Notice of privacy Practices.

Our commitment to protecting your data.

Patient Rights.

You have the right to:

  • Get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record.
  • Correct your paper or electronic medical record.
  • File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.
  • Ask us to limit the information we share about you.
  • Get a list of those whom we’ve shared your information.
  • Request that we use only confidential communication methods with you.
  • Choose someone to act on your behalf.

Patient Choices

You have choices about how we use your information:

  • If we tell your family or friends about your conditions.
    • If we provide disaster relief services.
  • If we sell your information.
  • If we market our services.

Uses and Disclosure.

We may use your information when we conduct these activities:

  • Help with public health and safety issues.
  • Bill you or a third party for services.
  • Comply with the law.
  • Conduct research.
  • Respond to lawsuits and legal actions.
  • Address law enforcement or other government requests.
  • Treat you.
  • Perform privacy reviews and audits.

Privacy Practices in Detail.

You may ask us to see or obtain an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this. Under most circumstances, we will provide you with a copy or a summary of your health information within 30 days of your request. You may also request we send your medical record or other information to another person or entity. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Please note, you don’t have the right to access information that does not directly relate to you. This may include, but is not limited to, business planning records, quality assessment records, or management records used for business decisions generally rather than to make decisions about you as an individual.

You may ask us to correct health information in your record that you believe is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this. If we deny your request, we will provide you a written explanation for that denial within 60 days.

You may ask us to contact you in a specific way (e.g., cell phone only), or to send mail to a different address (e.g., a friend’s home). We will comply with all reasonable requests.

You may ask us to refrain from using or sharing certain health information for your treatment, in our operations, or to obtain payment for our services. We are not required to comply with your request, and we may decline your request if we reasonably believe that it would affect your care. If we do accept your request, then we must comply with all agreed restrictions, except for purposes of treating you in a medical emergency.
 
If you pay for our services or a healthcare item in full out- of-pocket, you may ask that we not share that information for the purpose of securing payment or sharing our healthcare operations with your health insurer. We will agree to this request unless a law requires otherwise.

You may request a list (called an accounting) of the times that we have shared your health information for the six years prior to the date of your request. The accounting will include the recipient and the reason your information was shared. We will include all disclosures except for those relating to treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and certain other disclosures (e.g., those you asked us to make). We will provide you with one accounting per year at no cost, but we will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you request another within 12 months.

If you have given someone your medical power of attorney, or if someone is your legal guardian, that person may exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will verify that this person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

You may complain to our Privacy Officer if you believe we violated your rights. You may also file a complaint by sending a letter to:
 
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Office for Civil Rights 200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
 
You may also call (877) 696-6675 or visit www.hhs.gov. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Additional Disclosures

The less common ways we use or share your health information include when we:

  • Report suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
  • Report adverse medical reactions.
  • Assist with public health and safety issues.
  • Prevent or reduce a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.
  • Conduct research.
  • Prevent disease.
  • Support government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services.
  • Contribute to the public good or assist with public health research.
  • Respond to workers’ compensation claims.
  • Support health oversight agencies’ activities as authorized by law.
  • Comply with state or federal laws.
  • Respond to law enforcement requests.
  • Assist with product recalls.
  • Respond to lawsuits and legal actions.
  • Respond to court or administrative agency orders or subpoenas.
  • Demonstrate to HHS we are compliant with federal privacy laws.

We must comply with several conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information, see:
www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/understanding/consumers/index.html

Detailed Practice Responsibilities

The law requires us to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information. This includes maintaining reasonable and appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the unauthorized use or disclosure of your protected information. We will alert you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information. Additionally, we will mitigate, to the extent practicable, any harmful effect we learn was caused by a breach of privacy. We must comply with the duties and privacy practices described in this notice, and we must offer you a copy of this document. We will not use or share your information, other than as described here, without your express written permission. If you authorize a use or disclosure of your information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time.

 

For more information, visit HHS’ website at
www.hhs.gov/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticeapp.html

Or reach our Privacy Officer at: Compliance@OnsiteDiagnosticLabs.com