HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how HealthWatchers360 ("we," "our," or "us") may use and disclose protected health information (PHI) to carry out treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, and for other permitted purposes consistent with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and applicable California law, including the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA).

1. Our Responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information, to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, to notify you in the event of a breach of your unsecured protected health information, and to abide by the terms of the notice currently in effect. We will not use or disclose your protected health information without your written authorization, except as described in this notice or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

2. How We May Use and Disclose Health Information

The following categories describe ways we may use and disclose your information:

• Treatment: To provide, coordinate, or manage your medical care and related services, including sharing information with other clinicians involved in your treatment.
• Payment: To bill and collect payment for the services and items we provide, and as needed for payment-related determinations by health plans or coverage reviewers.
• Healthcare Operations: For practice management, quality improvement, staffing, training, and other operational functions of our Encino clinic.
• Appointment Reminders & Communications: To contact you with reminders, scheduling, and administrative messages, consistent with your contact preferences.

3. Uses and Disclosures Requiring Authorization

Uses and disclosures of your protected health information for purposes not described in this notice generally require your written authorization. With limited exceptions required or permitted by law, we will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your information for marketing purposes, before any sale of your health information, and before most uses or disclosures of psychotherapy notes.

4. Permitted and Required Disclosures Without Authorization

We may use or disclose your protected health information without your authorization in certain circumstances, including as required by law, for public health activities, regarding victims of abuse or neglect, for health oversight activities, in judicial and administrative proceedings, for law enforcement purposes as permitted, to avert a serious threat to health or safety, and as required by workers' compensation or similar programs. The full list and limitations are available from our Privacy Officer upon request.

5. Your Rights

• Access: You may request to inspect and obtain a copy of your protected health information.
• Amendment: You may request that we amend information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Disclosure Accounting: You may request a list of certain disclosures we made of your protected health information.
• Restriction Requests: You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your information.
• Confidential Communications: You may request that we communicate with you in a certain way or at a certain location.
• Paper Copy: You may request a paper copy of this notice at any time.

6. Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us and with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint. To file a complaint with us, contact our Privacy Officer using the information below.

7. Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and to make any new notice provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain. When we make a material change, we will update the "Last Updated" date and provide the revised notice on our website and, where applicable, in our facility.