This notice describes how health information (defined below) about you may be used and disclosed by Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. (“we”) and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully. “Health information” means individually identifiable health information about you that we maintain or transmit, and is further defined under the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 and its implementing regulations (HIPAA).
You have the right to:
You have some choices in the way that we use and share your health information if and as we:
We may use and share your health information as we:
This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.
| Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record | You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this. We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request, unless a shorter period is required by state law. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee. |
| Ask us to correct your medical record | You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this. We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days. |
| Request confidential communications | You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) 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 to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care. If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information. |
| Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information | You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why. We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months. |
| Get a copy of this privacy notice | You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly. |
| Choose someone to act for you | If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will validate that the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action. |
| File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated | You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by:
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For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.
In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:
How do we typically use or share your health information? We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.
| Treat you | We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. | Example: A doctor treating you for a specific health condition asks another doctor about your overall health condition. |
| Run our organization | We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. | Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services. |
| Bill for your services | We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. | Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services. |
We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways — usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and safety. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.
| Help with public health and safety issues | We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
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| Conduct research | We can use or share your health information to conduct research |
| De-identify health information | We can de-identify your health information |
| Comply with the law | We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law. |
| Work with a medical examiner or funeral director | We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies. |
| Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests | We can use or share health information about you:
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| Respond to lawsuits and legal actions | We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena. |
We may communicate with you through email, text messages, phone calls and our patient portal. These communications may contain Protected Health Information. Emails, text messages, or electronic communications outside of our portal may not be encrypted or secure and could be intercepted by another person or organization. By providing us with your mobile phone number or email address, you understand these risks and consent to our communicating with you in this manner.
Effective Date and Changes to the Terms of this Notice
The Effective Date of this Notice is December 9, 2022. We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice. The new notice will be available upon request and on our web site.