Notice of Privacy Practices

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

At 5280 Plastic Surgery, we are committed to safeguarding your protected health information (PHI) as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This notice explains how we may use and disclose your PHI, your rights regarding this information, and our legal duties.

Our Legal Duties

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI, to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, to notify you if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your unsecured PHI, and to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.

How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

For Treatment. We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your care. For example, we may share information with another provider involved in your care, such as a specialist or anesthesia provider.

For Payment. We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for services provided to you. For example, we may use your information to verify payment methods or process charges for a procedure.

For Healthcare Operations. We may use and disclose your PHI for activities necessary to operate our practice, such as staff training and quality improvement.

Appointment Reminders and Communications. We may contact you by phone, email, or text message about appointments, follow-up care, and other services related to your care.

Business Associates. We may disclose your PHI to companies that perform services for us, such as billing or electronic health record providers, under written agreements that require them to protect your information.

Other Permitted Disclosures. We may also use or disclose your PHI when required by law; to family members, friends, or others involved in your care, unless you object; to report suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence as permitted by law; for research under approved safeguards; to funeral directors and organ and tissue donation organizations; for public health activities; for health oversight activities; in response to a court order, subpoena, or other lawful process; for law enforcement purposes as permitted by law; to a coroner or medical examiner; for workers' compensation; to avert a serious threat to health or safety; and for specialized government functions, as permitted by law.

Telehealth and Electronic Health Records

Telehealth services at 5280 Plastic Surgery are conducted through our electronic health record (EHR) system, Nextech. No telehealth session data is stored locally. Communications and records are managed within the EHR platform in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

Uses and Disclosures That Require Your Written Authorization

We will not use or disclose your PHI for the following without your written authorization: most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes; marketing purposes; and the sale of your PHI. We will not use your photographs, including before-and-after photographs, for marketing, on our website, or on social media without your written authorization. Other uses and disclosures not described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already acted on it.

Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information

Access to Records. You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your medical records, including an electronic copy if we maintain them electronically, subject to certain limitations. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Request for Amendment. If you believe your records are incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend them. We may deny your request in certain cases and will tell you why in writing.

Request for Restrictions. You may ask us to limit how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree, except that we must agree to a request not to disclose PHI to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations purposes if the information relates only to an item or service you paid for in full out of pocket.

Confidential Communications. You may ask us to contact you in a specific way, such as at a specific address or phone number. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Accounting of Disclosures. You may request a list of certain disclosures we have made for purposes other than treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.

Paper Copy of This Notice. You may ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

Breach Notification. You have the right to be notified if a breach of your unsecured PHI occurs.

How to File a Complaint

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer using the contact information below, or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20201, 1-877-696-6775, www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Contact Information

Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change this notice and our privacy practices. Changes will apply to all PHI we maintain. The current notice, with its effective date, will be available at our office and on our website.

Related Information

For information about use of this website, see our Terms of Service at /terms-of-service. For information about personal information collected through our website, such as form submissions and cookies, see our Website Privacy Policy at /privacy-policy.