Privacy of personal information is an important principle to Global Laboratories. We are committed to collecting, using and disclosing personal information responsibly and only to the extent necessary for the goods and services we provide. We also try to be open and transparent as to how we handle personal information. This document describes our privacy policies. WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Personal information is information about an identifiable individual. Personal information includes information that relates to their personal characteristics (e.g., gender, age, income, home address or phone number, ethnic background, family status), their health (e.g., health history, health conditions, health services received by them) or their activities and views (e.g., religion, politics, opinions expressed by an individual, an opinion or evaluation of an individual). Personal information is to be contrasted with business information (e.g., an individual’s business address and telephone number), which is not protected by privacy legislation.
Our organization, Global Laboratories, includes all staff members (Owners, Managers, Technicians, Receptionists, Drivers and Maintenance). We use a number of consultants and agencies that may, in the course of their duties, have limited access to personal information we hold. These include computer consultants, office security and maintenance, bookkeepers and accountants, temporary workers to cover holidays, credit card companies, website managers, cleaner and lawyers. We restrict their access to any personal information we hold as much as is reasonably possible. We also have their assurance that they follow appropriate privacy principles. WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION: Primary Purposes
Like all dental labs, we collect, use and disclose personal information in order to serve our clients. For our clients the primary purpose for collecting personal information is to provide dental services. Examples of the type of personal information we collect for those purposes include the following; Patient dental medical records in accordance with the H.I.PA.A law, name, billing/delivery information (complete address and occasionally method of payment info) and telephone/fax number where different from the business information. A second primary purpose is to maintain a customer history including the frequency of service and personal preference regarding our services. This information is collected to provide notice of special events (e.g., a seminar or conference) or to make them aware of new services available suited to their preferences. About Members of the General Public
For members of the general public, our primary purpose for collecting personal information is to facilitate the services our clients request of us. Specifically our clients may include personal information regarding their patients with work they send to us. This
information allows for better communication between our lab and our clients. Examples of such personal information may include: name, phone numbers, physical needs and relevant health information. On our website we only collect, with the exception of cookies, the personal information you provide and only use that information for the purpose you gave it to us (e.g., to respond to your email message, to register for a course). Cookies are only used to help you navigate our website and are not used to monitor you.
About Contract Staff, Volunteers and Students
For people who are contracted to do work for us (e.g., temporary workers), our primary purpose for collecting personal information is to ensure we can contact them in the future (e.g., for new assignments) and for necessary work-related communication (e.g., sending out pay checks, year-end tax receipts). Examples of the type of personal information we collect for those purposes include home addresses and telephone numbers. It is rare for us to collect such information without prior consent, but it might happen in the case of a health emergency (e.g., a SARS outbreak) or to investigate a possible breach of law (e.g., if a theft were to occur in the clinic). If contract staff, volunteers or students wish a letter of reference or an evaluation, we will collect information about their work related performance and provide a report as authorized by them.
You can chose not to be part of some of these related or secondary purposes (e.g., by declining to receive notice of special events or opportunities, by paying your services in advance). We do not, however, have much choice about some of these related or secondary purposes (e.g., external regulations) PROTECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION
The rule also provides for reduced compliance for plans that share limited information the with plan sponsor. Other related regulations provide requirements for the security of health information; national standards for electronic healthcare transactions; and national identifiers for providers, health plans, and employers. Omnibus Rule Update of 2013 – HIPAA Business Associate Agreements The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services drafted the Privacy Rule so that it would not interfere with the sharing of information among health care providers for the treatment of patients. The Privacy Rule classifies dentists and the dental laboratories that fulfill dentists’ work orders for prosthetic as health care providers. Disclosures between you and Global Laboratories for the treatment activities that the lab provides are explicitly excluded from the business associate requirements of the Privacy Rule. An Agreement is not required by the
Privacy Rule for dental laboratory services that are customarily provided to the laboratory pursuant to your prescriptions. The Office of Civil Rights, the Health and Human Services agency charged with HIPAA Privacy Rule enforcement provisions, said OCR agrees that dental laboratories are health care providers, so an Agreement is not required to share protected health information for treatment purposes. Global Laboratories does not receive patients’ telephone numbers, addresses, birth dates, social security numbers, medical records, or data directly identifying individuals’ relatives, employers, or household members, also known as Protected Health Information. Names that clients provide us are only used by us to help clients identify their cases. Should you have further questions, we recommend you call the American Dental Association HIPAA hotline at 312-440-2899, ext. 3.
We need to retain personal information indefinitely ensure that we can answer any questions you might have about the services provided and for our own accountability to external regulatory bodies.
We keep our client files indefinitely unless instructed by client.
We destroy paper files containing personal information by shredding. We destroy electronic information by deleting it and, when the hardware is discarded, we ensure that the hard drive is physically destroyed. Alternatively, we may send some or the entire client file to our client.
With only a few exceptions, you have the right to see what personal information we hold about you. Often all you have to do is ask. We can help you identify what records we might have about you. We will also try to help you understand any information you do not understand (e.g., short forms, technical language, etc.). We will need you to confirm your identity, before providing you with this access.
If there is a problem we may ask you to put your request in writing. If we cannot give you access, we will tell you within 30 days if at all possible and tell you the reason, as best we can, as to why we cannot give you access.
If you believe there is a mistake in the information, you have the right to ask for it to be corrected. This applies to factual information and not to any professional opinions we may have formed. We may ask you to provide documentation that our files are wrong. Where we agree that we have made a mistake, we will make the correction and notify anyone to whom we sent this information. If we do not agree that we have made a mistake, we will still agree to include in our file a brief statement from you on the point and we will forward that statement to anyone else who received the earlier information.
DO YOU HAVE A CONCERN?
Our information officer
Christina Stuckey
She will attempt to answer any questions you might have.
If you wish to make a formal complaint about our privacy practices, you may make it in writing to our Information Officer. She will acknowledge receipt of your complaint,
ensure that it is investigated promptly and that you are provide with a formal decision and reasons in writing.
If you have a concern about the professionalism or competence of our services or the mental or physical capacity of any of our staff we would ask you to discuss those concerns with us. However, if we cannot satisfy your concerns, you are entitled to complain to our regulatory body: the College of Dental Technicians of New York.
This policy is made under the H.I.P.A.A