Notice of Privacy Practices

Our commitment to your privacy

At Wharton Dental, we are committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. We are required by federal law (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA) to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI), to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.

How we may use and disclose your information

We may use and disclose your protected health information for the following purposes:

• Treatment. We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your dental care — including consultation with specialists, lab work, and continuing care.
• Payment. We may use and disclose your PHI to bill and collect payment for the services we provide, including verifying insurance coverage and processing claims.
• Healthcare Operations. We may use and disclose your PHI for quality assessment, staff training, scheduling, and other administrative activities necessary to run our practice.
• Appointment Reminders. We may contact you to remind you of upcoming appointments.
• As Required by Law. We may disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.

Your rights

You have several rights regarding your protected health information:

• The right to request a copy of your dental records
• The right to request a correction to your dental records
• The right to request restrictions on how we use or share your PHI
• The right to request confidential communications (e.g., that we contact you at a specific phone number)
• The right to a list of disclosures we have made of your PHI
• The right to receive a paper copy of this Privacy Notice on request
• The right to file a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated

How to contact us

If you have questions about this notice or wish to exercise any of the rights described above, please contact our office:

Wharton Dental
1802 N Richmond Rd
Wharton, TX 77488
(979) 559-3401

Filing a complaint

You may also file a written complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Changes to this notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice at any time. A current copy of the notice will always be available at our office and on this website.

This notice is provided as general information about our HIPAA privacy practices. It is not a substitute for the full Notice of Privacy Practices available at our office, which contains the complete legal terms and disclosures required by federal law.