Notice of Privacy Practices. How your health information is protected.

This Notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed at Newport Center for Special Surgery (NCSS) and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

NCSS is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI), provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.

Under federal HIPAA regulations, we may use and disclose your protected health information for the following purposes without your specific authorization:

• Treatment. We may use your PHI to provide medical care to you, and disclose it to other physicians and healthcare providers involved in your treatment. This includes sharing information with your surgeon, anesthesiologist, referring physician, primary care physician, and other providers as needed to coordinate your care.
• Payment. We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for services provided to you. This includes billing you, your insurance company, or other third-party payer for the healthcare services you receive.
• Healthcare operations. We may use and disclose your PHI for our internal operations, including quality assessment, provider performance review, credentialing, training programs, business planning, and administrative activities.
• Appointment reminders and health-related communications. We may contact you to remind you of appointments or to provide information about treatment options, health-related benefits, and services that may be of interest to you.

In certain circumstances, federal and state law permit or require us to use or disclose your PHI without your authorization. These include:

• As required by law — when disclosure is required by federal, state, or local law
• Public health activities — disease reporting, adverse events, product recalls, exposure notification
• Victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence — as required by law
• Health oversight activities — for audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure by health oversight agencies
• Judicial and administrative proceedings — in response to a court order, subpoena, or discovery request
• Law enforcement — as permitted or required by law, including reporting certain injuries or deaths
• Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors — as necessary for their functions
• Organ, eye, or tissue donation — if you are an organ donor
• Research — when specific privacy protections are in place, typically requiring IRB approval
• To avert a serious threat to health or safety — when disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat
• Military and veterans, national security, protective services — for specific military and government purposes
• Workers' compensation — as authorized by workers' compensation laws
• Inmates — to correctional institutions or law enforcement when an individual is in custody

Certain uses and disclosures of your PHI require your specific written authorization:

• Marketing communications — use of your PHI for marketing purposes, other than face-to-face communications or gifts of nominal value
• Sale of PHI — we will not sell your PHI without your authorization
• Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes — if applicable to your care
• Other uses not described in this Notice — any other use of your PHI not specifically permitted by law will require your written authorization

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already relied on it.

You have the following rights regarding your protected health information:

• Right to inspect and copy. You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI in our records. Requests must be made in writing. A reasonable fee may apply for copying costs.
• Right to request amendment. You have the right to request that we amend your PHI if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete. Requests must be made in writing and include the reason for the request.
• Right to an accounting of disclosures. You have the right to receive a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI, generally covering the six years preceding your request.
• Right to request restrictions. You have the right to request restrictions on how we use or disclose your PHI. We are not required to agree to your request, but we will comply with restrictions we agree to.
• Right to request confidential communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a specific way or at a specific location.
• Right to a paper copy of this notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.
• Right to be notified of a breach. You have the right to be notified in the event of an unauthorized disclosure of your unsecured PHI.
• Right to file a complaint. You have the right to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

• Maintain privacy — we are required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information
• Provide this notice — we are required to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI
• Abide by the terms of this notice — we must follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect
• Notify you of changes — we reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the changed Notice effective for all PHI we maintain. The new Notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website.
• Notify you of breaches — we must notify you following a breach of your unsecured PHI as required by law

Contact our Privacy Officer

Newport Center for Special Surgery, 1401 Avocado Avenue, Suite 101, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Phone: (949) 644-8182.

File a complaint with us

You may file a written complaint with our Privacy Officer at the address above. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

File a complaint with HHS

You may also file a complaint directly with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. Contact information is available at hhs.gov/ocr.