Health Center

Privacy Policy

Effective April 14, 2003

THIS IS A SUMMARY OF THE STUDENT HEALTH CENTER’S NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES AND DESCRIBES HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION AND HOW YOU CAN ACCESS THAT INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. FOR A COMPLETE, DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE UNIVERSITY’S NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES, PLEASE REFER TO “PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY’S NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES,” AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST OR ON PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY’S INTRANET WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.PEPPERDINE.EDU/PROVOST/POLICIESDOCS.HTM.

What is “HIPAA?”

This Notice of Privacy Practices is provided to you as a requirement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It describes how we may use or disclose your protected health information, with whom that information may be shared, and the safeguards we have in place to protect it. This notice also describes your rights to access and amend your protected health information. You have the right to approve or refuse the release of specific PHI outside of our system except when the release is required or authorized by law or regulation.

What is “PHI?”

Protected Health Information (PHI) is all the information regarding your health care at the Student Health Center, health care information given to the Student Health Center at your request by other providers, and health care billing information. Generally, it is the information in your medical record. The Student Health Center is required by law to maintain the privacy of all Protected Health Information, to provide you with notice of our legal duties and practices, and to abide by the terms of this Privacy Notice, and will provide clients with a copy of the revised notice.

A. Protected Health Information is a record of the health care you receive, including billing information. For example, an X-ray may be needed to diagnose your problem, and your health care provider and a radiologist may then view that X-ray. Your health care provider may then direct the nurse to give you medicine for your problem. Then you have the option to pay the full amount or to have your student account billed. A receipt will be given to you in order for you to send it to your insurance company for reimbursement.

B. Under limited circumstances, the Student Health Center may use or disclose your Protected Health Information without your consent. These include:

  1. Diseases that must, according to state law, be reported to the Public Health Department (Examples include tuberculosis, some sexually transmitted diseases, and anthrax).
  2. Emergency situations in which you are unable to give consent, and your health care provider attempts to get consent as soon as it is reasonably practicable after delivery of care.
  3. Your health care provider cannot get consent due to substantial barriers in communication, and the health care provider determines that your consent is inferred from the circumstances.
  4. Provider has tried but is unable to get your consent.
  5. Review by the Student Health Center for internal quality assessment, or by an accrediting body, such as the Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Health Care.
  6. There is mutual consent between the Student Health Center and the Athletics Department. In the case of a Pepperdine student athlete, the team physician is always advised.

C. If other applicable law prohibits or limits use or disclosure of your Protected Health Information, the Student Health Center follows the more stringent law (i.e. subpoena).

D. Any use or disclosure other than those described above is done only after you give your consent. You may cancel your consent at any time by notifying the Student Health Center in writing.

E. Protected Health Information disclosed at your request by the Student Health Center to another health care provider can be disclosed by them without the knowledge of the Student Health Center.

You have the right:

  • to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your Protected Health Information.
  • to receive confidential communications of your Protected Health Information.
  • to inspect and be provided a copy of your Protected Health Information, unless this might be harmful to you or to others.
  • to request an amendment of your Protected Health Information.
  • to receive an accounting of disclosures of Protected Health Information.
  • to obtain a paper copy of this Privacy Notice.
  • to complain to the University or the US Health and Human Services Secretary, if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

If you wish to file a complaint, contact the University’s Privacy Official, Larisa Hamada, at 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90263 or . There will be no retaliation of any kind against you for filing such a complaint.