Notice of Privacy Practices

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

Effective Date of this Notice: June 1, 2025

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.

Your Rights.

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you:
Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record	You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this. We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee. To access your medical records, contact the Health Information Management Department at Mount Nittany Medical Center or make a request through the Mount Nittany Health patient portal.
Ask us to correct your medical record	You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this. We may say “no” to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.
Request confidential communications	You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address. We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.
Ask us to limit what we use or share	You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care. If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.
Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information	You can ask for a list (an accounting) of the times we have shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why. We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
Get a copy of this privacy notice	You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have reviewed it or agreed to receive it electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.
Choose someone to act for you	If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.
File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated	You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information on page 1. You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201 or calling 1-877-696-6775. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.
In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:	Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care Share information in a disaster relief situation Include your information in a hospital directory Contact you for fundraising efforts If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
*In these cases we never* share your information unless you give us written permission:**	Marketing purposes of external parties Sale of your information Most sharing of psychotherapy notes and other health information protected by law.
In the case of fundraising:	We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

Our Uses and Disclosures

How do we typically use or share your health information? We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.
Treat you	We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.	*Example:* A specialist treating you asks your family doctor for your health information.
Run our organization	We can use and share your health information to run our operations, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.	*Example:* We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.
Bill for your services	We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.	*Example:* We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to our operations, the public good, such as public health and safety, or research. We have to meet any conditions required by law before we can share your information for these purposes.

For more information visit the HHS website.

Mount Nittany Health participates in a Health Information Exchange (HIE) which, through secure connected networks with health care providers who participate in the HIE, makes it possible for us to electronically share protected health information to coordinate patient care. We may electronically share your medical information through the HIE, among participating HIE members, for the purposes of treatment, payment, health care operations, and other authorized purposes, to the extent permitted by law. You have the right to “opt-out” or to decline participation in the HIE through Mount Nittany Health. To opt out, inform our representative during the registration process.

Individuals who receive insurance through The Pennsylvania State University may have their protected health information shared with members of the clinical integration network, Central PA Health Network, LLC (“CIN”), DBA Penn State Health Care Partners, for the purposes of utilization review, conducting quality assessment and improvement activities, performing payment activities, and other joint activities in furtherance of the CIN.

Help with public health and safety issues	We can share health information about you for certain situations such as: Preventing disease Helping with product recalls Reporting adverse reactions to medications Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
Do research	We can use or share your information for health research.
Comply with the law	We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we are complying with federal privacy law.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests	We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director	We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests	We can use or share health information about you: For workers’ compensation claims For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions	We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

In some cases, certain types of health information may be protected by more stringent laws. For example, your substance use disorder treatment records may be protected under another Federal law, 42 C.F.R. Part 2, which requires your written consent for many disclosures that HIPAA would otherwise permit without it. In all of these cases, we will follow the more stringent law and obtain your permission, where applicable, before making any uses or disclosures of your health information that are not permitted under these requirements.

Our Responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health
We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
We must follow the legal duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of
We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

More information is available on the HHS website.

Changes to the Terms of This Notice

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, at our facilities, and on our web site.

Effective Date of this Notice: June 1, 2025

This Notice of Privacy Practices applies to the following organizations that are part of the Mount Nittany Health Affiliated Covered Entity and their sites of service. Pursuant to 45 CFR 164.105(b), legally separate covered entities that are commonly owned or controlled may designate themselves as a single affiliated covered entity for purposes of HIPAA.

Mount Nittany Medical Center (including Mount Nittany Health Surgical Center), Mount Nittany Physician Group (including Mount Nittany Health Fitness & Rehabilitation), Mount Nittany Health Children’s Advocacy Center of Centre County, and Mount Nittany Health Ventures.

Questions, concerns, or complaints – contact the Mount Nittany Health Privacy Officer:

privacyofficer@mountnittany.org
Corporate Privacy Officer
MNH Bellefonte Corporate Offices
945 E Bishop Street
Bellefonte, PA 16823
1.855.641.8157