Privacy Policy

Front Porch Family Medicine LLC Notice of Privacy Practices Effective Date: January 1, 2025 

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.

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Front Porch Family Medicine LLC ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information ("PHI"), to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to notify you following a breach of your unsecured PHI. This Notice applies to all PHI we create, receive, maintain, or transmit.

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1. How We May Use and Disclose Your Protected Health Information

We may use or disclose your PHI for the following purposes without your prior written authorization:

• Treatment. We may use and disclose PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and related services. This includes sharing information with other providers involved in your care.

• Payment. We may use and disclose PHI to obtain payment for services we provide (including processing membership fees in our Direct Primary Care model).

• Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose PHI for our operational activities, such as quality assessment, training, accreditation, business management, and compliance.

• Appointment Reminders and Health-Related Communications. We may contact you to remind you of appointments or provide information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits/services.

• As Required by Law. We will disclose PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.

• Public Health Activities. We may disclose PHI to public health authorities for disease prevention/control, reporting of abuse/neglect, or vital events (birth/death).

• Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose PHI to agencies overseeing the healthcare system or government benefit programs.

• Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. We may disclose PHI in response to a court order, subpoena, or other legal process.

• Law Enforcement. We may disclose PHI to law enforcement officials under certain circumstances (e.g., to identify a suspect or victim).

• Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors. We may disclose PHI to coroners or funeral directors.

• Organ Donation. We may disclose PHI to organ procurement organizations.

• Research. Under certain conditions and safeguards, we may use or disclose PHI for research purposes.

• To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may disclose PHI to prevent or lessen a serious/imminent threat.

• Specialized Government Functions. Limited disclosures for military, veterans, national security, or correctional/law enforcement custody.

• Workers' Compensation. We may disclose PHI as authorized by workers' compensation laws.

Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Authorization For any purpose not listed above (or otherwise permitted by law), we will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your PHI. This includes most uses/disclosures of psychotherapy notes, marketing (except certain communications), and sale of PHI. You may revoke your authorization in writing at any time (except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it).

2. Your Rights Regarding Your Protected Health Information

You have the following rights concerning your PHI (subject to certain conditions and exceptions):

• Right to Inspect and Obtain a Copy. You may inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI in our designated record set (with limited exceptions). We may charge a reasonable fee for copies.

• Right to Request Amendments. You may request that we amend your PHI if you believe it is inaccurate or incomplete.

• Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You may request a list of certain disclosures of your PHI we have made (for up to 6 years prior).

• Right to Request Restrictions. You may request restrictions on uses/disclosures of your PHI (we are not required to agree except in limited cases, such as when you pay out-of-pocket in full and request no disclosure to your health plan).

• Right to Request Confidential Communications. You may request that we communicate with you in a specific way or at a specific location (e.g., alternative address or email) if the request is reasonable.

• Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice. You may obtain a paper copy of this Notice at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please submit a written request to our Privacy Officer at the contact information below.

3. Our Duties

We are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy of your PHI

• Provide you this Notice

• Abide by the terms of the current Notice

• Notify you following a breach of your unsecured PHI (if required)

We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and update this Notice. The revised Notice will apply to all PHI we maintain. The current Notice is available on our website and in our office.

4. Complaints

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 Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Contact our Privacy Officer: Front Porch Family Medicine LLC Attn: Privacy Officer 461 Cook Street, Suite D Royston, GA 30662 Phone: 706-389-8459 Email: [Insert your privacy/compliance email, e.g., support@frontporchfamilymedicine.com]

For more information about HIPAA or your rights, visit www.hhs.gov/hipaa.

Thank you for trusting us with your care.