Ethics & Patient Rights
Lifespan Joint Privacy Notice
4. Other Uses or Disclosures of Your Protected Health Information
All other uses or disclosures of your protected health information
will be made only with your written authorization, consent, or after
you have been given the opportunity to object and you have decided
not to object. If you authorize or agree to a use and disclosure
now, you can change your mind later on. If you do change your mind,
you must let us know in writing. If and when you take back your
permission, we will stop using or disclosing your protected health
information pursuant to your written authorization to the greatest
extent practical. You understand that we are unable to take back
any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and that
we are required to retain our records of the care that we provide
to you.
Below, we have provided a few examples of situations where we need
to ask you before we can use or share your medical information.
If a particular use or disclosure does not appear on this list or
on the list set forth in Section 3 of this Notice,
you can assume we will not use or disclose your protected health
information without first asking your permission.
A. Hospital Directory—Except for patients being treated
for mental health reasons, unless you object we will include certain
limited information about you in the hospital directory while you
are in the hospital. This information may include your name, location
in the hospital, your general condition (e.g., fair, stable, etc.)
and your religious affiliation. The directory information, except
for your religious affiliation, may also be released to people who
ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation may be given to
a member of the clergy, such as a priest or rabbi, even if they
don't ask for you by name. This is so your family, friends and clergy
can visit you in the hospital and generally know how you are doing.
However, for patients treated for mental health reasons, we will
not disclose that the patient is receiving care at the hospital,
unless an official at the hospital determines that the release of
such information to any of the following persons is in the patient's
best interest: (1) members of the patient's family, (2) the patient's
lawyer; or (3) the patient's guardian or conservator.
B. Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care—Unless
you object in writing, we may release the fact of your admission
and a general description of your condition to another person, such
as a relative or friend, who is involved in your care, or who helps
pay for your care. Also, we may use or disclose your protected health
information to an authorized public or private entity to assist
in disaster relief efforts and to coordinate permitted uses and
disclosures to family or other individuals involved in your health
care. In cases where you are not present or able to agree or object,
the health care providers will use their professional judgment to
determine whether it is in your best interest for them to make disclosures
permitted by law.
C. Research—Except for research described in Section
3 of this Notice, we may not use or disclose your protected health
information for research purposes unless you authorize us to do
so.
D. Psychotherapy Notes—In general, we will not use
or disclose information recorded by a mental health professional
to document or analyze conversations with you, unless you authorize
us to do so. However, we can use or disclose such protected health
information without your authorization for the following purposes:
(1) the health professional who recorded the information can use
it to treat you; (2) in limited situations, Lifespan can use or
disclose the information in connection with mental health counseling
training that occurs at Lifespan; and (3) Lifespan can use a patient's
psychotherapy notes to defend against any legal proceeding brought
by a patient.
E. Marketing—We must get your authorization before
we use or disclose your protected health information for marketing,
with two exceptions. Face-to-face marketing (for example, your doctor
mentions a new product to you during a visit) can occur without
your authorization. Also, we may offer you small promotional gifts
without your authorization.
Section 5. Your Rights Regarding Your Medical Information 
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