HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Dedham Acupuncture

95 Eastern Ave, Suite 111

Dedham, MA 02026

Effective Date: November 10, 2026

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 Commitment to Your Privacy

At Dedham Acupuncture, we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal health information.

We are required by federal law, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and applicable Massachusetts laws to protect your health information and inform you of your privacy rights.

This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information (PHI), your rights regarding that information, and our legal responsibilities.

Protected health information includes information that identifies you and relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health, healthcare services, or payment for those services.

1. How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

We may use or disclose your protected health information without your written authorization for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, as permitted by law.

Treatment

We may use and share your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare.

For example, we may share relevant information with another healthcare provider involved in your treatment or receive medical information from a referring provider.

Payment

We may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for services provided.

For example, we may submit information to your health insurance company to process claims, verify benefits, obtain payment, or determine coverage.

Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose health information as necessary to operate our practice, evaluate and improve the quality of care, conduct administrative activities, and comply with applicable legal requirements.

For example, we may review treatment records to evaluate the quality of our services or conduct billing audits.

2. Other Permitted or Required Disclosures

Subject to applicable federal and Massachusetts laws, we may use or disclose protected health information without your written authorization in certain circumstances, including:

Public health activities: To authorized public health authorities for legally permitted activities, including disease prevention, reporting, and public health investigations.
Health oversight: To authorized agencies conducting audits, investigations, inspections, or other legally permitted oversight activities.
Required by law: When disclosure is required by applicable federal or state law.
Abuse or neglect: To appropriate authorities when reporting is required or permitted by law.
Serious threats to health or safety: When legally permitted and necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat.
Legal proceedings: In response to qualifying court orders, subpoenas, or other lawful legal processes, subject to applicable privacy protections.
Law enforcement: In circumstances specifically authorized by law.
Workers' compensation: As authorized by laws governing workers' compensation claims.
Research: For legally permitted research activities, subject to applicable privacy protections.
Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors: As authorized by law.
Organ and tissue donation: To authorized organizations when applicable.
Special government functions: For legally authorized military, national security, or similar governmental purposes.

We will comply with applicable restrictions and conditions before making these disclosures.

3. Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information

You have the following rights under HIPAA and applicable law.

Right to Access Your Records

You may request to inspect or obtain an electronic or paper copy of your medical records and other protected health information maintained in a designated record set.

We will generally respond within 30 days, subject to permitted extensions and any shorter deadlines required by applicable law.

Reasonable, legally permitted fees may apply.

Right to Request Corrections

You may request an amendment to health information you believe is incorrect or incomplete.

We may deny certain requests as permitted by law, but we will explain the reason in writing, generally within 60 days.

Right to Request Confidential Communications

You may request that we communicate with you through a particular method or at a particular location.

For example, you may request that appointment communications be sent to a specific telephone number or mailing address.

We will accommodate reasonable requests as required by law.

Right to Request Restrictions

You may request restrictions on certain uses or disclosures of your health information.

Although we are not required to agree to every restriction, we will comply with restrictions that are legally required.

If you pay in full out of pocket for a healthcare service and request that we not disclose information about that service to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations, we will honor that request unless disclosure is otherwise required by law.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You may request an accounting of certain disclosures of your protected health information made during the preceding six years.

Some disclosures, including many made for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, are excluded from this accounting.

One accounting within a 12-month period is generally provided without charge. Additional requests may be subject to a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Right to a Copy of This Notice

You may request a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time, even if you have previously agreed to receive it electronically.

Right to a Personal Representative

If an individual is legally authorized to act on your behalf, such as a healthcare agent or legal guardian, that person may exercise applicable privacy rights on your behalf, subject to legal requirements.

Right to File a Complaint

You may file a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

4. Your Choices Regarding Disclosure

You have the right to express your preferences about certain uses and disclosures of your information.

These may include sharing information with family members, close friends, or others involved in your care or payment for your care, and sharing information in disaster relief situations.

If you are unable to express your preferences, we may make certain disclosures when permitted by law and when we determine that doing so is in your best interests.

Written Authorization

We will obtain your written authorization when required by law, including for:

Most uses and disclosures for marketing purposes that require authorization under HIPAA.
The sale of protected health information.
Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, if applicable.
Other uses or disclosures that are not otherwise permitted by law or described in this notice.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.

Fundraising

We do not use your protected health information for fundraising.

5. Additional Protections Under Massachusetts Law

Certain categories of health information may receive additional confidentiality protections under Massachusetts law.

Depending on the information involved and the circumstances of its collection or disclosure, these protections may apply to records concerning mental health treatment, HIV-related information, genetic information, substance use disorder treatment, and other legally protected information.

Where Massachusetts law provides greater privacy protection than HIPAA, we will follow the more protective applicable requirement.

We will obtain written authorization or consent for uses and disclosures when required by Massachusetts or federal law.

We will not interpret a general HIPAA permission to disclose information as overriding a more restrictive confidentiality law.

6. Substance Use Disorder Treatment Records

Certain substance use disorder treatment records are subject to additional federal confidentiality protections under 42 CFR Part 2.

If we receive or maintain records protected by Part 2, we will comply with the applicable restrictions on their use, disclosure, and redisclosure.

Part 2 records may not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against a patient except as specifically permitted by law, including where the required patient consent or qualifying court order and subpoena are obtained.

Where applicable, patients have additional rights concerning the use and disclosure of these records.

Any fundraising communication using Part 2 records will be subject to the applicable notice, consent, and opt-out requirements.

7. Reproductive Healthcare Information

We protect reproductive healthcare information in accordance with applicable federal and Massachusetts law.

Uses and disclosures of reproductive healthcare information are subject to the privacy protections and restrictions legally in effect at the time of the requested use or disclosure.

We will not disclose information when prohibited by applicable law, and we will obtain authorization or satisfy other legal requirements when necessary.

8. Our Legal Responsibilities

We are required by law to:

Maintain the privacy and security of protected health information.
Provide notice of our legal duties and privacy practices.
Follow the terms of the Notice of Privacy Practices currently in effect.
Notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured protected health information when notification is required by law.
Comply with applicable federal and Massachusetts confidentiality requirements.

We will not use or disclose protected health information in ways that are inconsistent with this notice unless permitted or required by law or authorized by you in writing.

9. Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices and to make revised provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain, including information collected before the revision.

When material changes are made, an updated notice will be made available at our office, upon request, and on our website.

The current notice will identify its effective date.

10. Questions and Privacy Complaints

If you have questions about this notice, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact:

Dedham Acupuncture

95 Eastern Ave, Suite 111

Dedham, MA 02026

Phone: 781-686-2395

Email: admin@dedhamacupuncture.com

You may also file a complaint with the:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office for Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20201

Phone: 1-877-696-6775

Website: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html

You will not be retaliated against for filing a privacy complaint.

Effective Date: November 10, 2026

Dedham Acupuncture
Dedham, Massachusetts