Contact Student Health Services

Our Hours and Locations page has Clinic, Immunization and Insurance Office contact information. Call 703-993-2831 regarding medical questions or concerns.

The Patient Experience Survey gives you the opportunity to provide feedback about your most recent visit to our Student Health Service Clinics, Immunization or Insurance Offices. You may also provide feedback via our online form below.

Visit our Patient Confidentiality section if you have a complaint or concern about a patient confidentiality violation.

Student Health Email

For non-urgent or general information, you may email shsinfo@gmu.edu. This email is not for medical questions or appointment scheduling. Call Student Health (703-993-2831) to have these questions answered. For immunization or student health insurance questions, contact the associated office directly.  Unsolicited attachments to emails will not be opened due to security concerns. Please note that Student Health can only respond to a Mason email address. Email is not checked when Student Health Services is closed.

Social Media

Student Health Services uses social media to provide interesting health education. All users should be aware that these are public forums and any information shared will be viewed by others. These are not forums for medical questions or advice; call Student Health for answers to these questions. We care about protecting our users’ privacy and will encourage a user who has chosen to post personal health information to call Student Health.

Eligibility to be seen at Student Health Services

Eligibility for Students

All currently enrolled students are eligible to receive healthcare at our facilities.

Upon graduation, students may be seen in Student Health Services until the end of the month in which they graduate.

Eligibility for Faculty and Staff

Faculty and staff with health concerns are advised to see their health care provider. However if a faculty/staff member has an acute illness requiring immediate attention, they can be seen at Student Health Services. Follow-up care should be provided by the faculty/staff’s health care provider in the community. There will be a fee for the visit in addition to the fees for any tests or procedures. Any exceptions have to be approved by the Executive Director of Student Health.

Faculty and staff who are medically required to receive blood pressure checks may do so at no charge at Student Health clinics. Please call 703-993-2831 for more information.

Faculty and staff are eligible to use  Travel Clinic services and Immunization services. Please see the list of associated fees for services.

Telehealth Services for Students

Telehealth is the use of audio and video technology to offer services to patients who are not in the same physical location as their provider. Current Mason students in Virginia are eligible for telehealth appointments. Healthcare providers are bound by the laws of their state and cannot provide care outside of that scope of practice. Student Health must establish care with a patient and patients must complete all necessary paperwork before the appointment.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED.

8/2019

IF YOU ARE A STUDENT:

The privacy of your health records at Student Health Services (SHS) is governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and the Virginia Health Records Privacy law, Va. Code § 32.1-127.1:03 (VHRP). Both of these laws limit the ways in which your health records can be shared without your consent.

Under FERPA, the records maintained by Mason Student Health Services are either Treatment Records or Education Records. The majority of records maintained at Student Health Services are considered to be Treatment Records. Treatment records are records that are made or maintained by a health care professional; are used only for your medical or psychological treatment; and are shared only with other treatment providers. Education Records are records maintained by SHS that are not related to your treatment or records related to your medical or psychological treatment that have been shared with individuals other than your treatment providers (e.g., you or others whom you have given consent to receive your records). Additionally, any record maintained by SHS related to you and the health services provided to you are also protected by the VHRP.

What this means in practice, is that we may disclose your records to other healthcare providers who are also providing you with treatment. In general, we will ask you to sign a written consent form before we provide your information to another healthcare provider for treatment. If there is an emergency situation, however, we may provide this information to other providers for your treatment without having you sign a written consent. At your request, we will also provide your Treatment Records to a healthcare provider for review. We will also ask you to sign a written consent before we disclose your Student Health Services records to anyone for a purpose other than treatment, unless the disclosure is permissible under both FERPA and the VHRP. Some examples of situations where we may disclose records without your consent are (1) in connection with SHS’s internal operations, (2) in response to a lawfully issued subpoena or other judicial order, (3) when required by law, (4) in order to obtain payment, (5) to defend SHS or its employees against an accusation of wrongdoing related to your treatment by SHS, or (6) in the case of an emergency or to address a public health situation. Your privacy right in your health records continues even if you are no longer a student at Mason.

For a copy of your health records ask the Front Office for a Release of Health Records From Mason form or go online https://shs.gmu.edu/about/forms/. There is a fee to obtain a copy of your records.

If you would like to file a complaint regarding the privacy of your health records, you may contact the University’s FERPA Compliance Specialist or the Family Policy Compliance Office within the U.S. Department of Education. If you have additional questions about FERPA, please see the University’s Annual Notice of Privacy Rights under FERPA, available on the Mason Registrar’s website: https://registrar.gmu.edu/ferpa/annual-notification-ofrights/.

IF YOU ARE NOT A STUDENT:

The privacy of your health records at SHS is governed by the Virginia Health Records Privacy law, VA Code § 32.1-127.1:03. In general, your health records may not be shared without obtaining your consent except (1) when necessary in connection with the care of the individual, (2) in connection with SHS’s internal operations, (3) in response to a lawfully issued subpoena or other judicial order, (4) when required by law, (5) in order to obtain payment, (6) to defend SHS or its employees against an accusation of wrongdoing related to your treatment by SHS, or (7) if another exception provided by the Virginia Health Records Privacy law applies. Before sharing your health records in any manner not authorized by the Virginia Health Records Privacy law, SHS will obtain your affirmative written consent.

You have the right to obtain a copy of your health records, except as provided in the Virginia Health Records Privacy law. For a copy of your health records ask the Front Office for a Release of Health Records From Mason form or go online https://shs.gmu.edu/about/forms/. There is a fee to obtain a copy of your records.

If you would like to file a complaint regarding the privacy of your health records, you may contact the SHS Privacy Officer by calling 703 993-2831 or writing to the Privacy Officer of George Mason University Student Health Services at 4400 University Drive, MSN 2D3, Fairfax, VA 22030.

To file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Health & Human Services, contact them on-line or write to them at 200 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., 20201

FOR ALL PATIENTS:

George Mason Student Health Services is required to abide by the terms set forth in this privacy notice but we reserve the right to change the terms and to make the new privacy notice in a prominent location within our offices and provide you with a copy of the revised notice.

The Patient has a RIGHT to:

• Professional, courteous, respectful treatment without discrimination.
• Information about the credentials of health care providers.
• Appropriate privacy throughout the facility including check in/out and in treatment areas.
• Approve or refuse release of medical records, except when required by law or in a medical emergency.
• Expect records to be kept confidential as required by law.
• Interpreter services.
• Be informed about diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in terms that can be understood.
• Information about procedures and treatments including length, risks, benefits, cost and alternatives to
  facilitate participation in care decisions.
• Refuse a treatment or plan of care to the extent permitted by law and be informed of medical
  consequences of that decision.
• A second medical opinion and appropriate referral.
• Information on fees and payment policies for services rendered at Student Health Services.
• Consent to or decline participation in research after being fully informed.
• Information and related forms regarding Advanced Directives.
• Information on how to voice grievances regarding treatment and care and provide feedback, including
  complaints in an appropriate manner.

The Patient has a RESPONSIBILITY to:

•  Be respectful and act in a considerate and cooperative manner.
• Provide complete and accurate health information.
• Ask questions and seek clarification regarding medical care.
• Follow agreed upon treatment plan and convey problems that interfere with compliance.
• Arrive as scheduled for appointments and, if necessary, call to cancel an appointment in a timely
  manner.
• Comply with posted rules and regulations within Student Health Services.
• Accept personal financial responsibility for any fees not covered by insurance
• Provide a responsible adult to provide transportation/home care as directed by the provider.