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: October 21, 2026
Our Responsibilities
Right Care Family Medicine is required by law to protect the privacy and security of your protected health information (PHI). We will:
- Follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it
- Let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information
- Not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you give us permission, you may change your mind at any time by letting us know in writing.
How We Typically Use and Share Your Health Information
Treatment
We use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. For example, your physician may share information with a specialist, laboratory, imaging center, hospital, or pharmacy involved in your care.
Payment
We use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. For example, we give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.
Health Care Operations
We use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. For example, we use information to review the quality of our care, train staff, and manage our business.
Appointment Reminders and Health-Related Communications
We may contact you by phone, text, email, mail, or patient portal message to remind you of appointments, share test results, or tell you about treatment options and health-related services we offer.
Business Associates
We may share your information with companies that perform services for us, such as billing, electronic health record, patient portal, and IT services. They must sign agreements requiring them to protect your information.
Other Ways We May Use or Share Your Information
We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways, usually in ways that contribute to the public good. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.
- As required by law: We will share information when state or federal law requires it, including with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to confirm we are complying with federal privacy law.
- Public health and safety: We can share information for activities such as preventing disease, reporting adverse reactions to medications, helping with product recalls, reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, and preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.
- Health oversight: We can share information with agencies for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensing.
- Lawsuits and legal actions: We can share information in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena when the law allows.
- Law enforcement: We can share information for law enforcement purposes when the law permits or requires it.
- Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors: We can share information with these professionals when an individual dies.
- Organ and tissue donation: We can share information with organ procurement organizations.
- Research: We can use or share information for health research when the law allows, such as when a research project has been approved through a special privacy review process.
- Workers’ compensation: We can share information for workers’ compensation claims as the law allows.
- Special government functions: We can share information for military, national security, and presidential protective services when the law allows.
Your Choices
For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. You have both the right and the choice to tell us to:
- Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care or payment for your care
- Share information in a disaster relief situation
If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
We will never share your information for marketing purposes or sell your information unless you give us written permission. Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes also require your written permission.
Minors and Personal Representatives
A parent or legal guardian generally acts as the personal representative of a patient who is a minor and may exercise the rights in this notice on the minor’s behalf. North Carolina law (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-21.5) allows minors to consent on their own to certain services, including care for sexually transmitted and certain other reportable diseases, pregnancy, substance use, and emotional disturbance. When a minor consents to these services, the minor generally controls access to that information, except where the law permits or requires otherwise.
Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights.
Get a copy of your medical record
You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this. We will provide a copy or a summary, usually within 30 days of your request, and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
Ask us to correct your medical record
You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. We may say “no” to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.
Request confidential communications
You can ask us to contact you in a specific way, for example by home or office phone, or to send mail to a different address. We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.
Ask us to limit what we use or share
You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care. If you pay for a service or health care item out of pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information with your health insurer for payment or operations, and we will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share it.
Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information
You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years before the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why. We will include all disclosures except those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures, such as any you asked us to make. We provide one accounting a year for free but may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another within 12 months.
Get a copy of this privacy notice
You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.
Choose someone to act for you
If you have given someone medical power of attorney, or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will make sure the person has this authority before we take any action.
File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated
You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting our Privacy Officer using the information below. You can also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Changes to the Terms of This Notice
We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website.
Contact Our Privacy Officer
Privacy Officer
Right Care Family Medicine
4301 Lake Boone Trail, Suite 208
Raleigh, NC 27607
Phone: 919-299-9975
Fax: 919-299-9366
Email: info@rightcarefamilymedicine.com