POLICIES

We strive to minimize antibiotic overuse by educating families on proper use and adhering to evidence-based guidelines for responsible prescribing. Since many illnesses are viral and don't require antibiotics, our pediatricians explain alternative treatments and emphasize the importance of natural healing when appropriate.

Furthermore, we avoid prescribing antibiotics over the phone, as we believe in conducting proper assessments before doing so. Antibiotics are prescribed only when necessary and appropriate, ensuring patient well-being while mitigating the risks of antibiotic resistance and unnecessary side effects.

We respect everyone's time and kindly ask that you arrive 10 minutes early for your appointment. While we understand delays happen, late arrivals may need to reschedule to keep us on schedule. 

Notice Of Privacy Practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

At Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd.. we are committed to treating and using protected health information ("PHI") about your child responsibly. This Notice of Privacy Practices ("Notice") describes the personal information wc collect, and how and when wc use or disclose that information. It also describes your rights as they relate to your child's PHI. This Notice has been updated in accordance with the HIPAA Omnibus Rule and is effective March l, 2013. It applies to ail PHI as defined by federal regulations.

Understanding Your Child's Health Record/lnformation

Each visit at Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd.; a record of your child's visit is made. Typically, this record contains symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care or treatment. This information may be used or disclosed to:

  Plan for your child's care and treatment.

  Communicate with other providers who contribute to your child's care.

• Serve as a legal document.

  Receive payment from you, your plan, or your health insurer.

  Assess and continually work to improve the carc we render and the outcomes we achieve. • Comply with state and federal laws that require us to disclose your child's health inforrnation.

Understanding what is in your child's record and how your child's health information is used hclps you to: ensure its accuracy, better understand who, what. when, where, and why others may access your child's health information, and make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others.

Your Child's Health Information Rights

Although your child's health record is the physical property of Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd., the information belongs to you. You have the right to request to:

• Access, inspect and copy your child's health record. We maintain an electronic medical record ("EMR"), you have the right to access your child's EMR in a machine readable electronic format and to direct us to send a machine readable copy directly to a third party. Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. will charge you a reasonable cost-based fee for the cost of supplies and labor of copying,

  Amend your child's hcalth record which you believe is not correct or complete. Gateway Pediatrics. Ltd. is not required to agree to the amendment if Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd.

did not create the information or if it is correct or complete.

  Obtain an accounting of disclosures of your child's health information.

• Communications Of your child's health information by alternative means (e.g. e„mail) or at alternative locations (e.g. post office box).

  Place a restriction to certain uses and disclosures of your child's information. In most cases Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. is not required to agree to these additional restrictions, but if Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. does, Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. will abide by the agreement (except in certain circumstances where disclosure is required or permitted, such as an emergency, for public health activities, or when disclosure is required by law). Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. must comply with a request to restrict the disclosure of PHI to a health plan for purposes of carrying out payment or health care operations if the PHI pertains solely to a health care item or service for which we have been paid out of pocket

in full.

  Revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken.   Obtain a copy of your child's health care information in paper or a machine readable electronic format.

Our Responsibilities

Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. is required to:

  Maintain the privacy of your child's health information.

  Provide you v./ith this Notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about your child.

  Abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect.

  Notify you in writing if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction.

  Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations.

  Notify you in writing of a breach where your child's unsccured PHI has been accessed, acquired, used or disclosed to an unauthorized person. "Unsecured PHI" refers to PHI that is not secured through the use of technologies or methodologies that render the PHI unusable, unreadable. or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals.

We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all PHI we maintain. Should our information practices change, such revised Notices will be made available to you,

We will not use or disclose your child's health information without your written authorization, except as described in this Notice.

For More Information or to Report a Problem

If you have questions and would like additional information, you may contact Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. at:

12255 DePaul Drive, suite 460, Bridgeton, MO 63044

Tel. (314) 770-2300 • Fax (3 14) 770-1843

224 South Woods Mill Road, suite 720, Chesterfield, MO 63017

Tel. (314) 434-4010 • Fax (314) 434-1714

If you believe your child's privacy rights have been violated. you can file a written complaint with Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd.'s Privacy Officer, or with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Upon request, the Privacy Office will provide you with the address. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint with either the Privacy Officer or the Office for Civil Rights.

Treatment: Information obtained by a nurse, physician, or other member of your health care team will be recorded in your child's medical record and used to determine the course or treatment that should work best for your child. To promote quality care, Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. operates an EMR- This is an electronic system that keeps health information about your child. Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. may also provide a subsequent healthcare provider with health information about your child (e.g., copies of various reports) that should assist him or her in treating your child in (he future. Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. may also disc*ose health information about your child to, and obtain your child's health information I'mrn, electronic health information networks in which community healthcare providers may participate to facilitate the provision of care to patients such as your child.

Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. may use a prescription hub which provides electronic access to your child's medication history. This will assist Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. health care providers in understanding what other medications may have been prescribed for your child by other providers.

Payment: A bill may be sent to you or a third-party payer. The information on or accompanying t:he bill may include information that identifies your child, diagnosis, procedures, and supplies used.

Health Care Operations: We may use information in your child's health record (o assess the care and outcomes in each case and others like it. This information will then be used in an effort to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the health care and service we provide.

Business Associates: We may contract with third parties to provide services on our behalf and disclose your child's health information to our business associate so that they can perform the job we've asked them to do. We require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your child's information.

Notification: We may use or disclose information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative, or another person responsible for your child's care, their location, and general condition.

Communicationfrom the Office; We may call your home or other designated location and leave a message on voice mail, in person, or by email, in reference to any items that assist Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. in carrying out Treatrnent, Payment and Health Care Operations, such as appointment reminders, insurance items and any call pertaining to your child's clinical care. We may mail to your home or other designated location any items that assist Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. in carrying out Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations, such as appointment reminders, patient satisfaction surveys and patient statements.

Communication with Fanüly/Personal Friends: Health professionals, using their best judgment, may disclose to a family member, other relative, close personal friend or any other person you identify, health information relevant to that person's involvement in your child's care 01' payment related to your child's care. When a family member(s) or a friend(s) accompany the patient into the exam room, it is considered implied consent that a disclosure of the patient medical data is acceptable.

To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety: We may use your child's health information or share it with others when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your child's health or safety, or the health or safely of another person or the public.

Research: We may use and disclose a limited data set that does not contain specific readily identifiable information about your child for research. We may use medical information for research purposes in limited circumstances where the research has been approved by a review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of medical information.

Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors: In the unfortunate event of your child's death, we may disclose your child's health information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to determine the cause of death. We may also release this information to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

Deceased Individuals: In the unfortunate event of your child's death, we are permitted to disclose your child's PHI to your personal representative and your family members and others who were involved in the care or payment for your child's care prior to your child's death, unless inconsistent with any prior expressed preference that you provided to us.

Organ Procurement Organizations: Consistent with applicable law, we may disclose health information to organ procurement organizations, federally funded registries, or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking, or transplantation of organs for the purpose of tissue donation and transplant.

Marketing: We may contact you by mail or e-mail to provide information about treatment alternatives or other healtwrelated benefits and services that may be of interest to you. However, we must obtain your prior written authorization for any marketing of products and services that are funded by third parties. You have the right to opt-out by notifying us in writing.

Fund Raising: Should our practice decide to participate in fund raising, we may contact you as part of this effort. We will limit our use and sharing of information that describes your child in general, not personal terms. You may opt-out of any communication in regards to this fund raising effort.

Sale of your PHI: Gateway Pediatrics, Ltd. may not "sell" your child's PHI (i.e., disclose such PHI in exchange for remuneration) to a third party without your written authorization that acknowledges the remuneration unless such an exchange meets a regulatory exception.

Health Oversight Activities: We may release your child's health information to government agencies authorized to conduct audits,   and inspections of our facility. These government agencies monitor the operation of the health care system, government benefit programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and compliance with government regulatory programs and civil rights laws,

Food and Drug Adnzinistration (FDA): We may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects, or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacement.

Public Health: As required by law, we may disclose your child's health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability.

Workers Compensation: We may disclose health information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers compensation or other similar programs established by law.

Law Enforcement: We may disclose health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law.

National Security: Our practice may disclose your child's PHI to federal officials for intelligence and national security activities authorized by law.

Childhood Immunizations: The practice may disclose immunizations to schools required to obtain proof of immunization prior to admitting the student so long as the physicians have and document the patient or patient's legal representative's "informal agreement" to the disclosure.

Lawsuits and Disputes: We may disclose your child's health information if we are ordered to do so by a court that is handling a lawsuit or other dispute. We may also disclose your child's information in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful request by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain a court order protecting the information from further disclosure.

As Required by Law: We may use or disclose your child's health information if we are required by law to do so.

Our practice values efficiency by utilizing technology. We encourage you to visit our website and register for our patient portal.

The health and well-being of your children are our top priorities. We firmly support the expert guidance and recommendations provided by leading health authorities, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. As such, our vaccine policy aligns with the evidence-based immunization schedule developed by these organizations.

We believe:

• Vaccines save lives. Immunizations have been proven to prevent serious illnesses, reduce the spread of contagious diseases, and protect vulnerable populations.
• Vaccines are safe. Extensive research and rigorous safety standards ensure that vaccines are both effective and secure for children and young adults.
• Vaccines protect communities. By vaccinating according to the recommended schedule, we help prevent outbreaks and protect individuals who cannot be immunized, such as infants too young for certain vaccines or those with certain medical conditions.

Our Policy Highlights:

Recommended Schedule: We follow the immunization schedule endorsed by the AAP and ACIP because it has been carefully developed to provide the best protection at the most appropriate times.

Evidence-Based Approach: Our recommendations are grounded in the latest medical research and data, reflecting a strong consensus among pediatric and public health experts.

Transparent Communication: We are always available to discuss any questions or concerns about vaccines and are committed to providing clear, respectful information about the benefits and potential risks.

We understand that deciding how to protect your child’s health is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. By following this policy, we aim to ensure that every child in our care has the opportunity to grow up healthy, safe, and protected against preventable diseases.