Healthy Smiles Family Dentistry Notice of Privacy Practices
This notice is to inform you that your personal health information will only be used for purposes of treatment in our facility and will not be misused or disclosed to anyone outside our practice. You may gain access to this information if you desire.
Please review it carefully. The privacy of your health information is important to us.
- Our Legal Duty
We are required by applicable federal and state law to maintain the privacy of your health information. We are also required to give you this notice about our privacy practices, our legal duties and your rights concerning your health information. We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this notice while it is in effect. This notice takes effect on April 14, 2003 and will remain in effect.
We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this notice at any time provided such changes are permitted by applicable law. We reserve the right to make the changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our notice effective for all health information that we maintain, including health information we created or received before we made the changes. Before we make a significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this notice and make the notice available upon request.
You may request a copy of our notice at any time. For more information about our privacy practices, or for additional copies of this notice, please contact us using the information listed at the end of this notice.
- Uses and Disclosures of Health Information
We use and disclose health information about you for treatment, payment and healthcare operations. For example:
Treatment: We may use or disclose your health information to a physician or other healthcare provider who is currently providing treatment to you.
Payment: We may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for services we provide to you (i.e. insurance companies).
Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose your health information in connection with our healthcare operations. Healthcare operations include quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualifications of healthcare professionals, evaluating practitioner and provider performance, conducting training programs, accreditation, certifications, licensing or credentialing activities.
- Your Authorization
You may give us written authorization to use your health information or to disclose it to anyone for any purpose (e.g. a family member picking up records, referral to a dental specialist, etc). If you give us an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosure permitted by your authorization while it was in effect. Unless you give a written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health information for any reason except for those described in this notice.
- To Your Family and Friends
We must disclose your health information to you, as described in the Patient Rights section of this Notice. We may disclose your health information to a family member, friend or other person to the extent necessary to help your healthcare or with payment for your healthcare, but only if you agree that we may do so.
- Persons Involved in Care
We may use or disclose health information to notify or assist in the notification of (including identifying your locating) a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care, of your location, your general condition, or death. If you are present, then prior to use or disclosure of your health information, we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such uses of disclosures. In the event of your incapacity or emergency circumstances, we will disclose health information based on a determination using our professional judgment disclosing only health information that is directly relevant to that person’s involvement in your healthcare. We will also use our professional judgment and our experience with common practice to make reasonable inferences of your best interest in allowing a person to pick up filled prescriptions, medical supplies, x-rays or other similar forms of health information.
Marketing Health-Relation Services: Our dental office does not use patient information for any marketing purposes. We will not use your health information for marketing communication without your written authorization.
Required by Law: We may use or disclose your health information when it is required by law to do so (i.e. missing person, etc.)
Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your health information to appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence or the possible victim of other crimes. We may disclose your health information to the extent necessary to overt a serious threat to your health or the safety of others.
National Security: We may disclose to military authorities the health information of Armed Forces personnel under certain circumstances. We may disclose to lawfully authorized federal officials health information required by lawful intelligence, counterintelligence and other national security activities. We may disclose to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials having lawful custody of protected health information of inmate or patient under certain circumstances.
Appointment Reminders: We may use or disclose your health information to provide you with appointment reminders (such as voicemail, postcards or letters).
- Patient Rights
Access: You have a right to look at or get copies of your health information, with limited exceptions. You may request that we provide copies in a format other than photocopies. We will use the format you request unless we cannot practicably do so. You must make a request in writing to obtain access to your health information. You may obtain a form to request access by using the contact information listed at the end of this notice. We may charge you a reasonable cost-based fee for expenses such as copies or staff time. You may request access by sending us a letter to the address at the end of this notice. If you request an alternate format, we will charge a cost-based fee for providing your health information in that format. If you prefer, we will prepare a summary or an explanation of your health information for a fee. Contact us using the information listed at the end of this notice for a full explanation of our fee structure.
Disclosure Accounting: You have the right to receive a list of instances in which we or our business associates disclosed your health information for any purpose, other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations and certain other activities, for the last 6 years, but not before April 14, 2013. If you request this accounting more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for responding to these additional requests.
Restriction: You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your health information. We are not required to agree to these additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement except in an emergency.
Alternative Communication: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or to alternative locations. You must make your request in writing. Your request must specify the alternative means or locations, and provide satisfactory explanation how payments will b handled under the alternative means or location you request.
Amendment: You have the right to request that we amend your health information. Your request must be in writing. It must explain why the information should be amended. We may deny your request under certain circumstances.
- Question and Complaints
If you desire further information about our privacy practices or if you have questions, please contact us. If you are concerned that 1) we may have violated your privacy right, 2) you disagree with a decision we made about your health information, 3)in response to a request you made to amend or restrict the use or disclosure of your health information or 4) to have us communicate with you by alternative means or at a alternative locations, you may complain to us using the contact information listed at the end of this notice. You may also submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon request.
We support your right to the privacy of your health information. We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Contact Officer: Erin Ringer, Privacy Officer Lori Hare, Owner
Billie Reeder, Owner Robin Ross, Owner
Contact Information: 201 N Lynn Riggs Blvd 1326 E 43rd Ct., Suite 100
Claremore, Ok 74017 Tulsa, Ok 74105
(918)343-4300 (918)749-0303