Under the HIPAA Guidelines Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, this notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you get access to this information. Please review it carefully. Should you have any questions please ask for the Compliance Officer/Manager.

Under the guidelines set forth in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), this notice outlines Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd.'s policies and procedures regarding the use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information (PHI) and your Electronic Protected Health Information (EPHI). Your PHI/EPHI includes all demographic, insurance and medical information. Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd. is required by law to safeguard your PHI/EPHI and be bound by the terms of this notice unless amended in accordance with the law.

Your PHI/EPHI will be utilized for the purpose of treatment, payment from insurance companies and general health care operations. Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd. must on occasion release medical information to an insurance company to process the claim. Your signature on the registration form allows Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd. to disclose this information. Record release forms must be signed, dated by the patient, and then witnessed prior to release of any PHI/EPHI. In the event that a patient has a history of substance abuse, mental health problems, sexual abuse or testing for HIV, whether positive or negative, a separate record release for disclosure of this sensitive PHI/EPHI must be signed, otherwise the information will not be disclosed set forth at 45 P.S. 7601 et seq. Pennsylvania law prohibits all Healthcare providers from disclosing this information unless reasonable disclosure is medically necessary. As a courtesy to our patients, Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd. uses an automated confirmation system to call patients with reminder calls two days prior to their office visit. If for any reason, you do not want to be called, our office personnel will note your request in your electronic chart information. Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd., also sends out recall letters when appointments are to be made in three, six, and twelve-month intervals. If for any reason, you do not want these mailed to your home, you have the right to refuse this service. We also notify you with pathology results via telephone or by mail. You have the right to place restrictions on how we communicate with these procedures either by written or verbal requests.

The patients of Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd. have the right to inspect, amend and have a copy of their PHI/EPHI. If for any reason it becomes necessary for the patient to come into Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd. to inspect their records, a private room will be provided to review the chart in paper/electronic format along with an employee of Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd. The employee will act as witness and answer any questions. We reserve the right to 30 days notice of inspection.

If a patient of Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd. has a complaint regarding the safeguarding of PHI/EPHI, please see the receptionist to schedule an appointment with our Compliance Officer/Manager or a Compliance Committee Member. You may contact the Department of Health and Human Services, Philadelphia, PA (215-861-4633) (DHHS)if you have further questions or concerns. Should you want to remain anonymous, please send us a letter addressed to the Compliance Officer/Manager. There will be no retaliation to any complaints from our patients. The latest proposal to HIPAA is the HITECH privacy act that requires all practices to implement the "minimum necessary standard". This simply means that all EPHI and PHI is kept private and secure at all times. Employees of the practice are to use the minimal amount necessary to perform their job tasks. This act strengthens the privacy and security of health information, and is an integral part of Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd.'s effort to broaden protection of their patient's records. All Business Associates of the practice are bound by the Act as well, and are instructed to keep any PHI/EPHI private and secure when coming into contact with it as they perform a service for the practice.

The patients of Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd. have the right to request a copy of this Privacy Notice. Please see the receptionist to request a copy of the Privacy Notice. Advanced Dermatology Associates, Ltd. reserves the right to revise the Privacy Notice at any time. If revisions are made to the Privacy Notice, a copy or amendment of the Privacy Notice will be presented to the patient on their next visit to the office if the patient requests it.

The Compliance Officer/Manager