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 (“Notice”) applies to protected health information maintained by LifeSpan Health Optimization (“LifeSpan Health”). It explains your rights, our responsibilities, and how we may use and disclose your health information. For questions or to exercise a right described in this Notice, contact Privacy Officer Sean Grammy at optimizelifespan@gmail.com or (925) 272-8978.

Your Rights

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record

You may ask to inspect or receive an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we maintain about you. We will generally provide a copy or summary within the time required by law. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee when permitted.

Ask us to correct your medical record

You may ask us to correct health information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. We may deny the request in circumstances permitted by law, but we will explain the denial in writing within the legally required time.

Request confidential communications

You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at a particular location. We will accommodate reasonable requests. Please tell us which communication methods are safe and appropriate for you.

Ask us to limit what we use or disclose

You may ask us not to use or disclose certain information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are generally not required to agree if the restriction could affect your care or our lawful operations. If you pay for a healthcare service or item completely out of pocket, you may ask us not to disclose information about that service or item to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations. We will agree unless disclosure is required by law.

Receive an accounting of disclosures

You may request a list of certain disclosures made during the six years before your request. The accounting does not include disclosures for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, disclosures you authorized, and certain other disclosures excluded by law. One accounting in a 12-month period is free. A reasonable, cost-based fee may apply to additional requests.

Receive a copy of this Notice

You may request a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically. The current Notice is also available on our website.

Choose someone to act for you

If a person has legal authority to act as your personal representative, that person may exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will verify the person’s authority before acting.

File a complaint

You may complain if you believe your privacy rights were violated by contacting Privacy Officer Sean Grammy at optimizelifespan@gmail.com or (925) 272-8978. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by visiting www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint, calling 1-877-696-6775, or writing to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain information, you may tell us your preferences about disclosure. These choices may include whether we share relevant information with family members, close friends, caregivers, or others involved in your care or payment; participate in disaster-relief communications; or contact you for fundraising. If you cannot communicate a preference, we may disclose information when we believe it is in your best interest or when necessary to reduce a serious and imminent threat, as permitted by law.

We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your health information for purposes that require authorization, including most uses of psychotherapy notes, marketing as defined by HIPAA, and sale of health information. LifeSpan Health does not sell patient health information. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already relied on it.

How We Typically Use and Disclose Your Information

Treatment

We may use your health information and disclose it to physicians and other professionals involved in your care. This may include conducting evaluations, providing telemedicine, preparing your LifeSpan Blueprint, reviewing medications and supplements, coordinating prescriptions, laboratories or imaging, making referrals, and communicating with your primary care clinician or specialist when authorized or otherwise permitted by law.

Payment

LifeSpan Health is primarily a self-pay practice and does not routinely submit claims to health insurance plans. We may use and disclose information as reasonably necessary to collect payment, process transactions, provide receipts or documentation, address billing questions, and carry out other payment activities permitted by law.

Healthcare operations

We may use and disclose information to operate the practice, improve care, maintain records, coordinate services, conduct quality and compliance activities, manage vendors and business associates, communicate with you, train personnel, obtain professional advice, and perform other lawful healthcare operations.

Other Uses and Disclosures Permitted or Required by Law

We may use or disclose health information without your written authorization when the law permits or requires it and all applicable conditions are satisfied. These circumstances may include:

Public health and safety activities, such as preventing disease, reporting adverse reactions or product problems, reporting suspected abuse or neglect, and preventing or reducing a serious threat to health or safety.

Health oversight activities, audits, inspections, investigations, licensure, and lawful government requests.

Compliance with federal, state, or local law and disclosures to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for HIPAA compliance review.

Workers’ compensation matters, law-enforcement purposes, special government functions, and correctional settings when legally authorized.

Court or administrative proceedings, orders, subpoenas, discovery requests, or other lawful process, subject to applicable safeguards.

Coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, and organ or tissue donation organizations when applicable.

Research when approved or otherwise permitted under applicable privacy law.

Information Subject to Additional Protection

California and federal law may provide additional protection for certain information, including mental health records, psychotherapy notes, substance use disorder records, HIV/AIDS information, genetic information, reproductive health information, and records concerning minors. We will follow any law that provides greater privacy protection than HIPAA. When a written authorization, court order, attestation, or other special condition is required, we will not disclose the information unless that requirement is satisfied.

To the extent LifeSpan Health receives substance use disorder patient records protected by 42 C.F.R. Part 2, those records will not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against the patient unless the patient provides written consent or a court order and subpoena satisfy applicable law.

Our Responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.

We will notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information, as required by law.

We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in the Notice currently in effect and provide you with a copy upon request.

We will not use or disclose your information other than as described in this Notice unless you authorize us in writing or the law otherwise permits or requires it.

Electronic Communications and Service Providers

We may use electronic health record, scheduling, payment, telemedicine, secure messaging, printing, shipping, storage, and other service providers to support the practice. When a vendor handles protected health information on our behalf and HIPAA requires it, we will use a Business Associate Agreement or another legally appropriate arrangement. Ordinary email and text messaging may carry privacy risks. Please use the secure communication method we identify for sensitive records.

Changes to This Notice

We may change this Notice and make the revised terms effective for all health information we maintain, including information created or received before the change. The current Notice will be available on our website and upon request. The effective date appears at the beginning of the Notice.

Privacy Contact

Sean Grammy, Privacy Officer
LifeSpan Health Optimization
Email: optimizelifespan@gmail.com
Telephone: (925) 272-8978

A residential street address is not published in this Notice. Patients who need to deliver a written request may first contact the Privacy Officer by email or telephone for an appropriate secure or mailing method.