Sunrise Medical Laboratories, Inc.

240 Motor Parkway

Hauppauge, New York  11788

631.435.1515

HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

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.

Sunrise Medical Laboratories, Inc. (Sunrise) 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.

Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

For Which Your Authorization Is Not Required

Treatment:  Sunrise 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: Sunrise 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.  In certain instances when it becomes necessary for us to use the services of an outside agency to collect our fees, we furnish that agency with the information about the services we provided to the extent necessary for the agency to perform its functions.

Healthcare Operations: We may also use or disclose, as needed, your protected health information in order to support the business activities of Sunrise.  These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment activities, employee review activities, legal and regulatory compliance functions, training of students, licensing and accreditation, and conducting or arranging for legal services and auditing functions.  For example, Sunrise 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:

·         When and to the extent required by law, as in the case of court orders, subpoenas or other legal process in connection with judicial and administrative proceedings or in accordance with the express requirements of statutes and regulations.  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, Sunrise 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 law enforcement purposes.

·        For disclosure to medical examiners, coroners or funeral directors about decedents.

·         For certain approved research purposes.

·         To avert a serious threat to health or safety.

·         To comply with the requirements of workers’ compensation laws.

Future Contact with You:

Sunrise may contact you in the future regarding health-related services and health care issues that may be of interest to you.

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 Sunrise has taken action in reliance on the authorization.

Access to Test Results

Under New York law, we are not permitted to give you your laboratory testing results without the written consent of your physician or other health care professional.  However, you may obtain a copy of your test report directly from your physician or other health care professional.

Your Individual Rights

Restrictions on Uses and Disclosures:

You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your protected health information.  For example, you may request that your protected health information not be disclosed to family members, relatives or close personal friends who may be involved in your care.  Under the Privacy Rule, we are not required to agree to any such requested restriction.

Alternative Confidential Communications

You have the right to request that you receive confidential communications of protected health information from us by alternative means or at an alternative location.  We are only required to accommodate such requests if reasonable.

Amendments to Protected Health Information

You have the right to request that we amend your protected health information.  We are permitted to deny any such request if your protected health information is accurate and complete.

Accounting

You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures of your protected health information that we make after April 14, 2003, the date the Privacy Rule went into effect.  Under the Privacy Rule, this accounting will not include disclosures made for purposes of treatment, payment or health care operations.

Notice

If you are viewing this Notice on Sunrise’s web site, 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 Sunrise’s web site and will be available at Sunrise facilities upon request.

Complaints and Further Information

If you believe that your privacy rights under the HIPAA Privacy Rule have been violated, you may submit a complaint to Sunrise and to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Sunrise will not retaliate against any individual who submits a complaint.  If you wish to register a complaint with Sunrise, you may do so by writing to us at our principal offices, 240 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, New York 11788, Attention: Privacy Officer.  If you would like further information about the matters covered by this Notice, you may contact Sunrise’s Privacy Officer at 631.435.1515, Extension 118.

This Notice becomes effective on April 14, 2003.