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.

Century Eye Care Medical Center, doing business as Century Eye Care, is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information, to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect. It applies to all records of your care created or kept by our practice at either of our offices.

1. How we may use and disclose your health information

The categories below describe the ways we may use and disclose health information without your written authorization. Not every use or disclosure is listed, but each one we make will fall within one of these categories.

For treatment

We use your health information to provide, coordinate, and manage your eye care. For example, your ophthalmologist and optometrist share exam findings with one another, and we may send your records to a specialist, surgical center, laboratory, or optical lab involved in your care.

For payment

We use and disclose health information to bill and collect payment for your care — for example, sending a claim to your health or vision plan, confirming your coverage, or obtaining prior authorization for a procedure.

For health care operations

We may use and disclose health information to run the practice and maintain quality of care — for example, reviewing treatment outcomes, training staff, conducting audits, and resolving complaints.

Appointment reminders and health-related communications

We may contact you by phone, mail, email, or text message to confirm or reschedule an appointment, or to tell you about treatment options and health-related services we offer. Text messages are sent only with your consent, as described in our Privacy Policy, and you may opt out at any time.

Business associates

We may share your information with vendors who perform services for us — such as billing, IT, scheduling, or messaging — under written contracts that require them to protect it.

Individuals involved in your care

Unless you object, we may share information relevant to a family member, friend, or other person’s involvement in your care or in payment for your care, and we may notify such a person of your location and general condition.

2. Other uses and disclosures permitted or required by law

• As required by law, including reporting to a government agency when a law requires it.
• Public health activities, such as reporting disease, reactions to medications, or problems with medical devices.
• Abuse, neglect, or domestic violence reports, as authorized or required by law.
• Health oversight activities, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure.
• Judicial and administrative proceedings, in response to a court or administrative order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.
• Law enforcement, for limited purposes permitted by law.
• To avert a serious threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.
• Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors, as needed to carry out their duties.
• Organ and tissue donation, including eye and cornea donation organizations, if you are a donor.
• Research, under conditions that protect your privacy, including review by a privacy or institutional review board.
• Workers’ compensation and similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries.
• Specialized government functions, such as military, national security, and protective services, and for inmates of a correctional institution.

3. Uses and disclosures that require your written authorization

We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your health information for marketing purposes, before selling your health information, and for any purpose not described in this notice. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already acted on it.

Under California law, certain information — including HIV test results, mental health records, and substance use treatment records — receives additional protection and generally requires your specific authorization to disclose.

4. Your rights regarding your health information

• Right to inspect and copy. You may ask to see or get a copy of your medical and billing records, including an electronic copy if we keep them electronically. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
• Right to request an amendment. If you believe information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend it. We may deny the request in certain cases and will tell you why in writing.
• Right to an accounting of disclosures. You may ask for a list of the disclosures we have made of your health information, other than for treatment, payment, health care operations, and certain other exceptions.
• Right to request restrictions. You may ask us to limit how we use or disclose your information. We are not required to agree, except that we must agree not to disclose information to your health plan for a service you have paid for in full out of pocket.
• Right to confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a specific location — for example, only by mail, or only at work. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
• Right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask for a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
• Right to be notified of a breach. We will notify you if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your unsecured health information.
• Right to choose someone to act for you. If you have given someone medical power of attorney, or someone is your legal guardian, that person may exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 7. Some requests must be made in writing; our staff will provide the appropriate form.

5. Our responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
• We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time by letting us know in writing.
• We will follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.

6. Changes to this notice

We reserve the right to change this notice and to make the revised notice effective for all health information we maintain, including information we already have. The current notice is posted in our offices and on this website, and a copy is available on request.

7. Questions and complaints

If you have questions about this notice, wish to exercise a right, or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact our Privacy Officer:

• Century Eye Care Medical Center (doing business as Century Eye Care) · Aghai Vision Institute
• 1141 W. Redondo Beach Blvd, #101, Gardena, CA 90247
• Phone: (310) 767-7814
• Email: info@centuryeyecare.com

You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.