HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective Date: November 2026

Varone Orthodontics

This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how medical and dental information about you may be used and disclosed, and how you can obtain access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Varone Orthodontics is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your protected health information (PHI) in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and other applicable laws.

Our Responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information, provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices, and follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.

We will notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured protected health information when required by law.

How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

Treatment

We may use and disclose your protected health information to provide, coordinate, and manage your orthodontic treatment.

This may include sharing relevant information with dentists, specialists, laboratories, and other healthcare professionals involved in your care.

Payment

We may use and disclose your information to obtain payment for services provided, including submitting insurance claims, verifying coverage, determining benefits, and processing payments.

Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose your information for healthcare operations, including quality improvement, staff training, administrative activities, compliance reviews, and practice management.

Appointment Reminders

We may contact you to remind you about appointments or provide information related to your treatment and healthcare services.

Required by Law

We may disclose protected health information when required by federal, state, or local law.

Public Health and Safety

We may disclose information for legally authorized public health activities, reporting requirements, or to prevent or reduce a serious threat to health or safety.

Other Permitted Disclosures

Under applicable law, information may also be disclosed for health oversight activities, judicial proceedings, law enforcement purposes, workers’ compensation, and other specifically authorized circumstances.

Uses and Disclosures Requiring Authorization

Uses and disclosures of protected health information that are not otherwise permitted or required by law generally require your written authorization.

This includes most uses and disclosures for marketing purposes, the sale of protected health information, and most disclosures of psychotherapy notes, when applicable.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent that we have already acted in reliance on it.

Your Rights Regarding Health Information

Right to Access Your Records

You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your protected health information maintained in a designated record set, subject to applicable legal exceptions.

Right to Request Corrections

You may request an amendment to information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny certain requests as permitted by law and will provide an explanation when required.

Right to Request Restrictions

You may request restrictions on certain uses or disclosures of your protected health information.

Although we are not required to agree to every request, we must honor certain requests to restrict disclosure to a health plan when you have paid out of pocket in full for the relevant service and the disclosure is not otherwise required by law.

Right to Confidential Communications

You may request that we communicate with you about your healthcare in a specific way or at a particular location. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You may request an accounting of certain disclosures of your protected health information, subject to applicable limitations and exceptions.

Right to a Paper Copy

You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices upon request, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.

Right to Choose a Representative

If someone has legal authority to act on your behalf, such as a legal guardian or an individual holding a valid healthcare power of attorney, that person may exercise your rights as permitted by law.

Changes to This Notice

Varone Orthodontics reserves the right to revise this Notice of Privacy Practices and make the revised notice effective for protected health information maintained by our practice, as permitted by law.

An updated notice will be available through our office and website.

Questions and Complaints

If you have questions about this notice or believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact Varone Orthodontics using the information below.

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

We will not retaliate against you for filing a privacy complaint.

For information about filing a complaint, visit www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints.