This notice describes how medical information about your child may be used and disclosed, and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Boyer Children’s Clinic respects your privacy. We understand that your child and family’s personal health information is very sensitive. We will not disclose your information to others unless you tell us to do so, or unless the law authorizes or requires us to do so.

The law protects the privacy of the health information we create and obtain in providing our care and services to you and your child. For example, your child’s protected health information includes symptoms, test results, diagnoses, treatment, health information from other providers, and billing and payment information relating to these services. Federal and state law allows us to use and disclose your child’s protected health information for purposes of treatment and health care operations. State law requires us to get your authorization to disclose this information for payment purposes.

Examples of Use and Disclosures of Protected Health Information for Treatment, Payment, and Health Operations

For treatment:

• Information obtained by a nurse, physician, or other member of our health care team will be recorded in your child’s medical record and used to help decide what care may be right for your child.
• We may also provide information to others providing your child’s care. This will help them stay informed.

For payment:

• We request payment from your health insurance plan and other third party payors. Health plans and other payors need information from us about your child’s healthcare treatment at Boyer Children’s Clinic. Information provided to health plans and other third party payors may include your child’s diagnoses, procedures performed, progress, goals or recommended care.

For health care operations:

• We use your child’s medical records to assess quality and improve services.
• We may use and disclose medical records to review the qualifications and performance of our health care providers and to train our staff.
• We may contact you to remind you about appointments and give you information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services.
• We may contact you to raise funds. Income from fund raising helps us provide quality care at Boyer Children’s Clinic.  We will include your family on our list of persons to receive information about fund raising efforts.  This information will only be used for the benefit of Boyer Children’s Clinic and not disseminated without your prior consent.
• We may use and disclose your child’s information to conduct or arrange for services, including:
• medical quality review by your health plan;
• accounting, legal, risk management, and insurance services;
• audit functions, including fraud and abuse detection and compliance programs.

For Business Associates:

• We may disclose your personal information to our Business Associates, which are entities or individuals that are not employed by us that perform health care operations or payment activities on our behalf, which requires the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information. We must have contracts with our business associates that require them to maintain the confidentiality of your personal information.  For example, we may contract with a healthcare billing service for our insurance billing.

Your Child’s Health Information Rights

The health and billing records we create and store are the property of Boyer Children’s Clinic. The protected health information in it, however, generally belongs to you. You have a right to:  receive, read, and ask questions about this Notice; ask us to restrict certain uses and disclosures. You must deliver this request in writing to us. We are not required to grant the request, but we will review every request; request and receive from us a paper copy of the most current Notice of Privacy Practices for Protected Health Information (“Notice”); request that you be allowed to see and get a copy of your child’s protected health information created at Boyer Children’s Clinic.  This includes medical and billing records, other than psychotherapy notes; ask us to change your child’s health information. You must give us this request in writing. You may write a statement of disagreement if your request is denied. It will be stored in your child’s medical record, and included with any release of your child’s records; when you request in writing, we will give you a list of disclosures of your child’s health information. The list will not include disclosures to third-party payors. You may receive this information without charge once every 12 months. We will notify you of the cost involved if you request this information more than once in 12 months; ask that your health information be given to you by another means or at another location. Please sign, date, and give us your request in writing; cancel prior authorizations to use or disclose health information by giving us a written revocation. Your revocation does not affect information that has already been released. It also does not affect any action taken before we have it. Sometimes, you cannot cancel an authorization if its purpose was to obtain insurance reimbursement.

For help with these rights during normal business hours, please contact:  Mike Stewart  206-325-8477. Your request should be made in writing to Boyer Children’s Clinic, 1850 Boyer Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112.

Our Responsibilities

We are required to:  keep your child’s protected health information private; give you this Notice; follow the terms of this Notice.

We have the right to change our practices regarding the protected health information we maintain. If we make changes, we will update this Notice. You may receive the most recent copy of this Notice by requesting one from the receptionist at Boyer Children’s Clinic during business hours.

To Ask for Help or Complain

If you have questions, want more information, or want to report a problem about the handling of your protected health information, you may contact:

Mike Stewart  206-325-8477.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may discuss your concerns with any staff member. You may also deliver a written complaint to Mike Stewart, Assistant Director, at Boyer Children’s Clinic. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Other Disclosures and Uses of Protected Health Information

We may use and disclose your protected health information without your authorization, as allowed or required by law, as follows: With Medical Researchers; To Funeral Directors/Coroners; To Organ Procurement Organizations (tissue donation and transplant); To the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); To Comply With Workers’ Compensation Laws; For Public Health and Safety Purposes as Allowed or Required by Law.; To Report Suspected Abuse or Neglect; For Law Enforcement Purposes; For Health and Safety Oversight Activities; For Disaster Relief Purposes; For Work-Related Conditions That Could Affect Employee Health; To the Military Authorities of U.S. and Foreign Military Personnel; In the Course of Judicial/Administrative Proceedings; For Specialized Government Functions. 

Other Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

Uses and disclosures not in this Notice will be made only as allowed or required by law or with your written authorization.

Web Site

• We have a Web site that provides information about us. For your benefit, this Notice is on the Web site at this address: boyercc.org.

Changes to This Notice

 We reserve the right to change this notice and make the new notice apply to Protected Health Information we already have as well as any we may receive after the notice is changed.  We will post a copy of our current notice in the Parent Room at Boyer Children’s Clinic.

The effective date of this Notice is April 14, 2003.

At Boyer Children’s Clinic, we celebrate each child’s unique abilities and embrace their individual needs. Through our high-quality therapy and education programs – strengthened by generous philanthropic donors and community volunteers – we partner with families to ensure they have the support, tools and confidence to help their children thrive, both now and in the future. We ensure all children in need of early intervention services receive equitable access to them, inclusive of cultural/linguistic diversity, and regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.

In the nearly 80 years that Boyer has been providing birth to three educational, therapeutic, medical and resource coordination services to children and families in the greater Seattle area, our goal has always been to uplift and empower people of diverse abilities.

But just as COVID-10 has altered how we now deliver services to families as we shelter-in-place, we are reminded that, unlike the coronavirus, racism and inequality in America have always been present, and the curve of racism has not been flattened.

Therefore, we feel it is necessary to express our solidarity with the Black, Indigenous and People of Color community, our commitment to equity and justice for all, and our willingness to listen and have courageous conversations with diverse communities so we can continually improve the services we provide to children and families at Boyer.

Boyer Children’s Clinic condemns all acts of hate, discrimination, and violence against all historically marginalized communities including, but not limited to the Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Disability, and LBGTQ+ communities. Our hearts and thoughts go to all who have been affected by hate, biases, and injustices motivated by discrimination.

Boyer’s mission is to provide equitable support and services for children and families of all abilities and backgrounds. Our core value is to actively stand against all forms of racism and discrimination. We strive to become a better ally each day by continuing to listen, learn, and advocate for all historically marginalized community members.