If you receive any of our medical services, information about your healthcare will be entered into your electronic health record. The electronic health record also serves as the vehicle for clinical communications between health care providers and supports the coordination of care and services. Included in your health record are: Medical history (prior and at the time of visit) Results of examinations Diagnosis Laboratory orders and reports Radiographic studies (x-rays) Consultation reports (including Emergency Room visits) Clinical notes from Medical and Infirmary visits Secure communication with health care providers Medications ordered Students: after you leave Princeton, your health records are retained securely for 10 years. After 10 years, they are destroyed. Employees: your health records are retained securely for 30 years. Learn more about: Privacy and your health record Record release Communication with parents Privacy with billing Requesting your health record Privacy and Your Health Record Our confidentiality policy ensures a patient’s right to privacy. State and federal statutes protect a patient’s records. The physical record and its contents are owned by the health care organization and the provider. As a patient, you have the right to see your record. Only authorized health center staff may have access to the information in your record to record or retrieve information for billing, insurance or Student Health Plan claims purposes. In addition, University Health Services and other authorized personnel may use relevant portions of your health record to ensure compliance with New Jersey State and University immunization requirements. If you have any concerns about the privacy of your records, contact the Director of Medical Services. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) For information regarding collection of personal information from students who are located in the EU at the time of data collection, review the University's policy. Interdisciplinary Consultation within UHS SHARE, Medical Services, and Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) are all part of University Health Service (UHS), which adheres to a model of care that integrates physical, psychological, and emotional factors that contribute to the health and well-being of each individual. If your care requires multiple UHS providers within UHS, relevant client-related information will be shared only as needed to assure coordinated care. All information shared among these professionals is treated in a confidential manner. We encourage you to discuss the nature of these consultations with your clinician. Record Release Your written authorization is necessary to release your health records. However, records or information can be released without your authorization under the following circumstances: Emergency Medical Treatment In a serious medical emergency, health services will give hospitals and other providers’ information about your health history, medications you might be taking and any allergies. Reportable Diseases State laws require health care facilities to report certain communicable and other conditions, including many sexually transmitted diseases, to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. This is for public health purposes and, in some instances, follow up by a public health official may occur. Subpoenas and Court Orders If you are involved in court cases or litigation, your health record or history may be part of the "discovery" procedures for certain kinds of cases. If a subpoena or court order is received, the sender is notified that it must be served directly to Princeton University's Office of the General Counsel. Worker’s Compensation for Employees If you are actively engaged in a Worker’s Compensation claim, Risk Management and Environmental Health and Safety may be granted minimal access to your health record in order to process and adjudicate claims, and coordinate care. Other When signing medical claim forms, applications for insurance coverage and other types of information releases, you are sometimes authorizing that agency or organization to obtain a copy of your complete medical record. Communication with Parents Except for a serious emergency, a student is responsible for notifying his or her parents or guardians regarding a health problem. Questions from parents regarding care provided or bills are referred back to the student. UHS does not accept or retain HIPAA Privacy Authorization Forms that authorize the release of health records to parents because Princeton students’ health records are education records and governed by FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). The exception to this statement is that the health records of dependents who are enrolled in the Student Health Plan are subject to HIPAA. Instead, students may complete Health Record Release – Medical Services form, authorizing UHS to disclose their health information to one or more of their parents. Students 18 years of age or older who wish to provide UHS with a proxy directive may do so. A proxy directive is a document you use to appoint a person to make healthcare decisions for you in the event you become unable to make them yourself, and is also referred to as health care proxy, health care power of attorney, medical power of attorney, and/or durable power of attorney for health care. UHS accepts a proxy directive that is validly executed in New Jersey or in another state, and will retain it in the student’s health record. Learn more about this proxy directive. We also supply a Health Care Proxy form that uses inclusive language that is valid in the state of New Jersey and that may be used by students. It is located in the forms section of the MyUHS student portal. Privacy with Billing You may be charged a fee for supplies, medications, immunizations, and some lab tests. Whether billed to your Student Account or another payment option, these items are coded by number and information is not released on type of service or supply. However an explanation of benefits (EOB) may be sent to the address on file for the policy holder. Requesting Your Health Records Student Records To protect your privacy and the confidentiality of your records, we require that you complete a Health Record Release –Medical Services form to authorize the copying of your health record – or parts of the record – and mailing it to another person or organization. You may also choose to pick up the copy. We do not fax health records (except for Immunization records). To request a copy of your health record, submit your signed Health Record Release form: by email to [email protected], or by fax to 609-258-1355. Disclosure of HIV-related information, is controlled by New Jersey law, N.J.S.A. 26:5C. If you would like to include your HIV results, please check the HIV Test Results box. Students, you may review your medical record with advanced request. This is recommended if you are requesting the release of your records to a third party, such as parents or other health care providers. Counseling and Psychological Services and SHARE records are kept separately from the health record. If you would like copies of your records for either of these services, fill out an Authorization for Release of Information - CPS & SHARE form. If you are only requesting a copy of your immunization record, please email an immunization record request to [email protected], including your name, date of birth (DOB), and class year. Please allow 1-4 weeks for processing your request. If you have any questions regarding this process, please email [email protected] or call 609-258-3141, option 1. Employee Records To protect your privacy and the confidentiality of your records, we require that you complete a Health Record Release – Occupational Health Services form to authorize the copying of your health record – or parts of the record – and mailing it to another person or organization. You may also choose to pick up the copy. We do not fax health records (except for Immunization records). Submit your request by faxing the form to 609-258-0976. You may be charged a fee for this service, which varies depending on what is included in your copy. Please allow 1-4 weeks for processing your request.
