HIPPA Policy

Notice of Privacy Practices Statement

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

OXFORD DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORIES PRIVACY PRACTICES

Oxford Diagnostic Laboratories ("ODL") is committed to protecting the confidentiality of your medical and health information ("Protected Health Information") as described in this Notice and to maintaining the privacy of your Protected Health Information as required by law. We have provided this Notice to you to describe our privacy practices relating to Protected Health Information, including how we may use your Protected Health Information within ODL and how under certain circumstances we may disclose it to others outside ODL. This Notice also describes the rights you have concerning your own Protected Health Information. Please review it carefully. If you have questions about any part of this Privacy Notice or if you want more information about the privacy practices of ODL, please contact the Privacy Officer whose contact information is listed at the end of this Notice.

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION PERMITTED OR REQUIRED BY LAW

The law permits us to use your Protected Health Information for treating you, billing for services related to your treatment, and for operating our laboratories, all of which are explained below.

Your Protected Health Information may be used and disclosed only for the following purposes:

For Treatment: We may use your Protected Health Information to provide you with medical treatment and other services. We may also disclose your Protected Health Information to others who need information to treat you, including, but not limited to, doctors, physician assistants, nurses, medical and nursing students, technicians, therapists, emergency service and medical transportation providers, medical equipment providers, and others involved in your care. For example, we will allow your physician to have access to your laboratory results to assist in your treatment and for follow-up care.

For Payment: We may use and disclose your Protected Health Information to get paid for the medical services and supplies we provide to you. For example, your health plan or health insurance company may ask to see parts of your medical record before they will pay us for your treatment.

For Health Care Operations: We may use and disclose your Protected Health Information for health care operations, which include internal education, administration, planning, and other various activities that improve the quality of care we provide to patients. We may disclose Protected Health Information to outside companies to support administrative functions such as data analysis, accounting or legal services, but we will only do so after they have signed an agreement stating that they will abide by our privacy policy.

To Family Members and Others Involved in Your Care: We may disclose your Protected Health Information, unless prohibited by applicable federal or state law, to a family member, other relative, a close personal friend, or any other person identified by you who is involved in your medical care, or to someone who helps to pay for your care. If you do not want us to disclose your Protected Health Information to family members or others, please contact ODL's Privacy Officer.

For Research: We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information for research projects, such as studying the effectiveness of a treatment you received, if an Institutional Review Board approves a waiver of authorization for disclosure. These research projects must go through a special process that protects the confidentiality of your Protected Health Information.

As Required by Law: Federal, state, or local laws sometimes require us to disclose Protected Health Information. For instance, we are required to report child abuse. We also are required to give information to the State Workers' Compensation Program for work-related injuries.

To Law Enforcement Officials: We may disclose Protected Health Information to law enforcement officials as required by law or in compliance with a search warrant, subpoena, or court order. We also may disclose Protected Health Information to law enforcement officials in certain circumstances, including, but not limited to the following: (i) to help in identifying or locating a person, (ii) to prosecute a violent crime, (iii) to report a death that may have resulted from criminal conduct, (iv) to report criminal conduct at ODL, and (v) to give certain information in domestic violence cases.

For Judicial Proceedings: We may disclose your Protected Health Information to a third party if we are ordered to do so by a court or if we receive a subpoena or a search warrant.

For Public Health Activities or Public Safety: We may also use and disclose certain Protected Health Information for public health purposes such as preventing or lessening a serious and/or imminent threat to an individual's or the public's health or safety. We may also report information to your employer as required under laws addressing work-related illness and injuries or workplace medical surveillance. For instance, a positive communicable disease test result may be reported to public health authorities. We also may need to report patient problems with medications or medical products to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

For Military, Veterans, National Security, and Other Government Purposes: If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release your Protected Health Information as required by military command authorities or to the Department of Veterans Affairs. We may also disclose Protected Health Information to federal officials for intelligence and national security purposes, or for Presidential Protective Services.

For Health Oversight Activities: We may disclose Protected Health Information to a government agency that oversees ODL or its personnel, such as the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to ensure compliance with state and federal laws.

To Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors: We may disclose Protected Health Information concerning deceased patients to coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors to assist them in carrying out their duties.

For Organ and Tissue Donation: We may disclose Protected Health Information to organizations that facilitate organ, eye or tissue donation, or transplantation.

USES AND DISCLOSURES WITH YOUR AUTHORIZATION

ODL cannot use your Protected Health Information for anything other than the reasons mentioned above, without your written and signed Authorization form. The Authorization form is a written document signed by you giving us permission to use or disclose your Protected Health Information for the purposes you specifically set forth in the Authorization. You may revoke the Authorization, at any time, by delivering a written statement to the ODL Privacy Officer. If you revoke your Authorization, ODL will no longer use or disclose your Protected Health Information as permitted by your Authorization. However, your revocation of Authorization will not reverse the use or disclosure of your Protected Health Information made while your Authorization was in effect or the use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information as required or permitted by law (see above).

YOUR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

To Request Your Protected Health Information: In most cases, you have the right to look at or get copies of your Protected Health Information. However, federal law, specifically federal regulations governing laboratories, and state law provide that ODL cannot report test results directly to a patient. You must make the written request for such Protected Health Information either your healthcare provider or to ODL. In either case, ODL will coordinate such disclosure with your healthcare provider by forwarding your Protected Health Information to your healthcare provider, who will in turn provide you the information. We may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing, or other supplies associated with your request, but we will let you know about the fee in advance.

To Request Amendment of Protected Health Information You Believe Is Erroneous or Incomplete: If you examine your Protected Health Information and believe that some of the information is wrong or incomplete, you may ask us to amend your record. We will comply with your request unless we are not the originator of the information or we believe that the information you request to be amended is accurate and complete or special circumstances apply. To ask us to amend your Protected Health Information, write to ODL's Privacy Officer.

To Receive an Accounting of Disclosures of Your Protected Health Information: You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we make of your Protected Health Information. If you would like to receive such a list, write to ODL's Privacy Officer. Your request must state a time period desired for the accounting, which time period must be within six years prior to the date of your request, and may not include dates before June 1, 2009. We will provide the first list to you free of charge, but we may charge you for any additional lists you request during the same twelve (12) month period. We will tell you in advance what this list will cost, at which time you may withdraw or modify your request.

To Request Restrictions on How ODL Will Use or Disclose Your Protected Health Information for Treatment, Payment, or Health Care Operations: You have the right to request us not to use or disclose your Protected Health Information to treat you, to seek payment for care, or to operate our laboratories. We will consider your requests carefully, but we are not required to agree to your requested restriction. If you want to request a restriction, submit your request in writing to ODL's Privacy Officer and describe your request in detail. ODL's Privacy Officer will reply within 30 days of receiving your request.

To Request Special Communications: You have the right to ask us to communicate your Protected Health Information by alternative means of communication or at alternative locations. For example, you can ask us not to call your home, but to communicate with you only by mail. To make such a request, write to ODL's Privacy Officer.

To Receive a Paper Copy of This Notice: If you have received this Notice electronically, you have the right to receive a paper copy at any time. You may download a paper copy of the notice from our Web site, or you may obtain a paper copy of the notice by calling or writing to ODL's Privacy Officer.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

From time to time, we may change our practices concerning how we use or disclose Protected Health Information, or how we will implement patient rights concerning such information. We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the provisions in our new Notice effective for all Protected Health Information we maintain. If we change these practices, we will publish a revised Notice. You can get a copy of our current Notice at any time by downloading a paper copy of the notice from our Web site, or you may obtain a paper copy of the Notice by calling or writing to ODL's Privacy Officer.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, OR COMPLAINTS

If you have any questions about this Notice, or have further questions about how ODL may use and disclose your Protected Health Information, please contact the Privacy Officer as set forth below. We also welcome your feedback regarding any problems or concerns you have with your privacy rights or how ODL uses or discloses your Protected Health Information. If you have a concern, please contact:

Oxford Diagnostic Laboratories Privacy Officer
2 Mount Royal Avenue
Suite 100
Marlborough, MA 01752
(877) 598-2522
privacyofficer@tbtestingservices.com

If for some reason ODL cannot resolve your concern or complaint, you may also file a complaint with the federal government. We will not penalize or retaliate against you in any way for filing a complaint.

Effective date of this Notice: June 1, 2009                                                    TB-HIPPA-US-V1