HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective Date: August 1, 2024 Privacy Officer: Dr. Zachary Bruley

Plain English Summary (Our Commitment to You)

At Advantage Health Center, we value your privacy as much as your health. This notice describes how we protect the medical information we have about you.

• We keep your records safe. We will not sell your data or share it publicly.

• We use your info for care. We share your records with other doctors treating you, insurance companies to get your bills paid, and for our own internal operations.

• You have rights. You can ask to see your records, request corrections, or ask us to limit who we talk to.

• We are transparent. If there is ever a data breach that affects you, we are required by law to notify you.

(The full legal text follows below.)

Full 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.

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.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information, to provide individuals with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information, and to notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured protected health information. This notice describes how we may use and disclose your medical information. It also describes your rights and our legal obligations with respect to your medical information.

A. How This Medical Practice May Use or Disclose Your Health Information

The law permits us to use or disclose your health information for the following purposes:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Health Care Operations: We may use and disclose medical information about you to operate this medical practice (e.g., reviewing quality of care, business planning, and management).

4. Appointment Reminders: We may use and disclose medical information to contact and remind you about appointments.

5. Notification and Communication With Family: We may disclose your health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member or another person responsible for your care about your general condition.

6. Public Health & Safety: We may disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to preventing or controlling disease, reporting abuse or neglect, and reporting to the FDA.

7. Required by Law: We will disclose health information when required to do so by international, federal, state, or local law.

B. Your Health Information Rights

You have the following rights regarding your medical information:

1. Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about your care.
2. Right to Amend: If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information.
3. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request a list of the disclosures we made of medical information about you (for purposes other than treatment, payment, or health care operations).
4. Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we use or disclose about you.
5. Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice: You have the right to a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.

C. Changes to this Notice

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. We will always post the current notice on our website.

D. Complaints & Contact Information

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our office or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

To file a complaint with our office or for questions about this notice, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Advantage Health Center Attn:

Privacy Officer (Dr. Zach Bruley) 2513 E Clairemont Ave Eau Claire, WI 54701 (715) 313-0935