Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Ancaster Dental Centre collects, uses, and protects your personal and health information. Our dental office is committed to safeguarding your privacy and maintaining the confidentiality of your health information in compliance with all applicable laws and professional obligations.
We are required by law to protect the privacy of your protected health information and to provide you with this notice explaining our legal duties and privacy practices. Protected health information includes any details that can identify you and relate to your physical or mental health, the care you receive, or payment for that care.
This Policy describes how Ancaster Dental Centre may use and disclose your protected health information for treatment, payment, and health care operations. Any other use or disclosure will occur only with your written authorization, unless otherwise permitted or required by law.
We reserve the right to modify this Policy at any time. Any updates will apply to all information we maintain and will be made available upon request. You may obtain a current version by contacting our office.
Please review this Policy carefully.
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
This Notice describes how your personal health information may be used and disclosed and how you can access this information. If you have any questions, please contact our Office Manager at [email protected] or call 905-648-6116.
1. Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information
Your protected health information may be used or disclosed by your dentist, dental hygienist, or staff for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations without your written authorization. Examples include:
- Treatment: Your information may be shared with other dental professionals involved in your care to provide, coordinate, or manage your dental treatment. This may include communication with dental specialists, laboratories, or other health care providers.
- Payment: We may use or share your information to obtain payment for dental services, including verifying insurance benefits, submitting claims, and coordinating benefits with other insurance plans.
- Health Care Operations:
Your information may be used for practice operations such as staff training, quality assessment, performance reviews, and administrative management. We may also use your information to contact you for appointment reminders or to provide details about treatment alternatives and health-related products or services.
If we work with outside business associates—such as laboratories or billing companies—they are required by law and contract to protect the confidentiality of your information.
Any other use or disclosure of your protected health information requires your explicit written authorization, which you may revoke in writing at any time (except to the extent that action has already been taken based on prior authorization).
2. Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
You have several rights concerning your protected health information:
- Right to Access: You may inspect and request copies of your dental and billing records, subject to certain legal exceptions.
- Right to Request Restrictions: You may request limitations on how your information is used or disclosed for treatment, payment, or operations. While we are not obligated to agree to every request, we will comply with approved restrictions whenever possible.
- Right to Confidential Communications: You may request that we communicate with you using alternative methods (for example, at a different mailing address or phone number).
- Right to Amend: If you believe your records are incomplete or inaccurate, you may request an amendment. If we deny your request, we will provide an explanation in writing.
- Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You may request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your health information, excluding those made for treatment, payment, or operations.
3. Filing a Complaint
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Office Manager. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.