Notice of Privacy Practices

Radhaimilda Cuevas Matos, FNP, an independently licensed Florida Family Nurse Practitioner practicing under the brand RC Family Care("we," "us," or "our practice"), is 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 describing our legal duties and privacy practices, and to abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect. We are required to notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI.

"Protected health information" means information that identifies you and relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health, the health care you receive, or payment for that care.

HIPAA permits the following uses and disclosures of your PHI without your written authorization:

Treatment. We use and disclose PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services. For example, we may share your information with referring physicians, specialists, pharmacies (including those that fulfill weight-loss and IV-therapy medications), laboratories, and other providers involved in your care.

Payment. We may use and disclose PHI to obtain payment for the services we provide — for example, billing your insurance carrier, verifying coverage, processing deposits and copays, or collecting on unpaid balances.

Health care operations. We may use and disclose PHI for our internal operations, including quality improvement, training, credentialing, audits, legal services, business management, and customer service.

Appointment reminders and care communications. We may contact you by phone, text, email, or through the patient portal to remind you of upcoming appointments, deliver lab results, send refill notices, share educational materials, or notify you of treatment alternatives or health-related benefits and services that may interest you.

As required or permitted by law. We may disclose PHI when required by federal, state, or local law — for example, for public health activities, reporting suspected abuse or neglect, in response to a court or administrative order, for law enforcement purposes, to coroners or medical examiners, in connection with workers' compensation, or for organ donation.

To avert a serious threat. We may disclose PHI when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of you or another person.

Business associates. We share PHI with vendors who help us run the practice (for example, our electronic health record platform, secure telehealth/video provider, payment processor, and email/SMS providers). Each business associate is contractually required to safeguard your information consistent with HIPAA.

The following uses and disclosures of your PHI will be made only with your written authorization, which you may revoke at any time in writing:

• Most marketing communications.
• Sale of your PHI.
• Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes (where applicable).
• Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice.

Right to inspect and copy. You may request to inspect or obtain a copy of your medical and billing records. We will provide records in the format you request when readily producible (typically through the patient portal). Limited exceptions apply.

Right to request an amendment. If you believe information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may request an amendment in writing. We may deny certain requests but will provide a written explanation if so.

Right to an accounting of disclosures. You may request a list of certain disclosures of your PHI made by us in the six years prior to your request. The first accounting in any 12-month period is free; additional requests may incur a reasonable fee.

Right to request restrictions. You may ask us to restrict how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or operations. We are not required to agree to most requests, but if you pay in full out of pocket for a service, you may request that we not disclose information about that service to your health plan, and we will honor that request unless disclosure is required by law.

Right to confidential communications. You may ask us to communicate with you in a specific way (for example, by mail rather than email) or at a specific location. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Right to a paper copy. You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice on request, even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically.

Right to be notified of a breach. You will be notified if a breach of your unsecured PHI occurs, as required by federal law.

Right to file a complaint. You may file a complaint with us (see contact information below) or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI.
• We must provide you with this Notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices.
• We must follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
• We must notify you if a breach of your unsecured PHI occurs.
• We will not use or disclose your PHI other than as described in this Notice unless you authorize us to do so in writing. You may revoke that authorization at any time, except for actions already taken.

We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the revised terms effective for all PHI we maintain. The current Notice will always be posted in our office and on our website. The effective date appears at the top of this page.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer or directly with the federal government:

By signing the patient intake at your first visit, you acknowledge that you have received this Notice of Privacy Practices.