Privacy Policy

Policy Statement

This Patient Privacy Policy describes the manner in which The Medical City South Luzon (TMC SL) may collect, hold, use, disclose, and discard personal data. By providing your information to TMC SL, you consent to its use, storage and disclosure in accordance with this Policy.

TMC SL may, from time to time, review and update this Policy to adapt to changing corporate practices, and to take into account new laws and technology. The use, storage and disclosure of all data held by TMC SL will be governed by the most recent privacy policy.

Our Commitment to Protect Your Privacy

We understand that information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting your health information. As a patient of TMC SL and its other related entities, the care and treatment you receive is recorded in a medical record, in manual and/or electronic forms. We use and share this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This record will be available to all health care professionals who need access as described in this Policy, many of whom will be involved in your treatment.

As part of our commitment to maintaining the confidentiality of your care, TMC SL will share your information only to the extent necessary to conduct our professional operations, to collect payment for the services we provide you and to comply with the laws that govern health care. We will not use or disclose your information for any other purpose without your permission.

Our Patient Privacy Policy

Beginning February 2018, TMC SL will provide you with aPatient Privacy Policy that explains our privacy practices and your rights regarding your medical information. TMC SL will provide you with a copy of our Policy and ask you to acknowledge its receipt. TMC SL may need to change its privacy policies and practices from time to time and will update the Policy accordingly.

You may ask for a copy of our current Policy in any of the patient registration areas throughout the hospital as well as with our Customer Care Office. It is also publicly posted in a number of places.

TMC SL is required by law to:

  • Maintain the privacy of your health information as outlined in this Policy.
  • Provide you notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information.
  • Follow the terms of the Policy that are currently in effect.

Your Rights Regarding Medical Information About You

An important part of the Hospital's Policy is the section that explains your rights regarding your medical information. Our Policy explains that you (or your authorized representative) have the right to:

  • Information: You have the right to be informed that your personal data will be, are being, or were, collected and processed, the purposes for which they will be, are being, or were processed, and the duration for which the data will be kept.
  • Access a Copy of Your Medical Information:You have the right to obtain a copy of your medical information. The medical records available to you are the following:
    • Clinical Abstract/Discharge Summary
    • Laboratory and other diagnostic results
    • Consent for Admission and Procedure
    • Record of Operation or Delivery
    • Operative Technique
    • Medical Certificate or Certificate of Confinement

    To request for a copy of your medical records, proceed to the Medical Information Department and fill out a Request for Medical Information Form. TMC SL may charge a fee for the cost of providing copies to you.

  • Request a Correction to your Medical Record: If you believe that medical information the Hospital has on file about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to correct the medical information in your records. If your medical information is accurate and complete, or if the information was not created by the Hospital, we may deny your request; however, if we deny any part of your request, we will provide you with a written explanation of our reasons for doing so. Requests to make a correction to your records must be in writing and must describe each item that you want changed and the reason you are requesting the change.
  • An Accounting of Hospital Disclosures of your Personal Information:You have the right to request a list of how your personal information was shared for purposes other than treatment, payment and health care operations. Your health information, on the other hand, will never be shared with third parties without your consent.
  • Request Restrictions on Certain Uses and Disclosures of Your Medical Information: You have the right to request reasonable restrictions on certain uses or disclosures of your medical information. Requests for restrictions must be in writing. In most cases, we are not required to agree to your requested restriction. However, if we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment or comply with the law.

    • Some examples of restriction requests that the Hospital cannot honor include:

    • Requests restricting the hospital from giving your name to an insurance company that will be asked to pay a portion of your bill.
    • Request restricting the hospital from reporting your identity and condition to an agency or organization where the hospital is required by law to do so.
  • Receive a Copy of the Hospital's Privacy Policy:You may ask for a printed copy of TMC SL’s Patient Privacy Policy anytime you are visiting our facilities. The Policy is available in any of the admitting and registration areas as well as the Customer Care.

Our Partners in Privacy

The following parties share TMC SL’s commitment to protect your privacy and will comply with this Policy:

  • Any health care professional authorized to update or create health information about you.
  • All employees and medical staff members of the hospital.
  • All departments and units of TMC SL.

Use and Disclosure of your Health Information

TMC SL uses and discloses your health information in the following ways:

  • Treatment

    Your health information is used to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may use and share health information about you with physicians, hospitalists, nurses, technicians, affiliated students, or other TMC SL personnel involved in your care. Different departments of the hospital may also share health information about you to coordinate the services you need, such as pharmacy, laboratory and other diagnostic services. We may also disclose your health information to providers not affiliated with the Hospital to facilitate care or treatment they provide you. In addition, we may provide access to your health information to affiliated entities and locations, such as affiliated provider groups for care coordination purposes.

  • Billing and Collection

    We may use and disclose your personal and health information to confirm, to bill and receive payment for health care services that we or others provide to you. This includes uses and disclosures to submit health information and receive payment from Philhealth, your health insurer, HMO, or other party that pays for some or all of your health care (payor) or to verify that your payor will pay for your health care. We may also tell your payor about a treatment you are going to receive to determine whether your payor will cover the treatment. For certain services, if your permission is needed to release health information to obtain payment, you will be asked for permission.

  • Health Care Processes

    We may use and disclose health information for health care operations. This includes functions necessary to run TMC SL or assure that all patients receive quality care. We may also share your information with affiliated health care providers so that they may jointly perform certain business operations along with TMC SL. We may combine health information about many of our patients to improve on the services being offered, to determine what services are no longer needed and to assess whether certain treatments are effective. We may share information with doctors, hospitalists, nurses, technicians, affiliated students, and other personnel for quality assurance and educational purposes. We may also compare the health information we have with information from other hospitals to see where we can improve the care and services we offer.

  • Business Services

    he Hospital contracts with outside entities that perform business services for us, such as the government entities, billing companies, management consultants, quality assurance reviewers, customer survey contact centers, accountants or attorneys. In certain circumstances, we may need to share your health information with a business associate so it can perform a service on our behalf. We will have a written contract in place with the business associate requiring protection of the privacy and security of your health information.

  • Communication

    We may use and disclose health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for care at the Hospital. We will communicate with you using the information (such as telephone number and email address) that you provide. Unless you notify us to the contrary, we may use the contact information you provide to communicate general information about your care such as appointment location, department, date and time, and satisfaction surveys.

  • Treatment Alternatives

    We may use and disclose health information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

  • Develop Health-Related Benefits and Services

    We may use and disclose health information for us to develop health-related benefits and services.

  • Hospital Directory

    We may include your name and your location (but not specific health information) in the Hospital’s Patient Directory while you are receiving inpatient care. Unless you specifically request that your information be excluded from the Patient Directory, we may release information to people who ask for you by name and only after obtaining your consent.

  • Individuals Involved in your Care

    We may release health information about you to a family member who is involved in your medical care. We may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care. This does not apply to patients receiving treatment for certain conditions, such as substance/alcohol abuse.

  • Research and Training

    We will ask for your written authorization before using your health information or sharing it with others to conduct research. Under limited circumstances, we may use and disclose your health information without your authorization. In most of these latter situations, we will anonymize data so that no patient is individually identifiable. We will obtain approval through an independent review process to ensure that research conducted without your authorization poses minimal risk to your privacy. We will have a written contract in place with the external researchers requiring protection of the privacy and security of your health information.

  • To Prevent a Serious Threat to Health or Safety

    We may use and disclose certain information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of others. However, any such disclosure will only be to someone able to prevent or respond to the threat, such as law enforcement, or a potential victim.

TMC SL does not require prior consent or authorization in the disclosure of your health information in the following instances:

  • Public Health Activities

    • To prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
    • To report births and deaths;
    • To report the abuse or neglect of children, elders and dependent adults;
    • To report reactions to medications or problems with products;
    • To notify you of the recall of products you may be using;
    • To notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
    • To notify the appropriate government authority if we believe you have been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence; we will only make this disclosure when required or authorized by law;
    • To notify the Department of Health and other appropriate government entities when you seek treatment at TMC SL for certain diseases or conditions required to be reported by law.

  • Health Oversight Activities

    We may disclose your information to the Department of Health and other appropriate government entities for activities authorized by law such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure.

  • Disputes and Lawsuits

    To ensure the quality of care you receive while seeking treatment at TMC SL, we may access and disclose your health information if you have concerns or complaints regarding your medical management. We may also access and disclose your health information if you bring a lawsuit against TMC SL.

    If you are involved in a lawsuit, we may disclose health information about you in response to a court or administrative order or in response to a subpoena, legally enforceable discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute.

  • Other Disclosures and Uses Required By Law

    We may also use or disclose health information about you when required to do so by laws not specifically mentioned in this Policy.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint with our Data Privacy Office via:

Email: dposl@themedicalcity.com
Telephone: (049) 544-0120 local 2004
Mobile Number: 09560514135
Mail:
Data Privacy Officer
The Medical City South Luzon
Brgy. Don Jose, Greenfield City, City of Sta. Rosa, Laguna

Changes to this Policy

TMC SL reserves the right to change our privacy practices and update this Policy accordingly. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed Policy effective for health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We post copies of the current Policy in the designated areas of the hospital and copies are available at registration areas and our Customer Care.

Questions about our Privacy Policy

The confidentiality of your health information is a significant part of the care we provide to you. If you have questions about this Policy or our privacy practices, please contact the Data Privacy Officer by landline at (049) 544-0120 local 2004, mobile number at 09560514135, or via email at dposl@themedicalcity.com.

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The Medical City South Luzon.

All Rights Reserved.