Privacy Policy

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. We must follow the privacy practices described in this Notice while it is 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, and to make new Notice provisions effective for all protected health information that we maintain. When we make a significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this Notice and post the new Notice clearly and prominently at our practice location, and we will provide copies of the new Notice 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.

How We May Use and Disclose Health Information About You

We may use and disclose your health information for different purposes, including treatment, payment, and health care operations. For each of these categories we have provided a description and an example. Some information — such as HIV-related information, genetic information, alcohol and substance use disorder treatment records, and mental health records — may be entitled to special confidentiality protections under applicable state or federal law. We will abide by these special protections as they pertain to applicable cases involving these types of records.

Treatment

We may use and disclose your health information for your treatment. For example, we may disclose your health information to a specialist providing treatment to you.

Payment

We may use and disclose your health information to obtain reimbursement for the treatment and services you receive from us, or from another entity involved in your care. Payment activities include billing, collections, claims management, and determinations of eligibility and coverage. For example, we may send claims to your dental health plan containing certain health information.

Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose your health information in connection with our healthcare operations, including quality assessment and improvement activities, conducting training programs, and licensing activities.

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care

We may disclose your health information to your family or friends, or any other individual identified by you, when they participate in your care or in the payment for your care. If a person has the legal authority to make health care decisions for you, we will treat that patient representative the same way we would treat you with respect to your health information.

Disaster Relief

We may use or disclose your health information to assist in disaster relief efforts.

Required by Law

We may use or disclose your health information when we are required to do so by law.

Public Health Activities

We may disclose your health information for public health activities, including disclosures to:

• Prevent or control disease, injury, or disability.
• Report child abuse or neglect.
• Report reactions to medications or problems with products or devices.
• Notify a person of a recall, repair, or replacement of products or devices.
• Notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or condition.
• Notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.

National Security

We may disclose to military authorities the health information of Armed Forces personnel under certain circumstances. We may disclose to authorized federal officials health information required for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities. We may disclose to a correctional institution or law enforcement official having lawful custody the protected health information of an inmate or patient.

Secretary of HHS

We will disclose your health information to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when required to investigate or determine compliance with HIPAA.

Worker's Compensation

We may disclose your PHI to the extent authorized by, and to the extent necessary to comply with, laws relating to worker's compensation or similar programs established by law.

Law Enforcement

We may disclose your PHI for law enforcement purposes as permitted by HIPAA, as required by law, or in response to a subpoena or court order.

Health Oversight Activities

We may disclose your PHI to an oversight agency for activities authorized by law, including audits, investigations, inspections, and credentialing.

Judicial and Administrative Proceedings

If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose your PHI in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose health information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process, but only if efforts have been made either by the requesting party or us to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

Research

We may disclose your PHI to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board or privacy board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your information.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors

We may release your PHI to a coroner or medical examiner — for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also disclose PHI to funeral directors consistent with applicable law to enable them to perform their duties.

Fundraising

We may contact you to provide information about our sponsored activities, including fundraising programs, as permitted by applicable law. You may opt out of receiving these communications.

Other Uses and Disclosures of PHI

Your authorization is required, with limited exceptions, for disclosure of psychotherapy notes, use or disclosure of PHI for marketing, and for the sale of PHI. We will also obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your PHI for purposes other than those provided for in this Notice (or as otherwise permitted or required by law). You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. Upon receipt of the written revocation, we will stop using or disclosing your PHI, except to the extent that we have already acted in reliance on the authorization.

Your Health Information Rights

Access

You have the right to look at or get copies of your health information, with limited exceptions. You must make the request in writing. If you request information that we maintain on paper, we may provide photocopies. If you request information that we maintain electronically, you have the right to an electronic copy. We will charge a reasonable cost-based fee for supplies, labor, and postage.

Disclosure Accounting

With the exception of certain disclosures, you have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your health information in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Requests must be submitted in writing to the Privacy Official.

Right to Request a Restriction

You have the right to request additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your PHI by submitting a written request to the Privacy Official. We are not required to agree to your request except in the case where the disclosure is to a health plan for purposes of carrying out payment or health care operations, and the information pertains solely to a health care item or service for which you, or a person on your behalf (other than the health plan), has paid our practice in full.

Alternative Communication

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or at alternative locations. Your written request must specify the alternative means or location and provide a satisfactory explanation of how payments will be handled. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.

Amendment

You have the right to request that we amend your health information. Your request must be in writing and explain why the information should be amended. If we deny your request, we will provide a written explanation and inform you of your rights.

Right to Notification of a Breach

You will receive notifications of breaches of your unsecured protected health information as required by law.

Electronic Notice

You may receive a paper copy of this Notice upon request, even if you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically.

Questions and Complaints

If you want more information about our privacy practices or have questions or concerns, please contact us. If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or if you disagree with a decision we made, you may complain to us or submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Contact

Southwest Dental Group
1007 W Oak Ave
Duncan, OK 73533
(580) 255-6621