HIPAA NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Effective Date: April 14, 2003

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact:
Discovery Diagnostics, Medical Corporation
6200 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1008
Los Angeles, California 90048
Tel: 800-222-6768
Fax: 323-933-5847
e-mail: info@discoverydiagnostics.com
Privacy Officer: Jill Heim
OUR PLEDGE REGARDING PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION
We (Discovery Diagnostics, Medical Corporation, or Discovery Diagnostics) understand that protected health information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting health information about you. This Notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by the Discovery Diagnostics, whether made by Discovery Diagnostics personnel or your personal doctor or by other imaging sites under contract with Discovery Diagnostics.
This Notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose protected health information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of protected health information. The law requires us to:
· make sure that protected health information that identifies you is kept private;
· notify you about how we protect protected health information about you;
· explain how, when and why we use and disclose protected health information;
· follow the terms of the Notice that is currently in effect.
We are required to follow the procedures in this Notice. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make new notice provisions effective for all protected health information that we maintain by:
· posting the revised Notice in our office or imaging sites contracted with Discovery Diagnostics;
· making copies of the revised Notice available upon request;
· posting the revised Notice on our Web site, www.themripeople.com.
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose protected health information without your written authorization.
For Diagnosis and Treatment. We may use protected health information about you to diagnose your condition and to assist in providing you with medical diagnosis, treatment or services. We may disclose protected health information about you to doctors and their staffs; lawyers and their staff including paralegals; insurance companies and their adjusters and attorneys; clerical staff, technologists, medical students, educational seminars (without disclosing your name), or other Discovery Diagnostics and contracted site personnel who are involved in taking care of you.
Discovery Diagnostics staff may also share protected health information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need, such as prescriptions, lab work, x-rays and other imaging work. We also may disclose protected health information about you to people outside Discovery Diagnostics who may be involved in your medical care, such as remote imaging sites under contract with us or others we use to provide services that are part of your care.
We may use and disclose protected health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for diagnostic imaging or medical care at a Discovery Diagnostics location. We may use and disclose protected health information to tell you about or recommend possible diagnostic or treatment options or alternatives or health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
For Payment for Services. We may use and disclose protected health information about you so that the diagnostic services you receive at the Discovery Diagnostics may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, if you have a lawsuit, workers compensation claim or other claim against anyone, we may need to give your protected health information to that person, or that person's attorney or insurance company to obtain payment pursuant to any lien we may obtain in your lawsuit or claim.
For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose protected health information about you for Discovery Diagnostics health care operations, such as our quality assessment and improvement activities, teaching technologists appropriate protocols or filming techniques, case management, coordination of care, business planning, customer services and other activities. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the facilities, reduce health care costs, improve our imaging techniques and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care.
For example, we may use protected health information to review our diagnostic services and to evaluate the performance of the imaging technologist who is providing imaging services. We may also combine protected health information about many Discovery Diagnostics patients to decide what additional services Discovery Diagnostics should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new diagnostic tests are effective. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technologists, medical students, clerical staff and other Discovery Diagnostics and site contracted personnel for review and learning purposes; attorneys, paralegals, insurance companies, adjusters or the interested public attending a learning conference or viewing a Web site. When educating non-medical personnel outside of any legal case you may be involved in, your name and other information that identifies you, will be removed. This educational material includes advertisements or announcements, articles, Web pages, teaching files, conferences, brochures, banners, booths, books, and business cards. We may also combine the protected health information we have with protected health information from other health care facilities to compare how we are doing and see where we can make improvements in the care and services we offer. We may remove information that identifies you from this set of protected health information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without learning who the specific patients are.
Subject to applicable state law, in some limited situations the law allows or requires us to use or disclose your health information for purposes beyond diagnosis, treatment, payment, and operations. However, some of the disclosures set forth below may never occur at our facilities.
As Required By Law. We will disclose protected health information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law.
Research. We may disclose your protected health information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board or privacy board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your information or to the medical, legal, insurance industries when your specific identification is not released in educational scenarios.
Health Risks. We may disclose protected health information about you to a government authority 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 the disclosure, or if the disclosure is allowed by law and we believe it is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to you or another person.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. If you are involved in a lawsuit, workers compensation or personal injury claim or other dispute, we may disclose your protected health information to some or all of the following:
· your lawyer or to others in your lawyer's office and/or his or her consultants;
· your insurance carrier and its adjusters and lawyers;
· to other health care practitioners assisting the doctors, lawyers or insurance companies.
We may disclose your protected health information in response to a court or administrative order.
We may also disclose protected health information in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute. This also includes depositions, arbitrations, mediations and trial.
Business Associates. We may disclose information to business associates who perform services on our behalf (such as billing companies or technical imaging facilities); however, we require them to appropriately safeguard your information.
Public Health. As required by law, we may disclose your protected health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability.
Workers' Compensation. We may disclose information as necessary to comply with laws relating to workers' compensation or other similar programs established by law.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may use and disclose protected health information 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.
Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These activities include audits, investigations, and inspections, as necessary for licensure and for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
Law Enforcement. We may release protected health information as required by law, or in response to an order or warrant of a court, a subpoena, or an administrative request. We may also disclose protected health information in response to a request related to identification or location of an individual, victims of crime, decedents, or a crime on the premises.
Organ and Tissue Donation. If you are an organ donor, we may release protected health information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
Special Government Functions. If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release protected health information about you if it relates to military and veterans activities. We may also release your protected health information for national security and intelligence purposes, protective services for the President, and medical suitability or determinations of the Department of State.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors. We may release protected health information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also disclose protected health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law to enable them to carry out their duties.
Correctional Institutions and Other Law Enforcement Custodial Situations. If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release protected health information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official as necessary for your or another person's health and safety.
Food and Drug Administration. We may disclose to the FDA, or persons under the jurisdiction of the FDA, protected health information 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.
YOU CAN OBJECT TO CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES
Unless you object, or request that only a limited amount or type of information be shared, we may use or disclose protected health information about you in the following circumstances:
· We may share with a family member, relative, friend or other person identified by you, protected health information directly relevant to that person's involvement in your care or payment for your care. We may also share information to notify these individuals of your location, general condition or death.
· We may share information with a public or private agency (such as the American Red Cross) for disaster relief purposes. Even if you object, we may still share this information if necessary for the emergency circumstances.
If you would like to object to use and disclosure of protected health information in these circumstances, please call or write to our contact person listed on page 1 of this Notice.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
You have the following rights regarding protected health information we maintain about you:
Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to inspect and copy protected health information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records.
To inspect and copy protected health information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer named on page 1. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request, and we will respond to your request no later than 30 days after receiving it. There are certain situations in which we are not required to comply with your request. In these circumstances, we will respond to you in writing, stating why we will not grant your request and describe any rights you may have to request a review of our denial.
If you request a copy of your imaging report, diagram and charts, there is no charge for the first such copy. The cost for each additional copy is $15. The cost to copy your imaging study itself is $20 per film sheet, plus $25 per study for shipping and handling.
Right to Amend. If you feel that protected health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend or supplement the information.
To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to our Privacy Officer named on page 1. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request. We will act on your request for an amendment no later than 60 days after receiving the request.

We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request, and will provide a written denial to you. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
· Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
· Is not part of the protected health information kept by Discovery Diagnostics;
· Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
· We believe is accurate and complete.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an "accounting of disclosures." This is a list of the disclosures we made of protected health information about you.
To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer named on page 1. You may ask for disclosures made up to six years before your request (not including disclosures made before April 14, 2003). The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing them. We are required to provide a listing of all disclosures except the following:
· for your treatment/diagnosis
· for billing and collection of payment for your treatment
· for health care operations
· made to or request by you, or that you authorized
· occurring as a byproduct of permitted use and disclosures
· for national security or intelligence purposes or to correctional institutions or law enforcement regarding inmates
· as part of a limited data set of information that does not contain information identifying you
Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the protected health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations or to persons involved in your care.
We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment, the disclosure is to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, or the disclosure is for one of the purposes described on pages 2-3.
To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to our Privacy Officer named on page 1.
Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail.
To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to our Privacy Officer named on page 1. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice at any time by contacting our Privacy Officer named on page 1.
OTHER USES AND DISCLOSURES
We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your protected health information for purposes other than those provide for above (or as otherwise permitted or required by law). You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time. Upon receipt of the written revocation, we will stop using or disclosing your information, except to the extent that we have already taken action in reliance on the authorization.
YOU MAY FILE A COMPLAINT ABOUT OUR PRIVACY PRACTICES
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer named on page 1 or file a written complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. A complaint to the Secretary should be filed within 180 days of the occurrence or action that is the subject of the complaint. If you file a complaint, we will not take any action against you or change our treatment of you in any way. You may submit your complaint to:
Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Ave., S.W.
Room 509F HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201
I have read this Privacy Notice and understand my rights contained in this notice. By signing this form, I provide authorization and consent to use and disclose my protected health information as noted above.

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