Policies

Missed or Cancelled Appointments
In an effort to provide comprehensive and complete care to our patients, we strive to accommodate every patient with a treatment schedule that is prompt and convenient. When we are not notified of appointment cancellations, it prevents us from offering these appointments to other patients. If it is necessary to cancel your appointment, please call and let us know at least 48 hours prior to the time of the appointment. No-shows will be charged a $50 fee. Because we understand that you may have an emergency or otherwise be unable to call, this fee may be credited the first time and as appropriate for future incidents.

Medical Surgery Policy
In order to better protect our patients, our medical surgery policy is to delay all dental treatments for 6 months after invasive and/or compromised medical surgery. This allows the surgical site/body to completely heal with no bacterial assault from the dental procedure.

The Antibiotic Prophylactic use guideline has been updated and requires a smaller group of patients that need premedication than other versions. Antibiotic premedication is no longer recommended for patients with prosthetic joint implants. [For the full article and detailed guideline, go to www.ada.org/en/member-center/oral-health-topics/antibiotic-prophylaxis.]

Please contact our office to check how this will affect your upcoming appointments.

Notice of Privacy Practices (HIPAA)
The following notice describes how health information about you is disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully. The privacy of your health information is important to us.

Our Legal Duty
We are required by applicable federal and state law to maintain the privacy of your health information. We are also required to give you this notice about our privacy practices, our legal duties, and your rights concerning your health information. We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this Notice while it is in effect. This Notice takes effect September 1, 2008, and will remain in effect until we replace it.

We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time, provided such changes are permitted by applicable law. We reserve the right to make changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our Notice effective for all health information that we maintain, including health information we created or received before we made the changes. Before we make a significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this Notice and make the new Notice available upon request.

You may request a copy of our Notice at any time. For more information about our privacy practices, or for printed copies of this Notice, please contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice.

Uses and Disclosure of Health Information
We use and disclose health information about you for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations.  For example:

Treatment:  We may use and disclose your health information to a physician or other healthcare provider who is treating you.

Payment:  We may use and disclose health information to obtain payment for services we provide to you.

Healthcare Operations:  We may use and disclose your health information to connect with our healthcare operations. Healthcare operations include quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualifications of healthcare professionals, evaluating the practitioner and provider performance, conducting training programs, accreditation, certification, licensing, or credentialing activities.

Your Authorization:  In addition to our use of your healthcare information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, you may give us written authorization, and you may revoke it in writing at any time. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosures permitted by your authorization while it is in effect. Unless you give us a written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health information for any reason except those described in this Notice.

To Your Family and Friends:  We must disclose your health information to you, as described in the Patients Rights section of this Notice. We may disclose your health information to a family member, friend, or other person to the extent necessary to help with your healthcare or with payment for your healthcare, but only if you agree that we may do so.

Persons Involved in Care:  We may use or disclose health information to notify, or assist in the notification of (including identifying or locating) a family member, your personal representative, or another person responsible for your care, of your location, your general condition, or death. If you are present, then prior to use or disclosure of your health information, we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such uses or disclosures. In the event of your incapacity or emergency circumstances, we will disclose health information based on a determination using our professional judgment disclosing only health information that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement in your healthcare. We will also use our professional judgment and our experience with common practice to make reasonable inferences of your best interest in allowing a person to pick up filled prescriptions, medical supplies, x-rays, or other similar forms of health information.

Marketing Health-Related Services:  We will not use your health information for marketing communications without your written authorization.

Required by Law: We may use or disclose your health information when we are required to do so by law.

Abuse or Neglect:  We may disclose your health information to appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence or the possible victim of other crimes.  We may disclose your health information to the extent necessary to avert a serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of others.

National Security:  We may disclose to military authorities the health information of Armed Forces personnel under certain circumstances.  We may disclose to authorized federal officials health information required for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities.  We may disclose to a correctional institution or law enforcement official having lawful custody of protected health information of an inmate or patient under certain circumstance.

Appointment Reminders:  We may use or disclose your health information to provide you with appointment reminders (such as voicemail messages, postcards, or letters).

Patient Rights

Access:  You have the right to look at or get copies of your health information, with limited exceptions.  You may request that we provide copies in a format other than photocopies. We will use the format you request unless we cannot practically do so. (You must make a request in writing to obtain access to your health information. You may obtain a form to request access by using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice.  We will charge you a reasonable cost – based on expenses such as copies and team time. You may also request access by sending us a letter to the address at the end of this Notice. If you request copies, we will charge you $0.25 for each page, $25 per hour for team time to locate and copy your information, and postage if you want the copies mailed to you. If you request an alternate format, we will charge a cost-based fee for providing your health information in that format.  If you prefer, we will prepare a summary or an explanation of your health information for a fee. Contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice for a full explanation of our fee structure.)

Disclosure Accounting:  You have the right to receive a list of instances in which we or our business associates disclosed your health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations and certain other activities for the last six (6) years, but not before April 14, 2003. If you request this accounting more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable cost-based fee for responding to these additional requests.

Restriction:  You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosures of your health information. We are not required to agree to those additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement (except in an emergency).

Alternative Communication:  You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or to alternative locations. (You must make your request in writing.) Your request must specify that alternative means or location, and provide satisfactory explanation how payments will be handled under the alternative means or location you request.

Amendment:  You have the right to request that we amend your health information.  (Your request must be in writing, and it must explain why the information should be amended.)  We may deny your request under certain circumstances.

Electronic Notice:  If you receive this Notice on our website or by electronic mail (email), you are entitled to receive this Notice in written form.

Questions and Complaints
If you want more information about our privacy practices or have questions or concerns, please contact us. If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your health information or in response to a request you made to amend or restrict the use or disclosures of your health information or to have us communicate with you by alternative means or alternative locations, you may complain to us using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice. You also may submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will provide you with the address to file your complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon request.

We support your right to the privacy of your health information. We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Felines H. Tipton, DDS
805 Harris Street
Eureka, CA 95503
707 443-7043
707 443-1375 fax