THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT
YOU MAY BE USED AND
DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE
REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
This notice describes the privacy practices of Health Care
Online.com. This company and its staff have agreed to the terms
of this Notice of Privacy Practices.
This privacy notice and the privacy practices explained in
this notice notify you of our commitment to protecting private
health information, and permitting patients to exercise their
rights concerning health information. No legal relationship
between these medical staff and companies is created or implied
for any other purpose.
Your
health care information is your personal information. We
know that information about your medical history and your
health care is private. To process orders, we must create
certain records which contain information about your health.
These records include questionnaires, profiles, and billing
records.
The
law requires that we give you written notice of our privacy
practices, and requires that we follow the terms of our privacy
notice currently in effect. This Notice of Privacy Practices
describes our commitment and the commitment of our employees
and contractors to the protection and confidentiality of
your health information. This notice also describes your
rights concerning your health information, including your
right to inspect and amend your health information. We are
committed to following the law which requires that protected
health information is kept private subject to legal requirements
which authorize or require its disclosure in limited circumstances.
How
We May Use and Disclose Health Information
Unless we have your written authorization, we will not use
and disclose your protected health information, except under
the limited circumstances explained below. We will not disclose
protected health information about you for any other reason
without your written authorization. If you give us an authorization
permitting us to release protected health information, you
may revoke the authorization in writing, except to the extent
we have already disclosed information pursuant to the authorization.
A.
Health Information is Used to Allow Us to Fill Your Orders. We may use or disclose
your protected health information for the purpose of providing
treatment to you through the filling of orders and allowing
our staff to evaluate whether our products are appropriate
for you. For example, if you request a product, a licensed
physician will evaluate whether you meet the criteria to
receive that product based upon your health information
provided to the physician. The request for that product,
along with information you have provided concerning your
health, will be provided to a licensed pharmacy for the
purpose of filling the order.
B.
Limited Information is Used to Obtain Payment for Product
Orders. We obtain payment
for our services through your credit card company or through
a check processing service. The only information we share
with your credit card company or check processing service
is your name, billing address and phone number, and credit
card number. For customers paying by check, we also provide
your checking account number to a check processing service.
We do not share any information with your credit card company
or check processing service which discloses the type of
product dispensed to our customers. All personal and credit
card information is submitted using Secure Encryption Technology.
C.
Information May Be Used for Health Care Operations. We may use or disclose
health care information for our operations. For example,
we may use information concerning your order to evaluate
the quality of care and services our staff is providing
to you. Health Care Online.com, affiliated websites, the
physicians, and pharmacies involved with your care may
also disclose health care information to each other as
necessary to assist them with providing treatment to you,
operating their companies, or to obtain payment.
D.
Reorder Reminders and Information about Treatment Alternatives. We may use health
care information to contact you by e-mail for the purpose
of reminding you of your ability to obtain reorders, or
inform you about treatment alternatives or other health
related benefits and services that may be of interest to
you. Please advice our Privacy Officer by e-mail or
U.S.
mail at the privacy contact address described at the end of
this Notice if you do not wish us to contact you concerning
reorder reminders, treatment alternatives, or other health
related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
E.
Disclosures as Required by Law. We may use or disclose
protected health information if required to do so by federal,
state, or local law. The use or disclosure will be made
in compliance with the law, and will be limited to the
relevant requirements of the law. For example, we may be
required to disclose your health information in relation
to cases of suspected abuse, neglect, domestic violence
or certain physical injuries, or to respond to a subpoena,
or order of a court or administrative tribunal.
F.
Disclosures for Public Health Activities. We may be required
to disclose protected health information for public health
activities to a public health authority authorized by law
to collect or receive this information, such as the Food
and Drug Administration, for the purpose of preventing
or controlling disease, injury, or disability.
G.
Disclosures to Coroners and Medical Examiners. We may be required
to disclose health information about patients who have
died to coroners and medical examiners so they may carry
out their duties, such as determining the cause of death.
H.
Disclosures Concerning Organ Donors. If you are an organ
donor, we may be asked to disclose information concerning
your health or products we have dispensed to organ procurement
organizations, eye banks, and other similar organizations
for the purpose of facilitating organ, eye or tissue donation
and transplantation.
I.
Disclosures to Avert a Serious Threat to Health. As required by law
and standards of ethical conduct, we are permitted to release
your health information to the proper authorities if we
believe, in good faith, that such release is necessary
to prevent or minimize a serious and imminent threat to
your, the public's, or another individual's health or safety.
J.
Disclosures for Health Oversight Activities. We are permitted
to disclose your health information to a health oversight
agency for monitoring and oversight activities authorized
by law. This might include release of information to the
state agency that licenses pharmacies for the purpose of
monitoring or inspecting pharmacies related to that license.
K.
Disclosures for Workers Compensation Purposes. We may be required
to release protected health information about you to the
extent necessary to follow the laws relating to workers
compensation or other similar programs that provide benefits
for work related injuries or illness.
L.
Disclosures to Business Associates. We may request certain
businesses to assist us with our health care operations.
In the event it is necessary to disclose protected health
information pertaining to our customers to these business
associates, we will enter into written contracts with them
requiring that they keep protected health information private
and secure.
Your Rights Pertaining
to Your Health Care Information
A.
Right to Request Confidential Communications. We intend to communicate
with our customers primarily by e-mail at the e-mail address
which you provided to us and to ship orders to the shipping
address you have provided. You have the right to request
that we communicate with you in a certain way or at a certain
location. For example, you can ask that we only contact
you by
U.S.
mail at a private post office box. We will not ask you the
reason for your request.
To
request we communicate with you to a specific location, or
in a particular manner, please obtain our "Request for Communications
via Specific Means or at Alternative Locations" form by contacting
our Privacy Officer as described later in this Notice, and
submit the completed form to our Privacy Officer by e-mail
or U.S. mail. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
B.
Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right
to ask for restrictions on how your health information
is used or to whom your information is disclosed, even
if the restriction affects your treatment, our payment,
or health care operation activities. However, we are not
required to agree to your requested restriction and, even
if we agree to the requested restriction, we are permitted
to use your information without complying with the restriction
if necessary to treat you in an emergency situation.
To
request a restriction, please obtain our "Request for Restrictions
on the Use and Disclosure of Health Information" form by
contacting our Privacy Officer as described later in this
Notice, and submit the completed form to our Privacy Officer
by e-mail or
U.S.
mail.
C.
Your Right to Inspect and Obtain a Copy of Your Health
Information. You have the right
to inspect and obtain a copy of health information that
we maintain about you. This includes order records and
billing records. To inspect or request a copy of your health
information, please contact and obtain our "Request to
Copy or Inspect Records" form from our Privacy Officer
as described later in this Notice, and submit the completed
form to our Privacy Officer specifying the records you
would like to inspect or to have us copy for you. If you
request a copy of the records, we may charge a fee for
the cost of copying, mailing, or services associated with
your request. In certain very limited circumstances, the
law provides that we may deny your request to inspect or
copy these records. If you are denied access to health
information, you may request that the denial be reviewed
by a licensed health care professional chosen by us who
did not participate in the original decision to deny your
access to review your request and the reasons for the denial.
D.
Your Right to Request an Amendment to Your Health Information. If you believe the
health information within your medical record is incorrect,
you may ask us to amend the information. Please submit
such requests in writing by e-mail or
U.S.
mail to our Privacy Officer at the address listed below, and
include the requested amendment along with a reason you believe
your health information should be amended. We are not required,
however, to honor your request if we did not create the information
you are requesting be amended or if the information in your
record is correct. We will respond to your request in writing
within 60 days of the date of receipt of your written request
for amendment of your information, unless we advise you we
require an additional 30 days.
E.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right
to request a list accounting for any disclosures of your
protected health information we have made, except for uses
and disclosures for a) treatment, payment, and health care
operations, b) disclosures to you, c) disclosures pursuant
to your authorization, and d) disclosures for certain other
limited reasons specified by law. To request a list of
disclosures, please contact our Privacy Officer by e-mail
or
U.S.
mail at the address listed below, and obtain our "Request for
an Accounting of Disclosures of Protected Health Information" form,
and submit the completed form to the Privacy Officer. Your
request must state a time period which may not be longer than
six years, and may not include dates before
April 14,
2003
. The first list you request within a 12 month period will
be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs
of providing the list. We will mail you a list of disclosures
within 60 days of your request, unless we advise you we require
a period of up to an additional 30 days to comply with your
request.
F.
Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice. You have the right
to obtain a paper copy of this notice at any time. To obtain
a paper copy, please request it from our Privacy Officer
at the address listed below. You may also view and print
a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices at http://www.Health
Care Online.com
G.
Effective Date. This revised Notice
of Privacy Practices is effective on
January 1,
2004
, and pertains to all protected health information we maintain.
H.
Changes to this Notice. We reserve the right
to change this notice, and we may make the revised or changed
notice effective for all protected health information we
already have about you as well as any information we receive
in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice
on our website. The notice will contain an effective date.
In addition, each time you request products from us, our
current Notice of Privacy Practices will be available to
you. Our current Notice of Privacy Practices may be viewed
on the Health Care Online.com website or this website,
and may be obtained by requesting it by telephone, by e-mail,
or in writing from our Privacy Officer.
I.
Complaints. We are committed to
safeguarding your protected health information. Despite
our good faith efforts, questions, concerns, mistakes,
and misunderstandings may arise. If you have a concern
or believe that we may have violated your privacy rights,
we encourage you to bring that to our attention.
You
may bring any complaints or concerns regarding your privacy
rights to our attention by calling 1-800-409-5388 and requesting
to speak with our Privacy Officer or their authorized representative.
If you prefer, you may submit a complaint in writing to our
Privacy Officer Privacy@Health Care Online.com.
You also may complain to the Secretary of the Department
of Health and Human Services or his or her authorized representative
if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.
We
take all concerns and complaints very seriously and will
investigate each one promptly. If we made a mistake, we will
do what we can to correct it and take steps to prevent mistakes
in the future. Under no circumstances will we retaliate against
you for expressing a concern or filing a complaint relating
to your privacy rights.
J.
Privacy Officer and Privacy Contact Person. If you have any questions
about this notice or wish to exercise any of your privacy
rights, please contact Health Care Online.com's Privacy
Officer, or their authorized representative, by e-mail
to Privacy@Health Care Online.com.
K. Acknowledgment
of Receipt of this Notice. We will request you
electronically acknowledge you have received a copy of
this notice when you first request we provide services
to you by checking a box acknowledging your receipt of
this Notice of Privacy Practices. Please check this box
only if you have received this Notice.
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