Sera Privacy Policy
Last updated: May 1, 2023
Sera, Inc. (“Sera,” “we” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of all visitors to the Sera websites. Sera has established this Privacy Statement to inform you of the specific practices and guidelines that help ensure the security and confidentiality of your personal information. By using or accessing in any way the websites we control and operate, including SeraPrognostics.com and PreTRM.com (the “Websites”), or by transmitting information to us by email or any other means, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Statement. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Statement, you must cease accessing or using any Website and not provide your information to us.
Updates
Sera may revise this Privacy Statement from time to time. We will use reasonable efforts to post updates to this Privacy Statement on the Websites. Please check the Websites for the most current version of our Privacy Statement. Your continued use of any Website after we have made any changes to this Privacy Statement, whether or not a notice was posted, constitutes your acceptance of such changes.
Linked websites
The Websites may contain links to external websites. Sera does not maintain these websites and is not responsible for the privacy practices of websites it does not operate. Please refer to the specific privacy statements posted on these external websites for how your personal information will be handled and used.
Aggregate Data Collection
Sera tracks visits to the Websites and uses visitor logs to compile anonymous aggregate statistics. This aggregate information is collected site-wide and includes anonymous website statistics. In addition, when you access the Websites, our system automatically collects information such as your web request, Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, browser language, device type, domain names, referring and exit pages and URLs, platform type, pages viewed and the order of these page views, the amount of time spent on particular pages, the date and time of your request, and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser. This information is used to analyze trends, administer the websites, improve the design of the Websites, and otherwise enhance the services we provide.
Cookies
Certain pages of the Websites and/or HTML email correspondence may use session cookies, persistent cookies, or web beacons to anonymously track unique visitors, save website preferences, and to allow us to recognize visits from the same computer and browser. You have the option to reject the Websites’ cookies and still use the website. However, your access to the Websites may be limited.
Log Files
Like many standard website servers, our web servers use log files. Log files include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp and number of clicks. Log files are used to analyze trends, administer the site, track aggregated users’ movement and gather broad demographic information. IP addresses, etc. are not linked to personally identifiable information.
Do Not Track Requests
We do not process or respond to “Do Not Track” requests or signals from your web browser or other mechanisms that enable choice regarding the collection of personal information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or online services.
Types of Personal Information Collected
Sera may collect, store, and use personally identifiable information (such as name, email address, postal code and email preferences) when such personal information is voluntarily submitted to us, such as when you register for updates or contact us.
In limited circumstances (e.g., when a laboratory test order is submitted to us on your behalf), you may become a Sera patient and we may collect, store and use Protected Health Information. Refer to our Notice of Privacy Practices below for additional information regarding PHI.
Use of Personal Information
We may use your personal information to contact you, improve our Website(s), provide you with information that you have requested, or provide you with additional information that Sera believes may be of interest to you. We may also use this information to respond to your inquiries, provide you with technical support, and enforce our Terms and Conditions and other policies governing use of the websites. We may combine your information with other information about you that is available to us, including information from other sources. Sera will keep resumes confidential and will use them only for employment purposes.
Sera will not sell or rent your personal information to any other company or organization. Except as otherwise prohibited by law, Sera may share your information with third party service providers who perform marketing or other services on our behalf. Sera may access and/or disclose your personal information to law enforcement officials, regulatory agencies, or other third parties as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate in connection with an investigation of illegal activity that may expose us to legal liability or costs, to enforce our policies governing the websites, for regulatory compliance, or as we otherwise determine may be required by applicable law. Sera may also disclose your information in connection with corporate restructuring, merger or consolidation with, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets to a third party. We do not guarantee that any entity receiving such information in connection with one of these transactions will abide by this Privacy Statement.
Security Measures
We have industry-reasonable security measures in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of the data under our control. The security measures include system and network components, and application components. When any Website is accessed using a compatible internet browser, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology protects information using both server authentication and data encryption to help make the data safe, secure, and available only to you.
Although we make good faith efforts to store Personal Information in a secure operating environment that is not open to the public, we do not and cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Information. If we become aware that your Personal Information has been disclosed in a manner not in accordance with this Policy, we will use reasonable efforts to notify you of the nature and extent of the disclosure (to the extent we know that information) as soon as reasonably possible and as permitted or required by law.
Information Access, Updates and Choice
You may choose to provide information to Sera by completing a form, sending us an email, or otherwise contacting us. In this registration form, you may have an opportunity to elect to receive certain communications from us. Sera email correspondence will include instructions on how to unsubscribe from our emails and postal mail correspondence and typically how to update certain personal information. Please follow the instructions in the emails to notify Sera of changes to your name, email address, and preference information. Sera will take reasonable steps, such as confirmation emails, to verify your identity before granting access to your personal information. If you choose to unsubscribe from our email and/or postal mail services, you will no longer receive correspondence from us. However, Sera may retain your information for a period of time to resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems, or for other valid business or legal reasons.
Third-Party Information
You agree that you have provided notice to, and obtained consent from, any third-party individuals whose personal information you supply to us, including with regard to: (a) the purposes for which such third party’s personal information has been collected; (b) the intended recipients or categories of recipients of the third party’s personal information; (c) which of the third party’s information is obligatory and which information, if any, is voluntary; and (d) how the third party can access and, if necessary, rectify the information held about them.
Governing Law
The Websites are controlled and operated by Sera Inc. By choosing to visit the Websites or otherwise provide information to Sera, you agree that any dispute over privacy or the terms contained in this Privacy Statement will be governed by the laws of the State of Utah. If you are accessing the Websites from any location with regulations or laws governing personal data collection, use, or disclosure that differ from United States laws or regulations, please note that through your continued use of the Websites, which is governed by the laws of the State of Utah and the United States of America and this Privacy Statement, you are transferring personal information to the United States of America and you consent to that transfer and to the collection and processing of such information in the United States. You also consent to the adjudication of any disputes arising in connection with the Websites in the federal and state courts of Salt Lake County in Utah.
Questions
If you have questions about the Sera Privacy Statement, please email us at privacy@seraprognostics.com.
Notice of Privacy Practices
Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.
If you are a Sera patient (one or more of our tests or services has been ordered by or for you), then this notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. This notice applies to Sera, its patients for whom tests or services have been ordered, and all its tests and services. Please review it carefully.
Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record
- Correct your paper or electronic medical record
- Request confidential communication
- Ask us to limit the information we share
- Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information
- Get a copy of this privacy notice
- Choose someone to act for you
- File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated
Your Choices
You have some choices in the way that we use and share information as we:
- Tell family and friends about your condition
- Market our services
Our Uses and Disclosures
We may use and share your information as we:
- Treat you
- Run our organization
- Bill for our services
- Help with public health and safety issues
- Do research
- Comply with the law
- Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
- Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. 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. 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 refuse 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 agree 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 refuse if, for example, 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 agree unless there is a legal requirement for us to share that information (including contracts).
Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information
- You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we have shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, whom 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 make reasonable efforts to verify 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 contacting us using the following information, and in most cases we will respond within 30 days:
Privacy Officer
Sera, Inc.
2749 E. Parleys Way, Suite 200
Salt Lake City, UT 84109
Phone: (801) 990-0520
Email: privacy@seraprognostics.com
You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Your Choices
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 strive to follow your instructions.
You have both the right and choice to tell us to share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care.
We never share your personally identifiable information for marketing purposes unless you give us written permission.
In the case of fundraising, we may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.
Note that we never market or sell personally identifiable information.
Our Uses and Disclosures
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: The ordering provider monitoring your pregnancy speaks to us about your overall health condition.
Run our organization
We can use and share your health information to run our business, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.
Example: We use health information about you to process the order for your test.
Bill for our services
We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities you designate.
Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your test.
How else can we use or share your health information?
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 research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.
Help with public health and safety issues
We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
- Preventing disease
- Helping with product recalls
- Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
- Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
Do research
We can use or share your information for health research.
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.
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
We can use or share health information about you:
- For workers’ compensation claims
- For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
- With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
- For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
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.
Our Responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of the protected health information of our patients.
- We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
- We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
- We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.
For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.
Changes to the Terms of this Notice
We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our Websites.