This notice explains how SAMAI handles and protects your health records. It also talks about the rights you have as a recipient to your health records and what you need to do to see these records. Please read this notice carefully.
Please call SAMAI if you have questions about this notice. Our toll-free number is 1 (866) 543-2387. If you have trouble hearing, you can call our toll-free TDD/TTY number at 1 (800) 457-1220.
Customer service: The Customer Service department is trained to help you. They might need to see your health records to answer your questions.
Helping with your treatment: SAMAI does not give you medical care. But sometimes we need your health records. This helps us manage your care. It also helps us decide what treatments are covered by your benefits. Your health records help us remind you about services that keep you healthy. These services include:
We may share your health records with other people who give you care. This includes:
Family and friends: We may give out your health records to family members or friends. For example, we may need to talk with one of these people if you have an accident. Please let us know if you do not want us to give your health records to family members or friends who are helping you. Our address and phone number is at the end of this notice.
Health care operations: We may use your health records to help us do our job. We may use your health records for:
For example, a care manager may work with your primary provider to get you services for a health care problem. The care manager may also suggest other programs or places that can help.
We may use or give out your health records to certain people or agencies for special reasons. Examples of this are:
Required by Law: Federal, state, and local laws sometimes require us to give out your health records. For example, we must give out records for the workers' compensation program on work-related injuries.
Public Health: We may report certain medical records for public health purposes.
Public Safety: We may give out health records for public safety purposes. For example, we may give out health records to the police:
Research: We may use your health records for research projects. We will get your permission before we do this. Or, we will use a special process that will keep your records private.
Oversight: SAMAI is reviewed by government agencies. They make sure your providers and we are doing a good job. We have to show recipient records to these agencies when they do their review.
Disputes: We may give out your health records if the law requires it for a lawsuit or legal dispute.
People no longer living: We may give out records about people who are no longer living. These records might be given to:
Military, Veterans, National Security and Other Government Purposes: We may give out your health records for military, intelligence and national security purposes.
SAMAI must follow all state laws that protect your health records.
HIV Testing: If we keep HIV test records about you, we will only give them to your primary provider. If you do not tell us which primary provider to give them to, we will give them to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. We will not give out these records to anyone else unless you give us your okay in writing.
Genetic Records: If we keep genetic records about you, we will only use them for research. The law may also require us to give them to someone. We will not give out these records to anyone else unless you give us your okay in writing.
If SAMAI needs to use or give out your health records for any other reasons, we will ask for your okay first.
If you give us your okay to use or give out your health records, you may cancel your okay at any time. If we have already done something based on your okay, we cannot change it. To cancel your okay, write to us at the address listed at the end of this notice.
Right to see and copy your record: You have the right to look at your health plan record and get a copy of it. If you want a copy of your health plan record, write to us at the address listed at the end of this notice.
If you want a copy of your medical records, you need to contact your primary provider's office or the health care facility where you were treated.
Right to ask for a change to your record: You can ask us to change your records if they are wrong or incomplete. To ask us to change your records, write to us at the address listed at the end of this notice. Your request must clearly tell us what records you want to change.
Right to get a list of people or groups that received your health records: You have the right to get a list of the people and groups we have given your health records to. If you want this list, write to us at the address listed at the end of this notice.
Right to ask for private contact: If you think the way we contact you could be dangerous to you, please let us know. We will do our best to contact you in a more private way.
Right to ask for special treatment for your health records: SAMAI may use your health records in the ways we talked about in this notice. You can ask us not to use your records in these ways. We do not have to agree to your request, but we will consider it. If we do agree to give your health records special treatment, we will follow our agreement with you. If you want to make this request, write to us at the address listed at the end of this notice.
Right to get a paper copy of this notice: If you got this notice by computer, you have the right to a paper copy. You can get a paper copy on our website at www.mymainecare.com. We can also mail you a copy.
The law requires us to give you this notice. We must follow what we say in this notice. But we have the right to change this notice if we change how we handle health records, and to make those changes apply to all the records we hold. You can get a copy of the most current notice on our website at www.mymainecare.com. We can also mail you a copy.
Please call SAMAI if you have privacy questions or concerns. Our toll-free number is 1 (866) 543-2387. If you have trouble hearing, you can call our toll-free TDD/TTY number at 1 (800) 457-1220.
You may also write us at:
Schaller Anderson Medical Administrators, Inc.
175 Running Hill Road - 2D
South Portland, ME 04106
You can file an appeal with us if you don't like our response to your concerns. You can use the phone number and address above. You may also file a complaint with the Maine Attorney General's office. We can give you their address if you call us.
If you file a complaint with the Attorney General's office, you will not lose your health care benefits.
Effective Date: July 9, 2007