HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations, and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information. “Protected health information” is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services. We must provide this notice to you no later than the date of the first service delivery, including service delivered electronically to you.

We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We may change the terms of our notice, at any time. The new notice will be effective for all protected health information that we maintain at that time. Upon your request, we will provide you with any revised Notice of Privacy Practices. You may request that a revised copy be sent to you in the mail or ask for one at the time of your next appointment.

Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

Your protected health information may be used and disclosed by Dr. Cheryl L. Held, our Team, and others outside of our office involved in your care and treatment for the purpose of providing health care services to you. Your protected health information may also be used and disclosed to pay your health care bills and to support the operation of our Orthodontic practice.

The following are examples of the types of uses and disclosures of your protected health care information that our Orthodontic office is permitted to make. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive.

Treatment: We will use and disclose your protected health information to provide coordination and management of your health care with an associated third party. We will also use and disclose your protected health information to provide coordination and management of your Orthodontic care and any related services. This Orthodontic specific use and disclosure is included in the coordination or management of your health care with a third party. We will also disclose protected health information to other dentists or dental specialists who may be treating you. For example, your protected health information may be provided to a dentist or dental specialist to whom you have been referred to ensure that the dentist or dental specialist has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you.

In addition, we may disclose your protected health information from time-to-time to another dentist or health care provider (e.g. a specialist or laboratory) who, at the request of Dr. Held, becomes involved in your care by providing assistance to Dr. Held with your health care diagnosis or treatment.

Payment: Your protected health information will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services. This may include certain activities that your health insurance plan may undertake before it approves or pays for the health care services that we recommend for you such as: making a determination of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits, reviewing services provided to you for Orthodontic necessity, and undertaking utilization review activities.

Healthcare Operation: We may use or disclose, as needed, your protected health information in order to support the business activities of our practice.

For example, we use a Check-in iPad at the registration desk where you will be asked to select your encrypted name. We may also call you by first name in the Reception Area, when Dr. Held is ready to see you. We may use or disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to contact you to remind you of your appointment.

We will share your protected health information with third party “business associates” that perform various activities (e.g. billing, transcription services) for the practice. Whenever an arrangement between our office and a business associate involves the use or disclosure of your protected health information, we will have a written contract that contains terms that will protect the privacy of your protected health information.

We may use or disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to provide you with information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. We may also use and disclose your protected health information for other marketing activities. For example, your name and address may be used to send information about products or services that we offer. We may also send you information about products or services that we believe may be beneficial to you. You may contact our Privacy Contact to request that these materials not be sent to you.

We may use or disclose your demographic information and the dates that you received treatment by Dr. Held, as necessary, in order to contact you for fundraising activities supported by our office. If you do not want to receive these materials, please contact our Privacy Contact and request that these fundraising materials not be sent to you.

Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information Based Upon Your Written Authorization

Other uses and disclosures of your protected health information will be made only with your written authorization, unless otherwise permitted or required by law as described below. You may revoke this authorization, at any time, in writing, except to the extent that Dr. Held or WingHaven® Orthodontics has taken an action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.

Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures That May Be Made With Your Consent, Authorization, or Opportunity to Object.

We may use and disclose your protected health information in the following instances.

You have the opportunity to agree or object to the use or disclosure of all or part of your protected health information. If you are not present or able to agree or object to the use or disclosure of the protected health information, then Dr. Held may, using professional judgment, determine whether the disclosure is in your best interest. In this case, only the protected health information that is relevant to your health care will be disclosed.

Others Involved in Your Healthcare: Unless you object, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend or any other person you identify, your protected health information that directly relates to that person’s involvement in your health care. If you are unable to agree or object to such a disclosure, we may disclose such information, as necessary, if we determine that it is in your best interest based upon our professional judgment. We may use or disclose protected health information to notify or to assist in notifying a family member, personal representative, or any other person who is responsible for your care of your location, general condition, or death. Finally, we may use or disclose your protected health information to an authorized public or private entity to assist in disaster relief efforts and to coordinate uses and disclosures to family or other individuals involved in your health care.

Emergencies: We may use or disclose your protected health information in an emergency treatment situation. We must present to you our Notice of Privacy Practices as soon as it is reasonably practicable after the delivery of treatment. If Dr. Held is required by law to treat you, she may still use or disclose your protected health information to treat you, and you will be provided our Notice of Privacy Practices as soon as reasonably practicable after the delivery of treatment. We must make a good faith effort to obtain a written acknowledgement of the receipt of this notice to you, or document our good faith efforts to obtain such acknowledgment and the reason(s) why the acknowledgment was not obtained.

Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures That May Be Made Without Your Authorization or Opportunity to Object

We may use or disclose your protected health information in the following situations without your authorization. These situations include:

Required By Law: We may use or disclose your protected health information to the extent that the use or disclosure is required by law. The use or disclosure will be made in compliance with the law and will be limited to the relevant requirements of the law. You will be notified, as required by law, of any such uses or disclosures.

Public Health: We may disclose your protected health information for public health activities and purposes to a public health authority that is permitted by law to collect or receive the information. The disclosure will be made for the purpose of controlling disease, injury, or disability. We may also disclose your protected health information, if directed by the public health authority, to a foreign government agency that is collaborating with the public health authority.

Communicable Diseases: We may disclose your protected health information, if authorized by law, to a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading the disease or condition.

Health Oversight: We may disclose protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, and inspections. Oversight agencies seeking this information include: government agencies that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, other government regulatory programs, and civil rights laws.

Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your protected health information to a public health authority that is authorized by law to receive reports of child abuse or neglect. In addition, we may disclose your protected health information if we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence to the governmental entity or agency authorized to receive such information. In this case, the disclosure will be made consistent with the requirements of applicable federal and state laws.

Food and Drug Administration: We may disclose your protected health information to a person or company required by law by the Food and Drug Administration: (1) to report adverse events, product defects or problems, or biologic product deviations, (2) to track products, (3) to enable product recalls, (4) to make repairs or replacements, or (5) to conduct post marketing surveillance, as required.

Legal Proceedings: We may disclose protected health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding, in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal (to the extent such disclosure is expressly authorized), in certain conditions in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.

Law Enforcement: We may also disclose protected health information, so long as applicable legal requirements are met, for law enforcement purposes. These law enforcement purposes include: (1) legal processes and otherwise required by law, (2) limited information requests for identifications and location purposes, (3) pertaining to victims of a crime, (4) suspicion that death has occurred as a result of criminal conduct, (5) in the event that a crime occurs or has occurred.

Coroners, Funeral Directors, and Organ Donation: We may disclose protected health information to a coroner or medical examiner for identification purposes, determining cause of death, or for the coroner or medical examiner to perform other duties authorized by law. We may also disclose protected health information to a funeral director, as authorized by law, in order to permit the funeral director to carry out his or her duties. We may disclose such information in reasonable anticipation of death. Protected health information may be used and disclosed for cadaver organ, eye, or tissue donation purposes.

Research: We may disclose your protected health information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your protected health information.

Criminal Activity: Consistent with applicable federal and state laws, we may disclose your protected health information, if we believe that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public. We may also disclose protected health information, if it is necessary for law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual.

Military Activity and National Security: When the appropriate conditions apply, we may use or disclose protected health information of individuals who are Armed Forces personnel: (1) for activities deemed necessary by appropriate military command authorities, (2) for the purpose for benefits, or (3) to foreign military authority, if you are a member of that foreign military service. We may also disclose your protected health information to authorized federal officials for conduction of national security and intelligence activities, including for the provision of protective services to the President or others legally authorized.

Workers’ Compensation: Your protected health information may be disclosed by us as authorized to comply with workers’ compensation laws and other similar legally established programs.

Required Uses and Disclosures: Under the law, we must make disclosures to you and, when required, by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with the requirements of Section 164.500 et. seq.

Your Rights: The following is a statement of your rights with respect to your protected health information and a brief description of how you may exercise these rights.

You have the right to inspect and copy your protected health information: This means that you may inspect and obtain a copy of protected health information about you that is contained in a designated record set for as long as we maintain the protected health information. A “designated record set” contains Orthodontic and billing records, and any other records that Dr. Held and WingHaven® Orthodontics uses for making decisions about you.

Under federal law, however, you may not inspect or copy the following records: psychotherapy notes, information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or use in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding, and protected health information that is subject to law that prohibits access to protected health information. Depending upon the circumstances, a decision to deny access may be reviewable. In some circumstances, you may have a right to have this decision reviewed. Please contact our Privacy Contact, if you have questions about access to your Orthodontic record.

You have the right to request a restriction of your protected health information: This means that you may ask for us not to use or disclose any part of your protected health information for the purposes of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You may also request that any part of your protected health information not be disclosed to family members or friends who may be involved in your care, or for notification purposes as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. Your request must state the specific restriction request and to whom you want the restriction to apply.

Dr. Held is not required to agree to a restriction that you may request. If Dr. Held believes that it is in your best interest to permit use and disclosure of your protected health information, your protected health information will not be restricted. If Dr. Held does agree to the requested restriction, we may not use or disclose your protected health information in violation of that restriction, unless it is needed to provide emergency treatment. With this in mind, please discuss any restriction that you would like to request with Dr. Held and our Team. You may request a restriction in writing.

You have the right to request to receive confidential communications from us be alternative means or at an alternate location: We will accommodate reasonable requests. We may also condition this accommodation by asking you for information as to how payment will be handled, or specification of an alternative address or other method of contact. We will not request an explanation from you as to the basis for the request. Please make this request in writing to our Privacy Contact.

You may have the right to have Dr. Held amend your protected health information: This means that you may request an amendment of protected health information about you in a designated record set form, as long as we maintain this information. In certain cases, we may deny your request for an amendment. If we deny your request for amendment, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us, and we may prepare a rebuttal to your statement and will provide you with a copy of any such rebuttal. Please contact our Privacy Contact, if you have questions about amending your Orthodontic record.

You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures that we have made, if any, of your protected health information: This right applies to disclosures for purposes other than treatment, payment, or healthcare operations as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. It excludes disclosures that we may have made to you, for a facility directory, to family members or friends involved in your care, or for notification purposes. You have the right to receive specific information regarding these disclosures that occurred after September 5, 2022. You may request a shorter timeframe. The right to receive this information is subject to certain exceptions, restrictions, and limitations.

You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this notice from us: You may obtain a paper copy of this notice from us upon request, even if you have agreed to accept this notice electronically.

Complaints: You may complain to us or to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, if you believe that your privacy rights have been violated by us. You may file a complaint with us by notifying our Privacy Contact of your complaint. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

This notice was published and becomes effective on September 5, 2022.