Privacy Policy

Dr. Jessica Hale, DDS

Friday Harbor, WA

Effective Date: 8-15-2025

Purpose
This Privacy Policy describes how our dental office may use and disclose your Protected Health Information (PHI), your rights regarding your PHI, and our responsibilities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

Our Responsibilities
We are required by law to:
• Maintain the privacy and security of your PHI.
• Provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices.
• Notify you in the event of a breach of unsecured PHI.
• Follow the terms of this notice currently in effect.

How We May Use and Disclose PHI
We may use or disclose your PHI in the following ways:
For Treatment: To provide, coordinate, or manage your dental care and related services.
For Payment: To obtain reimbursement for the dental services provided to you.
For Health Care Operations: For administrative, financial, legal, and quality improvement activities that support our practice.
As Required by Law: We may disclose PHI when required by federal, state, or local law.
Other Permitted Uses: With your written authorization, we may use or disclose PHI for other purposes, such as marketing or sharing information with third parties. You may revoke an authorization at any time in writing.

Your Rights Regarding PHI
You have the right to:
• Access and Copies – Request to view or obtain a copy of your dental records.
• Amend – Request corrections to your health information if you believe it is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Confidential Communications – Request that we communicate with you in a certain way (e.g., at a different address or phone number).
• Restrictions – Request limits on how we use or disclose your PHI (though we may not always be able to agree).
• Accounting of Disclosures – Request a list of disclosures we have made of your PHI, other than those for treatment, payment, or operations.
• Paper Copy – Receive a paper copy of this privacy notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.

Safeguards and Security
We use appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your PHI against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Changes to This Policy
We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time. Any revised policy will apply to all PHI we maintain and will be available in our office and on request.

Questions or Complaints
If you have questions or concerns about your privacy rights, please contact:
Privacy Officer: Dr. Jessica Hale
Phone: 360-378-4913
You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, without fear of retaliation.