Patient Privacy Policy

Download a copy of this notice here: Notice of Privacy Practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.

PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. THE PRIVACY OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT TO US.

Treatment:
We may use or disclose your health information to physicians, nurses, technicians, office staff or other personnel who are involved with providing treatment to you and your health. For example, the doctor may be treating you for surgical root canal therapy (apicoectomy) with a local anesthetic and may need to know what kind of health problems that could complicate or could put you at risk for your treatment. The doctor may use your medical history to decide what treatment is best for you. The doctor may also tell another doctor your condition so that doctor can help determine the most appropriate care for you.
Different personnel in our office may share information about you and disclose information to people who do not work in our office in order to coordinate your care, such as phoning in prescriptions to your pharmacy, scheduling lab work and ordering x‐rays. Family members and other healthcare providers may be part of your medical care outside this office and may require information about you that we have.

Payment:
We may use and disclose health information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at this office may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company or a third party. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about a service you received here so your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the service. We may also tell your healthcare provider about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval, or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.

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.

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 authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosure 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.

Appointment Reminders:
We may use or disclose your health information to provide you with appointment reminders (such as voicemail messages, postcards, or letters).

Incidental Uses and Disclosures:
There may also be incidental uses or disclosures of your health information as a result of otherwise allowed uses and disclosures. Such uses and disclosures may occur because they cannot reasonably be prevented. For example, when your name is called in the waiting room, we cannot reasonably prevent others from overhearing your name.

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 another 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 use or disclosure of your health information, we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such 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 a filled prescription, 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.
Please notify us if you do not wish to be contacted for appointment reminders, or if you do not wish to receive communications about treatment alternatives or health-related products and services. If you advise us in writing that you do not wish to receive such communications, we will not use or disclose your information for these purposes. You may revoke your consent at any time by giving us written notice. Your revocation will be effective when we receive it, but it will not apply to any uses and disclosures that occurred before that time. If you do revoke your Consent, we will not be permitted to use or disclose information for purposes of treatment, payment or healthcare operation, and we may therefore choose to discontinue providing you with healthcare treatment and services.

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, or 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.

Workers’ Compensation:
We may release health information about you for workers’ compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work‐related injuries or illness.

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 institution or law enforcement official having lawful custody of protected health information of inmate or patient under certain circumstances.

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. You may obtain a form to request access by using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice. We will charge you a reasonable cost‐based fee for the expenses such as copies and staff time. You may also request access by sending us a letter to the address at the end of this Notice. If you request copies, we will charge you $.25 for each page, $20.00 per hour for staff time to locate and copy your health information, and postage if you want the copies mailed to you. If you request an alternative format, we will charge a cost‐based fee for providing your health information in that format. If you prefer, we will prepare a summary or an explanation of your health information for a fee. Contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice for a full explanation of our fee structure.)

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 operation and certain other activities, for the last six years, but not before April14, 2003. If you request this accounting more than once in a twelve 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 satisfactory explanation 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 it 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 Web site or by electronic mail (e‐mail), 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.
If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you 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 you 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 at the end of this Notice. 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.

Contact Officer: Michael M. Ansari
Telephone: (650) 781-8900
Fax: 650‐994‐5313
E‐mail: [email protected]
Address: 155 Bovet Rd. #455, San Mateo, CA 94401