Legal
Notice of Privacy Practices
Advanced Dentistry Implants Dentures — 1499 North Susquehanna Trail, Suite 2, Selinsgrove, PA 17870
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.
This Notice of Privacy Practices is provided to you as a requirement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It describes how Advanced Dentistry Implants Dentures may use and disclose your protected health information (PHI) to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations, and for other purposes permitted or required by law.
Our Responsibilities
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information, to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information, and to notify you following a breach of unsecured protected health information. We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice currently in effect.
How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information
The following categories describe the ways we may use and disclose your health information. For each category, we will explain what we mean and give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed; however, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.
Treatment
We may use your health information to provide you with dental treatment or services. We may disclose your health information to doctors, nurses, technicians, dental students, or other personnel who are involved in taking care of you.
Payment
We may use and disclose your health information so that the treatment and services you receive at our practice may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company, or a third party.
Health Care Operations
We may use and disclose your health information for health care operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run our practice and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care.
Appointment Reminders
We may use and disclose your health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or dental care at our practice.
Treatment Alternatives
We may use and disclose your health information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.
Health-Related Benefits and Services
We may use and disclose your health information to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
Special Situations
We may disclose your health information when required to do so by federal, state, or local law, or to avert a serious threat to health or safety, for public health activities, health oversight, lawsuits, law enforcement, military, workers' compensation, or correctional institutions as permitted by law.
As Required by Law
We will disclose your health information when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We may use and disclose your health information when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.
Public Health Risks
We may disclose your health information for public health activities including preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability; reporting births and deaths; reporting child abuse or neglect; and notifying the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
Health Oversight Activities
We may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, including audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure.
Lawsuits and Disputes
If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose your health information in response to a court or administrative order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.
Law Enforcement
We may release your health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons, or similar process.
Military and Veterans
If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release your health information as required by military command authorities.
Workers' Compensation
We may release your health information for workers' compensation or similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.
Inmates
If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release your health information to the correctional institution or law enforcement official.
Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
You have the right to inspect and copy, amend, receive an accounting of disclosures, request restrictions, request confidential communications, and receive a paper copy of this notice. To exercise these rights, submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer.
Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and copy health information that may be used to make decisions about your care. To inspect and copy your health information, you must submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer.
Right to Amend
If you feel that health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information by submitting a written request to our Privacy Officer with a reason that supports your request.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request an accounting of disclosures — a list of disclosures we made of your health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, and health care operations.
Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or health care operations.
Right to Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about dental matters in a certain way or at a certain location. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to a paper copy of this notice at any time. You may obtain a copy at our practice or by contacting our Privacy Officer.
Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice in our practice.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our practice or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with our practice, contact our Privacy Officer at the address or phone number listed below. All complaints must be submitted in writing. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
Other Uses of Health Information
Other uses and disclosures of health information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. If you provide us permission to use or disclose health information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time.
Questions About Your Privacy?
Contact our Privacy Officer at Advanced Dentistry Implants Dentures, 1499 North Susquehanna Trail, Suite 2, Selinsgrove, PA 17870. We are happy to answer any questions you have about how we protect your health information.