Privacy Policy

Notice of Privacy Practices

This Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) describes how we may use or disclose your health information and how you can access such information. Please read it carefully.

Your “health information,” for purposes of this Notice, is generally any information that identifies you and is created, received, maintained, or transmitted by us while providing health care items or services to you (referred to as “health information” in this Notice).

We are required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and other applicable laws to:

  • Maintain the privacy of your health information

  • Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices concerning such information

  • Abide by the terms of this Notice

  • Notify affected individuals following a breach of their unsecured health information

Uses and Disclosures of Information Without Your Authorization

The most common reasons we use or disclose your health information are for treatment, payment, or health care operations. The following are examples of how we use or disclose your health information:

Treatment Purposes

  • Setting up an appointment for you

  • Testing or examining your eyes

  • Prescribing glasses, contact lenses, or eye medications and faxing them to be filled

  • Showing you low vision aids

  • Referring you to another doctor or clinic for eye care or low vision aids or services

  • Obtaining copies of your health information from other professionals you may have seen before us

Payment Purposes

  • Asking you about your health or vision care plans or other payment sources

  • Preparing and sending bills or claims

  • Collecting unpaid amounts (directly or through a collection agency or attorney)

Health Care Operations

“Health care operations” means those administrative and managerial functions that we must carry out to run our office, such as:

  • Financial or billing audits

  • Internal quality assurance

  • Personnel decisions

  • Participation in managed care plans

  • Defense of legal matters

  • Business planning

  • Outside storage of our records

Other Disclosures and Uses We May Make Without Your Authorization or Consent

In limited situations, the law allows or requires us to use or disclose your health information without your consent or authorization. Not all these situations will apply to us. Such uses or disclosures include:

  • When a state or federal law mandates that certain health information be reported for a specific purpose

  • For public health purposes, such as contagious disease reporting, investigation or surveillance, and notices to and from the federal Food and Drug Administration regarding drugs or medical devices

  • Disclosures to governmental authorities about victims of suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence

  • Uses and disclosures for health oversight activities, such as licensing of doctors, audits by Medicare or Medicaid, or investigations of possible violations of health care laws

  • Disclosures for judicial and administrative proceedings, such as in response to subpoenas or court or administrative orders

  • Disclosures for law enforcement purposes

  • Disclosures to a medical examiner or funeral director, or for organ or tissue donation purposes

  • Uses or disclosures for health-related research

  • Uses and disclosures to prevent a serious threat to health or safety

  • Uses or disclosures for specialized government functions (e.g., national security, military, or foreign service activities)

  • Disclosures of de-identified information

  • Disclosures relating to workers’ compensation programs

  • Disclosures of a limited data set for research, public health, or health care operations

  • Incidental disclosures that are unavoidable by-products of permitted uses or disclosures

  • Disclosures to business associates and their subcontractors who agree to protect the privacy of your health information

Unless you object, we may share relevant information about your care with your personal representatives who assist you with your eye care. In the event of your death, we may disclose relevant health information to family members or others involved in your care or payment for care, unless doing so conflicts with preferences you expressed to us.

Specific Uses and Disclosures of Information Requiring Your Authorization

The following uses and disclosures require your authorization:

Marketing Activities

We must obtain your authorization before using or disclosing your health information for marketing purposes, except for face-to-face communications or promotional gifts of nominal value. If marketing involves financial payment to us from a third party, your authorization must also indicate your consent to that payment.

Sale of Health Information

We do not sell your health information and must obtain your authorization prior to doing so.

Psychotherapy Notes

Although we do not create or maintain psychotherapy notes, your authorization is generally required before using or disclosing such notes.

Your Rights to Provide Authorization for Other Uses and Disclosures

Other uses and disclosures of your health information not described in this Notice will be made only with your written authorization.

  • You may provide written authorization permitting us to use or disclose your health information for any purpose

  • We will obtain written authorization for uses and disclosures not otherwise permitted by law

  • We must agree to restrict disclosure to a health plan for payment or health care operations when you have paid in full for the service and the disclosure is not otherwise required by law

Revocation of Authorization

You may revoke your authorization in writing at any time. After revocation, we will no longer use or disclose your health information for the purposes covered by the authorization, except as necessary for disclosures already made or for payment related to services received before revocation.

Your Individual Rights

You have the right to:

  • Request restrictions on uses and disclosures for treatment, payment, and health care operations (we are not required to agree)

  • Receive confidential communications in an alternative manner or location (requests must be in writing)

  • Inspect or copy your health information (fees may apply; requests must be in writing)

  • Request amendments to your health information if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete

We may deny a request to amend if the information:

  • Was not created by us (unless the original creator is unavailable)

  • Is not part of the records maintained by or for us

  • Is not information you are permitted to inspect or copy

  • Is accurate and complete

  • Receive an accounting of certain disclosures of your health information (requests must be in writing and may cover up to six years, excluding dates before April 14, 2003)

  • Designate another party to receive your health information (must be in writing and clearly identify the recipient)

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Complaints to us should be submitted in writing. You may also discuss your complaint in person or by phone.

Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and apply the revised practices to health information we already maintain. Any revised Notice will be posted prominently in our facility. Copies are available upon request.