Privacy policy
Notice of Privacy Practices
Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.
This Notice describes how medical and dental information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.
Cumberland Dental Care is required by law to protect the privacy of your health information. This includes information that identifies you and relates to your dental care, medical history, treatment, payment, insurance, or healthcare operations.
Protected health information may include your name, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, medical history, dental records, X-rays, photographs, treatment plans, prescriptions, insurance information, billing information, and communication related to your care.
We are committed to protecting your privacy and using or sharing your information only as allowed by law.
Your Rights
Get a copy of your dental record.
You may ask to see or receive an electronic or paper copy of your dental record and other health information we have about you. We will provide a copy or summary as required by law and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
Ask us to correct your record.
You may ask us to correct information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may say no, but we will tell you why in writing.
Request confidential communication.
You may ask us to contact you in a specific way, such as by phone, text, email, mail, or at a different address. We will try to honor reasonable requests.
Ask us to limit what we use or share.
You may ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or office operations. We are not always required to agree. If you pay for a service out-of-pocket in full, you may ask us not to share that information with your insurance company, unless required by law.
Receive a list of certain disclosures.
You may ask for a list of certain times we have shared your health information. This list will not include every disclosure, such as those made for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or disclosures you authorized.
Get a copy of this Notice.
You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time.
Choose someone to act for you.
If someone has legal authority to make healthcare decisions for you, such as a legal guardian or healthcare power of attorney, we may recognize that person’s authority after proper verification.
File a complaint.
You may file a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You may contact our office directly or file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Your Choices
You may tell us how you want us to share information in certain situations.
You may give us permission to share information with a family member, friend, caregiver, driver, or another person involved in your care or payment for your care.
We may contact you by phone, voicemail, text, email, mail, or patient communication software for appointment reminders, treatment follow-up, insurance, billing, or other care-related purposes. Please let us know if you prefer a specific method of communication.
We will not sell your health information.
We will not use your health information for marketing purposes when written authorization is required by law.
We will not post your photograph, dental images, X-rays, treatment results, testimonial, video, or other identifying information on social media, our website, or printed marketing materials without your written authorization. A general consent for treatment is not the same as a photo, video, testimonial, or social media release.
How We May Use or Share Your Information
We may use or share your health information for the following purposes:
Treatment
We may use and share your information to provide and coordinate your dental care.
Example: We may review your medical history, X-rays, treatment plan, prescriptions, or physician clearance before providing treatment. We may also share information with specialists, labs, pharmacies, physicians, or other healthcare providers involved in your care.
Payment
We may use and share your information to bill and receive payment from dental plans, health plans, insurance companies, or other responsible parties.
Example: We may send claims, X-rays, photographs, narratives, periodontal charting, treatment codes, and dates of service to your insurance company for claim processing, pre-authorizations, or appeals.
Healthcare Operations
We may use and share your information to operate our practice, improve care, train team members, conduct quality reviews, manage scheduling, and handle business operations.
Example: We may use your information for chart reviews, billing audits, staff training, and office process improvement.
Other Uses and Disclosures Allowed or Required by Law
We may also use or share your information when allowed or required by law, including for:
Public health and safety.
Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence when required or allowed by law.
Health oversight activities, such as audits, investigations, inspections, licensure, or compliance reviews.
Court orders, subpoenas, discovery requests, or other legal processes.
Law enforcement purposes when permitted or required by law.
Workers’ compensation claims.
Coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors.
Certain specialized government functions, such as military, national security, or correctional institution purposes.
Sensitive Information and Special Protections
Certain types of health information may receive additional protection under federal or state law. This may include, depending on the situation, information related to mental health, HIV/AIDS, genetic information, reproductive healthcare, substance use disorder treatment records, or other sensitive health information.
Certain substance use disorder treatment records may be protected by federal confidentiality rules known as 42 CFR Part 2. If our office receives or maintains records protected by these rules, we will handle those records according to applicable law and will not use or disclose them unless permitted or required.
If you have questions about sensitive information in your record, please contact our office before requesting that information be shared with another person or organization.
Electronic Health Information
We use electronic systems to maintain and manage patient information, including dental software, imaging software, electronic claims, secure portals, digital communication tools, and other approved systems.
We take reasonable steps to protect electronic health information, including staff training, passwords, access controls, and security safeguards.
Please understand that some communication methods, such as standard email or text messaging, may not be fully secure. If you choose to communicate with us by email or text, we may respond using that method when appropriate.
Our Responsibilities
We are required by law to:
Protect the privacy and security of your health information.
Follow the duties and privacy practices described in this Notice.
Provide you with this Notice.
Notify you if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
Not use or share your information other than as described in this Notice unless you give us written permission.
If you give us written permission to use or share your information, you may revoke that permission in writing at any time. Revocation will not affect any use or disclosure that occurred before we received your written revocation.
Changes to This Notice
We may change the terms of this Notice at any time. The new Notice will apply to all health information we maintain.
If we make a material change, we will make the updated Notice available in our office and upon request.
Questions or Complaints
If you have questions about this Notice or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact:
Cumberland Dental Care
124 Andrews Way, Suite A
St. Marys, GA 31558
Phone: 912-882-4274
You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office for Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone: 1-877-696-6775
OCR Privacy / HIPAA questions: 1-866-627-7748