Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective Date: November 6, 2024

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.

1. Our Responsibilities

We are committed to protecting your privacy and maintaining the confidentiality of your health information. This notice describes how we may use and disclose your Protected Health Information (PHI) and your rights regarding your PHI under both federal (HIPAA) and California state laws, including the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA).

We are required by law to:

• Ensure the privacy of your PHI.
• Provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices explaining our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI.
• Notify you of any breaches of your unsecured health information.
• Further standard privacy policy here.

2. Uses and Disclosures of Your Protected Health Information

We may use and disclose your PHI for the following purposes:

• Treatment: We may use your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your chiropractic care. This may include sharing information with other healthcare providers involved in your treatment.
• Payment: We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for the healthcare services we provide to you, such as billing your insurance or other third-party payers.
• Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose your PHI for our internal healthcare operations, such as quality improvement activities, staff training, and administrative purposes.
• Business Associates: We may disclose your PHI to third-party service providers known as business associates who perform services on our behalf (e.g., billing, IT services). These business associates are required to sign agreements ensuring they will protect your PHI in compliance with HIPAA.
• As Required by Law: We will disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law. This may include compliance with government audits or investigations, public health reporting, or responding to subpoenas or legal proceedings.
• Sensitive Information: Any sensitive health information we handle, including mental health records, HIV status, or genetic data, will be treated with additional confidentiality as required by law.

3. Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures

We may also use and disclose your PHI in the following situations:

• Public Health Reporting: We may disclose your PHI to public health authorities for purposes of controlling disease, injury, or disability.
• Health Oversight Activities: We may disclose your PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits or investigations.
• Law Enforcement and Legal Proceedings: We may disclose PHI as required by law for law enforcement purposes or in response to valid court orders and subpoenas.
• Workers’ Compensation: We may disclose your PHI for workers’ compensation or similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses.
• To Prevent Serious Harm: We may disclose your PHI when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of another person.

4. Your Rights Regarding Your Protected Health Information

You have the following rights regarding your PHI:

• Right to Access: You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI. In California, we will make your records available for inspection within 5 days and provide copies within 15 days upon request, in accordance with state law.
• Right to Amend: If you believe that your PHI is incorrect or incomplete, you may request an amendment.
• Right to Request Restrictions: You may request restrictions on how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to your request, but we will consider it.
• Right to Confidential Communications: You may request that we communicate with you in a particular way (e.g., only by mail) or at a particular location.
• Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to receive a list of certain disclosures of your PHI that we have made.
• Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You may request a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.

5. Electronic Communications

If you communicate with us via email or website forms, please be aware that while we take steps to secure these communications, email and online forms may not be encrypted. By providing your email address or using these methods, you acknowledge the potential privacy risks.

6. Breach Notification

In the event of a breach of your unsecured health information, we will notify you in accordance with federal and state laws. This notification will include information about what happened, what information was involved, and any steps you should take to protect yourself.

7. Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time. If we make material changes, we will post the revised Notice in our office and on our website. The new Notice will be effective for all PHI that we maintain.

8. Complaints

If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer, who will investigate the matter. You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Contact Information:

Sabet Chiropractic

418 E Florida Ave, Hemet, CA 92543

(951) 929-2225
[email protected]