Notice of Privacy Practices

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.

Diabetic Promotions, Inc. (DPI) is a health care product provider subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended ("HIPAA"). We have always been committed to protecting the information you share with us and we are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy of your protected health information;
• Provide this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practice with respect to protected health information to any customer who requests it.
• Abide by the terms of this Notice until adoption of a new one; and
• To post this notice on our website: www.DiabeticPromotions.com

Uses and Disclosures for Payment, Treatment or Healthcare Operations: Under HIPAA, we may use, receive or disclose your protected health information for payment, treatment or healthcare operations without obtaining a written authorization from you. Example of this use include but are not limited to:

Payment: We may use and disclose your protected health information to receive payment for the products and services we provide. Payment activities may include sending claims to your health insurance carrier or medical plan, reviewing the medical necessity of the services rendered with your physician, and coordinating the payment of benefits between medical plans.

Treatment: We may disclose protected health information to your medical care providers for management or coordination of that care.

Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose you protected health information for our business planning and operational purposes. For example, we may use or disclose your protected health information for activities such as verification of eligibility for benefits with your health insurance carrier or for training and quality control purposes within our organization.

Business Associates: We may contract with other businesses for certain services. These businesses may require access to your personal health information in order to perform a payment or healthcare operations for us. These Business Associates must agree in writing that they will follow these privacy practices and will protect the privacy of your health information.

Unless you authorize us otherwise, your protected health information will be available only to the individuals who need the information to conduct payment, treatment or healthcare operation activities.

Other Uses and Disclosures: Other disclosure DPI may make:

• To comply with legal proceedings, court or administrative order or subpoena;
• To law enforcement officials for limited law enforcement purposes;
• To public Health Authorities for certain required public health activities;
• To avert a serious threat to the health or safety of you or any other person;
• To comply with laws and regulations related to workers' compensation or similar programs;
• To a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director for purposes of carrying out his or her duties;
• To federal officials for lawful intelligence activities or if you are imprisoned;
• To your personal representative appointed by you or designated by law;
• When otherwise required by law; and
• To inform you of other products and services that may be of interest to you.
• These uses and disclosures may be subject to special rules under HIPAA or other laws.

Limitation on Use and Disclosure: If a use or disclosure of your protected health information identified in this Notice is subject to a law more stringent that HIPAA, the more stringent law will apply. If you have a question about your rights under any particular federal or state law, please write to the DPI Privacy Contact.

Authorizations Required for all Other Uses and Disclosures: Any other use or disclosure of your protected health information not identified within this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You have the right to limit the type of information and the persons to whom it should be disclosed. You may revoke your written authorization at any time, and the revocation will be followed to the extent action on the authorization has not yet been taken.

Diabetic Promotions, Inc.
P. O. Box 5400
Willowick, OH 44095
Attn: Compliance Officer

YOUR RIGHTS:

Below are your privacy and confidentiality rights as a customer of Diabetic Promotions, Inc. Please note that all requests must be made in writing.

• You may request the DPI places a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your protected health information. We are not required to agree to a requested restriction. To request a restriction, please write to our Privacy Contact and provide specific information as to the disclosures that you with to restrict and the reasons for your request. We will respond in writing.
    
• You may request that our confidential communications of your protected health information be sent to alternative locations or by alternative communicative means. For example, you may ask that we send information or products to your office rather than your home address. We are not required to accommodate your request unless the request is reasonable.
    
• You may make a written request to inspect and obtain a copy of the protected health information that may be uses by DPI to make decisions about your care or treatment. Be specific as to the information requested. A reasonable fee may be imposed for copying and mailing the requested information.
    
• You may request that DPI amend your protected health information or record if you believe that information is incorrect or incomplete. DPI cannot amend information it did not create and will refer you to the provider of services if you are requesting amendment to diagnosis or treatment information.
    
• You may receive an accounting of certain disclosures of your protected health information made by DPI for purposes other that treatment, payment or healthcare operations in the six years prior to the date of the request, but not for disclosures made prior to April 14, 2003.
    
• Request and obtain a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.

To exercise any of these rights, please write to the address listed at the end of this Notice. There are circumstances where DPI is allowed to deny or limit your requests. In such event you may have the right to object and obtain a review of our decision. We will provide you with further information about these rights at that time. If you would like more specific information about these matters, contact the DPI Privacy Contact.

Changes to this Notice: DPI reserves the right to change the terms of this Notice and its privacy practices and to make a new provisions effective for all protected health information it maintains. Any amended Notice will be made available to you in the same way that this Notice is available to you.

Complaints and Privacy Contact: You may file a complaint with our Privacy Contact and with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. There addresses are available under contact information below. All complaints must be filed in writing. Federal Law prohibits retaliation against you for filing a complaint.

Privacy Contact Information: If you have any questions about this Notice write to:

Diabetic Promotions, Inc.
P. O. Box 5400
Willowick, OH 44095
Attn: Compliance Officer

To contact the Secretary of Health and Human Services, write to:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Hubert Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, S. W.
Washington, D.C. 20201

Effective Date of Notice: April 14, 2003. DPI is required to follow the terms of this notice until it is replaced. DPI reserves the right to change this Privacy Statement at any time as allowed by law and will notify you of any changes as required by law. DPI reserves the right to make the changes apply to all information DPI maintains.