Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 1/1/2025

San Diego Wellness Group

www.sdwellnessgroup.com

1. Purpose

This Privacy Policy describes how San Diego Wellness Group may use and disclose your Protected Health Information (PHI), your rights regarding that information, and our legal obligations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and California privacy laws (CCPA/CPRA).

2. Our Legal Duties

We are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy and security of your PHI
• Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices
• Notify you in the event of a breach involving your unsecured PHI
• Follow the terms of this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to change this policy and make the new provisions effective for all PHI we maintain. If we revise it, we will update the effective date and make the new policy available on our website and in our office.

3. How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

We may use or disclose your PHI without your written permission in the following ways:

a. For Treatment
To coordinate your care with other healthcare providers, including hospitals, pharmacies, or specialists.

b. For Payment
To bill and receive payment from insurance companies or other payers.

c. For Healthcare Operations
To improve our services, train staff, manage records, conduct audits, and maintain compliance.

d. In Emergencies
To share information with emergency personnel or hospital staff if you fall seriously ill, are hospitalized, or incapacitated.

e. To Prevent Harm
To prevent a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or the safety of others, as required or permitted by law.

f. As Required by Law
To comply with legal proceedings, court orders, subpoenas, or reporting laws (e.g., suspected abuse or neglect).

g. To Business Associates
With vendors who help us provide care and manage data (e.g., cloud storage, EHR). We require them to protect your PHI via Business Associate Agreements.

4. Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information

You have the following rights under HIPAA and California law:

a. Right to Access
You may request a copy of your medical and billing records. We will provide them in paper or electronic form within 30 days of written request.

b. Right to Request Amendments
You may request a correction to your records if you believe they are inaccurate or incomplete.

c. Right to Restrict Disclosures
You can ask us to restrict disclosures of your PHI. While we are not required to agree to all requests, we will comply when required by law.

d. Right to Confidential Communications
You can ask us to communicate with you in a specific way (e.g., at a different address or phone number).

e. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You may request a list of certain disclosures made in the past six years.

f. Right to File a Complaint
You may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

5. Complaints and Contact Information

To file a complaint or ask questions about this Privacy Policy or your rights, please contact:

San Diego Wellness Group
3930 4th ave, STE 300, San Diego, CA, 92103
info@sdwellnessgroup.com
Office phone: 619-320-8711

You may also file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/

6. Website Data Collection and Cookies

When you use our website, we may collect non-identifiable data such as IP addresses, page views, or browsing behavior using cookies and analytics tools. This data is used to improve website performance and does not include PHI.

We do not sell or share your health data with third parties for marketing purposes.

7. Third-Party Links

Our website may link to third-party services. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. Please review their policies before providing any information.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with the revised effective date.