NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

West Frisco Dental and Implants, PLLC

Effective Date: February 16, 2026

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. THE PRIVACY OF YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT TO US.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information about our privacy practices, to discuss questions or concerns, or to get additional copies of this notice, please contact our Privacy Officer:

West Frisco Dental and Implants, PLLC

Telephone: 972-607-3847

Address: 10050 Legacy Dr.  Ste 600,  Frisco, TX 75033

Email: info@westFriscoDental.com

OUR LEGAL DUTY

We are required by law to protect the privacy of your protected health information (“medical information”). We are also required to send you this notice about our privacy practices, our legal duties, and your rights concerning your medical information.

We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this notice while it is in effect. This notice takes effect on the date set forth at the top of this page and will remain in effect unless we replace it. 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. We reserve the right to make any change in our privacy practices and the new terms of our notice applicable to all medical information we maintain, including medical information we created or received before we made the change in practices.

We may amend the terms of this notice at any time. If we make a material change to our privacy practices, we will provide you the revised notice. Any revised notice will be effective for all health information we maintain. The effective date of a revised notice will be noted. A copy of the current notice in effect will be available in our facility and on our website. You may request a copy of the current notice at any time.

We collect and maintain oral, written, and electronic information to administer our business and to provide products, services, and information of importance to our patients. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards in the handling and maintenance of our patients’ medical information, in accordance with applicable state and federal standards, to protect against risks such as loss, destruction, and misuse.

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION

Treatment

We may disclose your medical information, without your prior authorization, to another dentist or healthcare provider working in our facility or otherwise providing you treatment for the purpose of evaluating your health, diagnosing medical conditions, and providing treatment. For example, your health information may be disclosed to an oral surgeon to determine whether surgical intervention is needed.

Payment

We provide dental services. Your medical information may be used to seek payment from your insurance plan or from you. For example, your insurance plan may request and receive information on dates that you received services at our facility in order to allow your employer to verify and process your insurance claim.

Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose your medical information, without your prior authorization, for health care operations. Health care operations include:

  • Healthcare quality assessment and improvement activities;
  • Reviewing and evaluating dental care provider performance, qualifications and competence, health care training programs, provider accreditation, certification, licensing, and credentialing activities;
  • Conducting or arranging for medical reviews, audits, and legal services, including fraud and abuse detection and prevention; and
  • Business planning, development, management, and general administration, including customer service, complaint resolution, billing, de-identifying medical information, and creating limited data sets for health care operations, public health activities, and research.

We may disclose your medical information to another dental or medical provider or to your health plan subject to federal privacy protection laws, as long as the provider or plan has had a relationship with you and the medical information is for that provider’s or health plan’s care quality assessment and improvement activities, competence and qualification evaluation and review activities, or fraud and abuse detection and prevention.

Your Authorization

You (or your legal personal representative) may give us written authorization to use your medical information or to disclose it to anyone for any purpose. Once you give us authorization to release your medical information, we cannot guarantee that the person to whom the information is provided will not disclose that information. You may take back or “revoke” your written authorization at any time, except if we have already acted based on your authorization. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosure permitted by your authorization while it was in effect. Unless you give us written authorization, we will not use or disclose your medical information for any purpose other than those described in this notice. We will obtain your authorization prior to using your medical information for marketing or commercial use. Once authorized, you may opt out of these communications at any time.

Family, Friends, and Others Involved in Your Care or Payment for Care

We may disclose your medical information to a family member, friend, or any other person you involve in your care or payment for your health care. We will disclose only the medical information that is relevant to the person’s involvement.

We may use or disclose your name, location, and general condition to notify, or to assist an appropriate public or private agency to locate and notify, a person responsible for your care in appropriate situations, such as a medical emergency or during disaster relief efforts.

We will provide you with an opportunity to object to these disclosures, unless you are not present or are incapacitated or it is an emergency or disaster relief situation. In those situations, we will use our professional judgment to determine whether disclosing your medical information is in your best interest under the circumstances.

Health-Related Products and Services

We may use your medical information to communicate with you about health-related products, benefits, services, payment for those products and services, and treatment alternatives.

Reminders

We may use or disclose medical information to send you reminders about your dental care, such as appointment reminders via U.S. Mail, email, and telephone. By providing your email address to us, you agree that you may receive reminders and breach notifications via email as a possible alternative to U.S. Mail.

Plan Sponsors

If your dental insurance coverage is through an employer’s sponsored group dental plan, we may share summary health information with the plan sponsor.

Public Health and Benefit Activities

We may use and disclose your medical information, without your permission, when required by law and when authorized by law for the following kinds of public health and public benefit activities:

  • For public health, including to report disease and vital statistics, child abuse, adult abuse, neglect, or domestic violence;
  • To avert a serious and imminent threat to health or safety;
  • For health care oversight, such as activities of state insurance commissioners, licensing and peer review authorities, and fraud prevention agencies;
  • For research;
  • In response to court and administrative orders and other lawful process;
  • To law enforcement officials with regard to crime victims and criminal activities;
  • To coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, and organ procurement organizations;
  • To the military, to federal officials for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence, and national security activities, and to correctional institutions and law enforcement regarding persons in lawful custody; and
  • As authorized by state worker’s compensation laws.

SPECIAL PROTECTIONS FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD) RECORDS

Federal law under 42 CFR Part 2 provides heightened privacy protections for records related to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment received from programs subject to 42 CFR Part 2. These protections apply in addition to the protections provided by HIPAA and may impose stricter limitations on our ability to use and disclose your SUD treatment records.

Consent Required for Use and Disclosure of SUD Records

Unlike other protected health information, use or disclosure of SUD treatment records for purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations generally requires your written consent. You may provide a single written consent for all future uses and disclosures of your SUD records for treatment, payment, and health care operations purposes. You have the right to revoke this consent at any time by providing written notice to our Privacy Officer. Revocation of consent will not affect any use or disclosure that occurred in reliance on the consent before revocation.

Limitations on Use of SUD Records in Legal Proceedings

SUD treatment records received from programs subject to 42 CFR Part 2, or testimony relaying the content of such records, shall not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against you unless based on your written consent, or a court order issued after notice and an opportunity to be heard is provided to you or the holder of the record, as provided in 42 CFR Part 2. A court order authorizing use or disclosure must be accompanied by a subpoena or other legal requirement compelling disclosure before the requested record is used or disclosed.

Uses and Disclosures of SUD Records

When we create, receive, or maintain SUD treatment records protected under 42 CFR Part 2, we may use and disclose such records in the following circumstances, subject to applicable consent requirements:

  • For your treatment, with your written consent;
  • For payment purposes, with your written consent;
  • For health care operations, with your written consent;
  • To medical personnel in a medical emergency;
  • For research purposes in accordance with applicable regulations;
  • For audit and evaluation activities; and
  • As otherwise required or permitted by 42 CFR Part 2.

Patient Rights Regarding SUD Records

In addition to the rights described elsewhere in this notice, you have the following rights with respect to your SUD treatment records:

  • The right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your SUD records;
  • The right to revoke any consent you have provided for the use or disclosure of your SUD records;
  • The right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your SUD records; and
  • The right to obtain a copy of your SUD records.

Fundraising and SUD Records

If we intend to use or disclose SUD records protected under 42 CFR Part 2 for fundraising for the benefit of this practice, you will first be provided with a clear and conspicuous opportunity to elect not to receive any fundraising communications. You may opt out of fundraising communications at any time by contacting our Privacy Officer.

Duties of This Practice Regarding SUD Records

We are required to comply with the provisions of 42 CFR Part 2 with respect to SUD treatment records we create, receive, or maintain. We are required to provide you with notice of the uses and disclosures we may make of your SUD records, and of your rights and our legal duties with respect to such records. We are required to notify you in the event of a breach of your unsecured SUD records.

NOTICE REGARDING REDISCLOSURE

Please be aware that information disclosed pursuant to the HIPAA Privacy Rule may be subject to redisclosure by the recipient and may no longer be protected by the HIPAA Privacy Rule or other federal or state privacy protections. Once your medical information is disclosed in accordance with this notice or your authorization, the recipient of that information may re-disclose it. In that event, the information may no longer be protected by HIPAA or 42 CFR Part 2. However, certain SUD treatment records that are re-disclosed with your consent must include a notice prohibiting further re-disclosure except as permitted by 42 CFR Part 2.

IMPACT OF OTHER APPLICABLE LAWS

If a use or disclosure of health information described in this notice is prohibited or materially limited by other laws that apply to us, it is our intent to meet the requirements of the more stringent law. Certain federal and state laws may require special privacy protections that restrict the use and disclosure of certain health information, including highly confidential information about you. “Highly confidential information” may include information protected under federal laws governing alcohol and drug abuse information (42 CFR Part 2) and genetic information, as well as state laws that often protect the following types of information:

  • HIV/AIDS;
  • Mental health;
  • Genetic tests (in accordance with GINA);
  • Alcohol and drug abuse;
  • Sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive health information; and
  • Child or adult abuse or neglect, including sexual assault.

Where 42 CFR Part 2 or other applicable law imposes requirements that are more stringent than HIPAA, such as requiring written consent before disclosure of SUD records for treatment, payment, or health care operations, we will comply with the more stringent requirements. Our descriptions of permitted uses and disclosures in this notice reflect these additional restrictions where applicable.

BUSINESS ASSOCIATES

We may disclose your medical information to our business associates that perform functions on our behalf or provide us with services if the information is necessary for such functions or services. Our business associates are required, under contract with us, to protect the privacy of your information and are not allowed to use or disclose any information other than as specified in our contract.

DATA BREACH NOTIFICATION

We may use your contact information to provide legally required notices of unauthorized acquisition, access, or disclosure of your health information. In the event of a breach of your unsecured protected health information, we will notify you as required by law.

YOUR RIGHTS

You have the following rights with respect to your medical information:

  • Right to Access and Obtain Copies: You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your health records maintained by us, including in an electronic format if maintained electronically. We may charge a reasonable fee for the cost of copying and mailing.
  • Right to Request Amendment: You have the right to request that we amend your health information maintained by us. Your request must be in writing and submitted to our Privacy Officer. We may deny your request under certain circumstances, but will provide you with a written explanation if we do so.
  • Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request an accounting of certain disclosures of your health information made by us during the six years prior to the date of your request.
  • Right to Receive This Notice: You are entitled to receive a copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time.
  • Right to Authorize Uses and Disclosures: You have the right to decide whether to give your authorization before your health information may be used or shared for certain purposes, such as marketing. It is the policy of our office not to sell your information to any outside firms or business partners.
  • Right to Confidential Communications: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information in a particular manner or at a certain location. For example, you may ask that we contact you only at your work address or via a particular phone number.
  • Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request that we restrict certain uses and disclosures of your health information. We are not required to agree to all restriction requests, but if we do agree, we will abide by our agreement (except in emergency situations). If you have paid for a service in full out of pocket, you have the right to restrict disclosure of that service to your health plan.
  • Right to Be Notified of a Breach: You have the right to be notified in the event that we discover a breach of your unsecured protected health information.
  • Right to Opt Out of Fundraising: If we use your information for fundraising purposes, you have the right to opt out of receiving fundraising communications. You may do so at any time by contacting our Privacy Officer.
  • Rights Regarding SUD Records: If we create, receive, or maintain substance use disorder treatment records protected under 42 CFR Part 2, you have additional rights as described in the “Special Protections for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Records” section of this notice, including the right to provide or revoke consent for the use and disclosure of your SUD records.

COMPLAINTS

If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your medical information, about amending your medical information, about restricting our use or disclosure of your medical information, or about how we communicate with you about your medical information (including a breach notification), you may contact our Privacy Officer to register either a verbal or written complaint.

You may also submit a written complaint to the Office for Civil Rights of the United States Department of Health and Human Services:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Office for Civil Rights

200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 509F

Washington, DC 20201

Hotline: 1-800-368-1019

Website: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints

We support your right to privacy of your medical 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.