Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective Date: April 14, 2003 | Revised: February 2026

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.

If you have any questions about this notice, please contact our Privacy Office at 954-473-7500 or toll-free at 1-855-209-5295.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSION

If you have difficulty reading or understanding English, you may ask to receive a copy of this notice in Spanish, Creole, French or Portuguese or download a copy using the links below:

ABOUT THIS NOTICE

This notice describes the privacy practices of Broward Health and applies to all Protected Health Information about you that Broward Health maintains. Protected Health Information (PHI) means information about you, including your health, health care, or payment for health care, that can identify you. This information may be stored in paper records, electronically, or shared verbally. The purpose of this notice is to inform you of how Broward Health may use or disclose your information, and to explain your rights concerning your medical records.

WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE

The information in this notice describes the privacy practices of Broward Health and those of:

Any health care professional at Broward Health who is treating you and has access to the Protected Health Information in your record
All departments, units, clinics, doctors' offices and other locations within Broward Health
All Broward Health employees, staff, independent contractors, vendors, and workforce members at any Broward Health facility
Any volunteer at Broward Health
Employees, residents and/or students of academic institutions who are authorized to engage in training at Broward Health

The information in this notice applies to sites operated by Broward Health, including:

Broward Health Medical Center
Broward Health Coral Springs
Broward Health Imperial Point
Broward Health North
Broward HealthPoint
Broward Health International
Broward Health Physician Group
Broward Health Weston
Broward Health East Imaging Center
Children's Diagnostic and Treatment Center
Broward Health Imaging Center Weston

This list may not reflect recent acquisitions, construction, or sales of entities, sites, or locations. These entities participate in an Organized Health Care Arrangement. This means that your protected health information (PHI) flows freely between these entities to carry out your treatment, payment for your treatment, and for health care operations and we do not require written agreements between entities.

HOW WE MAY USE OR DISCLOSE YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

Broward Health is permitted to use and disclose your PHI in accordance with federal and state regulations. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a set of Federal Regulations which safeguard the privacy and security of your PHI and establishes certain rights with respect to your information. In some situations, state or other laws may provide you with greater privacy protections or additional rights than HIPAA. In those situations, Broward Health will follow the law that provides you with the greatest level of protection, including obtaining your written authorization when required.

The following categories outline the different ways in which Broward Health uses and discloses your PHI. For each category of uses and disclosures, an example is provided for better understanding. Not every use and disclosure is explicitly listed. However, all permitted uses and disclosures of PHI that are allowable under the law fall within one of these categories.

For Treatment.Broward Health may use or disclose your PHI in an effort to provide the most comprehensive treatment and service and to better manage and coordinate your care. We may disclose medical information about you to physicians, nurses, technicians, and other health care providers and workforce members who are involved in taking care of you. For example, as part of your treatment, Broward Health can take any of the following actions:
- Share all necessary medical information between hospitals, clinics, physicians, employees, volunteers, and independent contractors
- Share medical information regarding your health condition with another health care provider as part of a consultation
- Share medical information regarding your health condition with another health care provider who indirectly provides services to you such as a radiologist or pathologist

For Payment. Broward Health may use and disclose your PHI so that we can bill for treatment and services that were provided to you, to collect payment from you, a health plan, or a third party. This use and disclosure of information may include actions that your health insurance provider may undertake before it approves or pays for health care services. For example:
- We may share medical information with your health plan to determine whether the services that you request are eligible to be covered.
- We may share medical information with your health plan and reviewing services to determine medical necessity.

For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose PHI for activities that Broward Health engages in to operate its business. These activities are used and performed by Broward Health, and in some cases third-party contractors, to run our programs and ensure that all our patients receive the best care. For example, we may use your PHI to:
- Perform quality assessment and quality improvement activities
- Peer review, including evaluating practitioner performance
- Credentialing, licensing and training programs
- Legal and financial services, including engaging attorneys to defend Broward Health in a legal action
- Business planning and development
- Management activities related to Broward Health’s privacy practices
- Customer service
- Internal grievances
- Creating de-identified information for data aggregation or other purposes
- Education and learning purposes for physicians, nurses, technicians, medical students

Incidental Disclosures. We may make certain incidental or inadvertent uses or disclosures of your medical information. For example, while your doctor is explaining your medical condition, a small portion of the conversation might be overheard by someone walking past the treatment area. We will make reasonable efforts to limit these incidental disclosures.
Appointment Reminders. We may use and disclose PHI in an effort to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for medical treatment and care.
Treatment Alternatives, Health Benefits and Services. We may use and disclose PHI to tell you about and suggest different ways of treatment, tell you about health-related benefits, and to offer services relating to your treatment that you may be interested in.
Minors. We may share a minor child’s PHI with a parent or legal guardian, unless federal or state law prohibits such disclosure.
Research. Under certain circumstances, Broward Health may use and disclose your PHI for medical research purposes. All research projects are subject to specific approval from an authorized institutional review board or privacy board that has reviewed the research to set up protocols to ensure the privacy of your PHI. Generally, we would only share your medical information for research purposes if you have given us permission to do so or if the review process determines that the research presents very little risk to the security of your medical information. Additionally, we may allow authorized researchers to view your PHI to prepare for research and create research proposals. For example, we may allow researchers to view PHI to allow them to identify patients to be included in their study, as long as they do not remove, copy, or compromise any patients’ PHI.
Health Information Exchange. Broward Health participates in health information exchanges (HIE) which facilitate participating health care providers with a timely, secure, and authorized exchange of patient health information for treatment, payment, and operational purposes. These exchanges follow national standards designed to protect the privacy and security of health information. This means that Broward Health may share information about you to outside entities (such as other hospitals, doctors’ offices, pharmacies, or insurance companies). Broward Health may also receive information from those entities to improve treatment and coordination of health care services. You will be given the opportunity to opt-out of most HIE’s at the time of registration. Patients can also opt-out by calling Health Information Management at 954-888-3742.
Broward Health also participates in the Florida HIE through CRISP Shared Services. You may opt-out and disable access to this exchange by calling CRISP Shared Services at 877-940-6144 or completing and submitting an Opt-Out form to Florida HIE by mail, fax, or through their website at www.flhie.org.
Genetic Information. In the course of your treatment at Broward Health, we may conduct genetic tests or perform genetic services. We may use and disclose genetic information that may have been obtained to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations as permitted by federal, state, or local law.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION IF YOU DON’T OBJECT VERBALLY AND OPT-OUT OF DISCLOSURE

Broward Health Hospital Directory. Unless you notify us that you object, we may use your name, location in the facility, general condition, and religious affiliation for our hospital directory. All of this information, except religious affiliation, will be disclosed to people who ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation may be given to a member of the clergy, such as priest or rabbi, even if they don’t ask for you by name. This information is generally provided to family, friends, and clergy so they can visit you and generally know how you are doing. If you are unable to object, we may share this information if we believe it is in your best interest. You will be given the opportunity to object as soon as it is practical.
Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment of Your Care. We may, without your objection, disclose Protected Health Information about you to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend, and any other person you identify, as it directly relates to that person’s involvement in your medical care. If you are unable to agree or object to such a disclosure, we may disclose such information as necessary if we determine it is in your best interests based on our professional judgment.
Disaster Relief Purposes. We may disclose your PHI in coordination with disaster relief organizations that seek to use the information to coordinate your care or notify family and friends of your location or condition in the event of a disaster. We will provide you with an opportunity to agree or object to such a disclosure whenever it is practical to do so.
Fundraising Activities. We may use limited information about you in an effort to raise money for Broward Health and its operations. We may disclose medical information to a foundation related to the hospital to assist us in our fundraising activities. We are permitted to disclose specific information for fundraising purposes, including:
1.) Demographic information, including your name, address, other contact information, age, gender, and date of birth
2.) Dates of health care provided to an individual
3.) Department of service information and treating physician
4.) Outcome information and health insurance status
You may opt-out of fundraising activities at any time by calling us toll-free at 954-712-3980 or by email at [email protected].
Photographs. Broward Health may use photography or other means of image recording to capture pictures and imaging in an effort to offer better patient identification for workforce members, security purposes, and billing procedures.
Mobile Telephone Numbers. By providing Broward Health with your mobile phone number, you agree to receive communications on your mobile device. You may request alternative or confidential communications at any time as described in this Notice. Broward Health is not responsible for any wireless carrier fees that may apply.

SPECIAL SITUATIONS: HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT, AUTHORIZATION, OR OPPORTUNITY TO AGREE OR OBJECT VERBALLY

Under certain circumstances, Broward Health may use or disclose your PHI without your authorization or any other type of permission from you. These circumstances are as follows:

As Required by Law. We will disclose PHI about you when required to do so by international, federal, state, or local law.
To Avert Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may use and disclose PHI about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety, the health and safety of another person, or the health and safety of the public. In doing so, however, Broward Health would only disclose such information to parties able to help prevent the threat.
Business Associates. We may disclose PHI to our business associates who perform functions on our behalf or who provide a service to Broward Health. For example, we may use a company for billing, transportation, or consultation that would require access to PHI to perform its service. All of our business associates are obligated, under federal and state law as well as written agreement, to protect the privacy and security of your information.
Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation. If you are an organ donor, we may release your PHI to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye, or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
Workers’ Compensation. We may disclose PHI about you to Workers’ Compensation or similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries and illness.
Public Health Activities and Risk. We may disclose your PHI for public health activities. These activities generally include:
- To prevent and control disease, injury or disability
- To report births and deaths
- To report child or vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation
- To report problems with medications and other medical products
- To notify the correct parties of recalls of medications and products they may be using
- To notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease and/or may be at risk of contracting and spreading the disease and condition
Abuse, Neglect, and Domestic Violence. We may disclose PHI to the appropriate governmental authority if, based on our professional judgement, we believe a patient is the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure when the patient agrees or when it is required by law.
Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose PHI to health oversight organizations for activities permitted under the law. These activities include audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure.
Data Breach Notifications. We may disclose PHI to provide legally required notices of unauthorized access or disclosure of your information.
Lawsuits and Disputes. Broward Health may disclose PHI in the event that a court or administrative order is received. We may also disclose PHI in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other legal process from someone involved in the dispute. Parties using these legal procedures to get medical information about you have an obligation to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested. Broward Health may also disclose your PHI to defend ourselves in the event of a lawsuit.
Law Enforcement. We may disclose PHI to law enforcement pursuant to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons, administrative request, or similar legal process to assist in locating or identifying a suspect, fugitive, victim, witness, missing person, or stopping a possible crime. We may also disclose PHI to notify law enforcement of deaths that may have been caused by criminal conduct.
Military and Veterans. If you are a member of the armed forces, we may disclose PHI as required by military command authorities. We may also disclose PHI to the appropriate foreign military authority if you are a member of a foreign military force.
Protective Services for the President, National Security and Intelligence Activities. We may release medical information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors. We may release PHI to coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors so that they can carry out their duties.
Inmates. If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under custody of law enforcement, we may disclose PHI to an authorized party if it is necessary for: 1) the institution to provide you with health care; 2) to protect the health and safety of others; or 3) to protect the health and safety of law enforcement and the institution.
Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Psychiatric Treatment Information. This information may have special privacy protections. We will not disclose any information identifying an individual as being a patient or provide any medical information relating to the patient’s substance abuse or psychiatric treatment unless: 1) the patient, or his or her legal representative, consents in writing; 2) a court order requires disclosure of information; 3) medical personnel need the information in a medical emergency; 4) qualified personnel use the information for the purpose of conducting scientific research, management of audits, financial audits, or program evaluation; 5) it is necessary to report a crime or a threat to commit a crime; or 6) to report suspected abuse or neglect as required by law. Some parts of our health system provide services related to substance use disorder treatment and may be subject to federal confidentiality rules under 42 CFR Part 2, in addition to the HIPAA Privacy Rule. This law is more restrictive than HIPAA and generally requires your written consent before we can disclose your substance use disorder treatment information outside of the Part 2 Program. Detailed explanation of the permitted uses and disclosures can be found under “Notice of Privacy Practices of Part 2 Program”.

If Broward Health receives your Part 2 records, we will not use them against you in any legal proceeding (civil, criminal, or administrative), including testimony about contents, unless:
1.) You give us written consent; or
2.) We have a specific court order and a subpoena.
3.) medical personnel need the information in a medical emergency;
Before any court order is issued, you (or Broward Health) must be given notice and a chance to object.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

You have the following rights, subject to certain limitations, regarding your PHI:

Right to Access, Inspect, and Copy. You have the right to access, inspect, and request a copy of your health information that may be used to make decisions regarding your treatment and plan of care. Patients who wish to obtain a copy of their medical record may request a copy from the Health Information Management Department at the region/facility where they received service. If your information is maintained in electronic format, you have the right to request a copy of that information to be given to you or transmitted to another individual or entity in electronic form. Broward Health will make every effort to provide you with the information in the form or format you request, if it is readily available in such form or format. If the information is not producible in the form or format you request, your record will be provided in either our standard electronic form or a readable hard copy. Broward Health will make every attempt possible to provide you with access to your medical information within thirty (30 days) of your request. We also reserve the right to charge a reasonable and cost-based fee for the costs of copying, mailing, and other supplies and resources associated with your request. We may deny your request in certain limited circumstances. You have the right to appeal the denial and request that the denial be reviewed by a licensed health care profession that is not directly related to the denial. To initiate an appeal, you can contact Broward Health’s Corporate Compliance & Ethics Department in the following manner:

In writing:

Broward Health
Corporate Compliance & Ethics Dept, Attn: Privacy Office
1608 SE 3rd Ave
Suite 207
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

By Telephone: 954-473-7500 or 888-511-1370
By Email: [email protected]
Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to ask Broward Health to limit the PHI we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or other health care operations. You may also request that any part of your health information not be released to family members or friends who may be involved in your care or for notification purposes as described in this Notice. Broward Health is not required to agree to the restriction. If your health care provider believes it is in your best interest to permit use and disclosure of your PHI, your PHI will not be restricted. If Broward Health does agree to the requested restriction, we may not use or disclose your PHI in violation of that restriction unless it is needed to provide emergency treatment. If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information with your health plan and we will agree to that request provided your financial obligations have been met.
Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that Broward Health contact and communicate with you only in certain ways to preserve your privacy and PHI. For example, you may request that we only contact you by mail at a specific address or via your home phone number and not workplace number. We will not ask you the reason for the request. We will accommodate every reasonable request.
Right to Request Amendments. If you feel that the health information we have about you is incorrect, inaccurate, or incomplete, you may ask us to amend that information. You have the right to request this amendment as long as the information is kept by us and for our records. A request for amendment must be made in writing and must include a reason to support the request. In certain cases, we may deny your request for amendment. If we deny your request, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us. We may prepare a rebuttal to your statement and will provide you with a copy of any such rebuttal.
Right to Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an accounting of disclosures. This is a list of disclosures we made of your PHI. This list will not include any disclosures that are exempt from the accounting of disclosures by law. The right to receive this information is subject to certain exceptions, restrictions, and limitations. Broward Health will provide you with an accounting of certain disclosures made by Broward Health of your medical information during the six (6) years prior to your request. Broward Health will generally provide you with your accounting within sixty (60) days of your request. Your request will be processed at no cost to you once every twelve (12) months. For each subsequent accounting of disclosures, Broward Health will notify you in advance of the cost and give you an opportunity to continue or withdraw your request.
Paper Notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive this notice electronically. If you have obtained this notice electronically, you may obtain a paper copy by asking any Broward Health employee or by contacting Broward Health’s Privacy Office at 954-473-7500. You may also print a copy from our website.

HOW TO EXERCISE YOUR RIGHTS

To exercise any of your rights described in this notice, please send your request, in writing, to Broward Health’s Privacy Office at the address listed below. We may ask that you fill out a form that we will provide to you or to contact the facility directly where you received services.

Broward Health
Corporate Compliance & Ethics Department
Attn: Privacy Officer
1608 SE 3rd Ave
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

BROWARD HEALTH’S DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Duties. Broward Health is required by law to satisfy the following duties:
- Maintain the privacy of Protected Health Information.
- Provide you with a notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to Protected Health Information.
- In the event of a breach of your unsecured Protected Health Information, Broward Health will provide written or other notification in accordance with federal and state law.
Terms of this Notice. We are required by law to abide by the terms in the notice currently in effect.
Changes to this Notice. We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the changes notice effective for Protected Health Information we already have about you as well as information we may gather in the future. We will post a clear copy of our current notice in each of our regions/facilities as well as the home page of our internal site containing the effective date of the notice. A current notice will be made available at the time you receive services from Broward Health. Please visit our website (www.browardhealth.org) to obtain additional information, including an electronic copy of this Notice.

PRIVACY COMPLAINTS

If you believe your privacy or any of your rights as described in this notice have been violated, you may file a complaint with Broward Health and/or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. To file with Broward Health, please contact Broward Health’s Privacy Office at 954-473-7500 or toll-free at 1-855-209-5295. You may also file your privacy complaint with Broward Health by writing to:

Broward Health
Corporate Compliance & Ethics Department, Attn: Privacy Office
1608 SE 3rd Ave
Suite 207
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

To file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, you may call toll free 1-800-368-1019 or visit the website of the Office for Civil Rights at www.hhs.gov/ocr. You can also mail a written request to:

Centralized Case Management Operations
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Ave, S.W.
Room 509F, HHH Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20201

You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

Broward Health may not threaten, intimidate, coerce, harass, discriminate against, or take any other retaliatory action against any individual or other person for filing a complaint.

OTHER USES OF YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION

Other uses of Protected Health Information not covered in this notice or under the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written authorization. If you provide us with your written authorization to use or disclose Protected Health Information, you may revoke that authorization at any time in writing. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer disclose Protected Health Information subject to the authorization. However, the revocation will not apply to disclosure previously made with your permission.

Download Notice (PDF)

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES OF PART 2 PROGRAM

This notice describes:

How health information about you may be used and disclosed
Your rights with respect to your health information
How to file a complaint concerning a violation of the privacy or security of your health information, or of your rights concerning your information

You have a right to a copy of this notice (in paper or electronic form) and to discuss it with the Broward Health Privacy Office at 954-473-7500 or [email protected] if you have any questions.

Certain Broward Health locations, including the iMATR Clinic, are designated as ‘Part 2 Programs’ under federal law (42 CFR Part 2). These locations strictly protect the confidentiality of substance use disorder records.

We follow the privacy practices outlined in this section for all Part 2 records. Additionally, if Broward Health’s general privacy policies provide you with greater protection or broader rights than federal law requires, we will follow the more protective standard.

HOW THE PART 2 PROGRAM MAY USE OR DISCLOSE PART 2 RECORDS:

Broward Health may use and disclose your Part 2 records only as described below:

Permitted Uses and Disclosures of Part 2 Records Without Your Permission. Generally, we need your permission to share your information. However, there are a few specific times when the law allows (or requires) us to share information without asking you first:
- Our internal team members may share information with each other to diagnose you, treat you, or refer you for help.
- We may share information with companies that help us run our programs (like IT support and billing), but they must sign a contract promising to protect your data just as strictly as we do.
- We may share information with medical personnel if there is a medical emergency and you cannot provide consent.
- We may share information:
  - To report suspected child abuse or neglect (as required by state law).
  - If a crime is committed (or threatened) on our property or against our staff.
  - For research or audits approved by an oversight board.
  - With public health authorities (only if your name and identity are removed).
Permitted Uses and Disclosures that Require Your Permission. To ensure you receive the highest level of coordinated care, we often need to share your records with your other doctors or your insurance company. You can sign a single form that allows us to share your information for treatment, payment, and health care operations. Once you sign this form, we can share your substance use disorder records without our system and with your other providers just like regular medical records. Once your records are sent to a standard doctor, or insurance company, they are protected by HIPAA and not the stricter Part 2 laws. However, even if you sign this consent, your records still cannot be used against you in court without a separate, specific permission.
We may also use or disclose limited information to contact you for fundraising purposes only if you have provided valid written consent that permits such use or disclosure. You have the right to opt out of receiving fundraising communications at any time. Instructions for opting out will be included in any fundraising communication, or you may contact the Broward Health Privacy Office at the address provided below.
Use or Disclosure of Part 2 Records in Legal Proceedings. Your Part 2 records and any related testimony will not be used or disclosed in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against you, unless we have:
- Your written consent; or
- A court issues a specific order and a subpoena. (Note: For this to happen, you and Broward Health must usually be notified first and given a chance to object.)

CHANGING YOUR MIND (REVOKING CONSENT)

If you give us permission to share your records, you can take it back (revoke it) at any time. To do so, please submit a written request to the Broward Health Privacy Office at the address provided below. We will stop sharing your records upon receipt of your request. Please note that we cannot “take back” information that was already shared before you changed your mind.

YOUR RIGHTS RELATED TO PART 2 RECORDS

As a patient in a Broward Health Part 2 program, you have the same rights over your information as those listed in the Notice of Privacy Practices for Protected Health Information. To exercise these rights, please submit a written request to the Broward Health Privacy Office at the address provided below.

PART 2 COMPLAINTS:

If you believe your privacy rights under Part 2 have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Part 2 program, the Broward Health Privacy Office, and/or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will never punish or retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

To file a complaint with the Broward Health Privacy Office, you can call 954-473-7500 or toll-free at 1-855-209-5295. You may also file your privacy complaint with Broward Health by submitting your written complaint to:

Broward Health
Corporate Compliance & Ethics Department, Attn: Privacy Office
1608 SE 3rd Ave
Suite 207
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

To file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, you may call toll-free at 1-800-368-1019 or visit the website of the Office for Civil Rights at www.hhs.gov/ocr. You can also mail a written request to:

Centralized Case Management Operations
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 509F HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201

Download Notice (PDF)