HIPAA 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.
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
Valencia Medical Weight Control is committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI), to provide you with this notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms currently in effect.
How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information
For Treatment. We may use and disclose your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your care. For example, your prescribing physician may share your health history with a pharmacy to fill your prescription, or with another provider involved in your care.
For Payment. We may use and disclose your health information to bill and collect payment for services. For example, we may share relevant information with a payment processor or, if applicable, your insurance provider to confirm coverage or process a claim.
For Healthcare Operations. We may use and disclose your health information to run our practice, improve care quality, and manage our business. For example, we may review records internally for quality assurance, or share limited information with a business associate who performs services on our behalf, such as a scheduling platform or a compounding pharmacy, under a signed agreement requiring them to protect your information to the same standard we do.
Other Uses and Disclosures Permitted or Required by Law, Without Your Authorization
These include, and are not limited to:
- When required by federal, state, or local law
- To public health authorities for purposes such as preventing disease or reporting adverse medication events
- To health oversight agencies for activities such as audits or investigations
- In response to a valid court order, subpoena, or other lawful process
- To avert a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety, or that of another person
- To coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors as necessary and permitted by law
Uses That Require Your Written Authorization
Any use or disclosure of your health information not described above requires your written authorization. This includes, for example, most uses of your information for marketing purposes. You may revoke a prior authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already relied on it.
Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
Right to Inspect and Copy. You may request to inspect and receive a copy of your health information, with limited exceptions. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies.
Right to Request Amendment. You may ask us to amend your health information if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete. We may decline the request in certain circumstances, and will explain our reasoning if we do.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You may request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your health information, generally going back up to six years, excluding disclosures made for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and a few other categories.
Right to Request Restrictions. You may ask us to limit how we use or disclose your health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree, except in certain circumstances involving disclosures to a health plan that you have paid for out of pocket in full.
Right to Request Confidential Communications. You may ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a specific location, for example, by email rather than phone.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice. You may request a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you originally agreed to receive it electronically.
Right to Be Notified of a Breach. We will notify you if a breach of your unsecured health information occurs, as required by law.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the information below.
Our Responsibilities
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information, provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and abide by the terms of the notice currently in effect. We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice, and to make the revised notice apply to health information we already have as well as information we receive in the future. If we make a material change, the updated notice will be posted on our website and made available upon request.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us, or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
To file a complaint with us, contact our Privacy Officer using the information below.
To file a complaint with OCR, you may use the online Complaint Portal at ocrportal.hhs.gov, or find current mail and phone options at www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints. Complaints to OCR generally must be filed within 180 days of when you knew, or should have known, about the issue.
You will not be penalized or retaliated against in any way for filing a complaint.
This notice applies to the health information Valencia Medical Weight Control maintains about you. It does not apply to information you share with us outside the context of your care, such as general questions submitted through a public contact form.