General Rule:
We respect our legal obligation to keep your health information, that identifies you, private.
Generally, we can use only your health information in our office or disclose it outside our office, without your written permission, for purposes of treatment, payment or healthcare operations. In most other situations, we will not use or disclose your health information unless you sign a written authorization form. In some limited situations, the law allows or requires us to disclose your health information without written information.

USES OR DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION
Examples of how we use information for treatment purposes:
When we set up an appointment for you.
When our technician or doctor tests your eyes.
When the doctor prescribes glasses or contact lenses.
When the doctor prescribes medication.
When our staff helps you select and order glasses or contact lenses.
When we show you low vision aids.
We may disclose your health information for treatment purposes. for example:
If we refer you to another doctor or clinic for eyecare or low vision aids or services.
If we send a prescription for glasses or contacts to another professional to be filled.
When we provide a prescription for medication to a pharmacist.
When we phone you to let you know that your glasses or contact lenses are ready to be picked up.

Sometimes we may ask for copies of your health information from another professional that you may have seen before.

We may ask for your health information within our office or disclose your health information outside our office for payment purposes. Some examples are:
When our staff asks you about health or vision care plans that you may belong to or about other sources of payment for our services.
When we prepare bills to send to you or your health or vision care plan.
When we process payment by credit card and when we try to collect unpaid amounts due.
When bills or claims for payment are mailed, faxed, or sent by computer to you or your health or vision plan.
When we occasionally have to ask a collection agency or attorney to help us with unpaid amounts due.A state or federal law that mandates certain health information to be reported for a specific purpose.
Public health purposes, such as contagious disease reporting, investigation or surveillance; and notices to and from the Food and Drug Administration regarding drugs or medical devices.
Disclosures to the government authorities about victims of suspected abuse, neglect or domestic violence.
Uses and disclosures for health oversight activities, such as licensing of doctors, audits by Medicare, or investigation of possible healthcare laws.
Disclosures for judicial and andministrative proceedings, such as in response to a subpoenas in orders of courts or administrative agencies.
Disclosures for law enforcement purposes, such as to provide information about someone who is or is suspected to be a victim of a crime; to provide information about a crime at our office; or to report a crime that happened somewhere else.
Disclosure for a medical examiner to identify a dead person or to determine the cause of death; or to funeral directors to aid in burial; or to organizations that handle organ or tissue donations.
Use or disclosure for health related research.
Uses and disclosures ro prevent a serious threat to health or safety.
Disclosure relationg to workers' compensation programs.
Disclosure to business associates who perform healthcare operations for us and who agree to keep your health information private.
OTHER DISCLOSURES
We will not make any other uses or disclosures of your health information unless you sign a written authorization form. You do not have to sign such a form. If you do sign one, you may revoke it at any time unless you have already acted in reliamce upon it.
Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information:
The law gives you many rights regarding your health information.
You can ask us to restrict our uses and disclosures for purposes of treatment (except emergency treatment), payment or health care options. We do not have to agree to do this, but if we agree we must honor the restrictions you want. To ask for a restriction, send a written request to Donna, Privacy Officer at the office address located on this Web site.
You can ask us to communicate with you in a confidential way, such as by phoning you at work rather than home, by mailing health information to a different address, or by using email to your personal email address. We will accomodate these requests if they are reasonable and if you pay us any extra cost. If you want confidential communications send a written request to Donna.
You can ask to see or to get photocopies of your health information. By law, there are a few limited situations in which we can refuse to permit access or copying. For further information regarding possible costs and time periods regarding photocopies please contact Donna.
Notice to Consumers Regarding Release of Prescriptions: Federal law requires that a written copy of the spectacle prescription be given to the patient if requested. However, the law does not require the release of a contact lens prescription, that is left to the discretion of the eye care professional.
Complaints:
If you think that we have not properly respected the privacy of your health information, you are free to complain to us or the US Dept of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you if you make a complaint. Please ask Donna for the forms you may have to contact either party.

We use and disclose your health information for healthcare operations in a number of ways. Health care operations means those administrative and managerial functions that we have to do in order to run our office. We may use or disclose your health information, for example, for financial or billing audits, for internal quality assurance, for personnel decisions, to enable our doctor to participate in managed care plans, for the defense of legal matters, to develop business plans and for outside storage of records.

APPOINTMENT REMINDERS
We may call you to remind you of your scheduled appointments. We may also call to notify you of other treatment or services available at our office that might help you.
Yearly you will receive a postcard reminding you of your annual visit.

USES & DISCLOSURES WITHOUT AN AUTHORIZATION
In some limited situations, the law allows or requires us to use or disclose your health information without your permission. Not all of these situations will apply to us; some may never happen at our office at all.
Such uses or disclosures are: