Notice of Privacy Practices

Your rights

When it comes to your health information, you have the right to:

• Get a copy of your pharmacy records. You can ask to see or get a paper or electronic copy of the health information we have about you. We will provide a copy or a summary, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
• Ask us to correct your records. You can ask us to correct health information you think is wrong or incomplete. We may say no, and if we do, we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.
• Ask for confidential communications. You can ask us to contact you in a specific way, such as a certain phone number, 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, and we may say no if it would affect your care. If you pay for a prescription in full yourself, you can ask us not to share information about it with your health insurer for payment or operations. We will agree unless a law requires us to share it.
• Get a list of those with whom we have shared information. You can ask for a list (an accounting) of the times we have shared your health information in the six years before your request, who we shared it with, and why. It will not include sharing for treatment, payment, and our operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). One accounting a year is free; we may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for another within 12 months.
• Get a copy of this notice. You can ask for a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
• Choose someone to act for you. If you have given someone medical power of attorney, or someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will confirm their authority before we act.
• File a complaint. You can complain to us, or to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, if you feel we have violated your rights. See Questions and complaints below for how to reach us. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

To use any of these rights, contact our Privacy Officer using the details at the end of this notice.

Your choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference in the situations below, tell us and we will follow your instructions.

You can tell us whether to

• share information with a family member or another person you identify who is involved in your care or in paying for it, such as someone who receives your prescription for you; and
• share information in a disaster relief situation.

If you cannot tell us your preference, for example because you are unconscious, we may share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share it when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

Florida law lets us give copies of your pharmacy records only to you, your legal representative, or your spouse if you are incapacitated or unable to ask for them, unless you authorize it in writing or another law allows or requires it.

We never do the following without your written permission

• use or share your information for marketing;
• sell your information; or
• share psychotherapy notes (we do not keep them).

Any other use or sharing not described in this notice will be made only with your written permission. If you give permission, you may take it back in writing at any time.

How we use and share your information

We typically use or share your health information in these ways:

• To treat you. We use your health information to fill your prescriptions and share it with other professionals who are treating you. For example, we may contact your prescriber to confirm a prescription, a strength, or directions for use.
• To run our pharmacy. We use and share your information to operate the pharmacy, improve our services, and contact you when necessary. For example, we use it for quality checks, compounding and dispensing records, audits, and shipping your medication.
• To bill for our services. We use and share your information to bill and get payment for what we dispense. For example, we may send a receipt or statement to the person or organization responsible for payment.

Other uses and disclosures

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways, usually ways that contribute to the public good. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.

• Public health and safety. For example, reporting adverse reactions to medications to the Food and Drug Administration, helping with product recalls, preventing disease, reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, and preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.
• Health oversight. With agencies that oversee pharmacies and health care, such as boards of pharmacy, state health departments, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, for inspections, audits, and investigations.
• Complying with the law. When state or federal law requires it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we are complying with federal privacy law.
• Workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests. For workers’ compensation claims; for law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official; and for special government functions such as military and national security activities.
• Lawsuits and legal actions. In response to a court order, or a subpoena issued by a court with proper notice to you. Substance use disorder treatment records have stricter rules, described below.
• Coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, and organ donation. When a person dies, or to organizations that handle organ and tissue donation, as the law allows.
• Companies that work for us. With businesses that perform services for us, such as pharmacy software, billing, and IT providers, under agreements that require them to protect your information. We also give the delivery carrier the name and address needed to deliver your package.

Laws that give more protection

Some laws protect health information more than the federal privacy rules do. Florida law, for example, limits who may receive records of the prescriptions a pharmacy has filled. Where Florida law or another law that applies to us gives your information more protection, we follow the more protective law.

If we receive records from a substance use disorder treatment program covered by federal law (42 CFR Part 2), we use and share them only as that law allows. We will not use or share those records, or testimony about what they contain, in a civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceeding against you unless you consent in writing, or a court orders it after you or the holder of the record has been given notice and a chance to be heard. A court order of that kind must come with a subpoena or a similar legal requirement to produce the records before we will use or share them.

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 in writing that we can. You may change your mind at any time by telling us in writing.

For more information about your rights under federal law, see hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals.

Changes to 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 on request, at the pharmacy, and on this page.

Questions and complaints

To ask a question, use any of the rights in this notice, request a paper copy, or file a complaint with us, contact: