US Notice of Privacy Practices

Who this notice covers

This notice applies to Miami Stem Cell Clinic, LLC, operating as Miami Stem Cell Clinic, and to clinicians and other personnel when acting on its behalf. It covers protected health information we create, receive, maintain or transmit in providing healthcare. Independent laboratories, hospitals and other separate providers may have their own privacy notices. This notice does not automatically cover other affiliated organizations.

Our responsibilities

We are required by law to protect the privacy of your protected health information, provide this notice, and follow the duties and privacy practices described in the notice currently in effect. We must notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured protected health information as required by law. Where another applicable law provides stronger protection than HIPAA, we follow that law.

Your privacy contact

Privacy Officer — Miami Stem Cell Clinic
Phone: (305) 434-2647
Mail: 1395 Brickell Avenue, Suite 200, Miami, Florida
Website: https://miamistemcell.clinic

Contact the Privacy Officer to ask questions, exercise the rights below, request assistance or make a privacy complaint. We may verify your identity or a representative’s authority. Please call for a secure way to send medical information rather than placing detailed records in an ordinary email or general website form.

Your rights

See or obtain your records. You may request access to, or an electronic or paper copy of, medical and billing information in our designated record set, subject to limited legal exceptions. We generally act within 30 days; if a permitted extension is necessary, we explain the reason and completion date in writing. Any copying fee will comply with applicable law. If we deny a request, we explain the reason and any review rights.

Request an amendment. You may ask us in writing to amend information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete and explain why. We generally respond within 60 days, subject to a permitted extension with written notice. If we deny the request, we explain why and how you may submit a statement of disagreement. An amendment does not ordinarily erase the original record.

Request confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at another location, such as using a different telephone number or mailing address. We accommodate reasonable requests.

Request restrictions. You may ask us to limit uses or disclosures for treatment, payment or healthcare operations, or disclosures to people involved in your care. We are not required to agree to every request. However, if you pay for an item or service out of pocket in full, we must honor a request not to disclose information solely about that item or service to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations, unless disclosure is required by law.

Obtain an accounting of disclosures. You may request an accounting of certain disclosures made during the six years before your request, or a shorter period. It generally excludes disclosures for treatment, payment or healthcare operations, disclosures you authorized, and other exceptions allowed by law. The first accounting in any 12-month period is free. We explain any permitted fee for additional requests before charging it.

Receive this notice and appoint a representative. You may obtain a paper copy promptly on request, even if you previously agreed to an electronic copy. A legally authorized personal representative may exercise your rights to the extent permitted by law. We verify the person’s authority and apply legal exceptions, including protections involving abuse or endangerment.

How we may use and share health information

The following uses and disclosures are subject to applicable federal and Florida law, including the additional protections described on the next page. A HIPAA permission does not override a stricter consent or confidentiality requirement.

Treatment. We may use information to evaluate your condition, plan treatment and coordinate care, and share it with healthcare professionals involved in your care. For example, we may provide relevant imaging and clinical history to a specialist treating you.

Payment. We may use and disclose information to bill for services, collect payment or support a claim when applicable. For example, relevant treatment information may be included in a claim to an authorized payer. We obtain additional permission where Florida or other applicable law requires it.

Healthcare operations. We may use and disclose information to administer the clinic, assess quality, review clinical performance and maintain appropriate records. For example, authorized clinical personnel may review a treatment record to evaluate quality of care. Service providers handling protected health information on our behalf must meet applicable contractual and legal safeguards.

Care communications and people you involve. We may contact you about appointments, treatment alternatives and health-related services as permitted by law. We may share information relevant to a family member’s or another person’s involvement in your care or payment if you agree, do not object when given an opportunity, or the law otherwise permits. If you cannot express a preference, limited sharing may occur using professional judgment in your best interests. Similar safeguards apply to disaster-relief disclosures.

Public health and safety. Permitted disclosures may include disease reporting, adverse-event reporting, product recalls, reporting suspected abuse or neglect, and preventing or lessening a serious and imminent threat, when the applicable legal conditions are met.

Oversight, legal obligations and proceedings. We may disclose information to authorized oversight bodies, including HHS for compliance review, or as required by law. Responses to court orders, subpoenas, administrative proceedings and law-enforcement requests require the relevant legal conditions and safeguards; a request alone does not authorize unrestricted disclosure.

Other legally permitted purposes. These may include workers’ compensation; organ or tissue donation; duties of coroners, medical examiners or funeral directors; and authorized military, national-security, protective-service or correctional functions. Research uses require your authorization or another lawful basis, such as a properly approved waiver, and any additional protection required by law.

Information with additional protection

Substance use disorder records. If we receive or maintain records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, the additional Part 2 rules apply. These records, and testimony describing their contents, cannot be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative or legislative proceedings against you without the required written consent or a qualifying court order issued after the required notice and opportunity for you or the record holder to be heard. A court order authorizing disclosure must also be accompanied by a subpoena or another legal requirement compelling disclosure. An ordinary subpoena alone is insufficient.

Part 2 may also require consent for other uses or disclosures unless a specific exception applies. When a lawful Part 2 consent permits disclosure to a HIPAA-covered recipient for treatment, payment or healthcare operations, that recipient may make further disclosures as permitted by HIPAA, subject to Part 2’s continuing restrictions on proceedings against you and other applicable law.

Florida protections. Florida law restricts disclosure of medical records, with exceptions for treating providers and other authorized purposes. HIV-test information, certain mental-health and substance-use treatment records, and genetic information have additional protections. We obtain specific consent when required. For example, Florida law generally requires express consent to disclose DNA-analysis results; a general HIPAA permission does not remove that requirement.

Uses that require your written authorization

Written authorization is required for most uses or disclosures of psychotherapy notes, marketing where HIPAA requires it, and sales of protected health information. Other uses or disclosures not described here require written authorization unless otherwise permitted or required by law. Identifiable patient stories, photographs and testimonials require appropriate permission before publication.

You may revoke authorization in writing at any time, subject to actions already taken in reliance on it and other limited legal exceptions. Treatment consent, cookie preferences and text-message permission do not substitute for a required privacy authorization.

If we contact you to raise funds for the clinic using information the law permits, you may opt out of further fundraising communications without affecting your treatment or payment. Before Part 2 records are used for fundraising, you will be given a clear opportunity to decline those communications.

Questions or privacy complaints

Complain to our Privacy Officer or directly to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Our internal process is optional. We will not intimidate, threaten, discriminate or retaliate against you for exercising privacy rights or filing a complaint.

HHS OCR: How to file a privacy complaint

OCR complaints generally must be filed within 180 days of when you knew or should have known about the alleged violation. OCR may extend this period for good cause. Our internal process does not extend regulatory filing deadlines.

Changes to this notice

We reserve the right to change this notice and, as permitted by law, make the revised notice apply to information we already hold and information received later. The current notice will show its effective date and be available on our website, at the clinic and on request.