Notice of Privacy Practices for Protected Health Information

Beryl Hunter, D.M.D., M.D., P.C.

Your Health Information Rights

The health record we maintain and billing records are the physical property of the practice. The information in it, however, belongs to you. You have a right to:

  • Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your health information by delivering the request in writing to our office. We are not required to grant the request but we will comply with any request granted;
  • Request that you be allowed to inspect and copy your health record and billing record-you may exercise this right by delivering the request in writing to our office;
  • Appeal a denial of access to your protected health information except in certain circumstances;
  • Request that your health care record be amended to correct incomplete or incorrect information by delivering a written request to our office;
  • File a statement of disagreement if your amendment is denied, and require that the request for amendment and any denial be attached in all future disclosures of your protected health information;
  • Obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information as required to be maintained by law by delivering a written request to our office. An accounting will not include internal uses of information for treatment, payment, or operations, disclosures made to you or made at your request, or disclosures made to family members or friends in the course of providing care;
  •  Request that communication of your health information be made by alternative means or at an alternative location by delivering the request in writing to our office, and,
  •  Revoke authorizations that you made previously to use or disclose information except to the extent information or action has already been taken by delivering a written revocation to our office. 

Our Responsibilities

The practice is required to:

  • Maintain the privacy of your health information as required by law;
  • Provide you with a notice of our duties and privacy practices as to the information we collect and maintain about you;
  • Abide by the terms of this Notice;
  • Notify you if we cannot accommodate a requested restriction or request; and
  • Accommodate your reasonable requests regarding methods to communicate health information with you. 

We reserve the right to amend, change, or eliminate provisions in our privacy practices and access practices and to enact new provisions regarding the protected health information we maintain. If our information practices change, we will amend our Notice. You are entitled to receive a revised copy of the Notice by calling and requesting a copy of our “Notice” or by visiting our office and picking up a copy.

To Request Information of File a Complaint

If you have questions, would like additional information, or want to report a problem regarding the handling of your information, please inquire at our office. Additionally, if you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint at our office. You may also file a complaint by mailing it or emailing it to the Secretary of State of Health and Human Services whose address and email are available upon request.

  •  We cannot, and will not, require you to waive your right to file a complaint with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a condition of receiving treatment from the practice.
  •  We cannot, and will not, retaliate against you for filing a complaint with the Secretary.

 

New Compliance Requirements for Narcotic Prescriptions

Starting July 1, 2011, healthcare professionals who prescribe controlled substances must comply with new patient notification requirements. Prescribers, including dentists, must notify any patient who gets a prescription for a controlled substance that the patient’s identifying information will be entered into a statewide database of controlled substance prescriptions. The database is called the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program or PDMP.