The law permits us to use your Protected Health Information for treating you, billing for services and for health care operations, all of which are explained below. Certain types of Protected Health Information have additional protection under state or federal law. For example, information about genetic testing and mental health treatment or condition may have added protections. For disclosure of those types of information, BAKO is required to get your authorization as described below before disclosing it to others.

Please note that state law may offer more stringent protections than those listed in this Notice. We will follow the more stringent law regarding the use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information where there is a conflict.
Your Protected Health Information may be used and disclosed only for the following purposes:

For Treatment: We may use your Protected Health Information to provide you with medical treatment and other services. We may also disclose your Protected Health Information to others who need information to treat you, such as doctors, physician assistants, nurses, medical and nursing students, technicians, therapists, emergency service and medical transportation providers, medical equipment providers, and others involved in your care. For example, we will allow your physician to have access to your laboratory results to assist in your treatment and for follow-up care. In addition, we may contact you to provide appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you, provided that we abide by restrictions on third-party funding for such communications.

For Payment: We may use and disclose your Protected Health Information to get paid for the medical services and supplies we provide to you. For example, your health plan or health insurance company may ask to see parts of your medical record before they will pay us for your treatment. If you want us to limit the information that we provide to your health plan or health insurance company when you pay for our services out of pocket, contact BAKO’s Privacy Officer, as provided below.

For Health Care Operations: We may use and disclose your Protected Health Information for Health Care Operations, which include internal education, administration, planning, and other various activities that improve the quality of care we provide to patients. We may disclose Protected Health Information to outside companies to support administrative functions such as data analysis, accounting or legal services, but we will only do so after they have signed an agreement stating that they will abide by our privacy policy.

To Family Members and Others Involved in Your Care: We may disclose your Protected Health Information, unless prohibited by applicable federal or state law, to a family member, other relative, a close personal friend, or any other person identified by you who is involved in your medical care, or to someone who helps to pay for your care. If we disclose information to a family member, other relative, or a close personal friend, we will confirm the authority of the individual to receive your Protected Health Information and we would only disclose information that we believe is directly relevant to the person’s involvement in your medical care. If you do not want us to disclose your Protected Health Information to family members or others, please contact BAKO’s Privacy Officer, as provided below.

For Research: We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information without your consent or authorization for research projects, such as studying the effectiveness of a treatment you received, if an Institutional Review Board approves a waiver of authorization for disclosure. These research projects must go through a special process that protects the confidentiality of your Protected Health Information.

For Public Health Activities: We may also use and disclose certain Protected Health Information for public health purposes such as preventing or lessening a serious and/or imminent threat to an individual’s or the public’s health or safety. We may also use and disclose your Protected Health Information (1) to report child abuse or neglect to public health authorities or other government authorized authorized by law to receive such reports; (2) to report information about products and services under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; (3) to alert a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or condition; and (5) to report information to your employer or the State Workers’ Compensation Program as required under laws addressing work-related illness and injuries or workplace medical surveillance.

For Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence: If we reasonably believe that you are a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, we may disclose your Protected Health Information to a governmental authority, including a social service or protective services agency, authorized by law to receive reports of such abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.

To Law Enforcement Officials: We may disclose Protected Health Information to law enforcement officials as required by law or in compliance with a search warrant, subpoena or court order. We also may disclose Protected Health Information to assist law enforcement officials in identifying or locating a person, to prosecute a crime of violence, to report deaths that may have resulted from criminal conduct, and to report criminal conduct at BAKO.

For Military, Veterans, National Security, and Other Government Purposes: If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release your Protected Health Information as required by military command authorities or to the Department of Veterans Affairs. We may also disclose Protected Health Information to federal officials for intelligence and national security purposes, or for Presidential Protective Services.

For Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: We may disclose your Protected Health Information if we are ordered to do so by a court or administrative order or if we receive a subpoena or a search warrant.

For Health Oversight Activities: We may disclose Protected Health Information to a government agency that oversees BAKO or its personnel, such as the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the federal agency that oversees Medicaid and Medicare (CMS), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to ensure compliance with state and federal laws.

To Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors: We may disclose Protected Health Information concerning deceased patients to coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors to assist them in carrying out their duties.

For Organ and Tissue Donation: We may disclose Protected Health Information to organizations that facilitate organ, eye or tissue donation or transplantation.

For Breach Notifications: We may use Protected Health Information in order to notify you in the event that we suspect or determine with certainty that your Protected Health Information has been compromised or breached.

As Required by Law: Additional federal, state, or local laws sometimes require us to disclose Protected Health Information for purposes beyond those already stated in this Notice. Therefore, we may use and disclose your Protected Health Information when required to do so by any other law not already discussed in this Notice.