Website & SMS Privacy Policy

When you request an appointment, submit a form, contact us, or receive healthcare services, we may collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Date of birth
• Mailing address
• Preferred office location
• Appointment and scheduling information
• Insurance and billing information
• Information concerning the services you are requesting
• Information you voluntarily provide through forms, messages, or other communications

Please avoid submitting unnecessary medical or sensitive information through general website contact forms.

When you request or receive healthcare services, we may collect:

• Medical and mental-health history
• Diagnoses and treatment information
• Medication information
• Provider notes
• Appointment records
• Insurance and payment information
• Test results
• Treatment plans
• Other information used to provide, coordinate, or pay for your care

This information may qualify as PHI and will be handled according to HIPAA, applicable state laws, and this Notice of Privacy Practices.

If you provide your telephone number and opt in to text messages, we may collect and maintain:

• Your mobile telephone number
• SMS consent and opt-in records
• Consent dates, times, and sources
• Incoming and outgoing messages
• Message delivery status
• Message dates and timestamps
• Opt-out requests
• Customer-support communications

When you use our website or online services, we may automatically collect:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device type and identifiers
• Operating system
• Pages visited
• Time spent on the website
• Referring website or source
• General location information
• Website analytics, diagnostic, and performance information

We may use cookies, analytics tools, pixels, and similar technologies to operate our website, remember preferences, support security, measure performance, and improve the user experience. You may limit cookies through your browser settings. Some website features may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

We may use and disclose PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and related services. For example, we may disclose relevant information to physicians, therapists, pharmacies, laboratories, or other healthcare professionals involved in your treatment.

We may use or disclose PHI to bill and collect payment for healthcare services. This may include:

• Confirming insurance eligibility
• Obtaining prior authorization
• Submitting claims
• Determining coverage
• Reviewing medical necessity
• Conducting utilization reviews
• Responding to payer requests

We may use or disclose PHI to support healthcare operations, including:

• Quality assessment and improvement
• Provider and employee evaluations
• Staff education and training
• Licensing and accreditation
• Credentialing
• Compliance and auditing
• Electronic health-information system management
• Other administrative and business activities

We may disclose PHI to business associates that provide services on our behalf, including electronic health-record providers, billing companies, transcription services, data-storage providers, communications platforms, and technology vendors. Business associates are required to appropriately safeguard PHI.

We may disclose information relevant to your care or payment to a family member, personal representative, close friend, or caregiver involved in your care when you authorize the disclosure or when permitted by law. If you cannot agree or object because of incapacity or an emergency, we may use professional judgment to determine whether a limited disclosure is in your best interest.

We may disclose PHI for legally authorized public-health and safety activities, including:

• Preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability
• Reporting certain communicable diseases
• Reporting abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
• Reporting adverse events or product defects
• Preventing or reducing a serious and imminent threat to health or safety

We may disclose PHI to health-oversight agencies for legally authorized audits, investigations, inspections, licensing actions, and regulatory activities.

We may disclose PHI in response to:

• Court or administrative orders
• Subpoenas or discovery requests
• Other lawful legal processes
• Legally authorized law-enforcement requests
• Investigations involving suspected criminal activity

Any such disclosure will be made according to applicable legal requirements.

We may disclose PHI to coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, and organizations involved in organ, eye, or tissue donation when permitted by law.

We may disclose PHI for research when the research has received appropriate approval and privacy protections have been established, or when otherwise permitted by law.

We may disclose PHI for legally authorized military, veterans’ benefits, national-security, intelligence, or protective-service activities.

We may disclose PHI as necessary to comply with workers’ compensation laws and similar legally established programs.

If you are an inmate or in law-enforcement custody, we may disclose PHI to a correctional institution or authorized official when permitted by law.

We may use or disclose PHI during an emergency-treatment situation. When required, we will attempt to obtain acknowledgment of this notice as soon as reasonably practical following emergency treatment.

We may use or disclose PHI when required or permitted by applicable law, including disclosures required by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate HIPAA compliance.

If you opt in to non-marketing messages, you may receive:

• Appointment confirmations and reminders
• Scheduling and rescheduling updates
• Patient portal notifications
• Billing or account notifications
• Care-coordination communications
• Responses to patient or customer-support requests
• Other administrative or service-related messages

If you separately opt in to marketing and promotional messages, you may receive:

• Information about available services
• Treatment-option information
• Educational resources
• Practice events
• Special announcements
• Other marketing or promotional communications

Consent to receive marketing text messages is not a condition of purchasing or receiving healthcare services.

Message frequency varies depending on your appointments, requested services, account activity, and communication preferences. Message and data rates may apply to messages sent to you from us and to messages you send to us. If you have questions about your text or data plan, contact your wireless provider.

You may cancel the SMS service at any time by replying STOP. After you send “STOP,” we will send you a confirmation message stating that you have been unsubscribed. After that confirmation, you will no longer receive messages from the applicable SMS program.

If you wish to receive messages again, you must opt in again through the same process used for your original enrollment. Opting out of text messages does not prevent us from contacting you through other authorized methods for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, safety, legal compliance, or other purposes permitted by law.

Reply HELP for messaging assistance or contact The Nexus Group at (412) 214-0042.

Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

We may disclose information to vendors and service providers that help us operate our services, including:

• Electronic health-record and patient-portal providers
• Appointment-scheduling services
• SMS and email communication providers
• Customer relationship management platforms
• Website hosting and technical-support providers
• Payment and billing providers
• Analytics and security providers
• Professional advisers and compliance vendors

These providers may access information only as necessary to perform services on our behalf and must protect the information appropriately.

We may disclose information when required or permitted by applicable law, legal process, regulatory requirement, or government request, or when reasonably necessary to protect the health, safety, rights, or property of our patients, workforce, organization, or the public.

Information may be transferred as part of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, financing, sale of assets, or similar business transaction, subject to applicable healthcare and privacy requirements.