Privacy Policy

Carefully consider this notification, as it explains how your health information can be used and disclosed, in addition to the ways you may obtain access to it.

At ACE Dental of Texas, we understand the importance of safeguarding your health information and are legally obligated to do so. That being said, this notice will explain how we may use or disclose your medical data through PDA as well as outside of it. Moreover, you can learn about all the rights that you have related to your own healthcare details in here too. We must strictly adhere to these obligations and provide a copy for you; therefore please read this thoroughly and reach out if anything remains unclear after reading.

Without your consent, we are granted the authority to access and share your health information for specific functions. Though many uses of this data require authorization from you first. We can use or disclose this info in a few other ways as well, such as:

Treatment:
To ensure you receive the best dental care possible, we may use your health information to provide treatment or services such as cleanings, examinations and procedures. Your health information may also be shared with other healthcare professionals involved in treating you, including specialists like physicians, nurses and technicians. Furthermore, we might contact you via phone or email to inform you of potential treatments options or advise on related services available for your needs.

Payment:
To gain remuneration for the services we have provided you, your health information may be shared with insurers and health plans. For example, when submitting a request for payment to them on your behalf, they might demand access to certain parts of your medical records first.

Health Care Operations:
To give you the best care possible, we may use your health information to manage and improve our organization, as well as make necessary contact with you. Using this data allows us to better serve your needs while providing quality treatment services.

Appointment Reminders:
To ensure you keep your appointments, we may utilize or reveal your health information as a reminder (e.g., voicemail messages, postcards, or letters).

Family Members and Others Involved in Your Care:
Unless you have reservations, we may reveal your health information to a relative or intimate friend who is involved in your healthcare, as well as someone helping pay for the care. Additionally, we can also share such info with disaster relief agencies so they could identify and locate any family members or companions during disastrous events.

Business Associates:
To ensure the security of your health information, we contract third-party service providers (“Business Associates”) to assist us in maintaining our practice management software. All Business Associate are required by law under their contractual agreement with us to protect the privacy of your data and cannot use or expose it for any purpose aside from what is specified in our contract.

Required by Law:
Federal, state and local laws dictate that in certain situations we must disclose patients’ health information. To name a few examples: We are obligated to provide the U.S Department of Health and Human Services with data for investigations or HIPAA compliance assessment; Additionally, Workers Compensation Programs commonly demand this type of info when processing work-related injuries cases.

Public Health Activities:
To keep our community safe and healthy, we have a duty to report certain health information. This includes births, deaths, communicable diseases, adverse reactions to medications or foods, as well as any recalls of products patients may be using. These reports are shared with the state government in order to protect public wellbeing.

Public Safety:
At times, PDA may share health information with law enforcement personnel in select scenarios. To comply with search warrants and grand jury subpoenas, we could be obligated to release healthcare info. We might also have to reveal details if we are attempting to identify or locate a person; prosecuting a violent crime offense; reporting deaths related to criminal activities; or alerting authorities about serious threats that endanger public safety.

Health Oversight Activities:
To promote proper oversight of the health care system, certain government programs, and to guarantee compliance with civil rights laws, we may be required to reveal our health information to a governmental agency or its personnel.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors:
To aid coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors in fulfilling their duties to the best of their abilities, we may disclose details about deceased patients.

Military, Veterans, National Security and Other Government Purposes:
As a member of the armed forces, we may provide your health information to military command authorities or the Department of Veterans Affairs where requested. Additionally, PDA will share this data with federal officials for intelligence and national security reasons or presidential protective services should it be needed.

Judicial Proceedings:
In certain occasions, PDA may be mandated to reveal your health data if a subpoena or search warrant is issued. In most scenarios you will get prior notice about the disclosure so that you can dispute against sharing your medical records.

Marketing/Sale of Information:
We vow never to distribute or sell your information without explicit permission from you. If contacted by us for fundraising of any kind, simply let us know if you would like not to be called again in the future. We promise to honor and respect your privacy always.

Information with Additional Protection:
In the context of healthcare, some forms of data are given more protection under state and federal laws. This includes information related to contagious illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, drug or alcohol addiction treatment, genetic testing results, and mental health evaluations. As a result of this privileged status, Personal Data Authority (PDA) must obtain your explicit authorization before it is released to third-parties in many circumstances.

Your Written Authorization for Any Other Use or Disclosure of Your Health Information:
PDA understands the importance of your health information and will not use or disclose it for any purpose beyond that outlined here without first seeking your authorization. Should you choose to give PDA permission, you may revoke this decision at any point in time before we take action based on said approval. To officially retract authorization, please contact our Privacy Officer with a written request.

Restrictions on disclosure of PHI to Health Plan:
PDA must honor an individual’s request to withhold their PHI from health plans if the disclosure is for payment or healthcare operations, and the service has been entirely paid out of pocket by them.

Right to Request Your Health Information:
You have the right to view and request a copy of your health information, with some exceptions provided by law (such as when we are obligated to keep the original record). This includes anything from your health records, billing statements, and other documents used for making decisions about your care. To gain access or inquire more about these documents, simply contact our Privacy Officer at the address below.

To obtain a copy of your information, we will charge you for our expenses associated with copying the data. We will let you know ahead of time what this cost entails. Thankfully, examining your record comes at no expense to you.

Right to Request an Amendment of Your Health Information if You Believe it is Incorrect or Incomplete:
>If you think your health information needs to be adjusted or augmented, you can request an amendment by writing us a letter and mailing it to the address provided. We may deny your request but we will explain why within two months upon receipt of your query.

Right to Get a List of Certain Disclosures of Your Health Information:
You have the right to request a comprehensive list of disclosures made regarding your health information. If you would like this, simply submit a written request to our address. The first one is free, but for any additional lists requested in that same year we may charge you; however, we will inform you beforehand so that if you wish to change or retract your initial request at that time then it is absolutely possible.

You possess the right to request for limitations on how PDA utilizes or discloses your health information for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations.

As your healthcare provider, you are entitled to request that we do not utilize or disclose any of your health information for purposes such as treatment, payment for care, and/or system operations. We may not always agree to these requests but will honor them if accepted. If you wish to make a restriction request then simply write an email detailing it out in fullness to the Privacy Officer at the indicated address below.

Right to Request Confidential Communications:
You have the right to request that we communicate with you in a manner most comfortable for you, such as through mail instead of phone calls. To do this, simply discuss it with your caregiver or write to our Privacy Officer at the address provided. You can also inquire about private conversations outside of other patients’ presence – just ask them.

Right to be Notified Following a Breach of Unsecured PHI:
You have the right to be informed of any breach concerning your health information as soon as practicable, however in no circumstances should you wait longer than sixty days after our team has discovered it.

Right to Choose a Representative:
>If you have granted someone medical power of attorney or if they are your legal guardian, we will ensure that this person has the authority and is able to act on your behalf before taking any action. That individual can then exercise your rights and make choices about health information related to you.

PDA is obligated to provide you with this notice and adhere to the terms of the existing notice. If you have any questions about this notification, or need more details on how PDA could utilize and share your healthcare data, don’t hesitate to reach out using the contact information found in our Website. Feel free to write us or give us a call – we are here for you!