Effective 4/13/2003

Nationwide Laboratory Services is required by the Privacy Rule issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to maintain the privacy of protected health information (PHI) and to provide individuals with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by the Privacy Rule. It also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information. “Protected health information” is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition and the provision health care services to you.

Treatment: Nationwide Laboratory Services is permitted to use and disclose your protected health information for your treatment without further notice to you and without your authorization. For example, we are permitted to disclose your laboratory testing results to the physician or other authorized health care professional who ordered the testing and to any other health care professional involved in your treatment.

Payment: Nationwide Laboratory Services will also use and disclose your protected health information, as needed, to obtain payment for the laboratory testing services performed for you. For example, in order to be reimbursed for our services by a health insurer or other payor, we are required to furnish that payor with specifics regarding the services we provided and diagnosis information about you furnished to us by the health care professional treating you.

Healthcare Operations: We may also use or disclose, as needed, your protected health information in order to support the business activities of Nationwide Laboratory. These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment activities, legal and regulatory compliance functions, licensing and accreditation, and conducting or arranging for legal services and auditing functions. For example, Nationwide Laboratory Services may utilize actual patient laboratory specimens as part of its quality control and assessment programs.

Other Permitted or Required Uses and Disclosures: We may also use or disclose your protected health information without further notice and without your authorization in the following situations:

• The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services may, upon request, obtain access to protected health information in our possession in connection with the enforcement of the Privacy Rule.
• For public health activities, such as the requirement to report to public authorities positive results of laboratory testing for certain communicable diseases.
• For health oversight activities, such as licensing and governmental audits. For example, Nationwide Laboratory Services is required to maintain certain licenses and approvals in order to function as a medical laboratory, and in that connection, is required to submit to inspections and audits by government agencies; your protected health information may be used or disclosed in the course of, and incident to, such inspections or audits.
• For disclosure to medical examiners, coroners or funeral directors about decedents.
• To comply with the requirements of workers’ compensation laws.

Other Uses and Disclosures: No other uses and disclosures of your PHI will be made without your written authorization. Any authorization given for these purposes may be revoked at any time in writing, except to the extent that Nationwide Laboratory Services has taken action in reliance on the authorization.

Notice: You have the right to request and obtain a paper copy from us. We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice as currently in effect. However, we reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time to reflect changes in our privacy practices and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all protected health information that we maintain, regardless of when such information was created or received. Revised Notices will be posted on Nationwide Laboratory’s web site and will be available at Nationwide Laboratory Services facilities upon request.

Complaints: You may contact Nationwide Laboratory or the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you believe your rights have been violated or you may contact our HIPAA Privacy Officer at the address listed below.