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.

Our Duties

Retina Associates of South Texas, PA (“RAST”) is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information, to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to notify you if a breach of your unsecured health information occurs. We must follow the terms of the notice currently in effect. We may change this notice, and the change will apply to all information we hold. The current notice is posted in our offices and on this website, and a copy is available on request.

How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

Treatment. We use and share your information to provide your care, for example with your referring provider, primary care physician or another specialist.

Payment. We use and share your information to bill and receive payment from you, your health plan or others, for example to confirm coverage or obtain authorization.

Health care operations. We use and share your information to run our practice, for example for quality review, training, licensing and appointment reminders.

We may also use or share your information without your written authorization when permitted or required by law, including:

• As required by federal, state or local law
• For public health activities, such as reporting disease or adverse drug events
• To report suspected abuse, neglect or domestic violence
• For health oversight activities, such as audits and inspections
• In response to a court order, subpoena or other lawful process
• For certain law enforcement purposes
• To coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors
• For organ, eye or tissue donation
• For research approved under privacy safeguards
• To avert a serious threat to health or safety
• For specialized government functions, such as military and national security
• For workers’ compensation, as authorized by law

Unless you object, we may share relevant information with a family member, friend or other person involved in your care or payment for your care, or to notify them of your location and condition.

Texas law also governs how we handle your information. We may disclose your information electronically as permitted by law. We will not disclose it electronically for any purpose that requires your authorization without first obtaining it.

Uses That Require Your Written Authorization

We will not use or share your information for marketing, sell your information, or share psychotherapy notes without your written authorization. Any other use or disclosure not described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already acted on it.

Your Rights

• Access. You may inspect and obtain a paper or electronic copy of your health information. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
• Amendment. You may ask us to correct information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request and will tell you why in writing.
• Accounting of disclosures. You may ask for a list of certain disclosures we have made of your information in the past six years.
• Restrictions. You may ask us to limit how we use or share your information. We are not required to agree, except that we must agree not to share information with your health plan about a service you paid for in full out of pocket, unless the law requires us to share it.
• Confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at a particular address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
• Paper copy. You may obtain a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Privacy Officer in writing.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, at hhs.gov/ocr/complaints. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Contact

Privacy Officer
Retina Associates of South Texas, PA
9910 Huebner Road, Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78240
210-615-7600