Privacy Policy
GoPath Diagnostics, Privacy Policy
Effective Date: August 10, 2012 | Revised: August 26, 2024
Introduction
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI) MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
This Notice applies to GoPath Diagnostics, GoPath Global, Inc., and GoPath Pathology Associates, SC. GoPath Diagnostics has specific duties regarding your medical information. We understand that your individually identifiable 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.
We are required by law to:
HOW GOPATH DIAGNOSTICS MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION
For Treatment
GoPath Diagnostics may provide PHI about you to your other health care professionals and entities that are treating you. For example, we may send your laboratory test results to a physician who is treating you and ordered the test.
For Payment
GoPath Diagnostics may use and disclose PHI about you so that the treatment and services you receive may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, we may send a claim to an insurance company that identifies you and the procedures you received from us. Your diagnosis may also be disclosed.
For Health Care Operations
GoPath Diagnostics may use and disclose PHI about you for operational reasons. These uses and disclosures are necessary for us to make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use medical information to assess the quality of our services and to evaluate the performance of our staff.
As Required by Law
GoPath Diagnostics will disclose PHI about you when required to do so by federal, state, or local law. Special situations that would fall under this category include but are not limited to:
Data Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach involving your PHI, we will notify you as required by applicable federal and state laws. This notification will include details of the breach, the type of information involved, steps we are taking to investigate the breach, mitigate losses, and protect against further breaches.
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. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.
Organ and Tissue Donation
If you are an organ donor, we may release PHI 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.
Victims of Abuse or Neglect
We may disclose your PHI to a government authority if we reasonably believe you are a victim of abuse or neglect. 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 serious harm to you or someone else or the law enforcement or public official that is to receive the report represents that it is necessary and will not be used against you. In such cases, we will promptly inform you that a report has been or will be made unless there is reason to believe that providing this information will place you in serious harm.
Government Functions
GoPath Diagnostics may disclose your PHI to protect public officials as directed by law or as required by military command authorities.
Workers’ Compensation
GoPath Diagnostics may release your PHI about you for workers’ compensation or similar programs.
Decedents
GoPath Diagnostics may release your PHI to a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director as necessary to carry out their duties.
Health Oversight Activities
GoPath Diagnostics may disclose your PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities may include audits, investigations, inspections, licensure, and disciplinary actions.
Research
GoPath Diagnostics may disclose your PHI 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.
Business Associates
GoPath Diagnostics may provide your PHI to other companies or individuals to assist us in providing services involving the use or disclosure of medical information. These other entities, known as “business associates,” are required to maintain the privacy and security of medical information.
OTHER USES OF PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION
Other uses and disclosures of PHI not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. We must obtain your written permission for any use or disclosure of psychotherapy notes (to the extent GoPath Diagnostics acquires psychotherapy notes), the use or disclosure of your medical information for marketing purposes, disclosures that constitute the sale of your PHI, and other uses and disclosures not described in this notice. If GoPath Diagnostics sends fundraising communications to you, we must inform you of this intent and your right to opt-out of receiving such communications. If you provide us permission to use or disclose PHI about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose PHI about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. Upon receipt of the written revocation, we will stop using or disclosing your PHI. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:
Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the PHI we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or health operations. Except as described in this section, we are not required to agree to your request. We must agree to your request if the disclosure has been made to a health plan for the purpose of payment or health care operations and the disclosure relates to an expense for which you have paid out of pocket. We are required to notify you if we fail to approve a restriction request. To request restrictions, you must send a written request to our Privacy Officer at the address listed below.
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.
Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and copy medical information contained in our medical and billing records for as long as we maintain the information. To read or copy your medical information, you must send a written request to our Privacy Officer at the address listed below. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge you a fee for the costs of the copying, mailing, or other supplies that are necessary to grant your request.
Right to Amend
If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information.
Right to Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request a list of the disclosures we have made of medical information about you.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
We will provide a paper copy of this notice upon request.
International Users
If you are accessing our services from outside the United States, please be aware that your information, including PHI, may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where our servers are located, and our central database is operated. By using our services, you consent to this transfer and understand that your data may be subject to different data protection standards than those in your country of residence.
Data Protection Compliance
GoPath Diagnostics complies with all applicable U.S. data protection laws, including HIPAA and Illinois state regulations. We take reasonable and appropriate measures to safeguard your PHI against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. We also ensure that any third parties who process your data on our behalf are required to adhere to the same standards.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THIS NOTICE
We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice at any time. Any changes will be effective for all PHI.
Effective Date: August 10, 2012 | Revised: August 26, 2024
Introduction
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI) MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
This Notice applies to GoPath Diagnostics, GoPath Global, Inc., and GoPath Pathology Associates, SC. GoPath Diagnostics has specific duties regarding your medical information. We understand that your individually identifiable 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.
We are required by law to:
- Maintain the privacy of your medical information and take reasonable steps to protect medical information that identifies you from unauthorized disclosure.
- Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you.
- Follow the terms of our notice that is currently in effect.
- Notify you following a breach of your unsecured medical information.
HOW GOPATH DIAGNOSTICS MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION
For Treatment
GoPath Diagnostics may provide PHI about you to your other health care professionals and entities that are treating you. For example, we may send your laboratory test results to a physician who is treating you and ordered the test.
For Payment
GoPath Diagnostics may use and disclose PHI about you so that the treatment and services you receive may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, we may send a claim to an insurance company that identifies you and the procedures you received from us. Your diagnosis may also be disclosed.
For Health Care Operations
GoPath Diagnostics may use and disclose PHI about you for operational reasons. These uses and disclosures are necessary for us to make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use medical information to assess the quality of our services and to evaluate the performance of our staff.
As Required by Law
GoPath Diagnostics will disclose PHI about you when required to do so by federal, state, or local law. Special situations that would fall under this category include but are not limited to:
- Public health risks
- Court orders, including lawsuits and disputes in which you are involved
- Law enforcement duties
Data Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach involving your PHI, we will notify you as required by applicable federal and state laws. This notification will include details of the breach, the type of information involved, steps we are taking to investigate the breach, mitigate losses, and protect against further breaches.
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. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.
Organ and Tissue Donation
If you are an organ donor, we may release PHI 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.
Victims of Abuse or Neglect
We may disclose your PHI to a government authority if we reasonably believe you are a victim of abuse or neglect. 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 serious harm to you or someone else or the law enforcement or public official that is to receive the report represents that it is necessary and will not be used against you. In such cases, we will promptly inform you that a report has been or will be made unless there is reason to believe that providing this information will place you in serious harm.
Government Functions
GoPath Diagnostics may disclose your PHI to protect public officials as directed by law or as required by military command authorities.
Workers’ Compensation
GoPath Diagnostics may release your PHI about you for workers’ compensation or similar programs.
Decedents
GoPath Diagnostics may release your PHI to a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director as necessary to carry out their duties.
Health Oversight Activities
GoPath Diagnostics may disclose your PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities may include audits, investigations, inspections, licensure, and disciplinary actions.
Research
GoPath Diagnostics may disclose your PHI 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.
Business Associates
GoPath Diagnostics may provide your PHI to other companies or individuals to assist us in providing services involving the use or disclosure of medical information. These other entities, known as “business associates,” are required to maintain the privacy and security of medical information.
OTHER USES OF PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION
Other uses and disclosures of PHI not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. We must obtain your written permission for any use or disclosure of psychotherapy notes (to the extent GoPath Diagnostics acquires psychotherapy notes), the use or disclosure of your medical information for marketing purposes, disclosures that constitute the sale of your PHI, and other uses and disclosures not described in this notice. If GoPath Diagnostics sends fundraising communications to you, we must inform you of this intent and your right to opt-out of receiving such communications. If you provide us permission to use or disclose PHI about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose PHI about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. Upon receipt of the written revocation, we will stop using or disclosing your PHI. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.
YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:
Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the PHI we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or health operations. Except as described in this section, we are not required to agree to your request. We must agree to your request if the disclosure has been made to a health plan for the purpose of payment or health care operations and the disclosure relates to an expense for which you have paid out of pocket. We are required to notify you if we fail to approve a restriction request. To request restrictions, you must send a written request to our Privacy Officer at the address listed below.
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.
Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and copy medical information contained in our medical and billing records for as long as we maintain the information. To read or copy your medical information, you must send a written request to our Privacy Officer at the address listed below. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge you a fee for the costs of the copying, mailing, or other supplies that are necessary to grant your request.
Right to Amend
If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information.
Right to Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request a list of the disclosures we have made of medical information about you.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
We will provide a paper copy of this notice upon request.
International Users
If you are accessing our services from outside the United States, please be aware that your information, including PHI, may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where our servers are located, and our central database is operated. By using our services, you consent to this transfer and understand that your data may be subject to different data protection standards than those in your country of residence.
Data Protection Compliance
GoPath Diagnostics complies with all applicable U.S. data protection laws, including HIPAA and Illinois state regulations. We take reasonable and appropriate measures to safeguard your PHI against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. We also ensure that any third parties who process your data on our behalf are required to adhere to the same standards.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THIS NOTICE
We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice at any time. Any changes will be effective for all PHI.