Notice of Privacy Practices.
What this is
By federal law (HIPAA), every healthcare provider that handles your medical information must give you this notice. It explains what we can do with your Protected Health Information (PHI), what we can't, and the rights you have over it. It applies to every person who fills a prescription or receives a clinical service at Phoenix Pharmacy.
How we use your PHI
We use and disclose PHI for three core purposes the law calls "TPO" — Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations. We do not need your written authorization for these.
Treatment
We share PHI with prescribers, other pharmacists, and care teams to fill prescriptions safely. Example: when your physician calls in a new prescription, we may discuss your other medications with them to flag interactions.
Payment
We share PHI with insurance plans, pharmacy benefit managers, and Medicare/Medi-Cal to bill for the prescriptions and services you receive. Example: we transmit your medication, dose, and prescriber NPI to your PBM to adjudicate the claim.
Health care operations
We use PHI internally for quality assurance, audits, accreditation, training, and licensing reviews. Example: the California Board of Pharmacy may inspect a sample of our records during an annual visit.
Other permitted uses (no authorization required)
- Public health — reporting adverse drug events to the FDA, immunizations to the CA Immunization Registry (CAIR2), controlled substance dispensing to CURES
- Required by law — court orders, valid subpoenas, mandatory reporting of suspected abuse or neglect
- Health oversight — DEA inspections, Board of Pharmacy investigations
- Workers' compensation — to the extent authorized by California law
- To family or friends involved in your care — only what is directly relevant, only when you've agreed or in an emergency
- Long-term care facilities — when you reside at a facility we serve, we share PHI with that facility's licensed staff to coordinate medication administration
Uses that DO require your written authorization
We will not, ever, do any of the following without a signed authorization from you that you can revoke at any time:
- Use your PHI for marketing
- Sell your PHI
- Share psychotherapy notes (we don't keep any)
- Share PHI with anyone outside the categories above
Your rights
Right to inspect and copy
You can request a copy of your dispensing record at any time. We provide it within 30 days, electronically when possible. A reasonable cost-based fee may apply for paper copies.
Right to amend
If you believe a record is incorrect, you can request a correction in writing. We act within 60 days; if we decline, you can submit a statement of disagreement that becomes part of your file.
Right to an accounting of disclosures
You can request a list of disclosures we've made of your PHI for purposes other than TPO, going back six years. The first request per year is free.
Right to request restrictions
You can ask us not to share certain information for treatment, payment, or operations. We're not required to agree — but if you pay out of pocket in full for an item or service, you can require us not to share that disclosure with your health plan, and we will honor it.
Right to confidential communications
You can ask us to contact you only by a particular method (e.g., text only, no voicemail) or at a particular address. Reasonable requests are granted without you having to explain why.
Right to a paper copy of this notice
You can ask for a printed copy at any pickup window, even if you've already agreed to electronic delivery.
Right to be notified of a breach
If your unsecured PHI is ever breached, we will notify you in writing within 60 days, as required by HIPAA's Breach Notification Rule.
Our duties
We are required by law to keep your PHI private, give you this notice, and follow the terms of the version currently in effect. We reserve the right to change this notice and apply changes to PHI we already have. The current version is always posted at phoenixpharmacy.com/legal/hipaa and at the in-store pickup counter.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, file a complaint with our Privacy Officer at the address below or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Phoenix Pharmacy Privacy Officer
7872 Walker St #106
La Palma, CA 90623
privacy@phoenixpharmacy.com
(714) 690-0349
HHS Office for Civil Rights: 1-800-368-1019, hhs.gov/ocr