Privacy Policy
Notice of Privacy Practices
OUR LEGAL DUTY
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires that health providers keep your medical and dental information private. The HIPAA Privacy Rule states that health providers must also post in a clear and prominent location, and provide patients with, a written Notice of Privacy Policy. We are also required to give you this Notice about our privacy practices, our legal duties, and your rights concerning your health information. We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this Notice while it is in effect. This Notice takes effect on August 1, 2004, and will remain in effect until we replace it.
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. We reserve the right to make the changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our Notice effective for all health information that we maintain, including health information we created or received before we made the changes. Before we make a significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this Notice and make the new Notice available upon request.
For more information about our privacy practices, or to request a copy of our Notice, please contact us using the information listed on this website.
USES AND DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION
We use and disclose health information about you for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. For example:
Treatment: We may use or disclose your health information to a physician or other healthcare provider providing treatment to you.
Payment: We may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for services we provide to you.
Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose your health information in connection with our healthcare operations. Healthcare operations include quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualifications of healthcare professionals, evaluating practitioner and provider performance, conducting training programs, accreditation, certification, licensing, or credentialing activities.
SHARING INFORMATION WITH THIRD PARTIES
We may share your health information with third-party service providers, such as our SMS partner, for purposes directly related to your care, including appointment reminders and confirmations. These third parties are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information and use it only for the specific purposes for which it was shared.
TEXT MESSAGE REMINDER SERVICE
When you opt-in to our text reminder service, you’ll receive up to two (2) text reminders before each dental appointment. These reminders will be sent to the mobile number you provided. We do not charge for these texts, but standard message and data rates from your mobile carrier may apply. Charges are handled directly by your mobile provider or deducted from your prepaid balance. By subscribing, you agree to receive text messages from Neola Dental. Consent to receive texts is not required for purchasing services or products from us.
We may gather information such as your phone number, carrier, and message details to provide this service. Delivery of messages can be impacted by factors such as network issues, location, or device problems. Your mobile carrier cannot guarantee message delivery and is not liable for any delays or missed messages. Our service works with most major carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile®, Verizon, Sprint, and others. You can stop receiving these reminders at any time. For help or support, email us at info@neoladental.com.
YOUR AUTHORIZATION
In addition to our use of your health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, you may give us written authorization to use your health information or to disclose it to anyone for any purpose. If you give us an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosures permitted by your authorization while it was in effect. Unless you give us a written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health information for any reason except those described in this Notice.
TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
We must disclose your health information to you as described in the Patient Rights section of this Notice. We may disclose your health information to a family member, friend, or other person to the extent necessary to help with your healthcare or with payment for your healthcare, but only if you agree that we may do so.
PERSONS INVOLVED IN CARE
We may use or disclose health information to notify or assist in the notification of (including identifying or locating) a family member, your personal representative, or another person responsible for your care, of your location, your general condition, or death. If you are present, then prior to the use or disclosure of your health information, we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such uses or disclosures. In the event of your incapacity or emergency circumstances, we will disclose health information based on a determination using our professional judgment, disclosing only health information that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement in your healthcare. We will also use our professional judgment and our experience with common practice to make reasonable inferences of your best interest in allowing a person to pick up filled prescriptions, medical supplies, x-rays, or other similar forms of health information.
MARKETING HEALTH-RELATED SERVICES
We will not use your health information for marketing communications without your written authorization.
REQUIRED BY LAW
We may use or disclose your health information when we are required to do so by law.
ABUSE OR NEGLECT
We may disclose your health information to appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or the possible victim of other crimes. We may disclose your health information to the extent necessary to avert a serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of others.
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 correctional institutions or law enforcement officials having lawful custody of protected health information of inmates or patients under certain circumstances.
APPOINTMENT REMINDERS
We may use or disclose your health information to provide you with appointment reminders (such as voicemail messages, text messages, postcards, or letters). This may involve sharing your contact information with third-party service providers who assist us in sending these reminders. These providers are bound by confidentiality agreements and are required to protect your health information.
PATIENT RIGHTS
Access
You have the right to look at or get copies of your health information, with limited exceptions. You may request that we provide copies in a format other than photocopies. We will use the format you request unless we cannot practicably do so. You must make a request in writing to obtain access to your health information. We may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for expenses such as copies and staff time. If you request an alternative format, we will charge a cost-based fee for providing your health information in that format.
Disclosure Accounting
You have the right to receive a list of instances in which we or our business associates disclosed your health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and certain other activities, but not before April 14, 2003. If you request this accounting more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for responding to these additional requests.
Restriction
You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your health information. We are not required to agree to these additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement, except in an emergency.
Alternative Communication
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or to alternative locations. You must make your request in writing. Your request must specify the alternative means or location and provide a satisfactory explanation of how payments will be handled under the alternative means or location you request.
Amendment
You have the right to request that we amend your health information. Your request must be in writing and must explain why the information should be amended. We may deny your request under certain circumstances.
Electronic Notice
If you receive this Notice on our website or by electronic mail (email), you are entitled to receive this Notice in written form.
QUESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS
If you want more information about our privacy practices or have questions or concerns, please contact us at the address or phone number provided on this website.
If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, disagree with a decision we made about access to your health information, or in response to a request you made to amend or restrict the use or disclosure of your health information, or to have us communicate with you by alternative means or at alternative locations, you may complain to us using the contact information listed on this website. You may also submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will provide you with the address to file your complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon request.
We support your right to the privacy of your health information. We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.