HIPAA Notice | Star Medical Wellness

HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Your rights regarding Protected Health Information

Effective Date: December 4, 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.

Our Legal Duties

Star Medical Wellness is required by federal law to:

  • Maintain the privacy and security of your Protected Health Information (PHI)
  • Provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices regarding your PHI
  • Follow the terms of the notice currently in effect
  • Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction on how we use or disclose your PHI
  • Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or locations

How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

The following categories describe different ways we may use and disclose your PHI. Not every use or disclosure will be listed, but all permitted uses and disclosures will fall into one of these categories.

1. Treatment

We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and related services. This includes:

  • Consultations with other healthcare providers about your care
  • Sharing information with laboratories, specialists, or other healthcare professionals
  • Coordinating referrals to other providers
  • Telehealth consultations

Example: We may share your lab results with a consulting physician or specialist to coordinate your treatment plan.

2. Payment

We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for services we provide. This includes:

  • Billing and collection activities
  • Providing information to insurance companies
  • Determining eligibility for coverage
  • Obtaining prior authorization for services

Example: We may provide your insurance company with information about your treatment to obtain payment for services.

3. Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose your PHI for our healthcare operations, including:

  • Quality assessment and improvement activities
  • Training healthcare students, trainees, or practitioners
  • Business planning and development
  • Conducting or arranging for medical review, legal services, and auditing functions
  • General administrative activities

4. Business Associates

We may disclose your PHI to our business associates who perform services on our behalf. These include:

  • Electronic health record vendors
  • Laboratory testing services (LabCorp)
  • Billing and payment processing companies
  • Telehealth platform providers
  • IT support and data storage services

All business associates are required by contract to protect your PHI and follow HIPAA regulations.

Uses and Disclosures Not Requiring Authorization

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

Required by Law

  • When required by federal, state, or local law
  • Court orders, subpoenas, or other legal processes
  • Workers' compensation or similar programs

Public Health Activities

  • Reporting communicable diseases to public health authorities
  • Reporting adverse reactions to medications to the FDA
  • Notification regarding recalls of products
  • Public health surveillance, investigations, and interventions

Health Oversight Activities

  • Audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure activities
  • Government monitoring of the healthcare system

Law Enforcement

  • In response to court orders, warrants, subpoenas
  • To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person
  • About victims of crimes in certain circumstances

To Avert Serious Threat to Health or Safety

We may use or disclose your PHI when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.

Specialized Government Functions

  • Military and veterans' activities
  • National security and intelligence activities
  • Protective services for the President and others
  • Correctional institutions and law enforcement custody

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors

We may disclose PHI to coroners or medical examiners for identification purposes, determining cause of death, or other duties as authorized by law. We may disclose PHI to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

Your Rights Regarding Your PHI

Right to Request Restrictions

You have the right to request restrictions on how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to your request but will consider all requests carefully.

Right to Confidential Communications

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we contact you only at work or by mail.

Right to Inspect and Copy

You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your medical records and other health information. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies.

We may deny your request in certain limited circumstances. If we deny your request, you may request a review of that decision.

Right to Amend

You have the right to request that we amend your health information if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny your request in certain circumstances, but we will provide you with a written explanation.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI made by us. This does not include disclosures for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, and certain other disclosures.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice

You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time, even if you have previously received an electronic copy.

Right to Breach Notification

You have the right to be notified in the event of a breach of your unsecured PHI.

Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Written Authorization

Other uses and disclosures of your PHI not covered by this notice or required by law will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke your authorization in writing at any time. Revocation will not affect disclosures we have already made based on your authorization.

Specific uses that require authorization include:

  • Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes (if applicable)
  • Marketing communications
  • Sale of PHI
  • Other uses not described in this notice

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of your rights described in this notice, please submit your request in writing to:

Privacy Officer: Jill, APRN
Address: 111 West Magnolia Ave. Suite #2042, Longwood, FL 32750
Phone: (407) 986-1600
Email: [email protected]

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with:

Star Medical Wellness:
Privacy Officer: Jill, APRN
Phone: (407) 986-1600
Email: info@starmedicalwellness.com

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
Office for Civil Rights
Website: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy
Phone: 1-877-696-6775

You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change this notice and to make the revised or new notice effective for all PHI we already have as well as any PHI we create or receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice on our website and in our office. The notice will contain the effective date on the first page.

Questions?

Privacy Officer: Jill, APRN

Phone: (407) 986-1600

Email: info@starmedicalwellness.com

Address: 111 West Magnolia Ave. Suite #2042, Longwood, FL 32750