Legal & Compliance
HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
This notice describes how Crown Hair Institute uses and discloses your protected health information and outlines your rights as a patient. Please read it carefully.
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
Crown Hair Institute is required by law to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI), provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and notify you if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI. We are required to abide by the terms of this notice as long as it remains in effect. We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and to make new provisions effective for all PHI we maintain.
1. How We Use and Disclose Your Protected Health Information
We may use and disclose your PHI for the following purposes without your written authorization:
Treatment
We use your PHI to provide, coordinate, and manage your hair restoration care. This includes sharing information with other healthcare providers directly involved in your treatment — for example, referring physicians, anesthesiologists, dermatologists, or laboratory personnel — to ensure you receive coordinated, high-quality care.
Payment
We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for services provided to you. This includes billing activities, claims management, collection activities, prior authorization requests, and coordination of benefits with insurance carriers or financing providers.
Health Care Operations
We may use and disclose your PHI for practice operations, including quality improvement activities, staff training and education, compliance reviews, peer review, performance evaluation, and business management activities necessary to operate and improve our practice.
Appointment Reminders
We may contact you to provide appointment reminders, follow-up care information, or to leave messages regarding your treatment. You may request that we contact you in a different manner or at a different location.
Treatment Alternatives
We may use and disclose your PHI to inform you about treatment alternatives or other health-related products and services that may be of interest to you.
2. Disclosures Required or Permitted by Law
In certain situations, we may use or disclose your PHI without your authorization as required or permitted by law:
- •As Required by Law: We will disclose PHI when required by federal, state, or local law.
- •Public Health Authorities: To prevent or control disease, injury, or disability; to report vital events such as births and deaths; to report child abuse or neglect; or to notify persons at risk of contracting or spreading a disease.
- •Health Oversight Activities: To a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, including audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure.
- •Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: In response to a court or administrative order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process, with appropriate safeguards.
- •Law Enforcement: For specific law enforcement purposes, including reporting certain types of wounds, responding to court orders or subpoenas, or in emergency circumstances.
- •Serious Threats to Health or Safety: To prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public, consistent with applicable law and ethical standards.
- •Military and Veterans: For members of the armed forces or foreign military personnel as required by military command authorities.
- •Workers' Compensation: To comply with workers' compensation laws or similar programs.
- •Organ and Tissue Donation: To facilitate organ, eye, or tissue donation and transplantation.
- •Research: Under certain conditions, to researchers when their study has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure patient privacy.
- •Coroners and Medical Examiners: To a coroner or medical examiner for purposes of identifying a deceased person, determining a cause of death, or other duties authorized by law.
- •Inmates: To the correctional institution or law enforcement official if you are an inmate, when necessary for your health or the health and safety of others.
3. Uses Requiring Your Written Authorization
All other uses and disclosures of your PHI not described in this notice require your written authorization. This includes:
- •Marketing communications unrelated to treatment alternatives or health-related products
- •Sale of your PHI to any third party
- •Use of psychotherapy notes
- •Any other use or disclosure not described in this notice
You may revoke your authorization at any time, in writing, except to the extent that we have already taken action in reliance on your authorization.
4. Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
You have the following rights regarding the PHI we maintain about you. To exercise any of these rights, please submit a written request to our Privacy Officer (contact information below).
Right to Access and Obtain Copies
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI. We may charge a reasonable fee for copies. We may deny access in certain limited circumstances. If we deny your request, we will tell you in writing and explain your options.
Right to Request Amendment
If you believe information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may request an amendment. We may deny your request if the information is accurate and complete, was not created by us, is not part of the record we maintain, or is not information you would be permitted to inspect. We will inform you in writing of any denial and your right to submit a statement of disagreement.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You may request a list of certain disclosures of your PHI made by our practice in the six years prior to your request. This accounting does not include disclosures made for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or disclosures you have authorized.
Right to Request Restrictions
You may request that we restrict how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to all restriction requests, but we must agree to a restriction if: (1) the disclosure is to a health plan for payment or healthcare operations purposes; and (2) the PHI pertains solely to a healthcare item or service for which you — or someone on your behalf other than the health plan — has paid in full out of pocket.
Right to Request Confidential Communications
You may request that we communicate with you using a different method or at a different location. For example, you may ask that we contact you only by email or at a specific address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
Right to Notification of Breach
If there is a breach of your unsecured PHI, we are required by law to notify you in a timely manner.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to a paper copy of this HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
Right to File a Complaint
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you in any way for filing a complaint.
5. Our Duties
Crown Hair Institute is required by law to:
- ✓Maintain the privacy of your PHI
- ✓Provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices
- ✓Abide by the terms of this Notice as currently in effect
- ✓Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction
- ✓Accommodate reasonable requests regarding the manner of communication
- ✓Notify you of a breach of your unsecured PHI
We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and make new provisions effective for all PHI we maintain. If we make a material change to this notice, we will post the revised notice in our office and on our website. You may request a copy of the current notice at any time.
6. Contact Our Privacy Officer
If you have questions about this notice, wish to exercise your rights, or want to file a complaint, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Privacy Officer — Crown Hair Institute
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
You may also file a complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights at www.hhs.gov/ocr or by calling 1-877-696-6775. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.