operation, and general administrative functions. We may also use the information in our overall compliance planning, medical review activities, and arranging for legal and auditing functions.

Use and Disclosure Without Acknowledgement or Authorization
There are certain circumstances under which we may use or disclose your medical information without first obtaining your Acknowledgement or Authorization. Those circumstances generally involve public health and oversight activities, law enforcement activities, judicial and administrative proceedings and in the event of death. Specifically, we are required to report to certain agencies information concerning certain communicable diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS status. We are also required to report instances of suspected or documented abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We are required to report to appropriate agencies and law enforcement officials information that you or another person are in immediate threat of danger to your health or safety as a result of violent activity. We must also provide medical record information when ordered by a court of law to do so.

Authorization for Use or Disclosure
Except as outlined in the above sections, your medical information will not be used or disclosed to any other person or entity without your specific Authorization, which may be revoked at any time. In particular, except to the extent disclosure has been made to governmental entities required by law to maintain the confidentiality of the information, information will not be further disclosed to any other person or entity with respect to information concerning mental health treatment, drug and alcohol abuse, HIV/AIDS, or sexually transmitted diseases which may be contained in your medical records without your specific written consent and authorization. We likewise will not disclose your medical record information to an employer for purposes of making employment decisions, to a liability insurer or attorney as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident, or to educational authorities, without your written authorization. Your medical information will not be disclosed for marketing purposes or sold to any third party without your authorization.

Other uses and disclosures of your medical record information not covered by this Notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. If you provide us with permission to use or disclose information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. You understand that we are unable to “take back” any disclosures that we have already made with your permission and that we are required to keep any records of the care that we provided to you.

Additional Uses and Disclosures

Advice of Appointment and Services: The Practice may, from time to time, contact you to provide appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other health related benefits and services that may interest you. The following appointment reminders may be used by the Practice: a) postcard mailed to you at your address provided by you; and b) telephoning your home and leaving a message on your answering machine or with the individual answering the phone.

Individual Rights
You have certain rights with respect to your medical record information, as follows:

You may request that we restrict the uses and disclosures of your medical records information for treatment, payment and operations, or restrictions involving your care or payment related to that care. We are not required to agree to the restriction; however, if we agree, we will comply with it, except with respect to emergencies, disclosure of the information to you, or if we are otherwise required by law to make a full disclosure without restriction.
You may also request a restriction on disclosure of protected health information to a health plan for purpose of payment or health care operations if you paid for the services out of your own pocket, in full. This does not apply to services that are covered by insurance. You are required to pay cash, in full, for the services before the restriction applies.
With respect to ePHI, we agree to give you your ePHI in the form and format requested by you, if it is readily producible in that form or format. If it is not readily producible in the form or format requested, we will give you a readable hard copy form. Any directive given to us by you to transmit ePHI must be done in writing by you, signed and clearly identify the designated person and location to send the ePHI. We will provide you access to your PHI or ePHI within thirty (30) days from the date of request.
You have the right to request receipt of confidential communications of your medical information by an alternative means or at an alternative location. If you require such an accommodation, you will be charged a fee for the accommodation and will be required to specify the alternative address or method of contact and how payment will be handled.
You have the right to inspect, copy and request amendment to your medical records. Access to your medical records will not include psychotherapy notes contained in them, or information compiled in anticipation of or for use in a civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding or for which your access is otherwise restricted by law. We will charge a reasonable fee for providing a copy of your medical records, or a summary of those records, at your request, which includes the cost of copying, postage, or preparation of an explanation or summary of the information.
We may deny any request for amendment of your PHI or ePHI if the information was not created by us (unless the originator of the information is no longer available to act on your request); is not part of the designated record set maintained by us; is not part of the information to which you have a right of access; or is already accurate and complete, as determined by us. If we deny your request for an amendment, we will give you a written denial including the reasons for the denial and the right to submit a written statement disagreeing with the denial.
All requests for inspection, copying and/or amending information in your medical records must be made in writing and be addressed to “Privacy Officer” at our address. We will respond to your request in a timely fashion.
You have a limited right to receive an accounting of all disclosures we make to other persons or entities of your medical records information except for disclosures required for treatment, payment and health care operations, disclosures that require an Authorization, disclosures incidental to another permissible use or disclosure, and otherwise as allowed by law. We will not charge you for the first accounting in any 12-month period; however, we will charge you a reasonable fee for each subsequent request for an accounting within the same 12-month period.
You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this notice if the notice was initially provided to you electronically, and to take one home with you if you wish.
All requests related to your rights herein must be made in writing and addressed to “Privacy Officer” at the address noted below.
You have the right to receive notification from us if any breach of your unsecured protected health information occurs.

Our Duties
We have the following duties with respect to the maintenance, use and disclosure of your medical records:

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of the protected health information in your medical records and to provide you with this Notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to that information.
We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice currently in effect.
We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time, making the new provisions effective for all health information and medical records we have and continue to maintain. All changes in this Notice will be prominently displayed and available at our office.

Complaints
You may file a written complaint to us or to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights with respect to confidential information in your medical records have been violated. All complaints must be in writing and must be addressed to the Privacy Officer (in the case of a complaint to us) or to the person designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if we cannot resolve your concerns. You will not be retaliated against for filing such a complaint. More information is available about complaints on line at the government’s website: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa.

This Notice of Privacy Practices shall not be construed as a contract or legally binding agreement. Any non-compliance with any provision of this Notice shall not be construed as a breach of contract, breach of confidentiality, invasion of privacy, misappropriation of name or likeness, violation of any consumer protection law, negligence or violation of any state law. By signing the Acknowledgment of Receipt of this Notice, you agree that the sole legal recourse for our non-compliance with this Notice is to file a written complaint to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and that no complaint or cause of action may be filed in any federal or state court for breach of contract, breach of confidentiality, invasion of privacy, misappropriation of name or likeness, violation of any consumer protection law, negligence or violation of any state law, or under any tort theory.

Contact Person
All questions concerning this Notice, or requests made pursuant to it, should be addressed to:
Justin Hoover, Privacy Officer
104 S. Washington
Junction City, KS 66441
justin@gearyrehab.com

Effective Date
This Notice is effective April 14, 2003 and revised September 23, 2016 and applies to all protected health information contained in your medical records maintained by us.

Fitness Membership Policy

Check-In
You must check in at the front desk with your swipe card at each visit.

Membership Cancellation Policy
EFT or credit/debit membership types will auto-renew each month. This authority is to remain in full force and effect until company and depository has received written notification of its termination in such time and manner as to afford Geary Rehab & Fitness Center 30 days to act on it.

Prepaid or lump sum payment memberships will not be refunded unless you are within (2) days of your membership start date or if you qualify for one of the three categories below:

Medical Disability: You must provide Geary Rehab & Fitness Center with verification from your physician stating your medical disability will prevent you from using our facilities.
Active Duty Military Transfer or Extended Volunteer Assignment: You must provide Geary Rehab & Fitness Center with a copy of your transfer, deployment or extended volunteer assignment orders.
Temporary Employment Transfer: You must provide Geary Rehab & Fitness Center with verification from your employer, on company letterhead, that you are being temporarily transferred.

Membership Freeze Policy
Geary Rehab & Fitness Center will only freeze your membership if you are in good standing, you are current on your monthly dues, you provide a reasonable amount of time to process your request, and you qualify for one of the three categories below:

Medical Disability: You must provide Geary Rehab & Fitness Center with verification from your physician stating your medical disability will prevent you from using our facilities.
Active Duty Military Transfer or Extended Volunteer Assignment: You must provide Geary Rehab & Fitness Center with a copy of your transfer, deployment or extended volunteer assignment orders.
Extended Vacation: Extended vacations or seasonal traveling over 30 days. Other requests not falling under these categories for membership freeze will be reviewed by Geary Rehab & Fitness Center.
Dues During Freeze: Once Geary Rehab & Fitness Center approves a membership freeze no further dues will be collected until your unfreeze date. In the event your membership is prepaid, the term of the prepaid membership shall be extended, without further dues, for the same period of the freeze. The minimum time your account may be frozen is 30 days for any reason.
Freeze Request Decisions: If your request does not conform to this Membership Freeze Policy, you will be notified that your request has been denied and your membership shall remain active unless cancelled. Exceptions will be made with certain circumstances.

Personal Training
Personal training sessions that are not rescheduled or cancelled 24 hours in advance will result in forfeiture of the session and a loss of the financial investment at the rate of one session. Clients arriving late will receive the remaining scheduled session time, unless other arrangements have been previously made with the trainer. No personal training refunds will be issued for any reason, including but not limited to relocation, illness, and unused sessions.

No member may train another member for compensation without prior approval. If Geary Rehab & Fitness Center determines that such training occurs at the facility, the trainer and/or trainee may lose their membership.

Fitness Rules

After using the equipment, you MUST wipe it down.
Please be courteous to other members of the facility. Pick up after yourself and return the equipment to where you found it.
Proper athletic attire, including shirt and shoes, is required at all times in the weight room. No open toe shoes or sandals are allowed.
When using free weights, be sure to place safety collars at each end of the bar to hold the weights in place.
Do not remove any equipment from the gym at any time.
Do not bang weights. Lower the stack slowly down to its original position upon completion of repetition.
Unsupervised children are NOT allowed in the weight room at any time.
You must be 16 year of age or older to use this facility without the supervision of an adult.

Violation of Policies or Rules
If any member or guest violates any of the Policies or Rules, Geary Rehab & Fitness Center will ask that person to stop or leave. A member’s violation of any of the Policies or Rules may also cause Geary Rehab & Fitness Center, in its sole discretion, to terminate that person’s membership and/or other agreements.

Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills

When you get emergency care or are treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from balance billing. In these cases, you shouldn’t be charged more than your plan’s copayments, coinsurance and/or deductible.

What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)?
When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of- pocket costs, like a copayment, coinsurance, or deductible. You may have additional costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a healthcare facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.

“Out-of-network” means providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan to provide services. Out-of-network providers may be allowed to bill you for the difference between what your plan pays and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your plan’s deductible or annual out-of-pocket limit.

“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care-like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider. Surprise medical bills could cost thousands of dollars depending on the procedure or service.

You’re protected from balance billing for:

Emergency services
If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most they can bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles). You cannot be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.

Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center
When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers can bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed.

If you get other types of services at these in-network facilities, out-of network providers cannot balance bill you, unless you give written consent and give up your protections.

You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get out-of-network care. You can choose a provider of facility in your plan’s network.

When balance billing isn’t allowed, you also have these protections:

You’re only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductible that you would pay if the provider or facility was in-network). Your health plan will pay any additional costs to out-of-network providers and facilities directly.

Generally, your health plan must:
- Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for services in advance (also known as “prior authorization”).
- Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.
- Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost-sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.
- Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your in-network deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

If you think you’ve been wrongly billed, contact our billing office at 1-620-208-7878.

You may visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers for more information about your rights under federal law.