Effective Date: September 10, 2026
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN ACCESS THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
1. Our Legal Duty. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI), provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and follow the terms currently in effect.
2. How We May Use and Disclose Your Information. We may use and disclose your PHI without your written authorization for the following purposes:
Treatment:To provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and related services at New York Brain, Spine & Joint. This includes communication among providers in our multidisciplinary clinic (e.g., physicians, therapists, specialists).
Payment: To bill and collect payment for services provided to you, including sharing information with insurance companies.
Healthcare Operations: To operate our clinic, including quality assessment, staff training, licensing, and administrative functions.
3. Other Permitted Uses and Disclosures. We may also use or disclose your PHI without your authorization when required or permitted by law, including:
- Public health activities (e.g., disease reporting)
- Health oversight activities (e.g., audits, inspections)
- Legal proceedings (court orders, subpoenas)
- Law enforcement purposes
- To avert a serious threat to health or safety
- Workers' compensation claims
Once information is disclosed to a third party (with your authorization), it may be re-disclosed by that recipient and may no longer be protected by federal privacy laws.
4. Uses Requiring Your Authorization. We will obtain your written authorization before:
- Using or disclosing psychotherapy notes (if applicable)
- Marketing communications (where required)
- Sale of your health information: We do not sell your health information. However, should we ever intend to do so, we are required by law to obtain your written authorization first.
You may revoke your authorization at any time in writing.
5. Additional Protections Under New York Law. Certain types of information have extra protection under New York State and federal law, including:
- Mental health records
- HIV/AIDS-related information
- Substance use disorder treatment records: SUD records have stricter protections than standard medical records and generally cannot be shared for treatment, payment, or operations without a specific separate consent.
- Genetic testing information
We will not disclose this information without your specific written consent unless otherwise permitted by law.
6. Your Rights. You have the following rights regarding your health information:
- Right to Access: You may request copies of your medical records.
- Right to Amend: You may request corrections to your records if you believe they are incorrect.
- Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You may request a list of certain disclosures we have made.
- Right to Request Restrictions: You may request limits on how we use or disclose your information (we are not always required to agree).
- Right to Confidential Communications: You may request we contact you in a specific way (e.g., only by mail).
- Right to a Paper Copy: You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time.
If you pay for a service entirely out-of-pocket, you have the right to request that we not share that information with your health plan for payment or operations, and we must agree to this request.
7. Breach Notification. We have a legal duty to notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured protected health information. You will be notified if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
8. Changes to This Notice. We reserve the right to change this Notice at any time. Any changes will apply to all information we maintain and will be posted in our clinic and on our website (if applicable).
9. Contact Information.If you have questions, concerns, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact New York Brain, Spine & Joint/Link Medical Services, 1175 Montauk Highway Suite 3, West Islip, NY 11795. Phone: (631) 600-9400.
10. Complaints.If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with New York Brain, Spine & Joint or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 509F, HHH Building, Washington, D.C. 20201. Email: OCRMail@hhs.gov. Toll-free: 1-800-368-1019, TDD: 1-800-537-7697.
