Privacy Practices

Erlanger Health Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective February 16, 2026

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

The practices described here apply to Erlanger Health, Inc. (Erlanger), other third-party physician practices that provide care to you as an Erlanger patient, and the Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) affiliated with Erlanger. Erlanger Health includes all departments and units of its hospitals, facilities, and medical practices. Erlanger Health is part of an Organized Health Care Arrangement (OHCA) that includes the practices of providers who perform services at Erlanger and will be putting information into your medical record. These include but may not be limited to University Surgical Associates; Anesthesiology Consultants Exchange; Tennessee Interventional and Imaging Associates; Pediatric Emergency Medicine Associates; LabCorp; Tennessee Oncology; Pathology Group; and Tennessee River Physicians. The FQHC is also part of the OHCA. This Notice services as a joint notice for all parties in the OHCA.

How to Ask a Question or Report a Complaint

If you have questions about this Notice or want to talk about a problem without filing a formal complaint, please contact the Office of Compliance and Privacy Services using the contact information listed below. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a formal complaint with us in writing by sending it to the Erlanger Office of Compliance and Privacy Services at the address listed below or by filing a complaint with the Erlanger Integrity Line at the number listed below. You may also file a complaint with the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. You will not be treated differently for filing a complaint.

How to Contact Us

Office of Compliance and Privacy Services
Erlanger Health, Inc.
975 E. Third Street
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403
423-778-7703
[email protected]
Erlanger Integrity Line – 1-877-849-8338

Health Information Management Office
Erlanger Health, Inc.
975 E. Third Street
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403
423-778-7267

This Notice contains detailed information about:

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Review and/or get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record
• Ask for an amendment of your paper or electronic medical record
• Request a list of some of the parties with whom we have shared your medical information
• Receive notification in case of a breach of your information
• Request limits on who we share information with for certain purposes
• Request confidential communication
• Get a copy of this Notice

Our Uses and Disclosures

We may use and share your information as we:

• Treat you
• Run our organization
• Bill for services provided to you
• Help with public health and safety issues
• Do research
• Comply with the law
• Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
• Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
• Address law enforcement and other government requests
• Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

Why We Keep Information about You

We keep medical information about you to help care for you and because the law requires us to. The law also says we must:

• Protect your medical information
• Provide this Notice and describe our practices
• Follow what this Notice says

If there are different laws covering your medical information, Erlanger will follow the law that provides the greatest privacy protection to you. Please understand that the medical information we disclose in accordance with this Notice may be subject to redisclosure by the recipient and no longer protected by HIPAA.

What the Words We Use Mean

• "Notice" means this Notice of Privacy Practices.
• "Erlanger" means Erlanger Health, its staff, and any affiliated organizations covered by the Notice.
• "We," "our," or "us" means one or more Erlanger organizations, providers, or staff and the other parties under the OHCA.
• "You" means the patient whose medical information this concerns.
• "Medical information" means all the paper and electronic records related to a patient’s physical and mental health care – past, present, or future. These records include information about billing and payment (also known as “Protected Health Information” or “PHI”).
• "Use" means sharing or using medical information within Erlanger.
• "Share" and/or "disclose" means giving medical information or access to information to someone outside Erlanger Health, including other members of the OHCA.
• "OHCA" means Organized Health Care Arrangement.
• "SUD" means substance use disorder.

Your Rights Regarding Your Medical Information

The records we create and maintain using your medical information belong to Erlanger, but you have certain rights and responsibilities related to that information.

Right to Review and Get a Copy of Your Medical Information: You have the right to look at and get an electronic or paper copy of your medical information, including billing records, as long as the information is kept by or for Erlanger. You must make a written or electronic request to the Erlanger Health Information Management Department. A reasonable, cost-based fee may be charged for a copy or summary. We may deny your request in rare cases, but we will provide the reason in writing.

Right to Ask for an Amendment to Your Medical Information: If you think our information about you is not correct or complete, you may ask us to correct your record by writing to the Erlanger Health Information Management Department. If we agree, we will notify you and correct your record. If we deny your request, we will tell you why in writing.

Right to Request a List of Some of the Parties With Whom Erlanger Has Shared Your Medical Information: You have the right to ask for an "accounting of disclosures" for the prior six years. This list will NOT include instances for treatment, payment, business operations, or those shared with you or based on your permission. You must request this in writing. The first list in a 12-month period is free.

Right to Notice in Case of a Breach: You have the right to know if your protected health information has been breached. We will notify you in writing as required by law.

Right to Request Limits on the Use and Sharing of Your Medical Information: You have the right to ask us to limit information shared for treatment, payment, or business operations. We are not required to agree, but if you pay for a service in full at the time it is received, we will grant a request not to share it with your health insurer unless legally required otherwise.

Right to Ask for Confidential Communications: You have the right to ask us to communicate with you in a certain way or place. You must make your request in writing. We will grant your request if it is reasonable.

Right to Get a Paper Copy of this Notice: You have the right to get a paper copy of this Notice at any of our facilities, by contacting the Office of Compliance and Privacy Services, or on our website.

Right to File a Complaint if You Feel Your Rights Are Violated: You have the right to file a formal complaint with us or the US Department of Health and Human Services. We will not retaliate against you.

Our Uses and Disclosures of Your Health Information

We use electronic record systems with safeguards to manage your care. Policies and training limit information use to those who need it for their job. Caregivers and services may share information without your permission for several reasons:

• For Treatment: Sharing information to coordinate your care (e.g., sharing diabetes status with food services).
• For Billing and Payment: Sharing information with health plans to get paid for services.
• For Business Reasons (Operations): Necessary tasks like training staff, improving care, and evaluating performance.
• To Contact You: Reminders for appointments, test results, or insurance matters via mail, phone, text, or email.
• Family and Friends: Sharing information with those involved in your care or payment.
• Facility Directory: Including your name, location, general condition, and religion in the directory unless you tell us not to.
• Other Required/Allowed Disclosures: Including worker’s compensation, public health reporting, organ donation, research, fundraising (you may opt out), lawsuits, law enforcement requests, and national security.

Other Uses of Your Medical Information

We will not use or share your information for other reasons without your written agreement, including marketing or selling your information.

Records Subject to Part 2 Protections: SUD records have extra restrictions. If we receive these records with your consent, we may use them as allowed by HIPAA and Part 2, but will not disclose them in legal proceedings without express consent or a court order.

Changes to this Notice

We have the right to change this Notice at any time. Current versions are posted at our facilities and on our website.

Past Version Effective Dates:

4/14/2003 (#1)
6/25/2007 (#2)
11/27/2007 (#3)
3/18/2013 (#4)
3/1/2018 (#5)
1/10/24 (#6)
2/16/2026 (#7)