Patient Info

Patient Info

GENERAL PATIENT INFORMATION

Appointment Scheduling

To schedule an appointment, log on to our secure patient portal or call one of our convenient locations. Your care team’s schedule allows for same-day appointments if you have an urgent need. If your provider cannot see you, another team member will be sure your health care needs are met.

After Hours Care

After business hours, a care team is available through our answering service by calling your normal health center site, if you have an urgent concern.

At the Time of Your Visit

When you arrive for your appointment, please have your current photo ID and insurance card.

Patient Billing Policies

We accept many insurance plans, but you will need to verify coverage directly with your plan. You will be expected to make a payment at your visit. We accept cash, check, debit, or credit cards.

The amount you pay for any office visit can change. The final price will depend on the type and extent of your office visit, your insurance coverage and benefits, and any additional services performed, such as lab work, injection, procedures, etc. Estimates can be provided and are intended to serve as a guideline and are not finalized costs.

If you have no or low income, you may qualify for reduced fees based upon your household income.

As a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center, we offer services on a sliding scale based on household size and income to all patients.  The sliding scale is posted at all of our locations.  Our front office staff can assist you with an application.

Lab and Imaging Billing

CommuniHealth Services uses outside entities for lab and imaging tests. You may receive a bill from these vendors and the balance due is paid directly to the third party. For billing questions, call the telephone number provided on your bill.

Patient Lab and Imaging Results

A member of your care team will contact you with any abnormal off-site lab or imaging results. They will also let you know if a follow-up appointment is needed.

If you have not heard from us after three business days, please call your healthcare provider’s office for your results or log into your patient portal.

With our busy lives, it can be hard to stay on top of our family’s healthcare – even though it can be the most important thing of all.  Our online patient portal allows you to communicate with us easily and securely.

  • Communicate with your doctor by sending and receiving secure messages.

  • Manage Your Health Information

    • Request prescriptions & refills
    • Retrieve test results
    • View personal health information
    • Update demographic information

  • View your billing statements and balance.

  • View and request appointments.

Using your own secure password, you can log into the online patient portal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from the comfort and privacy of your home, office, or mobile device.

PATIENT RIGHTS

CONFIDENTIALITY

It is the policy of CommuniHealth Services to treat all patient information confidentially. This includes patient records and conversations. We will investigate any reported violations of this policy. Please ask a patient access clerk for information if you have any questions. We make every effort to provide our patients with an environment that is safe, private, and respectful of our patient's needs. We want to hear from you if you have a complaint about our services, facilities, or staff. We will do everything we can to see that your experience with us is professional in every way.

 

ISSUES OF CARE

CommuniHealth Services is committed to your participation in care decisions. As a patient, you have the right to ask questions and receive answers regarding the course of clinical care recommended by any of our health providers, including discontinuing care. We urge you to follow the healthcare directions given to you by our providers. However, if you have any doubts or concerns or questions about the care prescribed by our providers, please ask.

 

You have the right to file a grievance concerning care rendered during or after your visit. You can file a grievance by reporting the grievance to caregivers or CommuniHealth Services staff or by calling (318) 283-8887, extensions 12959 or 12920. Our normal business hours are Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Friday from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

 

PATIENT RIGHTS

  • The patient has the right to receive information related to their healthcare from health providers and to discuss the benefits, risks, and costs of appropriate treatment alternatives. Patients should receive guidance from their health providers as to the optimal course of action. Patients are also entitled to obtain copies or summaries of their medical records, to have their questions answered, to be advised of potential conflicts of interest that their health providers might have, and to receive independent professional opinions.
  • The patient has the right to choose a healthcare provider. Please feel free to let the Patient Access Clerk know if you want to be seen by a specific provider.
  • The patient has the right to make decisions regarding the health care that is recommended by his or her health provider. Accordingly, patients may accept or refuse any recommended medical treatment.
  • The patient has the right to courtesy, respect, dignity, responsiveness, and timely attention to his or her needs, regardless of race, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, or disability. The patient also has the right to be free from restraints and seclusion of any form used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff. Please report any concerns about verbal or physical abuse or harassment to Administration at (318)283-8887, extension 123 or 130.
  • The patient has the right to confidentiality. The health provider should not reveal confidential communications or information without the consent of the patient unless provided for by law or by the need to protect the welfare of the individual or the public interest.
  • The patient has the right to continuity of health care. The health provider is obligated to cooperate in coordinating medically indicated care with other health providers treating the patient. The health provider may discontinue care provided they give the patient reasonable assistance, direction, and sufficient opportunity to make alternative arrangements.
  • The patient has the right to emergency services. Emergency services can be accessed by reporting to the nearest hospital emergency room.

PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Good communication is essential to a successful health provider-patient relationship. Patients are responsible for being truthful and expressing their concerns clearly to their health providers.
  • Patients are responsible for providing a complete medical history, including information about past illnesses, medications, hospitalizations, family history of illness, and other matters relating to present health.
  • Patients are responsible for requesting information or clarification about their health status or treatment when they do not fully understand what has been described.
  • Once patients and health providers agree upon therapy goals, patients are responsible for cooperating with the treatment plan. Compliance with health provider instructions is often essential to public and individual safety. Patients are also responsible for disclosing whether previously agreed-upon treatments are being followed and indicating when they would like to reconsider the treatment plan.
  • Patients should also have an active interest in the effects of their conduct on others and refrain from behavior that unreasonably places the health of others at risk.
  • If available, patients are responsible for providing a copy of their written advance directive.
  • Patients are responsible for providing necessary information for insurance claims and for working with our office to make payment arrangements when necessary.

PATIENT PRIVACY NOTICE

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.

 

OUR COMMITMENT

CommuniHealth Services remains committed to protecting the privacy of our patients’ protected health information (“PHI”) and is dedicated to complying with laws governing the privacy of PHI. This Notice explains our privacy practices, legal duties, and your rights concerning your PHI. PHI includes information about your health care and treatment combined with information like your name, age, birth date, address, or financial information. This Notice is effective as of August 2, 2019, and will remain in effect until revised.

We protect your PHI by:

  • Treating all PHI as confidential.
  • Maintaining policies and practices that govern our staff in handling your PHI, as well as provide sanctions for violations.
  • Restricting access to your PHI to only those that need it in providing services to you.
  • Disclosing only the PHI that is minimally necessary for an outside service to perform a function on behalf of CommuniHealth Services and requiring that they agree to confidentiality of PHI disclosed.
  • Maintaining administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect your PHI.

TYPES OF USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PHI

We will use and disclose health information about you for treatment, payment, and health care operations. For example:

  • Treatment: We may use and disclose your PHI to other healthcare providers currently treating you to assist in such treatment.
  • Payment: We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for services we provide to you.
  • Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose your PHI for our healthcare operations, including quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualifications of healthcare professionals, evaluating practitioner and provider performance, conducting training and educational programs, accreditation, certification, licensing, or credentialing activities.

 

OTHER PURPOSES FOR WHICH COMMUNIHEALTH SERVICES IS AUTHORIZED TO USE OR DISCLOSE YOUR PHI

  • Your Authorization: In addition to our use of your PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, you may give us written authorization to use or disclose your PHI for any purpose. If you give us an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosures permitted by your authorization while it was in effect. Unless you give us a written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health information for any reason except those described in this Notice.
  • Persons Involved in Care: We may use or disclose PHI to notify, or assist in the notification of a family member, your personal representative, or another person responsible for your care, of your location, general condition, or death. If you are present and capacitated, then we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such uses or disclosures. In the event of your incapacity or emergency circumstances, we will use our professional judgment to determine if a disclosure is in your best interest and only disclose PHI that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement in your care.
  • Required by Law: We may use or disclose your health information when we are required to do so by law, including, but not limited to, court orders, warrants, subpoenas, discovery requests, or other lawful processes.
  • Public Health Activities:  We may use or disclose your PHI to a public health authority for public health activities such as preventing the spread of a communicable disease.
  • Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your PHI to a government authority if we reasonably believe that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, or the possible victim of other crimes.
  • To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety: We may disclose your PHI to the extent necessary to avert a serious threat to health or safety.
  • Workers’ Compensation: We may disclose your PHI to a workers’ compensation insurer when related to the treatment of an injured worker.
  • Appointment Reminders: We may use and disclose medical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at CommuniHealth Services.
  • CommuniHealth Services will not use or disclose your psychotherapy notes.  CommuniHealth Services may contact you to offer information about treatment alternatives, educational programs, or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.  Your PHI may be used or disclosed in connection with the future sale of all or part of CommuniHealth Services.  In the event that PHI is used for fundraising purposes, you have the right to opt-out of such communications.

PATIENT RIGHTS

You have the right to request all of the following:

  • Restriction Requests: You have the right to request a restriction on the uses and disclosures of your PHI. Although we are not always required to grant a restriction, those granted will be upheld. Further, you have the right to request restriction, and such request will be granted, regarding certain disclosures of PHI to a health plan where the individual or someone on his or her behalf pays out of pocket for the health care item or service provided.
  • Confidential Communication: You have the right to request that communication containing PHI be conducted in an alternate way or at an alternate location.
  • Your Right to Inspect PHI: You have the right to request and inspect your PHI, subject to reasonable copying expenses.  An inspection will not be allowed if we determine that the information could be harmful to you or another person or if it involves psychotherapy notes, records compiled in reasonable anticipation of litigation, or PHI whose release is prohibited by federal or state laws.
  • Amendment: You have the right to request an amendment to your PHI in writing.
  • Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request an accounting of disclosures of your PHI, outside of those disclosures permitted without authorization, for the past six (6) years.  The accounting will include the date, name of person or entity, description of the PHI disclosed, the purpose of the disclosure, and other related information. If more than one (1) accounting is requested in a twelve (12) month period, a reasonable fee may be charged.
  • Electronic Notice: If you received this notice by electronic means, you are entitled to request a paper copy.

DUTIES OF COMMUNIHEALTH SERVICES

CommuniHealth Services is required by law to maintain the privacy of PHI, to provide this Notice, and to notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured PHI.  Moreover, CommuniHealth Services is required to abide by the terms contained in this Notice.  CommuniHealth Services reserves the right to change this Notice and make the new Notice effective for all PHI we maintain.  In the event of a change, the revised Notice will be posted in the waiting room and website of CommuniHealth Services.

COMPLAINTS

You have the right to complain to CommuniHealth Services, and to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.  Complaints may be filed by calling (318) 283-8887, extension 12920 or 12959.  CommuniHealth Services will not engage in any retaliatory acts in response to the filing of a complaint.