With Akin, Inc – Patient Notice of HIPAA Privacy Practices
This Notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you get access to this information. Please review it carefully.
Akin’s Commitment to Your Privacy
With Akin, Inc. (“Akin”) is dedicated to protecting the privacy of your protected health information (“PHI”). PHI is information about you that may be used to identify you (such as your name, social security number, email address, mobile telephone number, address, or date of birth), and that relates (a) to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition; (b) to the provision of healthcare to you; or (c) to your past, present, or future payment for the provision of healthcare. In conducting its business, Akin will receive and create records containing your PHI. Akin is required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI and provide you with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI. Other health care providers involved in your care may have different policies or notices regarding their use and disclosure of your PHI.
Akin must maintain the privacy of your PHI, give you this Notice of its legal duties and privacy practices, notify you if you are affected by a breach of unsecured PHI, and abide by the terms of this Notice while it is in effect. Akin and its employees, volunteers, and other personnel must also abide by this Notice.
This current Notice takes effect on June 1, 2022 and will remain in effect until Akin replaces it. Akin reserves the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time, as long as the changes are in compliance with applicable law. If Akin changes the terms of this Notice, the new terms will apply to all PHI that it maintains, including PHI that was created or received before such changes were made. If Akin changes this Notice, it will post the new Notice on its website, https://www.withakin.com (the “Site”), and will make the new Notice available upon request. Your continued use of the Site after changes to this Notice shall constitute your consent to the new Notice.
Uses and Disclosures of PHI
Akin may use and disclose your PHI for the following purposes:
Treatment, Payment, and Healthcare Operations. Akin is permitted to use and disclose your PHI for purposes of (a) treatment; (b) payment; and (c) healthcare operations. For example:
Treatment: Akin may disclose your PHI to a physician or healthcare provider for purposes of a visit or in connection with the provision of follow up treatment.
Payment: Akinmay use and disclose your PHI to your health insurer or health plan in connection with the processing and payment of a claim and other charges.
Healthcare operations: Akin may use and disclose your PHI in connection with its healthcare operations, such as providing customer services and conducting quality review assessments. Akin may engage third parties to provide various services for Akin. If any such third party must have access to your PHI in order to perform its services, Akin may require that third party to enter an agreement that binds the third party to the use and disclosure restrictions provided in this Notice.
Authorization. Akinis permitted to use and disclose your PHI upon your written authorization, to the extent such use or disclosure is consistent with your authorization. You may revoke such authorization at any time. To authorize Akin to disclose your PHI to a third party, send a request to Akin at 548 Market St PMB 73026 San Francisco, California 94104-5401
To request a HIPAA Authorization to Disclose Protected Information and mail it to the address listed on the form.
As Required by Law. Akin may use and disclose your PHI to the extent required by law.
Special Circumstances. The following categories describe unique circumstances in which Akin may use or disclose your PHI:
Public Health Authorities: Akin may disclose your PHI to public health authorities or other governmental authorities for purposes including preventing and controlling disease, reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting domestic violence, and reporting to the Food and Drug Administration regarding the quality, safety, and effectiveness of a regulated product or activity. Akin may, in certain circumstances disclose PHI to persons who have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or condition.
Workers’ Compensation: Akin may disclose your PHI as authorized by, and to the extent necessary to comply with, workers’ compensation programs and other similar programs relating to work-related illnesses or injuries.
Health Oversight Activities. Akin may disclose your PHI to a health oversight agency for authorized activities such as audits, investigations, inspections, licensing, and disciplinary actions relating to the healthcare system or government benefits programs.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: Akin may disclose your PHI in certain circumstances, as permitted by applicable law, in response to an order from a court or administrative agency, or in response to subpoena or discovery request.
Law Enforcement: Akin may disclose your PHI to a law enforcement official, such as for purposes of identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person.
Decedents: Akin may, under certain circumstances, disclose PHI to coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors for purposes such as identification, determining the cause of death, and fulfilling duties relating to decedents.
Organ Procurement: Akin may, under certain circumstances, use or disclose PHI for the purposes of organ donation and transplantation.
Research: Akin may, under certain circumstances, use or disclose PHI in a limited data set that does not include direct identifiers such as your name, address, social security number, phone number, and email address, for research purposes. Such uses may include activities that are preparatory to research or informing you of research studies that may be of interest to you. You will not be enrolled in a research study without your prior voluntary informed consent, unless an institutional review board has waived the need to obtain informed consent.
Threat to Health or Safety: Akin may, in certain circumstances, use or disclose PHI, if necessary, to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.
Specialized Government Functions: Akin may, in certain situations, use and disclose PHI of persons who are, or were, in the Armed Forces for purposes such as ensuring proper execution of a military mission or determining entitlement to benefits. Akin may also disclose PHI to federal officers for intelligence and national security purposes.
Marketing and Sale. Most uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes, and disclosures that constitute a sale of medical information, require your prior express authorization. We will obtain your written permission for (1) most uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes, as defined by HIPAA; and (2) disclosures that constitute a sale of PHI, as defined by HIPAA. If you provide us permission to use or disclose your PHI, you may revoke that permission in writing at any time. If you revoke your permission, your revocation will be effective upon receipt, but will not be effective to the extent that we or others have acted in reliance upon such permission.
Your Rights Regarding Your PHI
You have the following rights regarding the PHI maintained by Akin:
Confidential Communication. You have the right to receive confidential communications of your PHI. You may request that Akin communicate with you through alternate means or at an alternate location, and Akin will accommodate your reasonable requests. You must submit your request in writing to 548 Market St PMB 73026 San Francisco, California 94104-5401
Restrictions. You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of PHI for treatment, payment or healthcare operations. You also have the right to request that Akin restrict its disclosures of PHI to only certain individuals involved in your care or the payment of your care. You must submit your request in writing to Akin at 548 Market St PMB 73026 San Francisco, California 94104-5401
Akin is not required to comply with your request. However, if Akin agrees to comply with your request, it will be bound by such agreement, except when otherwise required by law or in the event of an emergency.
Inspection and Copies. You have the right to inspect and copy your PHI. You must submit your request in writing to Akin. Akin may impose a fee for the costs of copying, mailing, labor, and supplies associated with your request. Akin may deny your request to inspect and/or copy your PHI in certain limited circumstances. If that occurs, Akin will inform you of the reason for the denial, and you may request a review of the denial. To request access to your PHI that is not readily accessible to you, send a request to Akin at 548 Market St PMB 73026 San Francisco, California 94104-5401.
Amendment. You have the right to request that Akin amend your PHI if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete, and you may request an amendment for as long as the information is maintained by Akin. You must submit your request in writing to Akin and provide a reason to support the requested amendment. Akin may, under certain circumstances, deny your request by sending you a written notice of denial. If Akin denies your request, you will be permitted to submit a statement of disagreement for inclusion in your records. To make a request to amend your PHI that you cannot otherwise change yourself, send a request to Akin at 548 Market St PMB 73026 San Francisco, California 94104-5401.
Accounting of Disclosures. You have a right to receive an accounting of all disclosures Akin has made of your PHI. However, that right does not include (1) disclosures made for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations; (2) disclosures made pursuant to an authorization; and (3) certain other disclosures. You must submit your request in writing to Akin and you must specify the time period involved (which must be for a period of less than six years from the date of the disclosure). Your first accounting will be free of charge. However, Akinmay charge you for the costs involved in fulfilling any additional request made within a period of 12 months. Akinwill inform you of such costs in advance, so you may withdraw or modify your request to save costs. To make a request for an accounting of disclosures, mail a request to Akin at 548 Market St PMB 73026 San Francisco, California 94104-5401.
Breach Notification. You have the right to be notified in the event that Akin discovers a breach of unsecured PHI.
Paper Copy. You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this Notice from Akin at any time upon request. To obtain a paper copy of this notice, send a request to Akin at 548 Market St PMB 73026 San Francisco, California 94104-5401.
Complaint. You may complain to Akin and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services if you believe that your privacy rights have been violated. To file a complaint with Akin, you must submit a statement in writing to the CEO. Akin will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Further Information. If you would like more information about your privacy rights, please send a request to Akin at 548 Market St PMB 73026 San Francisco, California 94104-5401.
Effective date of this Notice: June 1, 2022.