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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.

ABOUT THIS NOTICE

Doctors of Hearing Inc. is committed to protecting your health information. This Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) is provided pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) as revised in the 2013 HIPAA Omnibus Rule . This Notice describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information to carry out treatment, payment or audiological/health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. This Notice also describes your rights and our duties with respect to your protected health information.

“Protected health information” is information about you that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health/condition and related audiological/health care services. We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this Notice while it is in effect. If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, at (909) 466-8442 or www.doctorsofhearing.com.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

The following categories describe the different ways that we may use and disclose your protected health information. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but to illustrate the types of uses and disclosures that may be made.

1.Treatment


We may use and disclose your protected health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your audiological treatment and any related services. We may also disclose your protected health information to other third party providers involved in your audiological/health care. For example, your protected health information may be provided to a physician or other audiological/health care provider (e.g. a specialist or laboratory) to whom you have been referred to ensure that the physician or other audiological/health care provider has the necessary information to diagnose or treat you. We may also share protected health information with family members and caretakers when we believe it is in your best health interest. You have the right to modify the list of who may receive your protected health information by submitting a written request to our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, Doctors of Hearing, Inc., 65 N. Madison Ave #201 Pasadena, CA 91101

2. Payment

We may use and disclose your protected health information so that the treatment and health care services you receive may be billed to you, your insurance company, a government program, or third party payors. This may include certain activities that your health insurance plan may undertake before it approves or pays for the audiological/health care services we recommend for you, such as making a determination of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits, reviewing services provided to you for medical necessity, and undertaking utilization review activities. For example, we may provide your health plan with medical information about the audiological/health care services at Doctors of Hearing Inc. rendered to you for reimbursement purposes.

3. Audiological/Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose your protected health information for audiological/health care operation purposes. These uses and disclosures are necessary to make sure that all of our patients receive quality care and for our operation and management purposes. For example, we may use your protected health information to review the quality of the treatment and services you receive and to evaluate the performance of our team members in caring for you. We also may disclose information to audiologists, physicians, nurses, technicians, medical students, and other personnel for educational and learning purposes.

4. Treatment Communications

We may provide treatment communications concerning treatment alternatives or other health related products or services. For communications for which we or a business associate may receive financial remuneration in exchange for making the communication, we must obtain written authorization unless the communication is made face-to-face and/or involving promotional gifts of nominal value. If you do not wish to receive these communications please submit a written request to our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, Doctors of Hearing 65 N. Madison Ave #201 Pasadena, CA 91101.

5. Others Involved in Your Healthcare


Unless you object, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend, a caretaker, or any other person we feel should be actively involved in your hearing health care If you are unable to agree or you object to such a disclosure, we may disclose such information as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest based on our professional judgment. Also, for example, if you are brought into this office and are unable to communicate normally with your clinician for some reason, we may find it is in your best interest to give your hearing instrument and other supplies to the friend or relative who brought you in for treatment. We may also use and disclose protected health information to notify such persons of your location, general condition, or death. We also may coordinate with disaster relief agencies to make this type of notification. We also may use professional judgment and our experience with common practice to make reasonable decisions about your best interests in allowing a person to act on your behalf to pick up your hearing instruments, supplies, records, or other things that contain protected health information about you. . If you wish to have a specific person or persons excluded from communication you can submit a written request to our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, Doctors of Hearing Inc., 65 N. Madison Ave #201 Pasadena, CA 91101

6. Required by Law


We may use or disclose your protected health information to the extent that the use or disclosure is required by law. The use or disclosure will be made in compliance with the law and will be limited to the relevant requirements of the law. You will be notified, as required by law, of any such uses or disclosures.

7. Public Health


We may disclose your protected health information for public health activities and purposes to a public health authority that is permitted by law to collect or receive the information. The disclosure will be made for the purpose of controlling disease, injury or disability. We may also disclose your protected health information, if directed by the public health authority, to a foreign government agency that is collaborating with the public health authority.


8. Business Associates


We may disclose your protected health information to our business associates that perform functions on our behalf or provide us with services if the information is necessary for such functions or services. To protect your health information, however, we require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your information.


9. Communicable Diseases


We may disclose your protected health information, if authorized by law, to a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading the disease or condition.


10. Health Oversight


We may disclose your protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, and inspections. Oversight agencies
seeking this information include government agencies that oversee the audiological/health care system, government benefit programs, other government regulatory programs and civil rights laws.

11. Abuse or Neglect


We may disclose your protected health information to a public health authority that is authorized by law to receive reports of abuse or neglect. In addition, we may disclose your protected health information if we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence to the governmental entity or agency authorized to receive such information. In this case, the disclosure will be made consistent with the requirements of applicable federal and state laws.


12. Food and Drug Administration

We may disclose your protected health information to a person or company required by the Food and Drug Administration to report adverse events, product defects or problems, biologic product deviations, track products to enable product recalls, to make repairs or replacements, or to conduct post marketing surveillance, as required by law.


13. Legal Proceedings


We may disclose your protected health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding, in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal (to the extent such disclosure is expressly authorized), and in certain conditions in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process.

15. Law Enforcement


We may disclose your protected health information, so long as applicable legal requirements are met, for law enforcement purposes.

16. Coroners, Funeral Directors, and Organ Donation


We may disclose your protected health information to a coroner or medical examiner for identification purposes, determining cause of death or for the coroner or medical examiner to perform other duties authorized by law. We may also disclose your protected health information to a funeral director, as authorized by law, in order to permit the funeral director to carry out its duties. We may disclose such information in reasonable anticipation of death. Protected health information may be used and disclosed for cadaveric organ, eye or tissue donation purposes.


17. Research


We may disclose your protected health information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your protected health information.


18. Serious Threat to Health or Safety


Consistent with applicable federal and state laws, we may disclose your protected health information to prevent or lessen a serious threat to your health and safety or to the health and safety of another person or the public.


19. Military Activity and National Security


If you are involved with military, national security or intelligence activities or if you are in law enforcement custody, we may disclose your protected health information to authorized officials so they may carry out their legal duties under the law.

20. Workers’ Compensation

We may disclose your protected health information as authorized for workers’ compensation or other similar programs that provide benefits for a work-related illness.


21. For Data Breach Notification Purposes


We may use or disclose your protected health information to provide legally required notices of unauthorized access to or disclosure of your health information.

22. Required Uses and Disclosures

Under the law, we must make disclosures to you and when required by the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with the requirements of Section 164.500 et. Seq.

SPECIAL PROTECTIONS FOR HIV, ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE, MENTAL HEALTH AND GENETIC INFORMATION


Certain federal and state laws may require special privacy protections that restrict the use and disclosure of certain health information, including HIV-related information, alcohol and substance abuse information, mental health information, and genetic information. Some parts of this Notice may not apply to these types of information.

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION BASED UPON YOUR WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION


The following uses and disclosures will be made only with your written authorization:

1. Uses and disclosures of protected health information for marketing purposes for which we or a business associate may receive remuneration; and


2. Disclosures that constitute a sale of protected health information.
Other uses and disclosures of your protected health information not described in this Notice will be made only with your written authorization, unless otherwise permitted or required by law. You may revoke this authorization, at any time, in writing, except to the extent that Doctors of Hearing Inc. has taken an action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization. Additionally, if a use or disclosure of protected health information described above in this Notice is prohibited or materially limited by other laws that apply to use, it is our intent to meet the requirements of the more stringent law.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

The following is a statement of your rights with respect to your protected health information and a brief description of how you may exercise these rights.


1.Right to be Notified if there is a Breach of Your Protected Health information


You have the right to be notified upon a breach of any of your unsecured protected health information.

2. Right to Inspect and Copy

You may inspect and obtain a copy of your protected health information that is contained in your medical and billing records and any other records that Doctors of Hearing Inc. uses for making decisions about you. To inspect and copy your medical information, you must submit a written request to our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, Doctors of Hearing Inc., 65 N. Madison Ave #201, Pasadena, CA, 91101. If you request a copy of your information, we may charge you a reasonable fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other costs incurred by us in complying with you request. Under federal law, you may not inspect or copy the following records: psychotherapy notes; information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or use in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding; and protected health information that is subject to law that prohibits access to protected health information. Depending on the circumstances, we may deny your request to inspect and/or copy your protected health information. A decision to deny access may be reviewable. Please contact our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz at (909) 466- 8442 or www.doctorsofhearing.com if you have questions about access to your medical record.

3. Right to Request Restrictions

You may ask us not to use or disclose any part of your protected health information for the purposes of treatment, payment or healthcare operations. You may also request that any part of your protected 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. To request a restriction on who may have access to your protected health information, you must submit a written request to our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, Doctors of Hearing Inc. 65 N Madison Ave Pasadena, CA 9110. Your request must state the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply. Doctors of Hearing Inc. is not required to agree to a restriction that you may request, unless you are asking us to restrict the use and disclosure of your protected health information to a health plan for payment or audiological/health care operation purposes and such information you wish to restrict pertains solely to a audiological/health care item or service for which you have paid us “out-of-pocket” in full. If we believe it is in your best interest to permit the use and disclosure of your protected health information, your protected health information will not be restricted. If we do agree to the requested restriction, we may not use or disclose your protected health information in violation of that restriction unless it is needed to provide emergency treatment.

4. Right to Request Confidential Communication

You have the right to request to receive confidential communications from us by alternative means or at an alternative location. We will accommodate reasonable requests. You must request this by submitting a written request to our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, Doctors of Hearing Inc. 65 N. Madison Ave Pasadena, CA 91101.

5. Right to Request Amendment


You may request an amendment of your protected health information contained in your medical and billing records and any other records that Doctors of Hearing Inc. uses for making decisions about you, for as long as we maintain the protected health information. You must request for an amendment by submitting a written request to our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, 65 N. Madison Ave #201 Pasadena, CA, 9110 and provide the reason(s) that support your request. In certain cases, we may deny your request for an amendment. If we deny your request for an amendment, 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.


6. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made, if any, of your protected health information. This right applies to disclosures for purposes other than treatment, payment or healthcare operations as described in this Notice. It excludes disclosures we may have made to you, for a resident directory, to family members or friends involved in your care, or for notification purposes. The right to receive this information is subject to certain exceptions, restrictions and limitations. Additionally, limitations are different for electronic health records. You must request for an accounting of disclosures by submitting a written request to our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, Doctors of Hearing Inc., and provide the reason(s) that support your request.

7. Right to Obtain a Paper Copy of this Notice

You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. To obtain a paper copy of this Notice, you can contact our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, at (909) 466-8442 or www.doctorsofhearing.com. You may also obtain a copy of this Notice at www.doctorsofhearing.com.

COMPLAINTS OR QUESTIONS

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. If you have a question about this Notice or wish to file a complaint with us, please contact our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, at (909) 466-8442 or www.doctorsofhearing.com or the Corporate Privacy Officer at the address listed below. All complaints must be submitted in writing. Doctors of Hearing Inc. will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We reserve the right to change this Notice at any time. The new Notice will be effective for all health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. You can also obtain a revised Notice at www.doctorsofhearing.com or by contacting our Privacy Officer, Hilary Ruiz, Doctors of Hearing Inc., 65 N. Madison Ave #201 Pasadena, CA, 91101.

This Notice is effective as of October 2016. 

At Doctors of Hearing, we work with 6 primary brands that are the foremost leaders in our industry.  Each of them are well known for advanced technology, dependability, and excellent customer service.  From our clinician experience and patient feedback we have identified the best equipment.

Doctors of Hearing Inc. provides hearing solutions that are easy to use. We sell only brands that are well known in the industry. We offer a broad selection of equipment. Not all patients benefit from the same brand of hearing aid.

Most likely you will spend a life time with your hearing provider. In order to get the best service available we recommend only the providers below. They are well known and are the most cost effective to maintain and adjust. This equipment can be serviced by almost any audiologist or trained technician.

Phonak (Swiss company) International was founded in 1947.

Headquartered near Zurich, Switzerland, Phonak, a member of the Sonova Group, has developed, produced and globally distributed state-of-the-art hearing systems and wireless devices for more than 60 years. The combination of expertise in hearing technology, mastery in acoustics and strong cooperation with hearing care professionals allows Phonak to significantly improve people’s hearing ability and speech understanding and therefore their quality of life.

Phonak offers a complete range of digital hearing instruments, along with complementary wireless communication systems. With a worldwide presence, Phonak innovation and sets new industry benchmarks regarding miniaturization and performance.

ReSound is a hearing aid company that was founded in 1943. The innovative hearing aids made by ReSound rely on smart technology, including device connectivity and apps, to help people hear better. They are known these days for having the first hearing aid that connects to the iphone and android phone. The Resound “Linx was made for iphone and now compatible with android phones too. Now patients can have Direct stereo streaming from iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, it provides the user the same opportunities to connect, interact and engage as everyone else.” Patients enjoy the wireless technology, especially to be hands free, calls go right into the hearing aids and patients love to use the app. It allows the user to manipulate their volume, to change programs to be able to understand speech in very noisy environments, to stream music and even to find or track their hearing aids with the use of the app. (geo-track technology).

Widex is a family owned company founded in Denmark in 1956. Today, it is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of hearing aids. Widex hearing aids are sold in more than 100 countries around the world, and the company employs over 4,000 people worldwide. We develop digital technology at a level of quality that few can match, and this has forged our reputation as one of the most innovative manufacturers in the industry. Our uncompromising approach to innovation has led to such advances as the world’s first digital in-the-ear hearing aid, as well as our own revolutionary wireless technology. Our mission is to provide hearing solutions that are easy to use, seamlessly integrated in daily life and enable people to hear naturally.

Oticon is a hearing aid company that has been in business for more than 104 years. Founded in Denmark, the company now offers a wide range of hearing aids for customers of all ages across the globe. This brand is often use in Hospitals for mainly their pediatric population as they are known to cater to this population.

Siemens Hearing Aids

The Signia hearing aid brand was introduced a year after the formation of Sivantos, Inc., one of the world’s leading
hearing aid manufacturers and a top supplier of first-class accessories, fitting software, and diagnostic workflow solutions. 

Hearing aids co-branded Signia/Siemens represent a proud history of quality and innovation while inventing the future of better hearing. Signia builds on Siemens’ heritage of innovation to create a more emotional and agile brand dedicated to improving the lives of people with hearing loss. Signia primax introduces the world’s first hearing aids clinically proven to reducing listening effort and provide better than normal hearing.

Starkey

Starkey Hearing Technologies is the only American-owned and operated provider of hearing solutions. Founded and still headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Starkey Hearing Technologies takes pride in our American-owned heritage. Packed with American ingenuity, our hearing aids are built to be strong and long lasting. They are the result of thousands of dedicated people working hard every day to achieve a common goal: helping our neighbors hear their very best.

Starkey Hearing Technologies is much more than the hearing aids we produce. We are in the business of connecting people and changing lives. We believe being able to hear the world and the people around us is as essential to the human experience as breathing.

As a world leader in manufacturing and delivering advanced hearing solutions, our goal is to bring people together and make lives richer by empowering individuals to reach their full potential in life. In 1967, William F. Austin founded our company with the simple premise, "Alone we can't do much. Together, we can change the world." We live that vision every day – and it's why with every Starkey Hearing Technologies' product purchased, we donate to Starkey Hearing Foundation to help more people in need around the world receive the gift of hearing. To date we have given over 1 million hearing aids to people around the world.

We also believe innovative technology and personal service go hand in hand. That's why we back our advanced hearing products with superior customer service and support. From our network of hearing professionals to patient counseling, warranties, maintenance and repair, when you wear Starkey hearing aids, you will notice a difference both in your hearing and the support we provide.