NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Kaizo Health Chiropractic

Privacy Officer: Cat Lovejoy| Phone: 240-766-0300 | Email: [email protected]

Locations: Rockville, MD • Landover, MD • Fort Washington, MD • Fairfax, VA

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.

Effective Date: 01/01/2026

Your Rights

You have the right to: get a copy of your medical record; correct your medical record; request confidential communication; ask us to limit the information we share; get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information; get a copy of this notice; choose someone to act for you; and file a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

Get a copy of your medical record

You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record. We will provide a copy or summary usually within 30 days. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Correct your medical record

You can ask us to correct health information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may say no, but will tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications

You can ask us to contact you in a specific way or send mail to a different address. We will say yes to all reasonable requests.

You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or operations. We are not required to agree, and we may say no if it could affect your care. If you pay out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information with your health insurer for payment purposes, and we will agree unless a law requires otherwise.

Get a list of disclosures

You can ask for a list of the times we’ve shared your health information in the past six years, who we shared it with, and why. This excludes disclosures for treatment, payment, and operations. We provide one free list per year; additional requests within 12 months may carry a cost-based fee.

Choose someone to act for you

If someone has your medical power of attorney or is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights on your behalf. We will verify their authority before taking action.

File a complaint

You may file a complaint with us by contacting our Privacy Officer using the information above. You may also file with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights at 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, or by calling 1-877-696-6775. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

You have the right to tell us your preferences about how we share your information in the following situations:

Family and friends: We may share information about your condition with family or friends involved in your care unless you tell us otherwise.
Disaster relief: We may share information to assist in disaster relief efforts unless you instruct us not to.
Marketing and fundraising: We will not use or share your information for marketing purposes or sell your information without your written permission. We may contact you for fundraising, but you can tell us not to contact you again.
Psychotherapy notes: We will not share psychotherapy notes without your written permission.

For treatment

We use and share your health information with other professionals involved in your care. For example, a chiropractor treating you may share your health history with a physical therapist or specialist.

For payment

We share your health information to bill and receive payment from your health plan or other payers.

For our operations

We use your health information to run our practice, improve quality of care, and contact you when necessary.

As required or permitted by law

We may also share your information to: assist with public health and safety issues; conduct research (under strict conditions); comply with federal or state law; respond to organ donation requests; work with a medical examiner or funeral director; address workers’ compensation or law enforcement requests; or respond to court orders and legal actions.

To the extent we have substance use disorder records subject to 42 CFR Part 2, we will not share that information in legal proceedings against you without your written consent or a court order and subpoena.

Our Responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
We will notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised your information.
We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and provide you a copy.
We will not use or share your information beyond what is described here unless you give us written permission, which you may revoke at any time.

For more information: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html

State Law

Maryland: We comply with the Maryland Confidentiality of Medical Records Act (Md. Code, Health-General §§ 4-301 et seq.), which governs the confidentiality and disclosure of your medical records. Mental health records, if any, receive additional protections under §4-307 and will not be disclosed without your authorization except as required by law. If you are a minor and have consented to your own care, your records related to that care are treated as confidential from others, including parents or guardians, to the extent permitted by law. In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected Maryland patients within 45 days of discovery.

Virginia: We comply with the Virginia Health Records Privacy Act (Va. Code § 32.1-127.1:03). When Virginia law provides greater privacy protections than federal HIPAA law, we follow the stricter Virginia standard.

Website & Digital Privacy

This section describes how we handle information collected through our website, separate from your medical records.

Information we collect automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, pages visited, and visit timestamps. This is used to maintain site security and analyze usage trends.

Cookies and tracking technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies (such as web beacons or pixels) to support site functionality and analyze visitor behavior. You can set your browser to refuse cookies, though some site features may not work correctly if you do.

HIPAA and tracking technologies

As a HIPAA-covered entity, we take steps to ensure that tracking technologies do not impermissibly transmit your Protected Health Information (PHI) to third parties. We only use third-party tools on patient-facing or appointment-related pages when those vendors have a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with us. We do not sell your information to third parties for marketing or advertising purposes.

Forms and submissions

Information submitted through website forms (such as appointment requests or contact forms) is used to respond to your inquiry and, where applicable, coordinate your care. It is handled in accordance with this full Notice of Privacy Practices.

Third-party links and children

Our website may link to third-party sites whose privacy practices we do not control. Our website is not directed at children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from minors online.

Changes to This Notice

We may change the terms of this notice at any time. Changes apply to all information we hold about you. The updated notice will be available in our offices and on our website.

Kaizo Health Chiropractic • Rockville, MD • Landover, MD • Fort Washington, MD • Fairfax, VA