Notice of Privacy Practices
How we protect your health information under HIPAA
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
Effective Date: January 1, 2024 | Last Updated: February 14, 2026
1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy
Quaker Community Pharmacy ("QuakerRx," "we," "us," or "our") is required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and its implementing regulations to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI), to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI, and to follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make the new provisions effective for all PHI that we maintain. We will make the revised Notice available at our pharmacy, on our website at quakerrx.com, and upon request.
2. What is Protected Health Information (PHI)?
PHI is individually identifiable health information that is transmitted or maintained in any form or medium, including information that:
- Relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition
- Relates to the provision of health care to you
- Relates to the past, present, or future payment for health care provided to you
- Identifies you or can reasonably be used to identify you
3. How We May Use and Disclose Your PHI
We may use and disclose your PHI for the following purposes without your written authorization:
A. Treatment
We may use or disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and related services. For example, we may contact your prescribing physician to clarify a prescription, consult with other health care providers about your care, or provide medication therapy management.
B. Payment
We may use or disclose your PHI to obtain payment for services we provide to you. For example, we may share information with your health insurance plan to obtain prior authorization, determine eligibility, or process claims for medications and supplies.
C. Health Care Operations
We may use or disclose your PHI for our internal operations, including quality assessment, staff training, compliance activities, audits, accreditation (such as NABP/VIPPS), business planning, and customer service.
D. As Required by Law
We will disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law, including reporting adverse events, public health activities, and responding to court orders or subpoenas.
E. Public Health Activities
We may disclose your PHI for public health purposes, including reporting to the FDA regarding adverse events, product defects, or to enable product recalls; and to notify individuals who may have been exposed to a disease or condition.
F. Health Oversight Activities
We may disclose your PHI to a health oversight agency for audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure activities as authorized by law, including actions by state boards of pharmacy.
G. Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence
We may disclose your PHI to a government authority if we reasonably believe you are a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, as required or authorized by law.
H. Law Enforcement & Judicial Proceedings
We may disclose your PHI in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, or summons, or for purposes of identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person.
I. Decedents, Organ Donation & Research
We may disclose PHI to coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, organ procurement organizations, and for approved research purposes with appropriate safeguards.
J. To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We may use or disclose your PHI when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or that of the public.
K. Specialized Government Functions
We may disclose PHI for military, veterans' affairs, national security, intelligence, and protective services purposes as required by law.
L. Workers' Compensation
We may disclose your PHI as authorized by and necessary to comply with workers' compensation laws.
4. Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Written Authorization
We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your PHI for purposes other than those described above, including:
- Marketing communications (unless face-to-face or involving items of nominal value)
- Sale of your PHI
- Most uses of psychotherapy notes (if applicable)
- Any other use or disclosure not described in this Notice
You may revoke your authorization at any time by submitting a written request to our Privacy Officer. Revocation will not affect any uses or disclosures made in reliance on your authorization before we received your revocation.
5. Your Rights Regarding Your PHI
Under HIPAA, you have the following rights with respect to your PHI:
Right to Access
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI maintained by us, with limited exceptions. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee. Requests must be submitted in writing.
Right to Amend
You have the right to request that we amend your PHI if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request under certain circumstances and will provide a written explanation.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request a list of disclosures of your PHI that we have made, except for disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations, and certain other exceptions.
Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request restrictions on how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations. We are not required to agree to your request, except we must agree to restrict disclosures to a health plan for services you paid for in full out-of-pocket.
Right to Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your PHI in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you may request that we contact you only by mail or at a specific phone number.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have previously agreed to receive the Notice electronically.
Right to Be Notified of a Breach
You have the right to be notified if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI. We will notify you as required by law.
6. Our Duties
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI.
- We are required to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices.
- We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice currently in effect.
- We are required to notify you if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI.
- We will not use or disclose your PHI without your authorization except as described in this Notice.
7. Minimum Necessary Standard
When using or disclosing PHI or when requesting PHI from another covered entity or business associate, we will make reasonable efforts to limit the information to the minimum necessary to accomplish the intended purpose, except for disclosures to or requests by a health care provider for treatment purposes.
8. Business Associates
We may disclose your PHI to our business associates who perform functions on our behalf or provide us with services if the information is necessary for those functions or services. All of our business associates are required, through written agreements, to appropriately safeguard your PHI.
9. State Law
Where state law provides more stringent privacy protections than HIPAA, we will comply with the more protective requirements. As a pharmacy licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we are subject to varying state privacy laws and will apply the most protective standard applicable to your jurisdiction.
10. Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights. You will not be penalized or retaliated against for filing a complaint.
To file a complaint with HHS:
Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201
Toll-free: 1-877-696-6775 | Website: www.hhs.gov/ocr
11. Contact Information
For questions about this Notice, to exercise any of your rights, or to file a complaint, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Quaker Community Pharmacy — Privacy Officer
12. Acknowledgment of Receipt
We are required to make a good-faith effort to obtain your written acknowledgment of receipt of this Notice. If we are unable to obtain your acknowledgment, we will document our efforts and the reason the acknowledgment was not obtained.