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.
At Align Dermatology, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your Protected Health Information (PHI) in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and applicable state laws. This policy outlines our practices across our website and telemedicine platforms.
1. Scope and Third-Party Services
Our website provides information and links to our clinical services.
EHR Integration: For scheduling, clinical intake, and telehealth visits, we utilize a third-party Electronic Health Record (EHR) partner. When you navigate to the patient portal, you are subject to the specific privacy and security policies of that platform.
Mobile Applications: If you utilize integrated skin-tracking or imaging tools, data may be stored locally on your device or within secure cloud environments managed by our technology partners.
2. Permitted Uses and Disclosures of PHI
We may use or disclose your PHI for the following purposes without your written authorization:
Treatment: Providing, coordinating, and managing your healthcare. This includes sharing data with your primary care physician, referred specialists, or pharmacies.
Payment: Processing billing and collecting payment for services rendered. For direct-pay services, we limit disclosures to the extent necessary to process your transaction.
Healthcare Operations: Internal business activities, such as quality improvement, clinical protocol development, and compliance audits.
Legal Compliance & Public Health: As required by law for public health oversight, specialized government functions, or in response to valid legal processes (e.g., court orders).
3. Information Collected via Telemedicine
In addition to standard contact information, our virtual practice collects:
Clinical Imagery: High-resolution photographs and/or video of skin, hair, or nails for diagnostic purposes.
Diagnostic Data: Results from laboratory integrations (e.g., Quest or LabCorp).
Technical Data: Device information and IP addresses to ensure the stability and security of HIPAA-compliant video consultations.
4. Your Individual Rights
You have specific rights regarding your health information:
Right to Inspect and Copy: You may request to see and obtain a copy of your clinical records.
Right to Amend: You may request a correction to your records if you believe the information is inaccurate or incomplete.
Right to Restrict: You may request that we limit how we use or disclose your PHI. If you pay for a service entirely out-of-pocket, you have the right to restrict disclosure of that information to your health plan.
Right to an Accounting: You may request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI.
Right to Confidential Communication: You may request that we contact you in a specific way (e.g., a specific email or phone number).
5. Data Security and Retention
We use industry standard security measures to safeguard information concerning and submitted by users. Medical records are retained in accordance with state and federal medical record retention laws, typically for a minimum of 6–10 years depending on jurisdiction.
6. Contact and Complaints
If you have questions about this policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us. You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
Align Dermatology Privacy Officer
Contact us via email:
Contact@aligndermatology.com