Notice of Privacy Practices

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.

Who this notice covers

This notice of privacy practices ("Notice") describes the practices of the covered provider named above and its workforce and permitted business associates regarding protected health information ("PHI"). "We" means that named provider, not every practice using the Vos Collection brand. A separate practice may use this same common-form text only after adopting it with its own accurate legal name, sites, contact, effective date, and any required state-specific changes. If separate covered entities establish and document an organized health care arrangement and satisfy the requirements for a joint notice, they may instead adopt an appropriately identified joint notice; no such arrangement is assumed here. Vos Collection or its management organization does not acquire independent rights to use each clinic's PHI merely by maintaining a website or brand. If a description in this Notice differs from a more protective requirement of applicable law, we will follow that requirement. Additional applicable protections and rights are described in the Additional Illinois and Other Applicable Protections section of this Notice.

How we may use and disclose PHI without your written authorization

Treatment. We may use your information to evaluate and treat you and may share it with your treating physicians, clinicians, laboratories, pharmacies, and other health care providers involved in your care. For example, we may provide treatment history to a specialist to whom we refer you.

Payment. We may use or disclose information to bill you or a health plan, obtain payment, determine coverage, or support collection of amounts owed. For example, we may send treatment and billing information to a payer to process a claim.

Health care operations. We may use or disclose information to run and improve our practice, including quality review, clinician training, care coordination, credentialing, compliance, auditing, and business planning. For example, we may review records to evaluate treatment outcomes. Disclosures to another covered entity for its operations are subject to applicable conditions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and its implementing regulations ("HIPAA"); we do not treat every Vos-branded practice as a single covered entity.

We may engage service providers, including a Vos Collection management organization, to perform authorized functions for us under appropriate business associate arrangements. Such an arrangement does not permit the service provider to use PHI for its own unrelated marketing or for another clinic's purposes.

Other uses and disclosures permitted or required by law. We may use or disclose information for the purposes described below only when the applicable legal requirements are satisfied. These permissions do not override the additional protections described in this Notice, including the Additional Illinois and Other Applicable Protections section.

Public health and safety. We may disclose information to authorized public health authorities to prevent or control disease, injury, or disability; report births or deaths; report suspected abuse or neglect when permitted or required; or report problems with drugs or medical devices.

Health oversight. We may disclose information to agencies authorized to oversee health care, including for lawful audits, inspections, licensing activities, and investigations.

Legal proceedings. We may disclose information in response to a qualifying court or administrative order. We may respond to subpoenas or other legal requests only when the applicable notice, protective-order, authorization, or other legal requirements have been satisfied.

Law enforcement. We may disclose information for specified law-enforcement purposes when permitted or required by law. A law-enforcement request does not automatically entitle the requester to your records.

Research. We may use or disclose information for research when permitted by applicable law and when required approvals, authorizations, waivers, or other safeguards are in place.

Preventing serious threats. We may disclose information when permitted by law to persons able to prevent or lessen a serious threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.

Deaths and organ donation. We may disclose information to coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, or organizations involved in organ, eye, or tissue donation, as permitted or required by law.

Workers’ compensation. We may disclose information as authorized by laws governing workers’ compensation or similar programs.

Specialized government functions. We may disclose information for specified military, veterans, national security, protective-service, or correctional purposes when the applicable legal conditions are satisfied.

Disclosures required by law. We will disclose information when applicable law requires us to do so, limited to the information the law requires.

Information receiving additional protection. Some laws impose additional restrictions on information concerning mental health, HIV/AIDS or other communicable diseases, genetic testing, reproductive health, substance use disorder treatment, and care provided to minors. Where those laws apply, we will follow their requirements, including any required consent, authorization, notice, court process, or limits on redisclosure. The Additional Illinois and Other Applicable Protections section describes additional material restrictions relevant to this provider.

Choices and uses requiring authorization

You may ask us to share information with family, friends, or others involved in your care or payment; we may do so as permitted by law, considering your opportunity to agree or object. We may also share information with disaster relief organizations to help notify family members of your location or general condition and, after your death, with family members or others who were involved in your care or payment, unless doing so is inconsistent with your known prior wishes. We may contact you with appointment reminders and information relating to your care, treatment alternatives, or health-related products and services only as permitted by applicable law. If a communication constitutes marketing or solicitation requiring permission under federal or state law, we will obtain the required written authorization before using your information for that purpose. We may contact you for fundraising only if applicable to this provider and permitted by law; if we do, you may opt out of further fundraising communications.

We will obtain your valid written authorization where required, including for most uses or disclosures of psychotherapy notes, uses or disclosures of PHI for marketing that are not within a legal exception, and a sale of PHI. An authorization involving financial remuneration for marketing or a sale will disclose that remuneration where required. A notice is not an authorization. In particular, we will not use patient records, treatment images, or identifiable testimonials for brand-wide advertising merely because a practice participates in Vos Collection. We will seek any additional permissions required by state law. Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we already relied on it. We will not make a use or disclosure prohibited by applicable law.

Substance use disorder treatment records. If we receive or maintain records protected by 42 C.F.R. Part 2 ("Part 2"), additional confidentiality requirements apply. Those records, or testimony describing their contents, may not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against you unless you provide the written consent required by Part 2 or a qualifying court order is issued after the required notice and opportunity to be heard are provided to you or the holder of the records. A court order authorizing use or disclosure must be accompanied by a subpoena or other legal requirement compelling disclosure before the requested records are used or disclosed.

If we create or maintain Part 2 records and intend to use or disclose them for fundraising for our benefit, we will first provide you with a clear and conspicuous opportunity to choose not to receive fundraising communications.

Information disclosed under HIPAA may in some circumstances be redisclosed by its recipient and no longer be protected by HIPAA. This does not remove other applicable confidentiality protections.

Your rights

You have the following rights, subject to applicable legal conditions. Contact the privacy contact identified above to submit a request or obtain help exercising these rights.

Request restrictions. You may ask us to limit certain uses or disclosures of your information. We generally do not have to agree. However, we must honor a qualifying request not to disclose information to a health plan for payment or health care operations when the information relates solely to care paid in full out of pocket and disclosure is not required by law.

Request confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at a particular location. We will accommodate reasonable requests as required by law.

Inspect or obtain copies. You may ask to inspect or obtain copies of medical, billing, and other records used to make decisions about you. We will respond within the time required by applicable law. Any charge will comply with applicable legal limits. If we deny a request, we will explain the reason and any available review rights.

Request an amendment. You may ask us to amend information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny a request in circumstances permitted by law. If we deny it, we will explain your rights to disagree or seek review, as applicable.

Request an accounting. You may request an accounting of disclosures for which an accounting is required by applicable law.

Obtain a paper notice. You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

Additional state-law rights, including applicable access and correction rights, are described in the Additional Illinois and Other Applicable Protections section below.

You may complain to us by submitting a written complaint to the privacy contact identified at the top of this Notice, who can also explain our complaint process, or to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights if you believe your privacy rights were violated. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Additional Illinois and Other Applicable Protections

Illinois and other applicable law may provide additional protection for particular records, communications, or services. We will follow any law that is more protective than HIPAA and will not rely on a HIPAA permission when another applicable law prohibits or more strictly limits the use or disclosure. This includes any specific rules that apply to mental-health, substance-use-disorder, communicable-disease, genetic, reproductive-health, or minor-patient information. A subpoena, law-enforcement request, research request, or request from an affiliated business does not automatically authorize disclosure. Contact the privacy contact above to ask which protections apply to a specific request.

Our responsibilities and changes

We are required to safeguard PHI, give you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, follow the Notice currently in effect, and notify affected individuals after a breach of unsecured PHI as required by law. We reserve the right to change this Notice and, to the extent permitted by law, make the revised provisions effective for information we already maintain as well as information we receive in the future. Each revised Notice will identify its effective date.

When we make a material change, we will promptly revise this Notice. Except when required by law, we will not implement the changed practice before the revised Notice’s effective date.

We will make the revised Notice available upon request and promptly update the prominently displayed Notice and copies available for you to take at our service locations. We will also prominently post the current Notice on any website we maintain that describes our services or benefits. You may obtain the current Notice by contacting the privacy contact identified above.