NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

IMPORTANT NOTICE

This notice explains how your medical information may be used and disclosed, as well as how you can access this information. Please read it carefully.

Our Legal Duty to Protect Your Information

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), we are required to keep your health information confidential. This law grants you significant rights in understanding and controlling how your health information is used, and it imposes penalties on entities that misuse this information.

We have prepared this notice to comply with HIPAA and to inform you of how we maintain your privacy and how we may use and disclose your health information. Without your specific written consent, we may use and disclose your health records for the following purposes:

How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

Treatment

This includes providing, coordinating, or managing your health care and related services. Examples of treatment are dental procedures such as crowns, fillings, and cleanings.

Payment

This involves obtaining reimbursement for services, confirming coverage, and billing activities. For instance, we may bill your dental insurance for the services you receive.

Health Care Operations

These are the business aspects of running our practice, including quality assessment, audits, cost management, and customer service improvements. For example, we may assess our documentation protocols to ensure quality care.

Other Permitted Uses and Disclosures

Your confidential information may also be used to:

Remind you of upcoming appointments (via phone or mail)
Provide information about treatment options
Share details about additional health-related services
Release information to family members directly involved in your care

We may also disclose your health information when required by law, including but not limited to:

Responses to court or administrative orders
Legal proceedings involving you (with prior notice, when possible)
Requests from law enforcement officials

Additional Circumstances for Disclosure

We may release your information under various scenarios, including:

To a medical examiner or coroner
For organ donation and transplantation processes
In emergencies to prevent serious threats to health or safety
To military authorities if you are a service member

Any other uses of your information will require your written authorization, which you can revoke at any time, with some exceptions.

Your Rights Regarding Your Protected Health Information

You have several rights concerning your health information, which you can exercise by sending a written request to our Privacy Officer at the address below. These rights include:

Requesting restrictions on certain disclosures
Choosing how we communicate your health information
Accessing, inspecting, and copying your health information
Requesting amendments to your records
Receiving an accounting of disclosures outside of treatment, payment, and operations
Obtaining a paper copy of this notice upon request

Changes to This Notice

We are legally required to keep your information private and inform you about our practices. We may change this notice at any time, and the new provisions will apply to all your health information.

Revisions will be posted on the effective date, and you can request a written copy of the updated notice from our office.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint with us or with the Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Civil Rights. You will not face retaliation for filing a complaint.

Questions

If you have any questions about our Privacy Practices, please feel free to ask us.