Website Privacy Practices

We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our visitors. This privacy policy discloses how we collect, protect, and use information you provide or we collect online. By using the pages on this Site or other services covered by the posted Privacy Policy, you are accepting the practices described in the Privacy Policy. We pledge to follow the Privacy Policy below, as well as all applicable United States laws and regulations. In addition, you should check the Site regularly for the latest version and discontinue use of the Site if you do not agree with any of the terms.

Personal Information Collection

As is the standard policy of most websites, we automatically gather information about your computer such as your IP address, browser type, referring/exit pages, and operating system. A user may also contact us through our Contact Form embedded on our website. We gather information through the Contact Form such as first name, last name, telephone number, and/or e-mail address.

We use this information to:

Respond to customer service requests
Respond to your questions and concerns
Potentially conduct research and analysis
Personal Information Sharing

As a data controller, we take your privacy seriously. We will never sell, rent, or make available your data to anyone other than government officials in line with US and State Law. We will only share your personal information with third parties in the following instances:

As required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena or similar legal process.

When we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request.

If our company is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, you will be notified via email and/or a prominent notice on our website of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information, as well as any choices you may have regarding your personal information.

To any other third party with your prior consent.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use Google Analytics and cookies in order to track customer interaction with our Website. Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user’s experience more efficient. Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website.

Cookies are also used to collect general usage and volume statistical information that does not include personal information. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. For all other types of cookies, we need your permission.

If you do not want this data used, please block all cookies by following this guide. Please be aware, however, that if you block cookies that are in use to make this website function, you may experience registration issues.

Security

When we collect personal information directly from you, we follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during transmission and after we receive it. Your personal information is secured via SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Technology, though no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If you have any questions about security on our site, please contact us.

We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services, as well as to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. If you wish to cancel your account, or request that we no longer use your information to provide you services, contact us.

Links to Other Websites

This Site includes links to other websites whose privacy practices may differ from ours. If you submit personal information to any of those sites, your information is governed by their privacy statements. It is our suggestion that you carefully read the privacy statement of any website you visit.

Additional Policy Information

We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services.

Notification of Privacy Statement Changes

We may update this privacy statement to reflect changes to our information practices. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

This California Consumer Privacy Act Notice (“CCPA Notice”) contains information about our personal information processing, and your rights as a California resident under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). This CCPA Notice supplements our Privacy Practices.

We suggest you read this document in full and contact us if you have any questions.

Collection, Use, And Disclosure of Personal Information

Our Privacy Practices above contains a definition of “personal information.” More specifically, “personal information” is information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a natural person or household, such as a name, postal address, e-mail address, and/or telephone number. Other information directly associated with personal information also may be considered to be personal information. Information that is aggregated, de-identified, or anonymized is not considered personal information. Publicly available information that is made available from federal, state, or local government records also is not considered personal information.

Our Privacy Practices includes the categories of personal information we collect, how we collect personal information, the purposes for which your personal information is used, and the categories of third parties with whom we share your personal information. We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We use cookies in certain circumstances; for further information on our use of cookies, please review our Cookie Statement above.

Your Rights Under The CCPA

The CCPA, California Civil Code Sections 1798.100 et seq., affords certain rights to you if you are a California resident. For example, California residents may have a right, following a verifiable request, to:

(1) access—twice in a 12-month period, free of charge—the categories and/or specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources from which the personal information is collected, the business purpose for collecting the personal information, and the categories of third parties with whom we share personal information, for the 12-month period prior to the request; and

(2) delete personal information under certain circumstances.

We do not discriminate against users or customers on the basis of their exercising any of their rights afforded by the CCPA, which is further in accordance with California residents’ rights under that statute.

To request access to your personal information or request that we delete your personal information, you may contact us via email (please include “California Privacy Request” in the subject line) or via phone. Please specify in your request the details of what personal information you would like to access or delete.

To protect your personal information, we will verify your identity using data points you have previously provided to us. Please have this information available so that we can verify your request.

You may also authorize an agent to submit a request on your behalf, so long as you provide the authorized agent written permission to request on your behalf, and your authorized agent additionally is able to verify their identity with us. Please have your authorized agent follow the instructions above to make a request, and additionally mail your written declaration authorizing the agent to act on your behalf, certified by a California notary public. If your authorized agent has power of attorney pursuant to Probate Code sections 4000 to 4465, it may not be necessary to perform these steps.

Should you need access to this policy in an alternative format due to a disability, please contact us through the methods provided below.

Information Security, Integrity, And Retention

We take reasonable precautions, including the use of physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards, to protect your information. It is important that you also take precautions to protect against unauthorized access to your computers or other devices. If you feel that the security of your personal information has been compromised, please immediately contact us. Please be aware that, despite our efforts, no security system is impenetrable. In the event of a security breach, we will promptly notify you and the proper authorities, if required by law.

Changes To This CCPA Notice

We may periodically change this CCPA Notice to keep pace with new industry practices and regulatory requirements, among other reasons. We expect most such changes to be minor. Any non-material changes will take effect immediately upon posting of an updated CCPA Notice, and we will indicate the Last Modified date at the bottom of this document. There may, however, be cases where changes to the CCPA Notice may be more significant. In such cases, we will provide you with a prominent notice of such changes before they take effect or will directly send you a notification.

Your continued use of our services after the effective date of the CCPA Notice means that you accept the revised CCPA Notice. If you do not agree to the revised CCPA Notice, please refrain from using our website or services.

Contact Information

You can contact us about this privacy statement through the following:

Address: 8307 Brimhall Rd. Suite 1706 Bakersfield, CA 93312

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (661) 467-1477

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Privacy Policy

NOTICE OF HEALTH INFORMATION PRACTICES

This notice describes how information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully. 

Understanding Your Health Record/Information 

Each time you visit a hospital, physician, or other healthcare provider, a record of your visit is made. Typically, this record contains your symptoms, examination and test results, diagnosis, treatment, and plan for future care or treatment. This information, often referred to as your health or medical record, serves as a:

• Basis for planning your care and treatment
• Means of communication among the many health professionals who contribute to your care
• Legal document describing the care you received
• Means by which you or a third-party payer can verify that services billed were provided
• Tool in educating health professionals/students
• Tool in integrating new technical skills or products in your care
• Source of data for medical research
• Source of information for public health officials charged with improving the health of the nation
• Source of date for facility planning and marketing
• Tool with which we can assess and continually work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve

Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used, helps you to:

• Ensure its accuracy
• Better understand who, what, when, where, and why others may access your health information
• Make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others

Your Health Information Rights 

Although your health record is the physical property of the healthcare practitioner or facility that compiled it, the information belongs to you. 

You have the right to:

• Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information as provided by 4 5 CFR 164.522
• Obtain a paper copy of the notice of information practices upon request
• Inspect and obtain a copy of the health record as provided for in 45 CFR 164.524
• Amend your health record a provided in 45 CFR 164.528
• Obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information as provided in 45 CFR 164 .528
• Request communications of your health information by alternative means or at alternative locations
• Revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken

Our Responsibility

This organization is required to:

• Maintain the privacy of your health information
• Provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you
• Abide by the terms of this notice
• Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction
• Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations

We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health 

information we maintain. Should our information practices change, we will mail a revised notice to the address you have supplied us. 

We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice. 

For More Information or to Report a Problem

If you have any questions and would like additional information you may contact the Privacy Officer at 661-725-4847 

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with the Privacy Officer or with the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint. 

Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Operations 

We will use your health information for treatment. 

For example: Information obtained by a nurse, physician, or other member of your healthcare team will be recorded in your record and used to determine the course of treatment that should work best for you. Your physician will document in your record his or her expectations of the members of your healthcare team. Members of your healthcare team will then record the actions they took and their observations. In that way, the physician will know how you are responding to treatment. 

We will also provide your primary physician or a subsequent healthcare provider with copies of the various reports that should assist him or her in treating you once discharged from the hospital or from our care.

We will use your health information for payment.

For example: Members of the medical staff may use your information in your health record to assess the care and outcomes in your case and others like it. This information will then be used in an effort to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare and services we provide. 

Business Associates: There are some services provided in our organization through contracts with business associates. Examples include physician services in the emergency room department and radiology, certain laboratory tests and hospital admission and copy services. When these services are contracted, we may disclose your health information to our business associate so that they can perform the job we have asked them to do and bill you or your third-party payer for services rendered. To protect your health information, however, we require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your information. 

Notification: We may use or disclose information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative, or another person responsible for your care, your location and general condition. 

Communication with Family: Health professionals, using their best judgment, may disclose to a family member, other relative, close friend or any other person you identify, health information relevant to that person’s involvement in your care or payment related to your care. 

Research: We may disclose information to researchers when their research has been approved and established protocols have been put into place to ensure the privacy of your health information.

Funeral Directors/Coroner: We may disclose health information to coroner’s offices or to funeral directors consistent with applicable law to carry out their duties.

Organ Procurement Organizations: Consistent with applicable law, we may disclose health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking, or transplantation of organs for the purpose of tissue donation and transplant.

Marketing: We may contact you to provide appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. 

E-mail: We may contact you via e-mail as part of pre-operative workup and post-operative care.

SMS: By signing up for our SMS program, you agree to receive text messages from Central Valley Surgical Specialists regarding appointment reminders and service announcements. Central Valley Surgical Specialists will only use your number to send these messages to the number provided and will not share it with third parties without your consent. To opt out, text ‘STOP’ at any time. California residents: You have the right to access and request deletion of your personal information under the California Consumer Privacy Actt (CCPA). 

Fundraising: We may contact you as part of a fund-raising effort such as charity or promotional walks. 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA): We may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects, or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacement. 

Workers’ Compensation: We may disclose health information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers compensation or other similar programs established by law. 

Public Health: As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability. 

Correctional institution: Should you be an inmate of a correctional facility; we may disclose to the institution or agents thereof health information necessary for your health and the health and safety of other individuals. 

Law Enforcement: We may disclose health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena. 

Federal law makes provision for your health information to be released to an appropriate health oversight agency, public health authority or attorney, provided that a workforce member or business associate believes in good faith that we have engaged in unlawful conduct or have otherwise violated professional or clinical standards and are potentially endangering one or more patients, workers or the public. 

Effective Date: April 01, 2003 

We are required to abide by the terms of the Notice of Health Information Practices currently in effect. We reserve the right to change the terms of our Notice of Health Information Practices and to make the new notice provisions effective for all health information that we maintain Revisions to our Notice of Health Information Practices will be posted on the effective date and you may request a written copy of the Revised Notice from this office.

You have the right to file a written complaint with us at the address below, or with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights, in the event you feel your privacy rights have been violated. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

For more information about our Privacy Practices please contact: 

Privacy Official 

Central Valley Surgical Specialist

P: 661.467.1477

F: 661.467.1480

For more information about HIPAA, or to file a complaint: 

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 

Office of Civil Rights 

200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 

Toll Free: 1 (877) 696-6775 

 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________