HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

THIS NOTICE EXPLAINS HOW YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN OBTAIN ACCESS TO IT. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY

Wherever this Notice of Privacy Practices ("Notice") uses "we" or "us," it means Argo, the pharmacists who deliver health care services, and our pharmacy employees. Federal law requires us to safeguard the privacy of your protected health information ("PHI"), to abide by the version of this Notice currently in effect, to furnish you this Notice outlining our legal duties and privacy practices concerning your PHI, and to notify affected individuals after a breach of unsecured PHI. This Notice covers how we may use and disclose your PHI, describes the rights you hold with respect to your PHI, and details certain obligations we owe you under the law. We may amend this Notice at any time; if we make material changes, we will post the revised Notice at the pharmacy and on our website and will make a copy available to you.

I. Use and Disclosure of Your PHI

We use and disclose your PHI to carry out treatment, payment, and health care operations. We may also use your PHI for other purposes permitted or required by law, or under your written authorization. Below are examples of how we may use and/or disclose your PHI. Any use not described here will occur only with your explicit written authorization, which you may revoke at any time by giving us written notice of the revocation.

A. Treatment – We may use and disclose your PHI to provide prescription and supply services, and we may share it with other pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and health care providers involved in your care. You will receive individual notice and a chance to opt out of any subsidized treatment-related communications.

B. Payment – We use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for the health care services we provide you, which may include sharing PHI to obtain prior approval from your health plan or to confirm whether your plan covers a particular prescription or service.

C. Health Care Operations – We may use and disclose your PHI to manage our pharmacy — for example, quality assessment and improvement, internal compliance audits, and performance reviews — as well as for general business management and administrative functions.

D. Prescription Refill Reminders, Treatment Alternatives, or Health-Related Benefits – We may use and disclose your PHI to remind you about prescription refills, describe treatment options or alternatives, or tell you about health-related benefits or services that may interest you.

E. Family Members, Relatives, or Close Friends – Unless you object, we may share your PHI with family members, relatives, close personal friends, or anyone else you identify as involved in your treatment or the payment for your care. If you are not available to agree or object, we may use our professional judgment to decide whether sharing is in your best interest, and if so, we will disclose only the PHI relevant to that person's role in your treatment or payment.

F. Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures – We may use your PHI without your authorization and without giving you a chance to agree or object in the following circumstances:

• as required by law, provided the use or disclosure complies with the applicable law;
• to a public health authority authorized by law to collect or receive such information, or to a foreign government agency working with a public health authority, generally to prevent or control disease, report deaths, report medication side effects or product problems, provide notice of communicable disease, or report abuse or neglect under certain circumstances;
• to a health oversight agency for legally authorized oversight functions, including audits, inspections, and civil, administrative, or criminal proceedings or investigations;
• for judicial or administrative proceedings in response to a subpoena, court order, discovery request, or similar demand, but only where efforts have been made to notify you of the request or to obtain a protective order for the information sought;
• to law enforcement to report certain injuries, comply with court orders, warrants, or similar process, identify a suspect, fugitive, missing person, or victim, or report a crime;
• to a coroner or medical examiner performing legally authorized duties, such as identifying a deceased person or determining cause of death;
• to funeral directors, as needed and consistent with applicable law, to carry out their duties;
• to organ procurement organizations or similar entities to facilitate organ, eye, or tissue donation and transplantation;
• for research, provided required approvals and assurances have been obtained;
• to prevent or lessen a serious threat to health or safety, limited to disclosure to someone reasonably able to prevent or reduce the threat;
• for military and veterans' activities (including for foreign military personnel), to support a proper military mission and determine benefit eligibility;
• for national security and intelligence purposes, to support lawful intelligence, counter-intelligence, and other national security functions;
• to protect the President and other authorized individuals, or foreign heads of state, or to support authorized investigations;
• to a correctional institution or law enforcement custodian if you are incarcerated or otherwise in custody; and
• as needed to comply with laws governing workers' compensation and work-related injuries.

II. Your Rights as Our Patient

As our patient, you hold several rights concerning your PHI, described below.

A. You may request restrictions or limits on how we use and/or disclose your PHI, though we are not required to agree to your request except where you paid for the relevant transaction in full out of pocket. Your written request must state: (1) whether you seek to restrict use, disclosure, or both; (2) which information should be restricted; and (3) to whom the restriction applies (for instance, a spouse). Even if we agree, we may still disclose your PHI: (1) to you, if you request access or an accounting of disclosures; (2) as required or permitted by law; or (3) in an emergency.

B. You may request to receive confidential communications about your PHI by an alternative method or at an alternative location — for example, prescription-related communications sent somewhere other than your home address. Submit such requests in writing to the Privacy Officer, specifying the alternative means or location you prefer. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.

C. You may access, inspect, and obtain a copy of your PHI, including electronic PHI, except for certain categories exempted under HIPAA. When we hold electronic PHI, we will provide a copy in the format you request upon receiving your request. If we do not have your PHI, we will direct you to the appropriate contact when we receive your request. We will respond to copy requests promptly, though we may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copying and postage. In limited situations we may deny your access request; you may then ask that the denial be reviewed, and if access is still denied, you are entitled to a written explanation of the reasons.

D. You may request an accounting of disclosures of your PHI that we made, including disclosures by our business associate(s), covering up to six (6) years before your request or a shorter period you specify. Your first request in a twelve-month period is free; we may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for further requests within that same period. We will tell you the cost in advance, and you may withdraw or narrow your request before being charged.

E. If you believe PHI we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you may submit a written request for amendment along with your reasons. This right lasts for as long as we maintain your PHI. If we don't have your PHI, we will provide the appropriate contact information when we receive your request. We will respond after receiving your request, but we may deny it — for instance, if the PHI in question was not created by us or is already accurate and complete. You may respond to a denial with a written statement of disagreement, and we retain the right to rebut it. If that happens, you may request that your original request, our denial, your statement, and our rebuttal all accompany future disclosures of your PHI.

F. You may obtain a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you originally received it electronically. To request a paper copy, write to the Privacy Officer at the address below.

G. You may opt out of fundraising communications, and we will not use or sell your PHI for fundraising without your prior authorization.

III. Additional Information/Questions or Complaints

A. For more information about this Notice, or to exercise any right described here, contact the Privacy Officer at support@argo.com.

If you believe your privacy rights were violated, you may file a complaint, without fear of retaliation, with the pharmacy's Privacy Officer or with: