HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

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.

PrimAri Health is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your protected health information (PHI). This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your PHI and explains your rights with respect to that information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI, to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices regarding your PHI, and to abide by the terms of this notice currently in effect.

2. Who We Are

PrimAri Health is a telehealth medical practice operated by Ari Ahron Ucar MD, inc., a California professional medical corporation doing business as PrimAri Health. We provide telehealth-based primary care, specialty care, and related healthcare services to patients located in California. Our website is www.PrimAriHealth.com. This notice applies to all of the medical records and other PHI that we maintain.

3. How We May Use and Disclose Your Protected Health Information

The following describes the ways we may use and disclose your PHI without your written authorization. For each category, we provide an explanation and, where appropriate, an example.

a. Treatment

We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and related services. This includes consultations between healthcare providers relating to your care, referrals to other providers, and sharing information with specialists, pharmacies, laboratories, or other healthcare professionals involved in your treatment. For example, if you are referred to a specialist, we may share your relevant medical history with that provider to ensure appropriate care.

b. Payment

We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for services we provide to you. This may include billing and collections activities, insurance claims processing, medical necessity determinations, and utilization review. For example, we may send a claim to your health plan that includes information identifying you, your diagnosis, and treatment provided.

c. Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose your PHI for our healthcare operations. These activities include quality assessment and improvement, employee training, accreditation, licensing, credentialing, compliance programs, audits, business planning, and general administrative activities. For example, we may use your health information to evaluate the quality and competence of our healthcare professionals.

d. As Required by Law

We may use or disclose your PHI to the extent that such use or disclosure is required by federal, state, or local law. When we use or disclose your PHI for this purpose, we will limit the disclosure to what is required by law.

e. Public Health Activities

We may disclose your PHI for public health activities and purposes, including preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability; reporting births, deaths, and suspected abuse or neglect; reporting reactions to medications or problems with medical products; and notifying individuals who may have been exposed to a disease or who may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease.

f. Health Oversight Activities

We may disclose your PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, licensure actions, and other proceedings necessary for the government to monitor the healthcare system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

g. To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety

We may use and disclose your PHI when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure will be made only to someone who is reasonably able to help prevent or lessen the threat, including the target of the threat.

h. Business Associates

We may disclose your PHI to our business associates who perform functions on our behalf or provide services to us, provided that each business associate agrees in writing to safeguard your PHI in accordance with HIPAA requirements. Our business associates may include, but are not limited to, electronic health record platforms (such as Practice Better), payment processors, data hosting providers, billing services, and other third parties that assist us in delivering care and managing our practice. These entities are contractually obligated to protect the privacy and security of your PHI.

4. Uses and Disclosures That Require Your Written Authorization

Certain uses and disclosures of your PHI require your prior written authorization. You may revoke such authorization at any time in writing, except to the extent that we have already taken action in reliance on the authorization. The following uses and disclosures require your written authorization:

a. Marketing

We will not use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes without your written authorization. Marketing includes communications about a product or service that encourage you to purchase or use the product or service.

b. Sale of PHI

We will not sell your PHI without your written authorization. A sale of PHI is a disclosure for which we receive direct or indirect remuneration from the entity receiving the PHI.

c. Psychotherapy Notes

If applicable, we will not use or disclose psychotherapy notes without your written authorization, except in limited circumstances permitted by law such as for our own treatment, training, defense in legal proceedings, or as required for health oversight, or to avert a serious threat.

d. Other Uses and Disclosures

Any other uses and disclosures of your PHI not described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization at any time by submitting a written revocation to us. The revocation will not apply to any information already disclosed in reliance on your prior authorization.

5. Your Rights Regarding Your Protected Health Information

You have the following rights with respect to your PHI. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided at the end of this notice.

a. Right to Inspect and Copy

You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI that is contained in a designated record set, including medical records and billing records. You must submit your request in writing. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for the labor, supplies, and postage involved in providing the copies. We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain limited circumstances. If you are denied access, you may request that the denial be reviewed.

b. Right to Request Amendment

You have the right to request an amendment to your PHI if you believe the information we have is incorrect or incomplete. Your request must be made in writing and must include a reason for the requested amendment. We may deny your request under certain circumstances, such as if we determine the information is accurate and complete. If we deny your request, we will provide you with a written explanation.

c. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You have the right to request an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI that we have made. This accounting will not include disclosures made for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations; disclosures made to you; disclosures made pursuant to your authorization; or certain other disclosures. Your request must be made in writing and must specify the time period requested, which may not exceed six years prior to the date of your request.

d. Right to Request Restrictions

You have the right to request a restriction on the PHI we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You also have the right to request a restriction on the PHI we disclose to someone involved in your care or the payment for your care. We are not required to agree to most restriction requests, except that we must agree to restrict disclosures to a health plan for payment or healthcare operations purposes if you have paid for the service in full out of pocket.

e. Right to Request Confidential Communications

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you may ask that we only contact you by email at a specific email address or that we send correspondence to an alternative address. We will accommodate reasonable requests. Your request must be made in writing.

f. 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 have previously agreed to receive it electronically. To obtain a paper copy, please contact us using the information provided at the end of this notice.

g. Right to Be Notified of a Breach

You have the right to be notified in the event that we (or one of our business associates) discover a breach of your unsecured PHI. We will notify you of a breach as required by law, including the nature of the breach, the types of information involved, steps you should take to protect yourself, what we are doing to investigate and mitigate the breach, and contact information for you to ask questions or obtain additional information.

6. Our Responsibilities

We are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
• Provide you with this notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI.
• Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
• Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction on how your information is used or disclosed.
• Notify you in the event of a breach of your unsecured protected health information.

We will not use or disclose your PHI without your authorization, except as described in this notice. We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and to make the new provisions effective for all PHI that we maintain, including information created or received prior to the effective date of the change.

7. Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice at any time. Any changes will apply to all PHI we maintain, including information created or received before the changes are made. If we make a material change to this notice, we will post the revised notice on our website at www.PrimAriHealth.com and make copies available upon request. The revised notice will include an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this notice periodically.

8. Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). To file a complaint with us, please contact us using the information below. To file a complaint with the Secretary of HHS, you may write to:

You will not be penalized or retaliated against for filing a complaint.

9. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this notice, would like to exercise any of your rights, or wish to file a complaint, please contact us at: