HIPAA Privacy Notice

Your rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. You may:

• Inspect or obtain a copy of your medical record and other health information we maintain about you, usually in the form and format you request when readily producible.
• Ask us to correct health information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request in some circumstances and will explain why in writing.
• Request confidential communications, such as asking us to contact you at a particular phone number or address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
• Ask us to limit what we use or share for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not always required to agree, except in certain situations involving services paid in full out of pocket.
• Receive an accounting of disclosures for certain disclosures made during the six years before your request.
• Receive a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
• Choose someone to act for you if that person has legal authority, such as a medical power of attorney or legal guardian.
• File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights were violated. We will not retaliate against you.

Your choices

For certain health information, you may tell us your preferences about what we share. Where applicable, you may direct whether we share information with family, close friends, or others involved in your care or payment for care, and whether information may be used for fundraising communications.

We will obtain your written authorization for uses and disclosures not otherwise permitted by law. You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we have already relied on it. We do not sell your health information or use it for third-party marketing without authorization when authorization is required.

How we may use and disclose health information

Treatment

We may use and share your information to provide, coordinate, or manage your care and to communicate with other professionals involved in your treatment.

Payment

We may use and share information to bill for services, process payments, and perform related financial activities, even though decompression services offered here are self-pay.

Healthcare operations

We may use and share information to run our practice, improve care, train staff, conduct quality review, and contact you when necessary.

Other permitted or required uses

Federal and state law may allow or require disclosures for public health and safety, health oversight, workers’ compensation, legal proceedings, law enforcement, organ donation, medical examiners, research under applicable safeguards, or to prevent a serious threat to health or safety. We follow applicable law concerning specially protected information, including reproductive-health information.

Our responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of protected health information that applies to our practice.
• We will notify affected individuals promptly if a breach occurs that may compromise the privacy or security of their information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in the notice currently in effect.
• We may change this notice and make the revised notice effective for information we already hold as well as information received in the future. The current notice will be available on this website and at the office.