NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

This notice describes how your health information may be used and disclosed and how you can access this information. Please review it carefully. At EYESTHETICA, we have always kept your health information secure and confidential. A new law requires us to continue maintaining your privacy, to give you this notice and to follow the terms of this notice. The law permits us to use or disclose your health information to those involved in your treatment. For example, a review of your file by a specialist doctor whom we may involve in your care. We may use or disclose your health information for payment of your services. For example, we may send a report of your progress to your insurance company. We may use or disclose your health information for our normal healthcare operations.

We may use your information to contact you. For example, we may send a newsletter or other information. We may also want to call and remind you about your appointments. If you are not home, we may leave this information on your answering machine or with the person who answers the telephone. In a medical emergency, we may disclose your health information to a family member or another person responsible for your care. We may release some or all of your health information when required by law.

If this practice is sold, your information will become the property of the new doctor owner. Expect as described above, this practice will not use or disclose your health information without your prior written authorization. You may request in writing that we not use or disclose your health information as described above. We will let you know if we can fulfill your request. You have the right to know of any uses or disclosures we make with your health information beyond the above normal uses. As we will need to contact you from time to time, we will use whatever address or telephone number you prefer.

For informational purposes only, a link to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments web page is provided here. The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires that detailed information about payment and other payments of value worth over ten dollars ($10) from manufacturers of drugs, medical devices, and biologics to physicians and teaching hospitals be made available to the public. The website is https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/.

You have the right to transfer copies of your health information to another practice. We will fax or mail your files for you. You have the right to see and receive a copy of your health information, with a few exceptions. Give us a written request regarding the information you want to see. If you also want a copy of your records, we may charge you a reasonable fee of the copies.

You have the right to request an amendment or change to your health information. Give us your request to make changes in writing. If you wish to include a statement in your file, please give it to us in writing. We may or may not make the changes you request, but will be happy to include your statement in your file. If we agree to an amendment or change, we will not remove nor alter earlier documents, but will add new information.

You have the right to receive a copy of this notice. If we change any of the details of this notice, we will notify you of the changes in writing. If needed, you may file a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C., 20201. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint. However, before filing a complaint, or for more information or assistance regarding your health information privacy, please contact our office directly at (213) 234-1000.

As required by the new law, this notice goes into effect as of April 14, 2003.

Acknowledgment: I have received a copy of the EYESTHETICA’s, Notice of Privacy Practices.