Our Commitment to Better Patient Care

To help us better serve our patients, Springfield Neurological and Spine Institute [SNSI] has hired an independent research company, HealthStream Research, to interview a random sample of patients treated at our clinic. You may be called to answer questions about your care experience.

 If HealthStream Research calls you, the number that will appear is 301.575.9366.  This area code is in the Baltimore, Maryland region where HealthStream’s executive interviewing center is located.

The feedback will be used by SNSI to monitor the quality of service and to improve care for our patients. 

 If you are asked to participate in the brief interview, please be assured that your responses will be kept completely confidential and will only be shared with the clinic leadership for the purpose of improving the quality of patient care.

 SNSI does not provide personal information about patients or information about their medical status or treatment. After interviewing is completed, HealthStream Research destroys the patient lists. 

 If you should have any questions about Springfield Neurological and Spine’s patient satisfaction monitoring process, please contact 417.885.3888.

 HIPAA Compliance:

As Springfield Neurological and Spine is committed to HIPAA compliance and patient privacy, please see the below CMS documentation:

 According to HIPAA regulation section § 164.506 (c)(1), “A covered entity may use or disclose protected health information for its own treatment, payment, or health care operations.”  As a “business associate” bound by written contract, HealthStream Research’s use of patient data for purposes of conducting quality-improvement research is considered “health care operations” as defined in HIPAA regulation section § 164.501 (1).

 As a covered entity under HIPAA, a health care organization’s responsibility is to ensure that any business partner, to whom patient data are sent, implements appropriate safeguards to ensure that data remain secure.¹   We at HealthStream Research have taken steps that go well above and beyond standard security practices, in order to provide our clients the highest degree of confidence that their data are being handled properly.

¹ HIPAA section § 164.502  (e)(1)(i): “A covered entity may disclose protected health information to a business associate and may allow a business associate to create or receive protected health information on its behalf, if the covered entity obtains satisfactory assurance that the business associate will appropriately safeguard the information.”