Aethra Aesthetics Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective November 23, 2023
OUR PLEDGE REGARDING YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION
Aethra Aesthetics understands that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you. We maintain our records and conduct our treatment environment with a goal of providing the highest level of protection for your medical information, while still providing you with the highest level of medical care. This notices applies to all of the records of your medical care which are received or created by Aethra Aesthetics.
Your other medical treatment providers (e.g. doctors, hospitals, home health agencies, etc.) may have different policies or notices regarding the use and disclosure of your medical information.
This notice will tell you about the ways in which Aethra Aesthetics may use and disclose medical information about you. Your medical information, also referred to as “protected health information” is that information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health information and related health care services.
In this notice, we also describe your rights and certain obligations Aethra Aesthetics has regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information. We are required by name to:
- Make sure that medical and other information that identifies you (protected health information) is kept private.
- Give your this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information about you.
- Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
USES AND DISCLOSURES FOR TREATMENT, PAYMENT AND HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS
By becoming a patient at Aethra Aesthetics, you are giving consent for Aethra Aesthetics to use your protected health information for certain activities, including treatment, payment and other health care operations. Sometimes, you may hear these three activities referred to as “TPO”.
We may use and disclose protected health information about you so that Aethra Aesthetics and its medical professionals can treat you. For example, we may use your past medical information in order to diagnose your present condition or we may provide information regarding your medical condition to another doctor to whom we refer you for additional care. We may also use and disclose protected health information about you so that we may be paid for the medical treatment we provide you. We may also use and disclose protected health information about you for Aethra Aesthetics health care operations, in other words, those other tasks that we need to perform to make sure that you are provided the highest quality of medical care. For example, we may use your protected health information to evaluate how we can better meet your needs or we may provide protected health information about you to an auditor who reviews our books so that we can keep our license to provide medical services in Florida.
Uses and disclosures for appointment reminders
We may use and disclose your medical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment at the office. If you request that such communications be made confidentially, please contact our office in writing. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
Uses and disclosures in emergency situations
We may use or disclose your protected health information in an emergency treatment situation. If this happens, your physician will attempt to obtain your acknowledgment of this Notice as soon as reasonably practicable after the delivery of treatment.
Uses and disclosures required by law
We will use or disclose protected health information about you when required to do so by federal, state, or local law. The use or disclosure will be made in compliance with the law and will be limited to the relevant requirements of the law. You will be notified, if the law requires us to do so, of any such uses or disclosures. We must make disclosures to you and when required by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with the law.
Uses and disclosures related to communicable diseases
We may disclose your protected health information, if authorized by law, to a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading the disease or condition.
Disclosures for health oversight activities
We may disclose protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These activities include, for example, audits, investigations, and inspections. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, the delivery of health care, government benefit programs, other government regulatory programs and civil rights laws.
Disclosures of abuse or neglect
We may disclose your protected health information to a public health authority authorized by law to receive reports of child abuse or neglect. In addition, we may disclose your protected health information if we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence to a governmental entity or agency authorized to receive such information. In such cases, the disclosure will only be made in accordance with Florida law.
Disclosures to the food and drug administration
We may disclose your protected health information to a person or company required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to report adverse events, product defects or other problems, biologic product deviations, track products; to enable product recalls; to make repairs or replacements; or to conduct post-market surveillance, as required.
Disclosures for lawsuits and disputes
If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose protected health information about you in response to a court order or administrative order. We may also disclose protected health information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
Disclosures to law enforcement
We may release protected health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official, in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons, or similar process.
Other related disclosures may include disclosures relating to individuals who are Armed Forces personnel, to national security and intelligence agencies, as well as disclosures to authorized federal officials for the protection of the President of the United States or other authorized persons or foreign heads of state.
Disclosures related to criminal activity
We may disclose your protected health information, consistent with federal and Florida laws, if we believe that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious or imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public, or if it is necessary for law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual.
Right to inspect and copy
You have the right to inspect and copy protected health information that may be used to make decisions about your medical care. Usually this right includes both medical and billing records. You must submit your request in writing. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request. Your request to inspect and copy your information may only be denied in very limited circumstances and you have a right to request that any such denial be reviewed.
Right to amend
If you feel that the protected health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to request that your protected health information be amended. Only the health care entity (e.g., doctor, hospital, clinic, etc.) that created your protected health information is responsible for amending it.
Right to a paper copy of this notice
You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time.
Changes to this notice
Aethra Aesthetics reserves the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed Notice effective for protected health information we already have about you, as well as any information we create or receive in the future.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated and/or that Aethra Aesthetics you may file a complaint with the medical director, John Venzor DO, or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
For questions or more information, contact our privacy official / medical director John Venzor DO. (813) 544-5924 or [email protected]
