Notice of Privacy Practices

We understand the importance of privacy and are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of your medical information. We make a record of the medical care we provide and may receive such records from others. We use these records to provide or enable other health care providers to provide quality medical care, to obtain payment for services provided to you as allowed by your health plan and to enable us to meet our professional and legal obligations to operate this medical practice properly.

How This Medical Practice May Use or Disclose Your Health Information

Treatment

We use medical information about you to provide your medical care. We disclose medical information to our employees and others who are involved in providing the care you need. For example, we may share your medical information with other physicians or other health care providers who will provide services that we do not provide.

Payment

We use and disclose medical information about you to obtain payment for the services we provide. For example, we give your health plan the information it requires before it will pay us.

Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose medical information about you to operate this medical practice. For example, we may use and disclose this information to review and improve the quality of care we provide, or the competence and qualifications of our professional staff.

Appointment Reminders

We may use and disclose medical information to contact and remind you about appointments. If you are not home, we may leave this information on your phone as a text message, answering machine, or in a message left with the person answering the phone.

Your Health Information Rights

Right to Request Special Privacy Protections

You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information.

Right to Request Confidential Communications

You have the right to request that you receive your health information in a specific way or at a specific location.

Right to Inspect and Copy

You have the right to inspect and copy your health information, with limited exceptions.

Right to Amend or Supplement

You have a right to request that we amend your health information that you believe is incorrect or incomplete.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by this medical practice.

Right to a Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice

You have a right to notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information, including a right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices.

Changes to this Notice of Privacy Practices

We reserve the right to amend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future. Until such amendment is made, we are required by law to comply with the terms of this Notice currently in effect.

Complaints

Complaints about this Notice of Privacy Practices or how this medical practice handles your health information should be directed to our Privacy Officer listed at the top of this Notice.

If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles a complaint, you may submit a formal complaint to: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights, 415-437-8310. You will not be penalized in any way for filing a complaint.