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.
Effective Date: April 6, 2026 Maverick County Hospital District — 3406 Bob Rogers Dr Eagle Pass, TX 78852
OUR PLEDGE TO YOU
Maverick County Hospital District is committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes your rights regarding your Protected Health Information (“PHI”) and our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to that information, in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the HITECH Act.
We are required by law to:
- Maintain the privacy of your PHI
- Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices
- Notify you if we cannot accommodate a requested restriction
- Notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured PHI
- Abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
Treatment We may use or disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and any related services. For example, we may disclose your PHI to physicians, nurses, technicians, or other personnel who are involved in your care at our facility.
Payment We may use and disclose your PHI so that we can bill and receive payment from you, an insurance company, or another third party for the treatment and services you received.
Healthcare Operations We may use and disclose your PHI in connection with our healthcare operations, including quality assessment, employee review activities, training programs, accreditation, licensing, and conducting or arranging for other business activities.
Other Permitted Uses and Disclosures Without Your Authorization:
- As required by law (federal, state, or local)
- Public health activities (disease reporting, FDA notifications, etc.)
- Victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
- Health oversight activities (audits, inspections, investigations)
- Judicial and administrative proceedings
- Law enforcement purposes as permitted by law
- Decedents (coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors)
- Organ and tissue donation
- Research (subject to privacy board approval)
- To avert a serious threat to health or safety
- Specialized government functions (military, national security)
- Workers’ compensation programs
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
Right to Inspect and Copy You have the right to inspect and copy your PHI contained in a designated record set. We may charge a reasonable fee for copies. We will respond to your request within 30 days.
Right to Amend If you believe the health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. We may deny your request under certain circumstances.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI during the 6 years prior to the date of your request. This right does not include disclosures made for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.
Right to Request Restrictions You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the PHI we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, or on what we disclose to someone involved in your care.
Right to Request Confidential Communications You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice You have the right to a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.
Right to Opt Out of Fundraising Communications If we contact you for fundraising purposes, you have the right to opt out of receiving such communications.
USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRING YOUR WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION
Other uses and disclosures of your PHI not described in this Notice will be made only with your written authorization, including:
- Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes
- Uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes
- Disclosures that constitute a sale of PHI
- Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice
If you authorize us to use or disclose your PHI, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time.
SPECIAL PROTECTIONS FOR CERTAIN HEALTH INFORMATION
Certain types of health information receive special protection under federal and Texas state law, including:
- Mental health and psychiatric records
- HIV/AIDS status and related information
- Substance abuse treatment records
- Genetic information (GINA protections apply)
- Reproductive health information
We apply additional restrictions for these categories as required by applicable law.
TEXAS STATE PRIVACY RIGHTS
As a patient in the State of Texas, you have additional rights under the Texas Medical Records Privacy Act (TMRPA) and other state laws:
- Right to receive a complete copy of your medical record upon request
- Right to have incorrect information in your record corrected
- Right to know who has accessed your records
- Right to designate an authorized representative to act on your behalf
- Stricter restrictions on disclosure of mental health, substance abuse, and HIV-related information
For more information about your rights under Texas law, contact the Texas Medical Board or the Texas Department of State Health Services.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
We reserve the right to change this notice and make the revised or changed notice effective for health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice in our facility and on our website.
HOW TO FILE A COMPLAINT
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer or with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
Privacy Officer — Maverick County Hospital District 3406 Bob Rogers Dr Eagle Pass, TX 78852 Tel: 830-757-4900 mchdep.org@gmail.com
U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services — Office for Civil Rights 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201 Tel: 1-877-696-6775 (toll-free) www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy
For questions about this Notice, please contact our Privacy Officer at 830-757-4900.