As Required by the Privacy Regulations Created as a Result of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
Last updated: March 3, 2025
As Required by the Privacy Regulations Created as a Result of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
This notice describes how health information about you, as a patient of this practice, may be used and disclosed, and how you can get access to your individually identifiable health information.
CARE Fertility is dedicated to maintaining the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI). In providing care and services, we create records regarding your health and the treatment we provide. We are required by law to maintain the confidentiality of this information. We must follow the terms of the Notice of Privacy Practices currently in effect, and we reserve the right to revise or amend it at any time. Any revision or amendment will apply to all the records we maintain, past and future.
You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice upon request, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.
The terms of this notice apply to all records containing your PHI that are created or retained by our practice. We reserve the right to revise or amend this Notice of Privacy Practices. Any revision or amendment to this notice will be effective for all of your records that our practice has created or maintained in the past, and for any of your records that we may create or maintain in the future. The following categories describe the different ways in which we may use and disclose your PHI:
Treatment: Your health information may be used by staff members or disclosed to other health care professionals for the purpose of evaluating your health, diagnosing medical conditions, and providing treatment. For example, results of laboratory tests and procedures will be available in your medical record to all health professionals who may provide treatment or who may be consulted by staff members.
Payment: Your health information may be used to seek payment from your health plan, from other sources of coverage such as an automobile insurer, or from credit card companies that you may use to pay for services. For example, your health plan may request and receive information on dates of service, the services provided, and the medical condition being treated. You may flag procedures you do not want submitted to your insurance company, if you pay for the procedures yourself.
Health Care Operation: We may use and disclose your PHI to operate our business. As examples of the ways in which we may use and disclose your information for our operations, we may use your PHI to evaluate the quality of care you received from us, or to conduct cost-management and business planning activities for our practice. We may disclose your PHI to other health care providers and entities to assist in their health care operations.
Appointment Reminders: We may use and disclose your PHI to contact you and remind you of an appointment.
Treatment Options and Health-Related Benefits
We may use and disclose your PHI to inform you of potential treatment options or alternatives. Also to inform you of health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you
Anesthesia Services: We may disclose necessary information for billing or care coordination with anesthesia providers.
Release of Information to Family/Friends: We may release your PHI to a friend or family member who is involved in your care, or who assists in taking care of you.
Deceased Patients: Our practice may release PHI to a medical examiner or coroner to identify a deceased individual or to identify the cause of death. If necessary, we also may release information in order for funeral directors to perform their jobs.
Disclosures Required By Law: We will use or disclose your PHI when mandated by federal, state, or local law.
Additional circumstances in which we may use or disclose your PHI include public health activities, health oversight activities, lawsuits and similar proceedings, law enforcement, research (with appropriate protections), serious threats to health or safety, military and national security, or if you are an inmate or in custody.
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, or if you have questions about this Notice or our privacy policies, you may contact:
Privacy Officer
CARE Fertility
500 E. Colorado St. Suite 400
Glendale, CA 91205
Phone: (818) 230-7778
Email: [email protected]
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
You also have the right to file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) if you believe we have violated your privacy rights. Upon request, we will provide you the appropriate address for filing your complaint with HHS.
We may change the terms of this Notice at any time. The revised Notice will apply to all of the information we already have about you, as well as any information we receive in the future. The new Notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website.
This Notice of Privacy Practices applies to CARE Fertility and any health care professionals who treat you at CARE Fertility.
Disclaimer:
This Notice of Privacy Practices is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. CARE Fertility complies with all applicable federal and state regulations governing patient privacy.
