Privacy Practices

Our practice is dedicated to protecting your medical information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information and to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information. Our practice is required by law to abide by the terms of this Notice.

This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information.

Protected health information is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services.

Our office is required to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We may change the terms of our notice at any time. The new notice will be effective for all protected health information that we maintain at that time.

Upon your request, we will provide you with any revised Notice of Privacy Practices. To request a revised notice you may call the office and request that a revised copy be sent to you in the mail or by asking for one at the time of your next appointment.

Your rights regarding your medical information

You have the following rights with respect to your medical information:

You may ask us to restrict certain uses and disclosures of your medical information. We are not required to agree to your request, but if we do, we will honor it.

You have the right to receive communications from us in a confidential manner. Generally, you may inspect and copy your medical information. This right is subject to certain specific exceptions, and you may be charged a reasonable fee for any copies of your records.

You may ask us to amend your medical information. We may deny your request for certain specific reasons. If we deny your request, we will provide you with a written explanation for the denial and information regarding further rights you may have at that point.

You have the right to receive an accounting of the disclosures of your medical information made by our practice during the last six years (or following April 14, 2003), except for disclosures for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, disclosures which you authorize and certain other specific disclosure types.

You may request a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices for Protected Health Information.

You have the right to complain to us and/or to the United States Department of Health and Human Services if you believe that we have violated your privacy rights. If you choose to file a complaint, you will not be retaliated against in any way. To complain to us, please contact our Privacy Officer at 352-371-2800.

How we may use and disclose your information

We will use your medical information as part of rendering patient care. For example, your medical information may be used by the doctor or nurse treating you, by the business office to process your payment for the services rendered and in order to support the business activities of the practice including, but not limited to: use by the administrative personnel reviewing the quality of the care you receive, employee review activities, training of medical students, licensing, contacting or arranging for other business activities.

Reports may be sent to your referring physicians, your primary care physician, your eye physician, and/or any physician you may be referred to by our practice.

We may also use and/or disclose your information in accordance with federal and state laws for