Black Bear Medical

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.

BLACK BEAR MEDICAL, as the operators of medical supplies and equipment, within their store locations, of Portland and Bangor, ME are required to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information and to provide you with a notice of their legal duties, and privacy practices with respect to your PHI, pursuant to the Health Insurace Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") and state laws in the state in which we operate. PHI is information about you, including basic demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services. This Notice of Privacy Practices ("Notice") describes how we may use and disclose PHI about you to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations and for other specified purposes that are permitted or required by law. The Notice also describes your rights with respect to your PHI. PLEASE REVIEW THIS INFORMATION CAREFULLY.

We are required to follow the terms of this Notice. We will not use or disclose PHI about you without your written authorization, except as described in this Notice. We reserve the right to change their practices and to modify this Notice and to make the Notice, as modified, effective for all PHI we maintain. If we make such a change, we will display the revised Notice at our stores and, upon request, make it available to you.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION RIGHTS
EXAMPLE OF HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION
OUR ORGANIZATION MAY USE OR DISCLOSE PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES
OUR ORGANIZATION IS PERMITTED TO USE OR DISCLOSE PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES
OTHER USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION
OTHER RESTRICTIONS ON USES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION RIGHTS
You have the following rights with respect to protected health information about you:

Obtain a paper copy of the Notice upon request. At any time you may request a copy of this Notice, as it may be modified from time to time. Even if you have agreed to receive the Notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy. To obtain a paper copy, contact 1-800-577-1365.
Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of Protected Health Information. You have the right to request additional restrictions (i.e. restrictions other than those imposed by law) on our use or disclosure of PHI about you by sending a written request to: Wendy Mayberry, Privacy Officer, Black Bear Medical, 275 Marginal Way, Portland, ME 04101, or Dan Wyles, Privacy Officer, Black Bear Medical, 1113 Stillwater Ave, Bangor, ME 04401. We are not required to agree to any such restrictions.
Inspect and obtain a copy of Protected Health Information. You have the right to access and copy PHI about you for as long as we maintain the PHI. We generally are required to provide you with access to your PHI within 30 days after receipt of your request (60 days if the information is stored offsite). To inspect or copy PHI about you, you must send a written request to the Privacy Offical at the address noted above. You may be charged a reasonable fee for the costs of copying and/or mailing your PHI. We may deny your request to inspect and copy your PHI in certain limited circumstances. If you are denied access to PHI about you, you may request that the denial decision be reviewed by sending a written request to the Privacy Official at the address noted above.
Request an amendment of Protected Health Information. If you feel that PHI maintained about you by us is incomplete or incorrect, you may request that we amend the PHI. We will respond to your request within 60 days (with up to a 30-day extension if needed). To request an amendment, you must send a written request to the Privacy Official at the address noted above. In addition, you must include with your written request a specific reason that supports your request. In certain cases, we may deny your request for amendment. If your request for an amendment is denied, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with the decision and we have the right to give you a rebuttal to your statement of disagreement.
Receive an accounting of disclosures of Protected Health Information. You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI made by us after April 14, 2003. This right applies to most disclosures which are made for purposes other than treatment, payment, or health care operations. The accounting will exclude disclosures we have made directly to you, disclosures to friends or family members involved in your care and disclosures for notification purposes. The right to receive an accounting is subject to certain other exceptions, restrictions and limitations, all of which are set you in HIPAA. To request an accounting you must submit your request in writing to the Privacy Official noted above. Your request must specify the time period with respect to which you want an accounting (which may not exceed six years). The first accounting you request within a 12 month period will be provided free of charge, but you may be charged for the cost of providing additional accountings within the same 12 month period. Following your request for an accounting, you will be notified of the cost associated with providing the accounting and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time.
Request communications of Protected Health Information by alternative means or at alternative locations. You may request that we contact you about medical matters only in writing or at a different residence or post office box than the one at which you receive your other mail. To request confidential communication of PHI about you, you must submit your request in writing to the Privacy Official at the address noted above. We will accommodate all reasonable requests for communicating via alternative means or locations.

EXAMPLE OF HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

The following categories describe and provide examples of different ways that we may use and disclose PHI about you. Note that the examples listed do not constitute an exhaustive list but are merely illustrative of some ways PHI may be used and disclosed.

Our organization will use and disclose Protected Health Information to service you or to assist others in your treatment. We may also disclose your (PHI) to others who may assist in your care, such as your physician, therapists, spouse, children or parents, visiting nurses, physicians staff, nursing care facilities and case managers. We also may contact you to provide information about visits / equipment / merchandise and deliveries. We may contact, or be contacted by other medical supply companies, in order to use or disclose information pertaining to your treatment.
Our organization will use and disclose Protected Health Information for payment. We may contact your insurer, or benefit manager or third-party payer to determine whether it will pay for your medical supplies or equipment and if any prior authorization is needed.
Our organization will use and disclose Protected Health Information for health care operations. Example: We may use information in your health record to monitor the performance of our operations in providing treatment for you. This information will be used in an effort to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the health care and service we provide.

OUR ORGANIZATION MAY USE OR DISCLOSE PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES

Business associates. There are some services provided by our organization through contracts with business associates. Examples of possible business associates include attorneys, software vendors, manufacturers, consultants and third party benefits administrators. When these services are contracted for, we may disclose PHI about you to their business associates so that those business associates can perform the job for which they have been employed. To protect PHI about you, we require each business associate to sign an agreement which obligates it to appropriately safeguard your PHI.
Communication with individuals involved in your care or payment for your care. Our employee's using their professional judgment, may disclose to a family member, other relative, close personal friend or any person you identify PHI relevant to that person’s involvement in your care or for payment related to your care.
Required by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. We may be required to disclose your PHI to the Secretary of Health and Human Services so that the Secretary may investigate or determine their compliance with HIPAA.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We may disclose to the FDA or its agents PHI relative to adverse events with respect to drugs, foods, supplements, products and product defects or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs or replacement.
Workers' Compensation. We may disclose PHI about you to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers' compensation or other similar programs established by law.
Public Health. We may disclose PHI about you to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability.
Law Enforcement. We may disclose PHI about you for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena.
As required by law. We must disclose PHI about you when required to do so by law.
Health oversight activities. We may disclose PHI about you to an oversight agency for activities authorized or monitored by law. These oversight activities include audits, investigations and inspections, as necessary for the licensure of we and for the government to monitor the health care system and government programs, as well as compliance with civil rights laws.
Judicial and administrative proceedings. If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose PHI about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose PHI about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the requested PHI.

OUR ORGANIZATION IS PERMITTED USE OR DISCLOSE PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES

Research. We may disclose PHI about you to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your information.
Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors. We will not release PHI about you to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director without your authorization unless required to do so by law. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or the determine cause of death. We may also disclose PHI to funeral directors to assist them in carrying out their responsibilities, provided such disclosure is consistent with applicable law.
Organ or tissue procurement organizations. Consistent with applicable law, we may disclose PHI about you to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking or transplanting of organs for the purpose of tissue donation and transplant.
Fundraising. We will not disclose your PHI for fundraising purposes. We may use or disclose PHI in connection with a sale or other disposition of all or any part of our organizations operations to the extent permitted by law.
Notification. We may use or disclose PHI about you to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative or another person responsible for your care, your location, and/or your general condition. Correctional institution: If you are or become an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the institution or its agents PHI necessary for your health and the health and safety of others.
To avert a serious threat to health or safety. We may use and disclose PHI about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.
Specialized Government Functions. We may disclose PHI for purposes related to the military or national security concerns, such as for the purpose of a determination by the Department of Veterans Affairs of your eligibility of benefits.
Victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. We may disclose PHI about you to a government authority, such as a social service or protective services agency, if we reasonably believe you are a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only disclose this type of information to the extent required by law, if you agree to disclosure or if the disclosure is allowed by law and we believe it necessary to prevent serious harm to you or someone else, or if the law enforcement or public official that is to receive the report represents that it is necessary and will not be used against you.

OTHER USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

Our organization will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing PHI about you for purposes other than those provided for above (or as otherwise permitted or required by law). You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time, addressed to the Privacy Official at the address noted above. As soon as reasonably possible following the receipt of the written revocation, we will stop using or disclosing PHI about you, except to the extent that we have already taken action in reliance on the authorization.

OTHER RESTRICTIONS ON USES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

The uses and disclosures of your PHI described above are permitted or required by federal law. Some states have laws that require additional privacy safeguards above and beyond the federal requirements. Thus, if a state law is more restrictive regarding uses and disclosures of your PHI, or provides you with greater rights with respect to your PHI, we will comply with the state law. If your state has enacted a more stringent law, we have attached as an addendum to this Notice the policies regarding your PHI in that state.

For more information or to report a problem: If you have questions or would like additional information about our privacy practices, you may contact the Privacy Officer at Black Bear Medical, 275 Marginal Way, Portland, ME 04101, or Privacy Officer, 1113 Stillwater Ave, Bangor, ME 04401. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with the Privacy Officer or with the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation against you for filing a complaint.
Effective Date: This Notice is effective as of April 14. 2003.
Restrictions with respect to Communicable Diseases for Maine: With respect to PHI maintained by our organization in the State of Maine, we will only disclose patient identifiable communicable disease information to the Department of Human Services for adult or child protection purposes or to other public health officials, agents or agencies or to officials of a school where a child is enrolled, for public health purposes. In a public health emergency, as declared by a Maine State health officer, we may also release your information to private health care providers and agencies for the purpose of preventing further disease transmission.