Security & Privacy
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW CAREFULLY.
SaraPath Diagnostics® and its employees are committed to protecting medical information about you. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), SaraPath Diagnostics® is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information, called “Protected Health Information” (PHI) and to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practice regarding PHI. This Notice of Health Information Practices describes the personal information we collect and how and when we disclose that information. It also describes your rights, as well as certain responsibilities we have, regarding your medical information and applies to all protected health information as defined by federal regulations.
Privacy Practices: It is the policy of SaraPath Diagnostics® to use or disclose the minimum amount of your PHI that we maintain. Your PHI includes information that may identify you (such as name, address, date of birth, social security number), as well as your medical and billing information. This notice applies to all PHI that we maintain. Your physician may have different notices regarding his/her use and disclosure of your PHI maintained in his/her office.
How SaraPath Diagnostics® May Use or Disclose Your Protected Health Information
Your PHI may be used or disclosed for treatment, payment or healthcare operations purposes and for other purposes permitted or required by law. Not every use or disclosure is listed; however, all of the ways we use or disclose your PHI will fall into one of the categories listed below:
For Treatment: SaraPath Diagnostics® provides laboratory testing for ordering physicians and we may use your protected health information as part of our testing process and disclose your PHI to physicians and other authorized health care professionals who need access to your test results to treat you.
For Payment: SaraPath Diagnostics® may use and disclose your protected health information for purposes of billing and collecting payment for services provided to you. Your PHI may be disclosed to insurance companies, hospitals, physicians, or to third parties to assist us in creating bills, claim forms or getting paid for our services provided to you. Individuals have the right to request that we restrict disclosures to health plans if the individual pays for the health care item or service in full.
For Health Care Operations: SaraPath Diagnostics® may use and disclose your protected health information in the course of activities to support our health care operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment activities, employee reviews, accreditation functions, for teaching purposes or to improve the quality and effectiveness of the health care we provide.
Group Health Plans: A group health plan, health insurance issuer, or HMO with respect to a group health plan may disclose health information to the sponsor of the plan.
Disclosure to Business Associates: Sarapath Diagnostics® may disclose your protected health information to other companies or individuals who need your PHI in order to provide specific services to us. These other entities, known as “business associates”, must ensure that they will maintain the privacy and security of your PHI and must only use your PHI for purposes of treatment, payment, or health care operations that they perform on our behalf.
Personal Representative: SaraPath Diagnostics® may release your protected health information to a person you allow to be involved in your medical care or payment for your care, such as a family member or friend. As allowed by federal and state law, we may disclose the PHI of minors to their parents or legal guardians with the exception of sensitive health information. Minors may elect to have such information released with written authorization.
As Permitted or Required by Law: SaraPath Diagnostics® may use or disclose your protected health information for various public policy purposes that are authorized or required by federal, state or local law.
Public Health Risks: SaraPath Diagnostics® may disclose your protected health information for public health activities. We may disclose your PHI to a public health authority to report, prevent or control disease, injury or disability as required by law; and may disclose your PHI for FDA reporting purposes.
Health and Safety: SaraPath Diagnostics® may disclose your protected health information to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of you or any other person pursuant to applicable law.
Disclosure About Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence: SaraPath Diagnostics® may disclose PHI about an individual to a government authority, including social services, if we reasonably believe that an individual is a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence.
Health Oversight: SaraPath Diagnostics® may disclose your protected health information to a governmental health oversight agency for activities authorized by law such as audits, investigations, inspections and licensure for appropriate oversight of the health care system, government benefit programs and compliance with regulatory requirements and civil rights laws.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: SaraPath Diagnostics® may disclose PHI about you in response to a court or administrative order; and may disclose PHI about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process if you are involved in a lawsuit or dispute, or other lawful process by someone else in dispute.
Law Enforcement: SaraPath Diagnostics® may release PHI to a law enforcement official in response to a court order, warrant, subpoena or summons to identify or locate a suspect, witness or missing person, about the victim of a crime or a death believed to be a result of criminal conduct.
Government Functions: Your PHI may be disclosed for specialized government functions such as protection of public officials; or if you are a member of the armed forces, we may release health information about you as required by military command authorities.
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors: SaraPath Diagnostics® may release PHI to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director for the purpose of identifying a deceased person, determining cause of death or as necessary to carry out their authorized duties by law.
Workers’ Compensation: Your information may be used or disclosed in order to comply with laws and regulations related to Workers’ Compensation.
Research: SaraPath Diagnostics® may use your PHI for research purposes when an institutional review board or privacy board has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of the health information.
Organ and Tissue Donation: If you are an organ donor, we may release PHI to organizations that handle organ procurement or transplantation, or to an organ donor bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
Other Uses: Other uses and disclosures will be made only with your written authorization and you may revoke the authorization except to the extent SaraPath Diagnostics® has already made a disclosure based on that authorization.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
SaraPath Diagnostics® reserves the right to change its Privacy Practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information it maintains. Revised notices will be made available on the SaraPath Diagnostics® website, www.sarapath.com.
How We Protect Information on Our Network
It is the policy of SaraPath Diagnostics® to protect your account information against unauthorized access or release. All information you provide to us is handled though a Secure Socket Layer (SSL). SSL is a security and data integrity protocol that encrypts your account information over networks.
All employees of SaraPath Diagnostics® have a duty to comply with the highest standards in protecting the privacy of others and the confidentiality of information gained during the performance of their job duties.
Patient Rights
HIPAA has established the following patient rights with respect to PHI subject to certain exceptions:
Access: You or your authorized or designated personal representative have the right to inspect and copy your PHI. SaraPath Diagnostics® will deny access to certain information for specific reasons, for example federal and state statutes. If your request is denied, you may request that the denial be reviewed.
Federal and State Laws Governing Access: You may request access to your pathology results by completing an Authorization to Use or Disclose Protected Health Information form available either through SaraPath Diagnostics' web site or through Client Services.
Per CLIA regulations, laboratories are restricted from releasing slides and blocks to other than a CLIA accredited facility or to an attorney under a duly executed subpoena or court order.
Amendments: You have the right to request amendments to your PHI, but we are not required to make the requested amendments.
Accounting: You have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of PHI that were made by SaraPath Diagnostics® for a period of up to six (6) years prior to the date of your written request, but not including any disclosures made prior to April 14, 2003, when the Privacy Rule went into effect. Under the law, this accounting does not include disclosures made for purposes of treatment, payment, health care operations, or certain other excluded purposes, but does include other types of disclosures such as disclosures for public health reporting or in response to a court order.
Restrictions: You have the right to ask us if we will agree to restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your PHI, but we are not required to agree to your request.
Confidential Communication: You have a right to request that we send your PHI to an alternate address, but we are not required to agree to your request.
Notice of Privacy Practices: You have the right to request a paper copy of this Notice.
How to Exercise Your Rights
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with SaraPath Diagnostics® Privacy Officer or with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta Federal Center, Suite 3B70, 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, FL 30303-8909. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint with either the Privacy Officer or the Office of Civil Rights.
Contact Information:
If you have any questions or complaints, please contact:
SaraPath Diagnostics®
Attn: Privacy Officer
2001 Webber Street
Sarasota, FL 34239
941.362.8900
877.362.9144 Toll Free
Changes to this Privacy Policy
SaraPath Diagnostics® reserves the right to change its Privacy Practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information it maintains. Revised notices will be made available on the SaraPath Diagnostics® website: www.sarapath.com.
Effective Date of This Notice
This notice is in compliance with HIPAA Regulations effective April 14, 2003, with compliance updates as of September 23, 2009 and December 2, 2009, respectively.
SaraPath Diagnostics® and its employees are committed to protecting medical information about you. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), SaraPath Diagnostics® is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information, called “Protected Health Information” (PHI) and to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practice regarding PHI. This Notice of Health Information Practices describes the personal information we collect and how and when we disclose that information. It also describes your rights, as well as certain responsibilities we have, regarding your medical information and applies to all protected health information as defined by federal regulations.
Privacy Practices: It is the policy of SaraPath Diagnostics® to use or disclose the minimum amount of your PHI that we maintain. Your PHI includes information that may identify you (such as name, address, date of birth, social security number), as well as your medical and billing information. This notice applies to all PHI that we maintain. Your physician may have different notices regarding his/her use and disclosure of your PHI maintained in his/her office.
How SaraPath Diagnostics® May Use or Disclose Your Protected Health Information
Your PHI may be used or disclosed for treatment, payment or healthcare operations purposes and for other purposes permitted or required by law. Not every use or disclosure is listed; however, all of the ways we use or disclose your PHI will fall into one of the categories listed below:
For Treatment: SaraPath Diagnostics® provides laboratory testing for ordering physicians and we may use your protected health information as part of our testing process and disclose your PHI to physicians and other authorized health care professionals who need access to your test results to treat you.
For Payment: SaraPath Diagnostics® may use and disclose your protected health information for purposes of billing and collecting payment for services provided to you. Your PHI may be disclosed to insurance companies, hospitals, physicians, or to third parties to assist us in creating bills, claim forms or getting paid for our services provided to you. Individuals have the right to request that we restrict disclosures to health plans if the individual pays for the health care item or service in full.
For Health Care Operations: SaraPath Diagnostics® may use and disclose your protected health information in the course of activities to support our health care operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment activities, employee reviews, accreditation functions, for teaching purposes or to improve the quality and effectiveness of the health care we provide.
Group Health Plans: A group health plan, health insurance issuer, or HMO with respect to a group health plan may disclose health information to the sponsor of the plan.
Disclosure to Business Associates: Sarapath Diagnostics® may disclose your protected health information to other companies or individuals who need your PHI in order to provide specific services to us. These other entities, known as “business associates”, must ensure that they will maintain the privacy and security of your PHI and must only use your PHI for purposes of treatment, payment, or health care operations that they perform on our behalf.
Personal Representative: SaraPath Diagnostics® may release your protected health information to a person you allow to be involved in your medical care or payment for your care, such as a family member or friend. As allowed by federal and state law, we may disclose the PHI of minors to their parents or legal guardians with the exception of sensitive health information. Minors may elect to have such information released with written authorization.
As Permitted or Required by Law: SaraPath Diagnostics® may use or disclose your protected health information for various public policy purposes that are authorized or required by federal, state or local law.
Public Health Risks: SaraPath Diagnostics® may disclose your protected health information for public health activities. We may disclose your PHI to a public health authority to report, prevent or control disease, injury or disability as required by law; and may disclose your PHI for FDA reporting purposes.
Health and Safety: SaraPath Diagnostics® may disclose your protected health information to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of you or any other person pursuant to applicable law.
Disclosure About Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence: SaraPath Diagnostics® may disclose PHI about an individual to a government authority, including social services, if we reasonably believe that an individual is a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence.
Health Oversight: SaraPath Diagnostics® may disclose your protected health information to a governmental health oversight agency for activities authorized by law such as audits, investigations, inspections and licensure for appropriate oversight of the health care system, government benefit programs and compliance with regulatory requirements and civil rights laws.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: SaraPath Diagnostics® may disclose PHI about you in response to a court or administrative order; and may disclose PHI about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process if you are involved in a lawsuit or dispute, or other lawful process by someone else in dispute.
Law Enforcement: SaraPath Diagnostics® may release PHI to a law enforcement official in response to a court order, warrant, subpoena or summons to identify or locate a suspect, witness or missing person, about the victim of a crime or a death believed to be a result of criminal conduct.
Government Functions: Your PHI may be disclosed for specialized government functions such as protection of public officials; or if you are a member of the armed forces, we may release health information about you as required by military command authorities.
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors: SaraPath Diagnostics® may release PHI to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director for the purpose of identifying a deceased person, determining cause of death or as necessary to carry out their authorized duties by law.
Workers’ Compensation: Your information may be used or disclosed in order to comply with laws and regulations related to Workers’ Compensation.
Research: SaraPath Diagnostics® may use your PHI for research purposes when an institutional review board or privacy board has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of the health information.
Organ and Tissue Donation: If you are an organ donor, we may release PHI to organizations that handle organ procurement or transplantation, or to an organ donor bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
Other Uses: Other uses and disclosures will be made only with your written authorization and you may revoke the authorization except to the extent SaraPath Diagnostics® has already made a disclosure based on that authorization.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
SaraPath Diagnostics® reserves the right to change its Privacy Practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information it maintains. Revised notices will be made available on the SaraPath Diagnostics® website, www.sarapath.com.
How We Protect Information on Our Network
It is the policy of SaraPath Diagnostics® to protect your account information against unauthorized access or release. All information you provide to us is handled though a Secure Socket Layer (SSL). SSL is a security and data integrity protocol that encrypts your account information over networks.
All employees of SaraPath Diagnostics® have a duty to comply with the highest standards in protecting the privacy of others and the confidentiality of information gained during the performance of their job duties.
Patient Rights
HIPAA has established the following patient rights with respect to PHI subject to certain exceptions:
Access: You or your authorized or designated personal representative have the right to inspect and copy your PHI. SaraPath Diagnostics® will deny access to certain information for specific reasons, for example federal and state statutes. If your request is denied, you may request that the denial be reviewed.
Federal and State Laws Governing Access: You may request access to your pathology results by completing an Authorization to Use or Disclose Protected Health Information form available either through SaraPath Diagnostics' web site or through Client Services.
Per CLIA regulations, laboratories are restricted from releasing slides and blocks to other than a CLIA accredited facility or to an attorney under a duly executed subpoena or court order.
Amendments: You have the right to request amendments to your PHI, but we are not required to make the requested amendments.
Accounting: You have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of PHI that were made by SaraPath Diagnostics® for a period of up to six (6) years prior to the date of your written request, but not including any disclosures made prior to April 14, 2003, when the Privacy Rule went into effect. Under the law, this accounting does not include disclosures made for purposes of treatment, payment, health care operations, or certain other excluded purposes, but does include other types of disclosures such as disclosures for public health reporting or in response to a court order.
Restrictions: You have the right to ask us if we will agree to restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your PHI, but we are not required to agree to your request.
Confidential Communication: You have a right to request that we send your PHI to an alternate address, but we are not required to agree to your request.
Notice of Privacy Practices: You have the right to request a paper copy of this Notice.
How to Exercise Your Rights
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with SaraPath Diagnostics® Privacy Officer or with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta Federal Center, Suite 3B70, 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, FL 30303-8909. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint with either the Privacy Officer or the Office of Civil Rights.
Contact Information:
If you have any questions or complaints, please contact:
SaraPath Diagnostics®
Attn: Privacy Officer
2001 Webber Street
Sarasota, FL 34239
941.362.8900
877.362.9144 Toll Free
Changes to this Privacy Policy
SaraPath Diagnostics® reserves the right to change its Privacy Practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information it maintains. Revised notices will be made available on the SaraPath Diagnostics® website: www.sarapath.com.
Effective Date of This Notice
This notice is in compliance with HIPAA Regulations effective April 14, 2003, with compliance updates as of September 23, 2009 and December 2, 2009, respectively.
