Happy Kids Dentistry and Orthodontics

Effective Date: January 26, 2026

1. OUR DUTIES

• Maintain the privacy and security of your PHI
• Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices
• Notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI
• Abide by the terms of this Notice

2. HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PHI

A. Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations

Treatment: To provide, coordinate, or manage your health care, including sharing information with physicians, dentists, specialists, laboratories, pharmacies, or other providers involved in your care.

Payment: To bill and collect payment for services, determine insurance coverage, obtain prior authorizations, and respond to payer requests.

Health Care Operations: To support business functions such as quality improvement, peer review, credentialing, training, licensing, accreditation, audits, legal services, and general administrative activities.

B. Business Associates

We may disclose your PHI to business associates performing services on our behalf, such as billing companies, IT vendors, cloud providers, and legal or accounting firms. Business associates are required by law to protect your PHI.

C. Individuals Involved in Your Care

We may disclose PHI to a family member, friend, or other person involved in your care or payment, unless you object or we determine it is not in your best interest.

D. Other Permitted or Required Uses

We may use or disclose PHI as required or permitted by law for public health activities, reporting abuse or neglect, health oversight, judicial or administrative proceedings, law enforcement, workers' compensation, and to avert a serious threat to health or safety.

E. Appointment Reminders and Electronic Communications

We may contact you by telephone, voicemail, postal mail, email, or text message (SMS) to provide appointment reminders and confirmations, recall and recare notices, forms to complete before a visit, pre- and post-operative instructions, billing and insurance follow-up, office closure notices, and information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services. We may also exchange two-way messages with you about your child's care.

If you provide a mobile telephone number, you may receive text messages relating to your child's care. Message and data rates may apply, and message frequency varies. Text messaging and unencrypted email are not fully secure. You may opt out at any time by replying STOP, or reply HELP for assistance.

Consent to receive text messages is not a condition of receiving treatment. We do not sell your personal information. No mobile opt-in consent, telephone number, or text messaging consent is shared with third parties for marketing purposes.

3. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH INFORMATION

We will not use or disclose PHI to investigate or impose liability related to lawful reproductive health care, including abortion, miscarriage, contraception, or fertility services, as prohibited by federal law. We will not disclose such information to law enforcement without a valid attestation or authorization.

4. SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD) RECORDS

Records related to SUD treatment protected under 42 CFR Part 2 will be used or disclosed only as permitted by federal law. References to substance use in the medical record are treated as HIPAA-protected PHI if this Practice does not provide SUD diagnosis or treatment.

5. MARKETING & 6. FUNDRAISING

We will not use or disclose your PHI for marketing or fundraising purposes without your written authorization, except as permitted by law. You may revoke any such authorization at any time in writing.

7. YOUR RIGHTS

• Inspect and obtain a copy of your medical or dental records, including electronic records, subject to limited exceptions
• Request an amendment to your PHI if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete
• Request restrictions on certain uses or disclosures of your PHI
• Request confidential communications at an alternative address or by alternative means
• Withdraw consent to receive text messages or electronic communications at any time by replying STOP
• Receive an accounting of disclosures of your PHI as required by law
• Receive a paper copy of this Notice, even if you agreed to receive it electronically
• Access your information electronically through patient portals or secure systems, when available
• File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated, without fear of retaliation

8. BREACH NOTIFICATION

You will be notified if a breach occurs that compromises the privacy or security of your PHI.

9. STATE-SPECIFIC RIGHTS — WASHINGTON

• Reproductive health and gender-affirming care privacy
• Mental health and substance use information
• Health data privacy protections

If state law provides greater privacy protections than HIPAA, we will follow state law.

10. CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We reserve the right to change this Notice and make it effective for PHI we already maintain. The current Notice will be available upon request and posted in our office.

11. CONTACT INFORMATION

Practice Name: Happy Kids Dentistry and Orthodontics

Privacy Officer: Becky O'Connor

Phone: 360-636-1900

Email: becky.oconnor@happykidsdentistry.com

Headquarters Address: 1717 Olympia Way Ste. #108, Longview, WA 98632

Complaints may also be filed with: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201 | 1-877-696-6775