Privacy Policy

1. Our Legal Duty

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI), to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI, and to notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI. We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices currently in effect.

2. Permitted Uses and Disclosures of PHI

We may use and disclose your medical records for the following purposes without obtaining your explicit written authorization:

• For Treatment: We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your medical care. For example, your sleep specialist may share diagnostic data with your primary care physician, a durable medical equipment (DME) supplier (e.g., for CPAP setups), or a sleep laboratory conducting an overnight diagnostic study.
• For Payment: We may use and disclose your PHI so that the services you receive can be billed and collected from you, an insurance company, or a third-party payer. For example, we submit diagnosis codes and clinical charting to your health insurance provider to secure prior authorizations or clinical claims reimbursement.
• For Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose your PHI to support the business operations of our clinic. This includes internal quality assessment reviews, compliance auditing, training programs, and clinical system upgrades.
• Business Associates: We may contract with third-party "Business Associates" to perform operations on our behalf (e.g., electronic health record [EHR] platforms, electronic billing clearings, secure telehealth platforms). All Business Associates are legally bound by contract to protect your PHI under standard Business Associate Agreements (BAAs).
• Required by Law / Public Health: We may disclose PHI when required by federal, state, or local laws; for public health activities; to report suspected abuse or neglect; or to comply with a valid court order or judicial subpoena.

3. Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Specific Authorization

The following uses and disclosures will be made only with your written authorization, and you have the right to revoke such authorization at any time:

• Uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing or commercial purposes.
• Disclosures that constitute an explicit sale of your PHI.

4. Your Rights Regarding Your PHI

You possess the following federal rights regarding your medical and billing records:

• Right to Access and Copy: You have the right to inspect and obtain an electronic or paper copy of your medical and billing records. We will provide this within 30 days of a written request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based processing fee.
• Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request constraints on how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or operations. We are not required to agree to your request, except if you request that we do not disclose PHI to your health insurance plan for payment or operations purposes, and the PHI pertains solely to an item or service for which you have paid us completely out-of-pocket.
• Right to Request Confidential Communications: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location (for example, only calling your personal cell phone or sending communications strictly via a secure patient portal).
• Right to Amend: If you feel that medical information we maintain is incorrect or incomplete, you may request a formal amendment. Your request must be submitted in writing and provide a valid clinical reason supporting the change.
• Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI for purposes other than standard treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or those explicitly authorized by you.

5. Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our clinic's Privacy Officer or directly with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). You will not be penalized or retaliated against for filing a complaint.