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Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective November 5, 2025

Savitha Rao, MD

732.865.9123

This Notice of Privacy Practices is provided to you as a requirement of the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA). It describes how we may use or disclose your protected health information, with whom that information may be shared, and the safeguards we have in place to protect it. This notice also describes your rights to access and amend your protected health information. You have the right to approve or refuse the release of specific information outside of our practice except when the release is required or authorized by law or regulation.

Protected health information is identifiable health information and relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health condition along with related health care services. Our practice is required by law to do the following: keep your protected health information private, present to you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices related to the use and disclosure of your protected health information, follow the terms of the notice currently in effect, and make available to you any revised notice. We reserve the right to revise this notice and to make the revised notice effective for health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future.

YOUR RIGHTS

This section explains your health information rights and some of our responsibilities.

  • Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record

    You can request an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request, for a reasonable fee. Our response will be in a designated record set for as long as we maintain the protected health information. A designated record set contains medical and billing records and any other records that our practice uses for making decisions about you. This right does not include inspection and copying of the following records: psychotherapy notes; information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or use in, a civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding; and protected health information that is subject to a law that prohibits access to protected health information.

  • Ask us to correct your medical record

    You can request to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. This request may be denied and if denied, a reason will be provided within 60 days of the request.

  • Request confidential communications

    You can request us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address. Any reasonable request will be granted.

  • Ask us to limit what we use or share*

    You can request for us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request. Requests may be denied if it would affect your care. Your health information may be shared with family members, law enforcement, and/or other healthcare providers participating in your care to ensure your safety. These emergency situations are inclusive of, but not limited to, thoughts of harming yourself and/or others. *Note that this notice is provided to you as a requirement of HIPAA. There are several other privacy laws that also apply to HIV‑related information, mental health information, psychotherapy notes, and substance abuse information. These laws have not been superseded and have been taken into consideration in developing our policies and this notice. Psychotherapy notes, specifically, are subject to stricter privacy standards and most uses and disclosures require authorization from you provided that there are separate psychotherapy notes in your health records.

  • Get a list of those with whom we have shared information

    You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we have shared your health information for six years prior to the date of the request including the recipients and the purpose of the disclosure. Requests will be granted if appropriate, for a reasonable fee. We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make).

  • Get a copy of this privacy notice

    You can request a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically.

  • Choose someone to act for you

    If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

  • File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

    If you believe these privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint with our privacy officer or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR). We will provide the address of the OCR Regional Office upon your request. No retaliation will occur against you for filing a complaint.

YOUR CHOICES

For certain health information, you have some choices about what we share. You can communicate to us if you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below this paragraph. If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

  • Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
  • Share information in a disaster relief situation
  • Provide mental health care

In these cases we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

  • Marketing purposes *Note we never market or sell personal information
  • Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

OUR USES AND DISCLOSURES

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways (this list is not exhaustive):

  • Treat you

    We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.

  • Run our organization

    We can use and share your health information with office staff for administrative purposes, to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. Administrative purposes include, but are not limited to, billing, collections, quality assessment, and licensing. Examples: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services. We may call you by name in the waiting room. We may disclose your protected health information as necessary to contact you via phone/email/text messaging to remind you of your appointment.

  • Bill for services

    We can use and share your health information to bill and receive payment from health plans or other entities. We may use and share your health information to complete prior authorizations for medications. We may share your health information to someone who helps pay for your care.

  • Help with public health and safety issues as permissible by law

    We are allowed or required to share health information about you for certain situations such as:

    • Preventing disease
    • Helping with product recalls
    • Reporting adverse reactions to medications
    • Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
    • Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
  • Do research

    We can use or share your information for health research.

  • Comply with the law

    We will share information about you if state or federal laws require the sharing of information, including but not limited to, the Department of Health and Human Services for compliance and audit purposes.

  • Respond to organ and tissue donation requests

    We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.

  • Work with a medical examiner or funeral director

    We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.

  • Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests

    We can use or share health information about you:

    • For workers’ compensation claims
    • For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
    • With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
    • For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
  • Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

    We can share your health information in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

  • Provide Parental Access

    State laws concerning minors permit or require certain disclosure of protected health information to parents, guardians, and persons acting in a similar legal status. We will act consistently with state laws (or, if you are treated by us in another state, the laws of that state) and will make disclosures following such laws.

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

  • We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
  • We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
  • We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy.
  • We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. You have the right to change your mind regarding that permission. Requests to revoke permission are to be made in writing.

For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html

Our privacy officer is Savitha Rao, MD and can be contacted at this office in writing or by calling our practice telephone number. You may contact our privacy officer for further information about our complaint process or for further explanation of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request in our office and on our web site.