Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective date: September 17, 2026

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.

This notice applies to the dental care and related records of AART Ventures PC, doing business as Smile Magic Family Dentistry, at 39 Pond St, Ashland, MA 01721. It covers protected health information in paper, electronic and spoken form.

Your rights

See or receive your records

You may request access to, or an electronic or paper copy of, the dental and other health information we maintain about you. Contact our office to request records. We generally respond within 30 days; if a legally permitted extension is necessary, we will explain the reason and the expected completion date in writing. Any copying fee will be reasonable, cost-based and allowed by law. If access is denied, we will explain the reason and any available review rights.

Ask for a correction

You may ask us to amend information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. Please explain the correction you want. We may deny a request in circumstances permitted by law, but will explain why in writing, generally within 60 days, and tell you how to submit a statement of disagreement. A permitted extension will be explained in writing.

Request confidential communication

You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at a different address or phone number. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Request limits on uses and disclosures

You may ask us to limit information used or shared for treatment, payment or health care operations, or with people involved in your care. We do not have to agree to every request. If we agree, we will follow the restriction except as permitted by law, including when the information is needed for emergency treatment.

If you pay for an item or service out of pocket in full, you may ask us not to disclose information about that item or service to your health plan for payment or health care operations. We must honor that request unless disclosure is required by law.

Receive an accounting of disclosures

You may request a list of certain disclosures made during the six years before your request. The list does not generally include disclosures for treatment, payment or health care operations, disclosures you authorized, and other exceptions allowed by law. One accounting in a 12-month period is free. We will tell you in advance about any permitted fee for an additional request so you may withdraw or change it.

Receive a paper notice and use a representative

You may obtain a paper copy of this notice promptly and without charge, even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically. A person legally authorized to act for you may exercise your rights, subject to applicable law. We will verify that authority.

How we use and disclose health information

The permissions below are subject to legal conditions and to the additional protections described later in this notice. They do not authorize a disclosure that another applicable law prohibits.

Treatment

We may use and disclose information to provide, coordinate or manage your care. For example, we may discuss relevant health information with another clinician involved in your treatment.

Payment

We may use and disclose information to bill and collect payment for care, such as submitting a claim to your dental insurance plan or checking coverage, subject to applicable restrictions.

Health care operations

We may use and disclose information to operate the practice, assess and improve care, manage services and contact you about your care. Service providers handling protected health information on our behalf must provide the protections required by applicable law and agreements.

Other purposes allowed or required by law

• Public health and safety: reporting disease, adverse medication reactions, product recalls, suspected abuse or neglect, or addressing a serious and imminent threat, when legally permitted or required.
• Health oversight: authorized audits, inspections, licensing activities and investigations.
• Legal requirements: disclosures required by law, including to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to assess privacy compliance.
• Legal proceedings and law enforcement: responding to qualifying court orders, subpoenas and lawful requests only when applicable requirements are met.
• Workers’ compensation and government functions: disclosures permitted for workers’ compensation, military, national security and other legally authorized functions.
• Research: disclosures only when applicable authorization or other legal safeguards permit them.
• Deaths and donation: permitted disclosures to coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors or organ procurement organizations.

Your choices and written permission

When permitted by law, we may share information relevant to care or payment with family, friends or others you identify, or for disaster relief. You may agree or object. If you cannot express a preference, we may make a permitted disclosure based on professional judgment about your best interests.

Uses or disclosures not described in this notice require your written authorization unless otherwise permitted or required by law. We will obtain your written authorization for marketing uses and disclosures that require it, sales of protected health information, and most uses or disclosures of psychotherapy notes, if we hold such notes. The limited exceptions in applicable law still apply.

You may revoke an authorization in writing by contacting our office. Revocation will not undo actions already taken in reliance on your authorization.

If we contact you for fundraising as permitted by law, you may opt out of further fundraising communications. If fundraising would use records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, we will first provide clear notice and an opportunity to choose whether to receive those communications.

Additional protections for sensitive information

Some records receive stronger protection under Massachusetts or federal law. When those protections apply, we follow the stricter rule. For example, Massachusetts law generally requires written informed consent to disclose HIV test results or genetic test results, subject to applicable statutory exceptions. Certain mental health records and information about care to which a minor may independently consent can also have additional confidentiality protections.

If we receive substance use disorder patient records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, we will follow the applicable Part 2 requirements. We will not use or disclose those records, or testimony describing their contents, in civil, criminal, administrative or legislative investigations or proceedings against you without your written consent or a qualifying court order and subpoena or other legally required process. These restrictions apply even where a general HIPAA permission described above might otherwise allow disclosure.

Our responsibilities

We are required by law to protect the privacy of your protected health information, give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and follow the notice currently in effect. We must notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured protected health information as required by law.

Complaints

You may complain to our office using the contact information above. You may also complain directly to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights through its health information privacy complaint process, by calling 1-877-696-6775, or by writing to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201. We will not retaliate or penalize you for filing a complaint.

Changes to this notice

We may change this notice and reserve the right to make the revised terms apply to information we already maintain as well as information received later. A revised notice will show its effective date and will be available on this website and from our office upon request.

For information about browsing this site and using external booking links, see our Website Privacy Policy. Our Notice of Non-Discrimination explains the free language and disability services available to you.