Notice of Privacy Practices

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 ⚠️.

This Notice of Privacy Practices (the “Notice”) describes how Dreem Sleep Clinic of California, PC. and the members of its Affiliated Covered Entity (collectively “DreemHealth’ or “we” or “our”) may use and disclose your protected health information to carry out treatment, payment or business operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law.

An Affiliated Covered Entity is a group of healthcare providers under common ownership or control that designates itself as a single entity for purposes of compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”). The members of DreemHealth will share protected health information with each other for the treatment, payment, and healthcare operations of DreemHealth and as permitted by HIPAA and this Notice of Privacy Practices. For a complete list of the members of DreemHealth, please contact DreemHealth at hello@dreemhealth.com.

“Protected health information” or “PHI” is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical health or condition, treatment or payment for healt care services. This Notice also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information.

Our uses and disclosures

How do we typically use or share your health information?

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways:

1️⃣ Treatment: We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you or supervising your treating professional. E.g. Your sleep specialist may discuss your condition with your primary care physician.

2️⃣ Run our organization. We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. E.g. We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.

3️⃣ Bill for our services. We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities for services we provided. E.g. We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.

To help with public health and safety issues. We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:

Preventing disease;
Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence; and/or
Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.

To conduct research. We can use or share your information for health research.
To comply with the law. We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it.
To address law enforcement.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests. We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director. We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests. We can use or share health information about you:

For workers’ compensation claims;
For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official;
With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law; and/or
For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services.

To respond to lawsuits and legal actions. We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

We never market or sell personal information ⚠️

Our responsibilities

👉 We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your health records.

👉 We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

👉 We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.

👉 We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

👉 We are required by law to ask you to sign a written authorization form should we need to release your health records.

Your choices

You may request the following from us:

A paper or electronic copy of your medical record:

You can ask to see or get a paper or electronic copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. You can pick up a copy of your medical record or we can mail it to you. Ask us how to do this. We do not email or fax patient records.
We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, as expeditiously as possible, usually within 30 days of your request.
Presently, there is no charge for obtaining a copy of your medical record.

Ask us to correct your medical record:

You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
We may say “no” to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Confidential communications:

You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share:

You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.
If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of our operations with your health insurer.

A list of those with whom we have shared information:

You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we have shared your health information for 6 years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

A copy of this Privacy Policy: You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.
Choose someone to act for you:

If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated:
- You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information on the back page.
- You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696- 6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
- You can also report any concerns about the quality or safety of care you have received by contacting directly our accrediting organization, i.e. the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC): (855) 937-2242
- We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions. In these cases, you have the choice to tell us to:

Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care;
Share information in a disaster relief situation; and/or
Include your information in a hospital directory.

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In the following cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

Marketing to you;
Sale of your information; and
Most sharing of psychotherapy notes.
In the case of fundraising: We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

Notice of retention and destruction of health records

RETENTION. We must notify you that we are required by law to retain your health records for a minimum of 7 years following your last encounter with the following exceptions:

A licensed physician shall maintain adequate medical records of a patient for a minimum of seven years from the anniversary date of the date of last treatment by the physician.
If a patient was younger than 18 years of age when last treated by the physician, the medical records of the patient shall be maintained by the physician at least until 1 year after the minor has reached the age of 18 years, but in no case less than 7 years.
Physicians shall retain medical records for such a longer length of time than that imposed herein when mandated by other federal or state statute or regulation.
Physicians may transfer ownership of records to another licensed physician or group of physicians only if the physician provides notice consistent with § 72543 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations and the physician who assumes ownership of the records maintains the records consistent with this chapter.
Destruction of medical records shall be done in a manner that ensures continued confidentiality.

DESTRUCTION. Your records will only be destroyed in a manner that protects your confidentiality, such as by incineration or shredding.

Changes to the terms of this notice

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request by:

E-mail at hello@dreemhealth.com or by phone at (650) 761-4056