HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

How We Use and Disclose Your Health Information

We may use and disclose your protected health information for the following purposes without your written authorization:

Treatment

We may use your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and related services. For example, we may share the results and video recordings from your FEES evaluation with your treating speech-language pathologist, attending physician, or other healthcare providers involved in your care at the facility where the evaluation is performed, so they can develop or adjust your treatment plan.

Payment

We may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for the services we provide. For example, we may submit a claim to your health insurance company or Medicare that includes your diagnosis and the FEES procedure code so we can be reimbursed for your evaluation.

Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose your health information for our healthcare operations. For example, we may review FEES evaluation outcomes across patients to assess and improve the quality of our diagnostic services, or use de-identified data to evaluate the effectiveness of our clinical protocols.

Other Permitted and Required Disclosures Without Your Authorization

The law allows or requires us to use or disclose your health information without your authorization in certain situations, including:

• As required by law: We will disclose your health information when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
• Public health activities: We may disclose your information to public health authorities for purposes such as preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability, or reporting births, deaths, and suspected abuse or neglect.
• Health oversight activities: We may disclose your information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure actions.
• Judicial and administrative proceedings: We may disclose your information in response to a court order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.
• Law enforcement: We may disclose your information to law enforcement officials for certain law enforcement purposes, such as reporting certain types of wounds, identifying or locating a suspect, or complying with a court order or warrant.
• To avert a serious threat: We may use or disclose your information when necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of others.
• Workers' compensation: We may disclose your information as authorized by and necessary to comply with workers' compensation laws.
• Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors: We may disclose your information to coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors as necessary for them to carry out their duties.
• Specialized government functions: We may disclose your information for military, veterans' affairs, national security, intelligence, and protective services activities as required by law.

Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information

You have the following rights with respect to your protected health information. To exercise any of these rights, please submit a written request to our Privacy Officer using the contact information at the bottom of this page.

1. Right to Request Restrictions

You have the right to request that we limit how we use or disclose your health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You may also request limits on the information we share with people involved in your care. We are not required to agree to your request, except in one case: if you pay for a service entirely out of pocket (self-pay) and ask us not to share that information with your health plan for payment or healthcare operations purposes, we must honor that request.

2. Right to Receive Confidential Communications

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information in a specific way or at a specific location. For example, you may ask that we contact you only at a certain phone number or send correspondence to a particular address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

3. Right to Inspect and Copy Your Health Information

You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your health information maintained by CA Mobile FEES, including FEES evaluation reports, clinical documentation, and billing records. To request access, please submit a written request to our Privacy Officer. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies. We will respond to your request within 30 days (or 60 days with a written extension notice). In limited circumstances permitted by law, we may deny your request, and if so, you may request a review of the denial.

4. Right to Request an Amendment

If you believe that health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we amend it. Your request must be made in writing and must include the reason you are requesting the amendment. We may deny your request in certain circumstances, such as if the information was not created by us, is not part of the records we maintain, or is already accurate and complete. If we deny your request, we will provide you with a written explanation.

5. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You have the right to request a list (accounting) of certain disclosures of your health information that we have made. This list will not include disclosures made for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations; disclosures you authorized in writing; disclosures made directly to you; or certain other disclosures exempted by law. The first accounting in any 12-month period is free. We may charge a reasonable fee for additional requests.

6. Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice

You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically. To request a paper copy, please contact our Privacy Officer.

Website vs. Clinical Services

It is important to understand the distinction between our website and our clinical services.

The contact form on our website (camobilefees.com) collects general business inquiries from healthcare facility representatives, including name, email, phone number, facility name, facility type, role, and message. This information is not protected health information (PHI). The website itself does not store, process, or transmit PHI. Website data is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy, not this HIPAA Notice. Please do not submit any patient health information through the website contact form.

Clinical patient records created during FEES evaluations at healthcare facilities are handled separately under HIPAA-compliant Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with each partner facility. These records are maintained, transmitted, and stored using appropriate safeguards in accordance with HIPAA, the HITECH Act, and California privacy laws.

For questions about how a specific facility handles your medical records, please contact that facility directly.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint. You will not be penalized or retaliated against in any way for filing a complaint.

You may file a complaint with:

• CA Mobile FEES — Contact our Privacy Officer using the information below.
• The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — You may file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights online at hhs.gov/ocr/complaints or by calling 1-877-696-6775.