NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Atlas Smiles
Atlas Smiles Protected health information (PHI) about you is maintained as a written and/or electronic record of your contacts or visits for healthcare services with our practice. Specifically, PHI is information about you, including demographic information (i.e., name, address, phone, etc.), that may identify you and relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition and related healthcare services. Our practice is required to follow specific rules on maintaining the confidentiality of your PHI, using your information, and disclosing or sharing this information with other healthcare professionals involved in your care and treatment. This Notice describes your rights to access and control your PHI. It also describes how we follow applicable rules and use and disclose your PHI to provide your treatment, obtain payment for services you receive, manage our healthcare operations, and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law.

Your Rights Under The Privacy Rule
Following is a statement of your rights under the Privacy Rule in reference to your PHI. Please feel free to discuss any questions with our staff.’

You have the right to receive, and we are required to provide you with, a copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We are required to follow the terms of this notice. We reserve the right to change the terms of our notice at any time. Upon your request, we will provide you with a revised Notice of Privacy Practices if you call our office and request that a revised copy be sent to you in the mail or ask for one at the time of your next appointment. The Notice will also be posted in a conspicuous location within the practice and, if maintained, on our website

You have the right to authorize other use and disclosure. This means you have the right to authorize any use or disclosure of PHI that is not specified within this notice. For example, we would need your written authorization to use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes, for most uses or disclosures of psychotherapy notes, or if we intended to sell your PHI. You may revoke an authorization at any time, in writing, except to the extent that your healthcare provider or our practice has taken an action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.

You have the right to request an alternative means of confidential communication. This means you have the right to ask us to contact you about medical matters using an alternative method (i.e., email, telephone) and to a destination (i.e., cell phone number, alternative address, etc.) designated by you. You must inform us in writing, using a form provided by our practice, how you wish to be contacted if other than the address/phone number that we have on file. We will follow all reasonable requests

You have the right to inspect and copy your PHI. This means you may inspect and obtain a copy of your complete health record. If your health record is maintained electronically, you will also have the right to request a copy in electronic format. We have the right to charge a reasonable fee for paper or electronic copies as established by professional, state, or federal guidelines.

You have the right to request a restriction of your PHI. This means you may ask us, in writing, not to use or disclose any part of your protected health information for the purposes of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. If we agree to the requested restriction, we will abide by it, except in emergency circumstances when the information is needed for your treatment. In certain cases, we may deny your request for a restriction. You will have the right to request, in writing, that we restrict communication to your health plan regarding a specific treatment or service that you, or someone on your behalf, has paid for in full, out-of-pocket. We are not permitted to deny this specific type of requested restriction.

You may have the right to request an amendment to your protected health information. This means you may request an amendment of your PHI for as long as we maintain this information. In certain cases, we may deny your request.

You have the right to request a disclosure accountability. This means that you may request a listing of disclosures that we have made, of your PHI, to entities or persons outside of our office.

You have the right to receive a privacy breach notice. You have the right to receive written notification if the practice discovers a breach of your unsecured PHI and determines through a risk assessment that notification is required.

If you have questions regarding your privacy rights, please feel free to contact our office manager.

Atlas Smiles
12331 SW 3rd St, Suite 450
Plantation, FL 33325
Phone: 954.604.6777

Effective Date 09.23.2013
Publication Date 09.23.2013