PRIVACY NOTICE

Last updated March 14, 2020

Thank you for choosing to be part of our community at Howland Family Dental (“Company”, “we”, “us”, or “our”). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. If you have any questions or concerns about our notice, or our practices with regards to your personal information, please contact us at WHDental@ptd.net.

When you visit our website www.howlandfamilydental.com, and use our services, you trust us with your personal information. We take your privacy very seriously. In this privacy notice, we seek to explain to you in the clearest way possible what information we collect, how we use it and what rights you have in relation to it. We hope you take some time to read through it carefully, as it is important. If there are any terms in this privacy notice that you do not agree with, please discontinue use of our Sites or Apps and our services.

This privacy notice applies to all information collected through our website (such as www.howlandfamilydental.com) and/or any related services, sales, marketing or events (we refer to them collectively in this privacy notice as the "Services").

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information, to provide individuals with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information, and to notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured protected health information, We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this Notice while it is in effect. We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time, provided such changes are permitted by applicable law, and to make new Notice provisions effective for all protected health information that we maintain. When we make a significant change' In our privacy practices, we will change this Notice and post the new Notice clearly and prominently at our practice location, and we will  provide copies of the new Notice upon request.  You may request a copy of our Notice at any time. For more information about our privacy practices, or for additional copies of this Notice,  please contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice.

Please read this privacy notice carefully as it will help you make informed decisions about sharing your personal information with us.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

2. HOW DO WE USE YOUR INFORMATION?

3. WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?

4. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?

5. DO WE USE GOOGLE MAPS?

6. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

7. HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?

8. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?

9. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?

10. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES

11. DO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?

12. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS POLICY?

13. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS POLICY?

14. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

Information automatically collected

In Short:   Some information — such as IP address and/or browser and device characteristics — is collected automatically when you visit our Services.

We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use or navigate the Services. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about how and when you use our Services and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Services, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.

Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies.

Information collected through our Apps

In Short:   We may collect information regarding your geo-location, mobile device, when you use our apps.

If you use our Apps, we may also collect the following information:

• Geo-Location Information. We may request access or permission to and track location-based information from your mobile device, either continuously or while you are using our mobile application, to provide location-based services. If you wish to change our access or permissions, you may do so in your device's settings.
• Mobile Device Access. We may request access or permission to certain features from your mobile device, including your mobile device's and other features. If you wish to change our access or permissions, you may do so in your device's settings.
• Mobile Device Data. We may automatically collect device information (such as your mobile device ID, model and manufacturer), operating system, version information and IP address.

2. HOW DO WE USE YOUR INFORMATION?

In Short:  We process your information for purposes based on legitimate business interests, the fulfillment of our contract with you, compliance with our legal obligations, and/or your consent.

We use personal information collected via our Services or Apps for a variety of business purposes described below. We process your personal information for these purposes in reliance on our legitimate business interests, in order to enter into or perform a contract with you, with your consent, and/or for compliance with our legal obligations. We indicate the specific processing grounds we rely on next to each purpose listed below.

We use the information we collect or receive:

1. To post testimonials. We post testimonials on our Services or Apps that may contain personal information. Prior to posting a testimonial, we will obtain your consent to use your name and testimonial. If you wish to update, or delete your testimonial, please contact us at WHDental@ptd.net and be sure to include your name, testimonial location, and contact information.
2. Deliver targeted advertising to you. We may use your information to develop and display content and advertising (and work with third parties who do so) tailored to your interests and/or location and to measure its effectiveness.
3. Request Feedback. We may use your information to request feedback and to contact you about your use of our Services.
4. To protect our Services. We may use your information as part of our efforts to keep our Services safe and secure (for example, for fraud monitoring and prevention).
5. To enforce our terms, conditions and policies for Business Purposes, Legal Reasons and Contractual.
6. To respond to legal requests and prevent harm. If we receive a subpoena or other legal request, we may need to inspect the data we hold to determine how to respond.                         
7. To deliver services to the user. We may use your information to provide you with the requested service.
8. To respond to user inquiries/offer support to users. We may use your information to respond to your inquiries and solve any potential issues you might have with the use of our Services.

3. WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?

In Short:  We only share information with your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services, to protect your rights, or to fulfill business obligations.

We may process or share data based on the following legal basis:

• Consent: We may process your data if you have given us specific consent to use your personal information in a specific purpose.
• Legitimate Interests: We may process your data when it is reasonably necessary to achieve our legitimate business interests.
• Performance of a Contract: Where we have entered into a contract with you, we may process your personal information to fulfill the terms of our contract.
• Legal Obligations: We may disclose your information where we are legally required to do so in order to comply with applicable law, governmental requests, a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process, such as in response to a court order or a subpoena (including in response to public authorities to meet national security or law enforcement requirements).
• Vital Interests: We may disclose your information where we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding potential violations of our policies, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person and illegal activities, or as evidence in litigation in which we are involved.

More specifically, we may need to process your data or share your personal information in the following situations:

• Vendors, Consultants and Other Third-Party Service Providers. We may share your data with third party vendors, service providers, contractors or agents who perform services for us or on our behalf and require access to such information to do that work. Examples include: payment processing, data analysis, email delivery, hosting services, customer service and marketing efforts. We may allow selected third parties to use tracking technology on the Services or Apps, which will enable them to collect data about how you interact with the Services or Apps over time. This information may be used to, among other things, analyze and track data, determine the popularity of certain content and better understand online activity. Unless described in this Policy, we do not share, sell, rent or trade any of your information with third parties for their promotional purposes.
• Business Transfers. We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.
• Third-Party Advertisers. We may use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit the Services or Apps. These companies may use information about your visits to our Website(s) and other websites that are contained in web cookies and other tracking technologies in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.
• Business Partners. We may share your information with our business partners to offer you certain products, services or promotions.

4. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?

In Short:  We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect and store your information.

We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to access or store information. Specific information about how we use such technologies and how you can refuse certain cookies is set out in our Cookie Policy.

5. DO WE USE GOOGLE MAPS?

In Short:  Yes, we use Google Maps for the purpose of providing better service.

This website, mobile application, or Facebook application uses Google Maps APIs. You may find the Google Maps APIs Terms of Service here. To better understand Google’s Privacy Policy, please refer to this link.

By using our Maps API Implementation, you agree to be bound by Google’s Terms of Service. You agree to allow us to obtain or cache your location. You may revoke your consent at anytime.

6. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

In Short:  We keep your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy notice unless otherwise required by law.

We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting or other legal requirements). No purpose in this policy will require us keeping your personal information for longer than 2 years.

When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize it, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.

7. HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?

In Short:  We aim to protect your personal information through a system of organizational and technical security measures.

We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, please also remember that we cannot guarantee that the internet itself is 100% secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our Services or Apps is at your own risk. You should only access the services within a secure environment.

8. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?

In Short:  We do not knowingly collect data from or market to children under 18 years of age.

We do not knowingly solicit data from or market to children under 18 years of age. By using the Services or Apps, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of such a minor and consent to such minor dependent’s use of the Services or Apps. If we learn that personal information from users less than 18 years of age has been collected, we will deactivate the account and take reasonable measures to promptly delete such data from our records. If you become aware of any data we have collected from children under age 18, please contact us at WHDental@ptd.net.

9. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?

In Short:  You may review, change, or terminate your account at any time.

If you are resident in the European Economic Area and you believe we are unlawfully processing your personal information, you also have the right to complain to your local data protection supervisory authority. You can find their contact details here: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/bodies/authorities/index_en.htm.

Cookies and similar technologies: Most Web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. If you prefer, you can usually choose to set your browser to remove cookies and to reject cookies. If you choose to remove cookies or reject cookies, this could affect certain features or services of our Services or Apps. To opt-out of interest-based advertising by advertisers on our Services or Apps visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices/.

10. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES

Most web browsers and some mobile operating systems and mobile applications include a Do-Not-Track (“DNT”) feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference not to have data about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. No uniform technology standard for recognizing and implementing DNT signals has been finalized. As such, we do not currently respond to DNT browser signals or any other mechanism that automatically communicates your choice not to be tracked online. If a standard for online tracking is adopted that we must follow in the future, we will inform you about that practice in a revised version of this privacy notice.

11. DO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?

In Short:  Yes, if you are a resident of California, you are granted specific rights regarding access to your personal information.

California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the “Shine The Light” law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about categories of personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared personal information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to us using the contact information provided below.

If you are under 18 years of age, reside in California, and have a registered account with the Services or Apps, you have the right to request removal of unwanted data that you publicly post on the Services or Apps. To request removal of such data, please contact us using the contact information provided below, and include the email address associated with your account and a statement that you reside in California. We will make sure the data is not publicly displayed on the Services or Apps, but please be aware that the data may not be completely or comprehensively removed from our systems.

12. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS POLICY?

In Short:  Yes, we will update this policy as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws.

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “Revised” date and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. If we make material changes to this privacy notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.

13. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS POLICY?

If you have questions or comments about this policy, you may email us at WHDental@ptd.net or by post to:

Howland Family Dental

432 South 9th Street

Lehighton, PA 18235

United States

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH lNFORMATlON ABOUT YOU  We may use and disclose your health information for different purposes, including treatment, payment, and health care operations. For each of these categories, we have provided a description and an example. Some information, such as HIV- related information, genetic information, alcohol and/or substance abuse records, and mental health records may be entitled to special confidentiality protections under applicable state or federal law. We will abide by these special protections as they pertain to applicable cases involving these types of records.

Treatment

We may use and disclose your health information for your treatment. For example, we may disclose your health information to a specialist providing treatment to you.

Payment

We may use and disclose your health information to obtain reimbursement for the treatment and services you receive from us or another entity involved with your care. Payment activities include billing, collections, claims management, and determinations of eligibility and coverage to obtain payment from you, an insurance company, or another third party. For example, we may send claims to your dental health plan containing certain health information.

Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose your health information in connection with our healthcare operations. For example, healthcare operations include quality assessment and improvement activities, conducting training programs, and licensing activities.

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care

We may disclose your health information to your family or friends or any other individual identified by you when they are involved in your care or in the payment for your care. Additionally, we may disclose information about you to a patient representative. If a person has the authority by law to make health care decisions for you, we will treat that patient representative the same way we would treat you with respect to your health information.

Disaster Relief

We may use or disclose your health information to assist in disaster relief efforts.

Required by Law

We may use or disclose your health information when we are required to do so by law.

Public Health Activities

We may disclose your health information for public health activities, including disclosures to:

• Prevent or control disease, injury or disability
• Report child abuse-or neglect
• Report reactions to medications or problems with products or devices
• Notify a person of a recall, repair, or replacement of products or devices
• Notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or condition
• Notify the appropriate government  authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence

National Security

We may disclose to military authorities the health information of Armed Forces personnel under certain circumstances. We may disclose to authorized federal officials health information required for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities. We may disclose to correctional institution or law enforcement official having lawful custody the protected health information of an inmate or patient.

Secretary of HHS

We will disclose your health information to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when required to investigate or determine compliance with HlPAA.

Worker’s Compensation

We may disclose your PHI to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to worker’s compensation or other similar programs established by law.

Law Enforcement

We may disclose your PHI for law enforcement purposes as permitted .by HIPAA, as required by law, or in response to a subpoena or court order.

Health Oversight Activities

We may disclose your PHI to an oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include audits, investigations, inspections, and  credentialing, as necessary for licensure and for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws

Judicial and Administrative Proceedings

If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose your PHI in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose health information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process instituted by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made, either by the requesting party or us, to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

Research

We may disclose your PHI to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board or privacy board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your information.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors

We may release your PHI to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also disclose PHl to funeral directors consistent with applicable law to enable them to carry out their duties.

Fundraising

We may contact you to provide you with information about our sponsored activities, including fundraising programs, as permitted by applicable law. if you do not wish to receive such information from us, you may opt out of receiving the communications.

Other Uses and Disclosures of PHI

Your authorization is required, with a few exceptions, for disclosure of psychotherapy notes, use or disclosure of PHI for marketing, and for the sale of PH], We will also obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your PHI for purposes other than those provided for in this Notice (or as otherwise permitted or required by law]. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. Upon receipt of the written revocation, we will stop using or disclosing your PHI, except to the extent that we have already taken action in reliance on the authorization.

Your Health information Rights

Access

You have the right to look at or get copies of your health information, with limited exceptions. You must make the request in writing. You may obtain a form to request access by using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice. You may also request access by sending us a letter to the address at the end of this Notice. If you request information that we maintain on paper, we may provide photocopies. If you request information that we maintain electronically, you have the right to an electronic copy. We will use the form and format you request if readily producible. We will charge you a reasonable cost-based fee for the cost of supplies and labor of copying, and for postage if you want copies mailed to you. Contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice for an explanation of our fee structure.

If you are denied a request for access, you have the right to have the denial reviewed in accordance with the requirements of applicable law.

Disclosure Accounting

With the exception of certain disclosures, you have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your health information in accordance with applicable laws and regulations To request an accounting of disclosures of your health information, you must submit your request in writing to the Privacy Official. If you request this accounting more than once in a 12—month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost- based fee for responding to the additional requests.

Right to Request a Restriction

You have the right to request additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your PHI by submitting a written request to the Privacy Official. Your written request must include (1) what information you want to limit, (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both, and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply. We are not required to agree to your request except in the case where the disclosure is to a health plan for purposes of carrying out payment or health care operations, and the information pertains solely to a health care item or service for which you, or a person on your behalf (other than the health plan), has paid our practice in full.

Alternative Communication

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or at alternative locations. You must make your request in writing. Your request must specify the alternative means or location, and provide satisfactory explanation of how payments will be handled under the alternative means or location you request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests, However, if we are unable to contact you using the ways or locations you have requested we may contact you using the information we have.

Amendment

You have the right to request that we amend your health information‘ Your request must be in writing, and it must explain why the information should be amended. We may deny your request under certain circumstances. If we agree to your request, we will amend your record(s) and notify you of such. If we deny your request for an amendment, we will provide you with a written explanation of why we denied it and explain your rights.

Right to Notification of a Breach.

You will receive notifications of breaches of your unsecured protected health information as required by law.

Electronic Notice

You may receive a paper copy of this Notice upon request, even if you have agreed to received-this Notice electronically on our Web site or by electronic mail (e—mail).

Questions and Complaints  if you want more information about our privacy practices or have questions or concerns, please contact us.  If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or if you disagree with a decision we made about access to your health information or in response to a request you made to amend or restrict the use or disclosure of your health information or to have us communicate with you by alternative means or at alternative locations, you may complain to us using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice. You also may submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will provide you with the address to file your complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon request.

We support your right to the privacy of your health information We will not retaliate in any way if you choose. to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Our Privacy Official: Cindy Hunsicker RDH

Telephone: 610-377-5676

Fax: 610-877-5673

Address: 432 South Street, Lehighton, PA 18235

E-mail: WHDental@ptd.net

Reproduction of this material by dentists and their staff is permitted. Any other use, duplication or distribution by any other party requires the prior written approval of the American Dental Association, This material is educational only, does not constitute legal advice, and covers only federal, not state, law. Changes in applicable laws or regulations may require revision. Dentists should contact their personal attorneys for  legal advice pertaining to HlPAA compliance, the HITECH Act, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rules and regulations.

© 2010, 2013 American Dental Association. All Rights Reserved.

HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?

Based on the laws of some countries, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, change that information, or delete it in some circumstances. To request to review, update, or delete your personal information, please submit a request by clicking here. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Acknowledgement of Receipt of Notice of Privacy Practices

Howland Family Dental 

* You May Refuse to Sign This Acknowledgment*

I have received a copy of this office’s Notice of Privacy Practices.

Print Name:

Signature:

Date:

For Office Use Only

We attempted to obtain written acknowledgement of receipt of our Notice of Privacy Practices, but acknowledgement could not be obtained because:

O   Individual refused to sign

O   Communications barriers prohibited obtaining the acknowledgement

O   An emergency situation prevented us from obtaining acknowledgement

O   Other (Please Specify)

Reproduction of this material by dentists and their staff is permitted. Any other use, duplication or distribution by any other party requires the prior written approval of the American Dental Association. This material is for general reference purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It covers only HIPAA, not other federal or state law. Changes in applicable laws or regulations may require revision. Dentists should contact qualified legal counsel for legal advice, including advice pertaining to HIPAA compliance, the HlTECH Act, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rules and regulations.  © 2010, 2013 American Dental Association. All Rights Reserved.