Patient Privacy Policy

HIPAA NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Privacy Policy

Virginia Oral & Facial Surgery – Drs. Niamtu, Alexander, Keeney, Harris, Metzger & Dymon, PLLC

Business Office:  11545-A Nuckols Road, Glen Allen, VA 23059; (804) 673-8061

Brandermill:  6031 Harbour Park Drive; Midlothian, VA 23112; Brandermill Office Phone Number(804) 223-5686

Chester: 10601 Greenyard Way, Suite B, Chester, VA 23831; Chester Office Phone Number(804) 223-5710

Monument:  5224 Monument Avenue; Richmond, VA 23226; Monument Office Phone Number(804) 223-5802

Mechanicsville:  7481 Right Flank Road, Suite 120; Mechanicsville, VA 23116; Mechanicsville Office Phone Number(804) 223-5764

Sandston:  5510 Whiteside Road; Sandston, VA 23150; Sandston Office Phone Number(804) 223-5876

Short Pump:  130 Towne Center West Boulevard; Henrico, VA 23233; Short Pump Office Phone Number(804) 223-5941

South Side:  11319 Polo Place; Midlothian, VA 23113; Southside Office Phone Number(804) 818-4871

 

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can access your information. Please review it carefully.
Virginia Oral & Facial Surgery is committed to preserving the privacy and confidentiality of your health information. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your health information to carry out treatment, payment, or healthcare operations and for other purposes permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your health information. “Health information” is all paper and electronic records related to a patient’s care, past, present, and/or future. These records tell who the patient is and may include information about billing and payment. Health information does not include information that is not identifiable to any individual in accordance with federal privacy law.

  1. Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

Your health information may be used and disclosed by your physician, our office staff, and others outside of our office who are involved in your care and treatment to provide health care services to you, to pay your health care bills, to support the operation of the physician’s practice, and any other use required by law.

Treatment: We will use and disclose your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party. For example, we would disclose your health information to a physician to whom you have been referred to ensure that the physician has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you.

Payment: Your health information will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services. For example, obtaining approval for surgery may require that your relevant health information be disclosed to the health plan to obtain the approval.

Healthcare Operations: We may use or disclose, as needed, your health information to support the business activities of your physician’s practice. These activities include but are not limited to, quality assessment activities, employee review activities, training of medical students, licensing, and conducting or arranging for other business activities. For example, we may call you by name in the waiting room when your physician is ready to see you.

We may use your information to contact you by mail, phone, text, or email to: remind you about an appointment, register you for an appointment, give you test results, ask about insurance, billing, or payment, follow up on your care, and/or ask you how well we cared for you. We may leave a voice message at the phone number you give us. If contacted by text, message and data rates may apply.

If you choose to contact our practice by unsecured electronic communications, like email or text message, we will respond to you in the same way we receive your message. If you provide your email address or cell phone number, we may send you appointment reminders, surveys, or other information by email or text. These messages may not be encrypted. Risks associated with unsecured electronic communications are intercepted messages, misaddressed or misdirected messages, shared accounts, messages forwarded to others, and messages stored on unsecured devices. If you choose to contact us by unsecured means, you acknowledge and agree to accept these risks. The use of email or other electronic communications does not take the place of professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should never use email or text in a medical emergency.

We may also use or disclose your health information, as necessary, with third-party business associates. Business Associates are required to sign an agreement to ensure the protection and privacy of your health information.
We may use or disclose your health information in the following situations without your authorization. These situations include: as Required by Law, Public Health issues as required by law, Communicable Diseases: Health Oversight: Abuse or Neglect: Food and Drug Administration requirements: Legal Proceedings: Law Enforcement: Coroners, Funeral Directors, and Organ Donation: Research: Criminal Activity: Military Activity and National Security: Workers’ Compensation: Inmates: Required Uses and Disclosures: Under the law, we must make disclosures to you and when required by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with the requirements of Section 164.500.

Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures Will Be Made Only with Your Consent, Authorization, or Opportunity to Object unless required by law. We will not sell your health information or use it for marketing, or promotional purposes without your written approval.

You may revoke your authorization, at any time, in writing, except to the extent that your physician or the physician’s practice has taken an action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.

  1. Your Rights

The following is a statement of your rights concerning your health information.

You have the right to obtain a copy of this Notice of Privacy and Practices at any time.

You have the right to obtain a copy of your medical record. We will provide a copy or summary of your health information within 30 days of your request. We will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

You may have the right to have your physician amend your health information. If we deny your request for amendment, we will explain in writing within 60 days. You have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us and we may prepare a rebuttal to your statement and will provide you with a copy of any such rebuttal, within 60 days.

You have the right to request a restriction of your health information. This means you may ask us not to use or disclose any part of your health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You may also request that any part of your health information not be disclosed to family members or friends who may be involved in your care or for notification purposes as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. Your request must state the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply. Your physician is not required to agree to a restriction that you may request. If the physician believes it is in your best interest to permit the use and disclosure of your health information, your health information will not be restricted. You then have the right to use another Healthcare Professional.

You have the right to restrict disclosures to Health plans for payment and health care operations of the health plan, where the patient has paid out of pocket in full for all services.

You have the right to request to receive confidential communications. You may request us to contact you via home, cell, or office phone, email, text message, or mail to a specific address. You may opt out of text communications at any time. If we are not able to contact you using the ways or locations you request, we may contact you using any information we have.

You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made, if any, of your health information.

You have the right to be notified following a breach of unsecured health information that affects you. Breach notifications also apply to our Business Associates who are obligated to notify us if a breach of unsecured PHI occurs.

You have the right to opt out of all fundraising communications.

  1. Our Responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your health information.

We will inform you if a breach of your health information occurs unless the provider demonstrates that there is a low probability that the health information has been compromised.

We will maintain your medical record for a minimum of six years following your last patient encounter. Medical records of a minor child shall be maintained until the child reaches the age of 18 with a minimum time for record retention of six years from the last patient encounter. All medical records are destroyed via shredding.

We will follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice.

We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you give us permission in writing.

We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice. The new notices will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website.

  1. Complaints

You may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by calling 1-877-969-6775 or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/. You may also file a complaint, to our privacy officer, if you feel we have violated your rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

This notice was published and becomes effective on January 27, 2025

Virginia Oral & Facial Surgery, Administration Office
Mailing Address: 11545-A Nuckols Road Glen Allen, VA 23059
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 804.673.8061