HIPPA Notice of Privacy Practices

Aviso de Practicas de Privacidad de HIPAA

HIPAA NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Revised Effective date: December 31, 2024

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.

Baylor Genetics has specific duties regarding your medical information. We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you.

This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of your medical information.

YOUR RIGHTS

When it comes to your medical information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you. You may ask us how to exercise your rights.

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record.

• You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of the medical information we have about you.
• We will provide a copy or a summary of your medical information, usually within 15 days of your request if it is in electronic format. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask us to correct your medical record.

• You can ask us to correct medical information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete.
• We may say “no” to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications.

• You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, at your home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address than what we have on file.
• We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share.

• You can ask us not to use or share certain medical information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.
• If you pay for a service out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

Get a list of those with whom we have shared your medical information.

• You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we have shared your medical information for six (6) years prior to the date you ask, to include information on who we shared it with, and why.
• We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and our operations, as well as certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one accounting a year for free, but may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months from your previous request.

Get a copy of this privacy notice.

• You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.

Choose someone to act for you.

• If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your medical information.
• We will make sure the person has authority and can act for you before we take any action.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated.

• You can complain if you feel we have violated your privacy rights by contacting the Baylor Genetics Compliance Officer, 2450 Holcombe Blvd, Ste.2210, Houston, TX 77021, 1-281-849-6995 or at [email protected]
• You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
• We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

YOUR CHOICES

For certain medical information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your medical information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

• Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
• Share information in a disaster relief situation

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

• Marketing purposes
• Sale of your information

You may revoke your written permission at any time by providing us with a written request. We will no longer use or disclosure your medical information after we receive your written request to revoke your written permission.

We do not conduct fundraising and will not contact you for fundraising efforts.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION

For Treatment: We can use your medical information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. Example: A doctor treating you may ask us for genetic testing information we have about you.

For Payment: We can use and share your medical information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

For Health Care Operations: We can use your medical information to run our operations, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. Example: We use medical information about you to assess the quality of our services and to evaluate the performance of our staff.

HOW ELSE CAN WE USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION

We are allowed or required to share your medical information in other ways without your written authorization. This is usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your medical information for these purposes. For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.

Help with public health and safety issues. We can share medical information about you for certain situations, such as:

• Preventing Disease
• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
• Helping with product recalls
• Reporting adverse reactions to medications
• Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety

Do research. We can use or share your medical information to perform research

Compliance with the law. We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we are complying with federal privacy law.

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests. We can share medical information about you with organ procurement organizations.

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director. We can share medical information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.

Address worker’s compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests. We can use or share medical information about you:

• For worker’s compensation claims
• For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
• With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
• For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services.

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions. We can share medical information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to subpoena.

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE

We are prohibited from sharing your medical information related to reproductive health care for the following activities:

• To conduct a criminal, civil or administrative investigation or impose penalties on any person for seeking, obtaining, providing or facilitating lawful reproductive health care.
  Example: We will not share your medical information if we know it will be used to investigate, prosecute or impose a penalty on your provider who orders testing used in making reproductive health care decisions.
• To identify any person seeking, obtaining, providing or facilitating reproductive health care.
  Example: We will not share your medical information with anyone who wants to identify you or your health care provider regarding decisions made about your reproductive health care services.

We will obtain a written attestation that your medical information related to reproductive care will not be used for prohibited purposes when it is requested from:

• Health Oversight agencies
• Judicial or administrative courts
• Law Enforcement, including requests to identify you.
• Coroner or Medical Examiner

For example, we will obtain a written attestation before disclosing your medical information related to reproductive health care when requested under a court order.

Your medical information disclosed to a third party may no longer be protected by HIPAA and may be redisclosed by the third party.

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected medical information.
• We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
• We will not use or share your information other than as described in this notice unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

For more information see: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/notice-privacy-practices/index.html

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THIS NOTICE

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request and on our website at www.baylorgenetics.com.