Notice of Privacy Practices

For Jefferson Drugs

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.

Effective date: 10-07-2024

Last updated: 10-07-2024

Contact us: Jefferson Drugs, 23 Lee Street, Jefferson, GA, 30549. Ph: 706-367-5221. Email: pharmacy@jeffdrug.com

 

1) Our Commitment to You

Our pharmacy is committed to maintaining the privacy of your health information. As part of our services or during your treatment or communications with us, our pharmacists and other personnel may collect information about your health history and current health status. This Notice explains how that information, called “Protected Health Information” (PHI), may be used and disclosed to others. The terms of this Notice apply to health information produced or obtained by our pharmacy.

 

2) Our Legal Duties under HIPAA

The HIPAA Privacy Law requires us to provide this Notice to you regarding our privacy practices, our legal duties to protect your health information and your rights concerning health information about you. We are required to follow the privacy practices described in this Notice whenever we use or disclose your protected health information (PHI). Other companies or persons that perform services on our behalf, called Business Associates, must also protect the privacy of your information. Business Associates are not allowed to release your information to anyone else unless specifically permitted by law. 

Our pharmacy is a Covered Entity for purposes of compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA"). By using our pharmacy’s website and services you are consenting to the practices described in this Notice.

 

3) Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you:

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record

• You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
• We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

 

Ask us to correct your medical record

• You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
• We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

 

Request confidential communications

• You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
• 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 health 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 or health care item 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’ve shared information

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

 

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 health information.
• We will make sure the person has this 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 rights by contacting us using the information on page 1.
• 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.

 

4) Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your 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.
• Contact you for fundraising efforts.

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
• Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

 

In the case of fundraising:

• We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

 

5) Our Uses and Disclosures

What Health Information do we collect?

We may collect directly from you all or some of the following:

• Personal Information you may provide, for example name, email and contact details.
• Health and insurance numbers.
• Online order information (product, quantity, price, date ordered), for over the counter and pharmacy only medicines.
• Online booking services (name, date, service booked with your pharmacy).
• Other information or requests provided by you to us through our website via our forms.
• Any information we collect automatically from your device is covered through our main “Privacy Policy.” 

 

How do we typically use or share your health information?

To treat you: We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.

To run our pharmacy: We can use and share your health information to run our pharmacy, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.

To bill for your services: We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.
 

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – 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 information for these purposes. For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.

• Business Associates: we may contract third parties to perform services for us, including information technology services. These third parties may need to access you personal health information to perform these services. Business Associates also must put in place safeguards to protect your health information and ensure they do not use or disclose your health information improperly.
• Help with public health and safety issues: We can share health information about you for certain situations such as: Preventing disease, Helping with product recalls, Reporting adverse reactions to medications, Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
• Do research: We can use or share your information for health research.
• Comply 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’re complying with federal privacy law.
• People Assisting in Your Care: In certain limited situations, our pharmacy may disclose essential health information to people such as family members, relatives, or close friends who are helping care for you or helping you pay your health care bills. We will disclose information to them only if these people need to know the information to help you.
• Respond to organ and tissue donation requests: We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
• Work with a medical examiner or funeral director: We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
• Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests: We can use or share health information about you for workers’ 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 health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

 

6) Our Responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health 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 here 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: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.

 

7) Changes to the Terms of 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, in our pharmacy, and on our website.