HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

1. Our responsibilities

This notice describes the privacy practices of Root Canal Center of Hallandale and its treating dental professionals and workforce. It applies to protected health information we create, receive, maintain, or transmit in providing care.

We are required by law to protect the privacy and security of your protected health information, provide this notice, and follow the terms of the notice currently in effect. We will notify you following a breach of unsecured protected health information as required by applicable law.

We follow HIPAA and applicable Florida privacy requirements. When another applicable law gives information greater protection or limits a use or disclosure, we follow that law. General website information practices are addressed separately in our Privacy Policy.

2. Treatment, payment & operations

Subject to applicable law and any additional protections described below, we may use or disclose your health information without a separate authorization for:

• Treatment. We may share records, radiographs, medical history, and findings with your referring dentist and other professionals involved in your care. For example, we may send your dentist a treatment report to coordinate restoration of a treated tooth.
• Payment. We may use information to prepare bills, verify coverage, submit claims, and obtain payment from you, an insurer, or another responsible party.
• Healthcare operations. We may use information for quality review, staff training, practice administration, compliance, and other permitted activities that support care.

Service providers acting on our behalf may receive information when needed for their work, with a business associate agreement and other safeguards when required. Non-clinical management support does not give unrestricted access to patient records.

We may contact you about appointments, care coordination, treatment alternatives, or related health services. Tell us your communication preferences or request a confidential method of contact. Limited incidental disclosures, such as calling your name in the waiting room, may occur with reasonable safeguards.

3. Family, caregivers & your choices

With your agreement, or when you have an opportunity to object and do not do so, we may share information relevant to a family member’s, friend’s, or other person’s involvement in your care or payment. We may also share limited information for disaster relief or to notify an appropriate person about your location or general condition.

If you cannot express a preference, we may use professional judgment to share information in your best interests as permitted by law. After death, we may share relevant information with people involved in your care, consistent with applicable law and preferences you expressed during life.

A legally authorized personal representative may exercise rights on your behalf. We verify that person’s authority and follow applicable limitations and exceptions.

4. Other permitted or required disclosures

We may use or disclose information in the following circumstances only when the applicable legal conditions and safeguards are met. These permissions are subject to any stricter protections, including those for substance use disorder records described below.

• Required by law and oversight: reporting required by law; licensing, audits, investigations, and oversight; and review of privacy compliance by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Public health and safety: permitted reporting of disease, product problems or recalls, adverse reactions, suspected abuse or neglect, and action to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat.
• Legal proceedings and law enforcement: valid court or administrative orders, qualifying subpoenas and other lawful requests, with required notice, authorization, protective orders, or other safeguards as applicable.
• Workers’ compensation and government functions: permitted workers’ compensation purposes, military or veterans’ activities, national security, protective services, and correctional circumstances authorized by law.
• After death and donation: permitted disclosures to coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, and organ or tissue procurement organizations.
• Research: where authorized by you or where another lawful research permission or waiver and its safeguards apply.

Permitted business transitions may involve records only subject to applicable healthcare privacy and record-custody requirements.

5. Information with additional protections

Some information, including certain HIV-related, genetic, mental health, and substance use disorder information, may have additional protection under federal or Florida law. We obtain additional authorization or satisfy other legal requirements when those protections apply.

Substance use disorder records: If we receive or maintain records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, we may not use or disclose information from those records in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings or investigations against you without your written consent or a qualifying court order and subpoena. The general permissions in this notice do not override that restriction.

If fundraising communications using Part 2 information are contemplated, we will first provide a clear notice and an opportunity to choose not to receive them. You may opt out of fundraising communications, and your choice will not affect treatment or payment.

Information disclosed as permitted by HIPAA may be redisclosed by a recipient and may no longer be protected by HIPAA, although other applicable legal protections may continue to apply.

6. Uses requiring written authorization

We obtain your written authorization for uses and disclosures not described in this notice or otherwise permitted or required by law. Written authorization is generally required for most uses or disclosures of psychotherapy notes, marketing as defined by HIPAA, and a sale of protected health information, subject to the exceptions in applicable law.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. Revocation applies going forward and does not undo actions already taken in reliance on the authorization or other exceptions allowed by law. Contact the office for assistance with an authorization or revocation.

7. Your rights

Contact our Privacy Officer to exercise these rights. We may ask for a written request and verify your identity or representative’s authority.

• Inspect or obtain copies. You may request access to your records, including an electronic copy when available. We respond within the applicable legal timeframes, generally within 30 days, with any lawful extension explained in writing. A reasonable, permitted cost-based fee may apply. If access is denied, we explain the reason and any available review rights.
• Request a correction. You may ask us to amend information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. We may deny a request in circumstances permitted by law, but will explain in writing and tell you how to submit a statement of disagreement.
• Request confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at a different address. We accommodate reasonable requests.
• Request restrictions. You may ask us to limit certain uses or disclosures. We are not required to agree to every request. If you pay in full out of pocket for an item or service and ask us not to disclose information about it to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations, we must honor that request unless disclosure is required by law.
• Receive an accounting. You may request an accounting of certain disclosures during the six years before your request. Routine treatment, payment, operations, and other legally excluded disclosures are not included. One accounting in a 12-month period is free; a permitted fee may apply to additional requests.
• Receive this notice. You may request a paper copy at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically.
• Use a representative. A person with appropriate legal authority may make privacy choices and requests on your behalf, subject to applicable law.
• Receive breach notification and make a complaint. You have the right to required notification of a breach and to complain without retaliation.

8. Website & electronic communications

Our general email address is for general inquiries. Please call to arrange a secure way to provide medical records or radiographs. We will discuss available communication methods and any relevant risks with you; using this website does not waive your privacy rights.

The referral form on this website currently operates as a preview only. It does not deliver patient information or attachments to the practice. Please do not enter real patient information or select actual patient records in the preview.

9. Changes to this notice

We may change this notice and make revised terms apply to health information we already hold as well as information received later, as permitted by law. The updated notice will identify its effective date and be available on this website and from our office.

10. Questions, requests & complaints

To ask a question, exercise a privacy right, or make a complaint, contact the office and ask for the Privacy Officer:

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, at 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201, by calling 1-877-696-6775, or through the HHS privacy complaint process. You do not have to complain to us first. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

For more about patient privacy rights, visit the HHS notice of privacy practices resource.