Access Vascular Health and its affiliates (“we” “us”) take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, store, protect, and use information obtained about you in connection with the website located at accessvascularhealth.com (“Website”). Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we will properly treat it. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, you have the choice to not use this Website. By accessing or using this Website, you agree to this Privacy Policy.
Information We May Collect from You. The information we collect on or through our Website may include information that you provide by filling in forms on our Website. This includes records and copies of your correspondence (including email addresses) if you contact us. As you navigate through and interact with our Website, we may use automatic data collection technologies (Meta/Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, etc.) to collect certain General Information about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns, including details of your visits to our Website, traffic data, location data, logs and other communication data and the resources that you access and use on the Website. It may also include information about your computer and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type. We also may use these technologies to collect information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or other online services (behavioral tracking). We may maintain or associate information we collect automatically with Personal Information we collect in other ways or receive from third parties. It helps us to improve our Website and to deliver a better and more personalized service. Information that may be collected and technologies that may be used are as follows:
- Cookies are small data files that are stored on the hard drive of the computer you use to view a website. Every computer that accesses our Website is assigned a different cookie by us. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our Website.
- Flash Cookies are local stored objects (or flash cookies) collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from and on our Website. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings as are used for browser cookies. Certain features of our Website may use Flash Cookies.
- General Information is information we obtain from your connection and interaction with this Website and your use of other websites using Cookies. General Information does not identify you personally. For instance, we don’t identify your name from your Internet browser address, but we use it to compile statistics about visitors to our Website and preferences of our visitors. General Information we collect when you visit our Website includes, the domain and host from which you access the Internet, the Internet protocol address of the computer you are using, the browser software you are using, the operating system you are using, the date and time that you access our Website, the specific pages you visit at our Website, the number of visits you make to our Website, the number of visits to specific pages you make at our Website and products or Websites viewed at our Website. General Information may also include geo-targeting information about your location at the time of use of the Website, JavaScript that uses third-party services to store data about activities and transactions, and offline website data, including both local and remote storage of activities.
- Personal Information is information through which you can be personally identified. Through the Website, we only collect Personal Information that you voluntarily provide to us, which may include your name, address, email address, telephone number, or other personally identifiable information you submit to us, which may also include Protected Health Information.
- Protected Health Information is information that individually identifies you and that we create or get from you or from another health care provider, health plan, your employer, or a health care clearinghouse and that relates to (1) your past, present, or future physical or mental health or conditions, (2) the provision of health care to you, or (3) the past, present, or future payment for your health care.
We may use your Personal Information to contact you to confirm setting up an appointment with us and to discuss other or related matters. In the future, we may also use your Personal Information to contact you from time to time about goods and services we offer. If, at any time, you would no longer like to receive such communications by email, please use the unsubscribe link associated with such emails. The use, storage, maintenance, and disclosure of your Protected Health Information, however, will be subject to our Notice of Privacy Practices (“Privacy Notice”). Please contact our office directly for a written copy of this Privacy Notice. To the extent this Privacy Policy conflicts with our Privacy Notice with respect to your Protected Health Information, our Privacy Notice will control.
Sharing of Personal Information with Third Parties. Except as set forth in this Privacy Policy or as specifically agreed to by you, we will not disclose any Personal Information we gather from you on our Website to any third parties, subject to the Privacy Notice.
We may also release your Personal Information to third parties for the following legal reasons: (1) to comply with valid legal requirements such as a law, regulation, search warrant, subpoena or court order; (2) to protect and defend us, our subsidiaries and affiliates, and all of their officers, directors, employees, attorneys, agents, contractors and partners, in connection with any legal action, claim, or dispute; (3) to prevent imminent physical harm, such as a physical threat to you or others; and (4) in the event that we find that your actions on our Website violate any laws, our Terms of Use, or any of our usage guidelines for specific products or Websites. In the event that we are legally compelled to disclose your Personal Information to a third party, we will attempt to notify you unless doing so will violate the law or a court order.
How We Keep Your Information Secure. We safeguard the security of the data we receive from you with physical, electronic and managerial procedures. At the same time, we urge you to take every precaution to protect your personal data when you are on the Internet. However, despite our efforts to protect your Personal Information and Protected Health Information, there is always some risk that an unauthorized third party may find a way around our security systems or that transmissions of your information over the Internet will be intercepted. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of our database, nor can we guarantee that information that you provide will not be intercepted while being transmitted to us over the Internet.Privacy of Children. THE WEBSITE IS INTENDED FOR USE BY INDIVIDUALS 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER. THE WEBSITE IS NOT DIRECTED FOR USE BY CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 13. If you are under age 13, your parent(s) or guardian must agree to let you use this Website, and must agree to this privacy policy. We are committed to protecting children’s privacy on the Internet and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13.
Third Party Websites. Please be aware that our Website may have links to third-party websites that may collect Personal Information about you. When you click on one of these third-party links, you are entering another website for which we have no responsibility. This Privacy Policy does not cover the information practices or policies of such third-party websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of all such websites since their privacy policies may be materially different than our Privacy Policy.
California Privacy Rights. California Civil Code Section § 1798.83 permits users of our Website who are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please write us or call us based on the contact information and address found on the Website.
Effective Date and Changes. This Privacy Policy is effective as of February 28, 2022. We reserve the right to modify the terms of this Privacy Policy at any time and in our sole discretion, without notice. When the Privacy Policy is changed, modified, and/or amended, the revised Privacy Policy will be posted on our Website. Your continued use of this Website after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes. If you have any questions or concerns about your privacy, please contact our office directly.
SITE DISCLAIMER:
The medical information provided in this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Consult your physician or healthcare provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Notice of Access Vascular Health HIPAA Privacy Practices
Updated: July 1, 2022
THIS NOTICE OF HIPAA PRIVACY PRACTICES (“Notice”) DESCRIBES HOW YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED, AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) requires us to ask each of our patients to acknowledge receipt of our Notice of HIPAA Privacy Practices. The Notice is published on our website and available at Access Vascular Health. You can acknowledge receipt of this Notice by clicking on the “I Acknowledge Receipt of the Notice of HIPAA Privacy Practices” button, or by indicating your acknowledgement in another written or digital manner provided. You can receive a copy of this Notice by asking for one at the Access Vascular Health practice, or by printing one from our website at any time.
Access Vascular Health Responsibilities
Under HIPAA, the Companies must take steps to protect the privacy of your Protected Health Information (“PHI”). PHI includes information that we have created or received regarding your health or payment for your health. It includes both your medical records and personal information such as your name, social security number, financial information, address, and phone number.
Under federal law, we are required to:
- Protect the privacy of your PHI. All of our employees and physicians are required to maintain the confidentiality of PHI and receive appropriate privacy training
- Provide you with this Notice explaining our duties and practices regarding your PHI
- Notify you in the case of a breach of unsecured PHI
- Follow the practices and procedures set forth in this Notice
Uses and Disclosures of Your Protected Health Information That Do Not Require Your Authorization
Access Vascular Health uses and discloses PHI in a number of ways connected to your treatment, payment for your care, our health care operations and to meet legal and governmental requirements. Some examples of how we may use or disclose your PHI without your authorization are listed below.
TREATMENT
- To our physicians, nurses, and others involved in your health care or preventative healthcare.
- To our different departments to coordinate treatment-related activities, such as prescriptions, lab work, and X-rays.
- To other health care providers treating you who are not on our staff such as dentists, emergency room staff, specialists and other providers. For example (and without limitation), if you are being treated for an injured knee, we may share your PHI among your primary physician, the knee specialist, and your physical therapist, among others, so they can provide proper care.
- To your family and friends who is involved in assisting with your health care. We will only do this if you agree or do not object, and will only share with them the information they need in order help you. If you are unable to either agree or object to such a disclosure, we may disclose your PHI as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest based on our professional judgment. We will also assume that we may disclose PHI to any person you permit to be physically present with you as we discuss your PHI with you.
PAYMENT
- To administer your health benefits policy or contract.
- To bill you for healthcare we provide.
- To pay others who provided care to you.
- To other organizations and providers for payment activities, unless disclosure is prohibited by law.
HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS
To administer and support our business activities or those of other health care organizations (as allowed by law), including providers and plans. For example (and without limitation), we may use your PHI to conduct quality analysis, data aggregation, review and improve our services and the care you receive and to provide training.
- To other individuals (such as consultants and attorneys) and other companies and organizations that help us with our business activities. (Note: If we share your PHI with other organizations for this purpose, they must agree to protect your privacy.)
LEGAL OR GOVERNMENTAL COMPLIANCE
We may use or disclose your PHI without your authorization for legal and/or governmental purposes in the following circumstances:
- As required or permitted by law – When we are required by laws, including workers’ compensation laws.
- Public health and safety – To an authorized public health authority or individual to:
- Protect public health and safety.
- Prevent or control disease, injury, or disability.
- Report vital statistics such as births or deaths.
- Investigate or track problems with prescription drugs and medical devices.
- Abuse or neglect – To government entities authorized to receive reports regarding abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
- Minors – In general, parents and legal guardians are legal representatives of minor patients. However, in certain circumstances, as dictated by state law, minors can act on their own behalf and consent to their own treatment. In general, we will share the PHI of a patient who is a minor with the minor’s parents or guardians, unless the minor could have consented to the care themselves (except where parental disclosure may be required per applicable law).
- Oversight agencies – To health oversight agencies for certain activities such as audits, examinations, investigations, inspections, and licensures.
- Legal proceedings – In the course of any legal proceeding or in response to an order of a court or administrative agency and in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.
- Law enforcement – To law enforcement officials in certain circumstances for law enforcement purposes. By way of example and without limitation, disclosures may be made to identify or locate a suspect, witness, or missing person; to report a crime; or to provide information concerning victims of crimes.
- Health Information Exchanges – We may participate in health information exchanges (HIEs) and may electronically share your medical information for treatment, payment and health care operations purposes with other participants in the HIEs. HIEs allow us, and your other health care providers and organizations, to efficiently share and better use information necessary for your treatment and other lawful purposes. In some states, the inclusion of your medical information in an HIE is voluntary and subject to your right to opt-in or opt-out; if you choose to opt-in or not to opt-out, we may provide your medical information in accordance with applicable law to the HIEs in which we participate.
- Financial information – We may ask you about income or other financial information to determine if you may qualify for a low income waiver of the membership fee or other services where applicable. We may use this information for operations, marketing, and administrative purposes and to improve our service offerings.
- Military activity and national security – To the military and to authorized federal officials for national security and intelligence purposes, to the Department of Veterans Affairs as required by military authorities, or in connection with providing protective services to the President of the United States.
- Coroners, funeral directors, and organ donation—To coroners, funeral directors, and organ donation organizations as authorized by law.
- Disaster relief—To an authorized public or private entity for disaster relief purposes. For example, we might disclose your PHI to help notify family members of your location or general condition.
- Threat to health or safety—To avoid a serious threat to the health or safety of yourself and others.
Uses and Disclosures of Your Protected Health Information That Require Us to Obtain Your Authorization
Except in the situations listed in the sections above, we will use and disclose your PHI only with your written authorization. This means we will not use your PHI in the following cases, unless you give us written permission:
- Marketing purposes, except as allowed by HIPAA or applicable law (by way of example, marketing communications allowed by HIPAA without authorization include communications pertaining to care or treatment and/or our products or services.)
- Sale of your information.
- Most sharing of psychotherapy notes.
In some situations, federal and state laws provide special protections for specific kinds of PHI and require authorization from you before we can disclose that specially protected PHI. For example, additional protections may apply in some states to genetic, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse, rape and sexual assault, sexually transmitted disease and/or HIV/AIDS-related information, and/or to the use of your PHI in certain review and disciplinary proceedings of healthcare professionals by state authorities. In these situations, we will comply with the more stringent state laws pertaining to such use or disclosure.
Your Rights Regarding Your Protected Health Information
You have the right to:
- Request restrictions by asking that we limit the way we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations. You may also ask that we limit the information we give to someone who is involved in your care, such as a family or friend. Please note that we are not required to agree to your request, except when a restriction has been requested regarding a disclosure to a health plan in situations where the patient has paid for services in full and where the purpose of the disclosure is for payment. If we do agree, we will honor your limits unless it is an emergency situation.
- Ask that we communicate with you by another means. For example, if you want us to communicate with you at a different address, we can usually accommodate that request. We may ask that you make your request to us in writing. We will agree to reasonable requests.
- Request an electronic or paper copy of your PHI. We may ask you to make this request in writing and we may charge a reasonable fee for the cost of producing and mailing the copies, which you will receive usually within 30 days. In certain situations, we may deny your request and will tell you why we are denying it. In some cases, you may have the right to ask for a review of our denial.
- Ask to amend PHI we created that you feel is incorrect or incomplete. Your request for an amendment must be in writing and provide the reason for your request. In certain cases, we may deny your request, in writing. You may respond by filing a written statement of disagreement with us and ask that the statement be included with your PHI.
- Choose someone to act for you. If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will confirm the person has the authority and can act for you before we take any action.
- Seek an accounting of certain disclosures by asking us for a list of the times we have disclosed your PHI. Your request must be in writing and give us the specific information we need in order to respond to your request. You may request disclosures made up to six years before your request. You may receive one list per year at no charge. If you request another list during the same year, we may charge you a reasonable fee. These lists will not include disclosures made for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations and certain other disclosures as permitted by law.
- Request a paper copy of this Notice.
- Receive written notification of any breach of your unsecured PHI.
- File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You can file a written complaint with us at the address below, or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Communication Platforms
We may also use PHI to send you appointment reminders and other communications relating to your care and treatment, or let you know about treatment alternatives or other health related services or benefits that may be of interest to you, via email, phone call, or text message.
We may make certain PHI, such as information about care or treatment, appointment histories and medication records, accessible to you through secured online tools such as your Athena Patient Portal account.
If you choose to communicate with us via emails, texts or chats, you acknowledge that we may exchange PHI with you via email, text or chat, that email, text and certain chat functionality may not be a secure method of communication, and that you agree to the security risks of such communication. If you would prefer not to exchange PHI via email, text or chat, you can choose not to communicate with us via those means, and you can notify us via your Athena Patient Portal account.
Changes to Privacy Practices
The Companies may modify this Notice from time to time. The revised Notice will apply to all PHI that we maintain. We will make any such changes to this Notice by posting the revised Notice on our website. The date of the last update will be clearly indicated at the top of this Notice. Please review this Notice from time to time to ensure you are familiar with our HIPAA privacy practices.
Questions and Complaints
If you have any questions about this Notice or would like an additional copy, please contact our office at 713-703-2349. If you think that we may have violated your privacy rights or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your PHI, you may send a written complaint to our office at 5151 Katy Fwy Suite 170 Houston, TX 77007.
Notice of Non-Discrimination
NON-DISCRIMINATION NOTICE
Access Vascular Health (and its affiliates) complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate, exclude, or treat people differently because of their race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
Access Vascular Health provides free aids/services to people with disabilities and to people who need language and/or communication assistance. If you need these services, please contact a member of your care team for assistance or contact Access Vascular Health at info@accessvascularhealth.com.
If you believe that Access Vascular Health has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way based on your race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or at:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue SW
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201
or at (800) 368-1019, or (800) 537-7697 (TDD).
Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html.
LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES
(Spanish) ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-888-663-6331(TTY: 711).
(Chinese) 注意：如果您使用繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電1-888-663-6331(TTY: 711).
(Vietnamese) CHÚ Ý: Nếu bạn nói Tiếng Việt, có các dịch vụhỗtrợngôn ngữmiễn phí dành cho bạn. Gọi số1-888-663-6331 (TTY: 711).
(Korean) 주의: 한국어를사용하시는경우, 언어지원서비스를무료로이용하실수있습니다. 1-888-663-6331 (TTY: 711). 번으로전화해주십시오.
(Tagalog) PAUNAWA: Kung nagsasalita ka ng Tagalog, maaari kang gumamit ng mga serbisyo ng tulong sa wika nang walang bayad. Tumawag sa 1-888-663-6331 (TTY: 711).
(Russian) ВНИМАНИЕ: Если вы говорите на русском языке, то вам доступны бесплатные услуги перевода. Звоните 1-888-663-6331 (телетайп: 711).
(French Creole) ATANSYON: Si w pale Kreyòl Ayisyen, gen sèvis èd pou lang ki disponib gratis pou ou. Rele 1-888-663-6331 (TTY: 711).
(Arabic) ملحوظة: إذا كنت تتحدث اذكر اللغة، فإن خدمات المساعدة اللغوية تتوافر لك بالمجان. اتصل برقم 1-888-663-6331(رقم هاتف الصم والبكم:711).
(Polish) UWAGA: Jeżeli mówisz po polsku, możesz skorzystać z bezpłatnej pomocy językowej. Zadzwoń pod numer 1-888-663-6331(TTY: 711).
(French) ATTENTION: Si vous parlez français, des services d’aide linguistique vous sont proposés gratuitement. Appelez le 1-888-663-6331 (ATS: 711).
(Portugeuse) ATENÇÃO: Se fala português, encontram-se disponíveis serviços linguísticos, grátis. Ligue para 1-888-663-6331 (TTY: 711).
(Japanese) 注意事項：日本語を話される場合、無料の言語支援をご利用いただけます。1-888-663-6331 (TTY: 711) まで、お電話にてご連絡ください。
(Italian) ATTENZIONE: In caso la lingua parlata sia l’italiano, sono disponibili servizi di assistenza linguistica gratuiti. Chiamare il numero 1-888-663-6331 (TTY: 711).
(Persian Farsi) توجه: اگر به زبان فارسی گفتگو می کنید، تسهیلات زبانی بصورت رایگان برای شما فراهم می باشد. با 1-888-663-6331 (TTY: 711). تماس بگیرید.
(Armenian) ՈՒՇԱԴՐՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ՝Եթեխոսումեքհայերեն, ապաձեզանվճարկարողենտրամադրվելլեզվականաջակցությանծառայություններ: Զանգահարեք1-888-663-6331 (TTY (հեռատիպ)՝711):