InFocus Eyecare

Privacy Policy & Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective Date: 1/1/2025

At InFocus Eyecare, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal and health information. This combined Privacy Policy and Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information you provide through our website and in the course of your care, in compliance with applicable laws including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

1. Information We Collect

When you interact with our website or our practice, we may collect:

Personally Identifiable Information (PII): such as your name, address, phone number, and email address.
Protected Health Information (PHI): such as medical history, insurance details, or appointment-related information submitted through online forms or patient portals.
Other Information: any details you voluntarily provide in communications with us.

2. How We Use and Disclose Your Information

We may use and share your information in the following ways:

For Healthcare Purposes

Treatment: To provide, coordinate, or manage your eye care services and share information with other providers involved in your care.
Payment: To bill insurance carriers, verify eligibility, and process payment for services provided.
Healthcare Operations: For administrative purposes such as quality assessment, staff training, or improving patient services.

For Website & Business Operations

To respond to inquiries and requests submitted online.
To schedule appointments and provide requested information.
To improve website performance and user experience.

As Required or Permitted by Law

We may disclose information to comply with legal obligations, respond to public health reporting, or in response to a court order or lawful request.

We do not sell, rent, or use your information for marketing purposes without your explicit written authorization.

3. Your Rights Under HIPAA

You have the right to:

Access Your Records: Request to see or receive a copy of your medical or billing records.
Request Corrections: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Request Restrictions: Ask us to restrict how we use or disclose your PHI (though we may not always be able to agree).
Confidential Communications: Request to be contacted in a specific way (e.g., by mail instead of phone).
Accounting of Disclosures: Request a list of certain disclosures of your PHI.
Receive a Copy of This Notice: Request a paper or electronic copy at any time.
File a Complaint: If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

4. Data Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information, including:

Secure website encryption (HTTPS) for form submissions.
Restricted access to PHI by authorized personnel only.
Use of secure communication tools when transmitting sensitive data.

Please note: standard email may not always be secure. For sensitive health information, we may use secure patient portals or encrypted communication.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal and health information only as long as necessary to provide services, meet legal and regulatory requirements, or as otherwise required by law. Records are securely maintained and disposed of in compliance with HIPAA regulations.

6. Cookies and Website Tracking

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality, analyze traffic, and support marketing and advertising efforts.

These technologies may store information related to how you interact with our website, including pages visited and appointment scheduling activity. In some cases, information collected through cookies or tracking technologies may be used to help understand which marketing campaigns or advertisements led you to our website and may be shared between our website and our third-party scheduling platform to support appointment booking and reporting.

Some cookies may remain on your device for up to 90 days to support attribution and measurement of marketing effectiveness.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may impact certain website features or functionality.

7. Mobile Terms and Conditions

This section explains how we handle your mobile phone number and your consent if you opt in to receive text messages (SMS) from InFocus Eyecare.

Types of messages. If you opt in to SMS communications, we may send appointment reminders, scheduling updates, limited appointment-related information, and review requests.
Message frequency. Message frequency may vary based on appointment activity.
Message and data rates. Message and data rates may apply based on your carrier plan.
Opt-out. Reply STOP at any time to opt out of text messages.
Help. Reply HELP for assistance, or contact us at 833-542-1724 or [email protected].
Consent is not required for treatment. Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of receiving healthcare services.
Your mobile information. Your mobile phone number and SMS consent will not be shared, sold, rented, or disclosed to third parties for marketing or promotional purposes.
Not medical advice. Text messages are for appointment-related communication only and are not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.
Your rights. You may withdraw your SMS consent at any time by replying STOP or by contacting us using the information above.
Terms of Service. Your use of our SMS program is also governed by our Terms of Service.

8. Changes to This Notice

We may update this Notice periodically. Updates will be posted on our website with a new effective date and will apply to all information we maintain.

9. Contact Us

For questions about this Notice, to exercise your rights, or to file a privacy complaint, please contact our HIPAA Privacy Officer:

InFocus Eyecare
HIPAA Privacy Officer
110 College St.
Ste E
Athens, AL 35611
Phone: 380-800-7427
Email: [email protected]