Effective Date: February 16, 2026

*This Notice of Privacy Practices is compliant with the HIPAA Omnibus Privacy Rules.

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY.

This Notice describes Kachemak Chiropractic (hereafter referred to as “Practice”) Privacy Practices and that of:

1. Any workforce member authorized to create medical information referred to as protected health information (PHI) that may be used for purposes such as treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. These workforce members may include:

   • All departments and units of the Practice

   • Any member of a volunteer group

   • All employees, staff, and other Practice personnel

2. Any entity providing services under Practice’s direction and control will follow the terms of this notice. In addition, these entities, sites, and locations may share medical information with each other for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations as described in this notice.

Our Pledge Regarding Medical Information

We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive at the Practice. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This Notice applies to all the records of your care and records related to payment for that care, generated or maintained by the Practice, whether made by Practice personnel or your personal doctor.

This Notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you. We also will describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.

We are required by law to:

• Make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private

• Give you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you

How We May Use and Disclose Medical Information About You

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information. For each category of uses or disclosures, we will explain what we mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories:

• Treatment: We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to healthcare professionals, whether on the Practice’s staff or not, directly involved in your care so they may understand your health condition and needs. For example, a physician treating you for lower back pain may need to know the results of your latest physician examination at this office.

• Payment: We might use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at the Practice can be billed properly, whether payment is collected from you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, the practice may need to provide the Medicare program with information about health care services that you received from the Practice so that the Practice can be properly reimbursed. The Practice may also need to tell your insurance plan about the treatment you are going to receive so that it can determine whether or not it will cover the treatment expense.

• Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose medical information about you for Practice operations, and they are necessary to make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use medical information to review our treatments and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We also might combine medical information about many of the Practice’s patients to decide what additional services the Practice should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments are effective. We also might disclose information to doctors, technicians, healthcare students, and other Practice personnel for review and learning purposes. We also may combine the medical information we have with medical information from other providers to compare how we are doing and see where we can make improvements in our care and service.

• Appointment Reminders: We may use and disclose medical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at the Practice.

• Treatment Alternatives: We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

• Health & Related Benefits and Services: We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about health and related benefits or services that could be of interest to you.

• Fundraising Activities: If we intend to use your medical information for fund-raising purposes, we will inform you of such intent and let you know that you have the right to opt-out of receiving fundraising communications. We might use such information to contact you in an effort to raise money for the Practice and its operations. We may disclose information to a foundation related to the Practice so that the foundation may contact you about raising money for the Practice. We would only release contact information, such as your name, address, phone number, and the dates you received treatment or services at the Practice. If you do not want the Practice to contact you for fundraising efforts, you must notify us in writing, and you will be given the opportunity to opt out of these communications.

• Authorizations Required: We will not use your PHI for any purposes not specifically allowed by federal or state laws or regulations without your written authorization. Specifically, the following types of uses and disclosures of your medical information require authorization: 1) disclosure of psychotherapy notes; 2) disclosures for marketing purposes; and 3) disclosures that constitute a sale of PHI. Other uses and disclosures not described in the NPP will not be made unless an individual provides authorization and that authorization may be revoked prospectively at any time by written revocation.

• Emergencies: We may use or disclose your medical information if you need emergency treatment or if we are required by law to treat you but are unable to obtain your consent.

• Communication Barriers: We may use and disclose your health information if we are unable to obtain your consent because of substantial communication barriers and we believe you would want us to treat you if we could communicate with you.

• Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. We may release medical information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care and we also may give information to someone who helps pay for your care, unless you object and ask us not to provide this information to specific individuals, in writing. In addition, we may disclose medical information about you to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status, and location.

• Research: Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose medical information about you for research purposes. For example, a research project could involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one medication to those who received another for the same condition. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of medical information, trying to balance the research needs with patients' need for privacy of their medical information. All research projects are subject to an approval process involving an Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB evaluates proposed research projects and their use of PHI, balancing research needs and a patients' right to privacy. We may disclose PHI about you to people preparing to conduct a research project in order to help identify patients with specific medical needs. PHI disclosed during this process never leaves our control. We might ask for specific permission from you if the researcher will have access to your name, address or other information that reveals who you are, or will be involved in your care at the Practice.

• As Required By Law: We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.

• To Avery a Serious Threat to Health or Safety: We may use and disclose your medical information when necessary to prevent a serious threat to the health and safety of the public or another person.

• Email Use: E-mail will only be used for communications in accordance with this organization's current policies and practices. The use of secured, encrypted e-mail is encouraged. The Practice will gain your consent for marketing communications.

Special Situations

Organ and Tissue Donation: If you are an organ donor, we may release medical information to organizations that handle organ, eye, and tissue procurement as necessary to facilitate donation and transplantation.

Military and Veterans: If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release medical information about you as required by military command authorities. We also might release medical information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

Workers’ Compensation: We may release medical information about you for workers' compensation or similar programs.

Public Health Risks: We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities. These activities generally include the following:

• To prevent or control disease, injury, or disability

• To report births and deaths

• To report child abuse or neglect

• To report reactions to medications or problems with products

• To notify people of recalls of products they may be using

• To notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or condition

• To notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

Health Oversight Activities: We may disclose medical information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose medical information about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose medical information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful processes by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested. 

Law Enforcement: We may release medical information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:

• In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons, or similar process

• To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person

• About the victim of a crime, if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person's agreement

• About a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct

• About criminal conduct at Practice

• In emergency circumstances, to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description, or location of the person who committed the crime

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors: We may release medical information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We also may release medical information about Practice patients to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

National Security and Intelligence Activities: We may release medical information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.

Inmates: If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release medical information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary for the correctional institution to provide you with healthcare, to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others, as well as for the safety of the institution itself.

Your Rights Regarding Medical Information About You

Right to Access, Inspect, and Copy: You have the right to access, inspect, and copy the medical information that may be used to make decisions about your care, with a few exceptions. Usually, this includes medical and billing records. If we maintain your information electronically you may request a copy of your records via a mutually agreed upon electronic format. If we fail to agree upon an electronic format for delivery of electronic copies, we will provide you with a paper copy for your records. If you request a copy of the information in either paper or electronic format, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing, or other supplies associated with your request. We may deny your request to inspect and copy medical information in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to medical information, in some cases, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen by Practice will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.

Right to Amend: If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for the Practice. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request. We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request or for other reasons. Typical reasons for denial of an amendment request include if you ask us to amend information that:

• Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment

• Is not part of the medical information kept by or for Practice

• Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy

• Is accurate and complete

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request an "Accounting of Disclosures.". This is a list of the disclosures we made of medical information about you. Your request must state a time period which may not be longer than six years. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper or electronically, if available). The first list you request within a 12-month period will be complimentary. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.

Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we use or disclose about you for payment or healthcare operations. We require that any requests for use or disclosure of medical information be made in writing. In some cases we are not required to agree to these types of requests, however, if we do agree to them we will abide by these restrictions. We will always notify you of our decisions regarding restriction requests in writing. We will not comply with any requests to restrict the use or access of your medical information for treatment purposes. You have the right to request, in writing, a limit on the medical information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, such as a family member or friend.

For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had to your spouse. In your request, you must tell us what information you want to limit, whether you want to limit our use, disclosure, or both, and to whom you want the limits to apply. You have the right to request a restriction on the use and disclosure of your medical information about a service or item to your health plan. This right only applies to request for restrictions to a health plan and cannot be denied. The service or item requested for restriction from the health plan must be paid in full and out of pocket by you before the restriction will be applied. We are not required to accept your request for this type of restriction until you have completely paid your bill (zero balance) for the item or service. It is your responsibility to notify other healthcare providers of these types of restrictions. We are not required to do so. 

Right to Restrict Disclosures for Out-of-Pocket Payments: If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you have the right to request that we do not share that information with your health insurer for the purpose of payment or our operations. We are legally required to agree to this request unless a law requires us to share that information.

Right to Receive Notice of a Breach: We are required to notify you by first class mail or by e-mail (if we offered and you have indicated a preference to receive information by e-mail), of any breaches of Unsecured Protected Health Information as soon as possible, but in any event, no later than 60 days following the discovery of the breach. "Unsecured Protected Health Information" is information that is not secured via a methodology identified by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that renders the protected health information unusable, unreadable, and indecipherable to unauthorized users. The notice is required to include the following information:

• A brief description of the breach, including the date of the breach and the date of its discovery, if known

• A description of the type of Unsecured Protected Health Information involved in the breach

• Steps you should take to protect yourself from potential harm resulting from the breach

• A brief description of actions we are taking to investigate the breach, mitigate losses, and protect against further breaches

• Contact information, including a telephone number, email address, website, or postal address where you can ask questions or obtain additional information.

In the event the breach involves 10 or more patients whose contact information is out of date, we will post a notice on the home page of our website or in major print or broadcast media. If the breach involves more than 500 patients in the state or jurisdiction, we will send notices to prominent media outlets. If the breach involves more than 500 patients, we are required to notify the Secretary immediately. We also are required to submit an annual report to the Secretary detailing a list of breaches that involve more than 500 patients during the year and maintain a written log of breaches involving less than 500 patients. 

Right to Request Confidential Communication: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or hard copy or e-mail. We will not ask you the reason for your request but will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted. 

Protection of Substance Use Disorder Records: Some of the health information we receive may be protected under federal law 42 CFR Part 2, which governs Substance Use Disorder (SUD) records. These records are subject to heightened privacy protections. We will not use or disclose SUD records in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against you without your specific written consent or a court order, except as permitted by law.

Notice of Redisclosure: Once we disclose your protected health information to a third party (such as at your request or to an insurance company), that information may be subject to redisclosure by the recipient and may no longer be protected by federal HIPAA privacy rules. However, other state or federal laws may still apply to the protection of that data.

Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this Notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy.

Changes To This Notice

We reserve the right to change this Notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed Notice effective for medical information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current Notice in our organization as well as on our website. In addition, each time you register or receive outpatient services from the Practice, we will offer you a copy of the most current Notice.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Practice or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services; http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/index.html

To file a complaint with the Practice, contact the individual listed on the first page of this Notice. All complaints must be submitted in writing. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint. 

Other Uses of Medical Information

Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this Notice or the laws that apply to you will be made only with your written permission. If you provide us permission to use or disclose medical information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.