Privacy Policy

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Effective Date: 04/01/2025

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 Sunshine Health Direct Primary Care (“we,” “our,” or “us”), we value your trust and are committed to protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your health information. This Notice of Privacy Practices explains how we may use and disclose your Protected Health Information (PHI), and outlines your rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

OUR LEGAL DUTY

We are required by law to:

1. Maintain the privacy of your health information.
2. Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices.
3. Abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
4. Notify you in the event of a breach involving your unsecured PHI.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

We may use or disclose your PHI without your written permission in the following circumstances:

1. For Treatment

We may use or share your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your medical care. For example, we may consult with other healthcare providers, refer you to specialists, or share information with a pharmacy to fulfill a prescription.

2. For Payment

We may use or disclose your information to obtain payment for the services we provide. For example, we may submit information to your health insurance company or a billing service.

3. For Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose your PHI to operate and improve our practice. This includes quality assessment, training, credentialing, legal advice, audits, and general administration.

4. Appointment Reminders and Treatment Alternatives

We may use your information to contact you about upcoming appointments, refill reminders, or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

USES AND DISCLOSURES THAT MAY BE MADE WITHOUT YOUR AUTHORIZATION

We may also use or disclose your information in these circumstances, as permitted or required by law:

1. Public Health Reporting – Disease prevention, vital records, FDA reporting, etc.
2. Health Oversight Activities – Audits, inspections, and investigations.
3. Judicial and Administrative Proceedings – In response to a subpoena, court order, or legal process.
4. Law Enforcement – As required by law to report certain injuries or criminal conduct.
5. Coroners, Funeral Directors, and Organ Donation – To identify a deceased person or arrange for organ donation.
6. To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety – If necessary to prevent a serious risk to a person or the public.
7. Specialized Government Functions – Military, national security, and correctional facility-related disclosures.
8. Workers’ Compensation – To comply with workers’ compensation laws.
9. Research – Under specific conditions, with safeguards.

USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRING YOUR WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION

We will not use or share your information for the following purposes unless you provide explicit written authorization:

1. Marketing purposes
2. Sale of your health information
3. Most uses of psychotherapy notes (if applicable)
4. Other disclosures not described in this notice

You may revoke any authorization at any time, in writing, except to the extent that action has already been taken based on the authorization.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

You have the right to:

1. Request Restrictions
   You may request limits on how we use or share your information. We are not required to agree to all restrictions, but we will accommodate reasonable requests.

2. Request Confidential Communications
   You may request that we communicate with you in a specific way (e.g., by mail or phone only).
3. Inspect and Copy Your Health Information
   You may view or request a copy of your medical records. A reasonable fee may apply.
4. Request Amendment
   You may request that we correct or amend your health record if you believe it is inaccurate or incomplete.
5. Receive an Accounting of Disclosures
   You may request a list of the disclosures we made of your health information, excluding those for treatment, payment, and operations.
6. Receive a Paper Copy of This Notice
   You are entitled to receive a physical copy of this Notice, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.

ONLINE PLATFORMS AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Sunshine Health may collect limited personal information through our website (www.sunshinehealthdpc.com) and social media platforms (e.g., Facebook and Instagram) when you:

1. Submit contact forms or appointment requests
2. Engage with us via comments or messages
3. Participate in online promotions or events

We use this information solely for the purpose of communication, care coordination, and service improvement. Any PHI submitted online is protected to the extent possible; however, please avoid sharing sensitive health details on public platforms.

COOKIES AND WEBSITE DATA COLLECTION

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve your user experience and gather anonymized usage data. This may include IP address, device type, browser, and browsing behavior.

You may opt out of cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect website functionality.

BREACH NOTIFICATION

If a breach of your unsecured PHI occurs, we will notify you without unreasonable delay, as required by HIPAA.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We reserve the right to revise this Notice. Any changes will apply to all PHI we maintain. The current version will always be available on our website and in our office.

QUESTIONS OR COMPLAINTS

If you have any questions about this Notice or believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact:

Privacy Officer: JD Alcantara, RHIT 

1337 Oceana Blvd Suite 110

Virginia Beach, VA 23454

(757)-916-8356

[email protected]

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