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Notice of Privacy Practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW YOUR PET’S MEDICAL INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. 

 

PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY BEFORE AUTHORIZING

You may request a printed copy of this Notice by emailing info@ksvetbehavior.com.

I. WHO WE ARE This Notice describes the privacy practices of Karen Sueda Veterinary Behavior, Inc. ("we" or "us"), including: •All veterinary healthcare professionals allowed to enter or access information in your pet’s medical record(s) •All employees, contractors, or sub-contractors with access to your pet’s medical records, communication logs and/or your billing records

II. OUR PRIVACY OBLIGATION We understand that your pet’s health information is personal. Additionally, your pet’s behavioral history may include descriptions of sensitive situations and topics of a private nature. We are committed to protecting your privacy. Although HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), which regulates privacy practices in human medicine, does not apply to veterinary records, California has laws that protect information related to veterinary care. Confidential veterinary information includes: 1) the identity of the animal receiving veterinary services; 2) the client responsible for the animal; and 3) the veterinary care provided to the animal. Generally speaking, these may be referred to as your pet’s “veterinary record(s)”. Although we make every effort to maintain your privacy, there are situations in which we may disclose your information or your pet’s veterinary record; we will try to obtain your permission before we do so. However, there may be times when we disclose your pet’s veterinary records to a third party without your direct consent; see below for examples of these situations. Additionally, in the unforeseen event there is data breach of your pet’s veterinary records or your private information, we will make every attempt to notify you as soon as possible.

III. PERMISSIBLE USES AND DISCLOSURES WITHOUT YOUR WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION (TREATMENT; INSURANCE; PRESENCE PERMITTED; HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS; EDUCATION; REQUIRED BY LAW) In accordance with California law, there are situations in which we may disclose confidential information and/or your pet’s veterinary record(s) to third parties without your direct consent. These may include: A.Treatment a.Veterinary Referrals. We use and disclose your pet’s veterinary information to other veterinarians and veterinary healthcare professionals to facilitate ongoing, continued or future care. It is important that your primary care and/or specialty veterinarians are aware of your pet’s behavioral diagnoses and treatment recommendations, especially if diagnostic tests, treatments and/or medications are prescribed, as these may affect future healthcare decisions. We may also provide your pet’s records to other veterinary professionals or providers as part of a referral or when obtaining a consultation from another veterinarian or veterinary team member. You may opt out of having your pet’s veterinary records sent to your veterinarian at any time via written request. b.Storage/Maintenance of Media (e.g. documents, photos, videos). We securely maintain a copy of media sent to us as part of your pet’s medical record. These are used to aid in your pet’s diagnosis and treatment and may also be used for educational purposes as outlined in Section III.E. B.Insurance/Payment. Veterinary Insurance providers may request records to process your claim. C.Disclosure to Relatives, Friends, Trainers and Others Relevant to Your Pet’s Care. We may disclose your pet’s veterinary records to other people when you are present, for example, during an appointment in which multiple people have been invited to attend. If you are not present at the time of disclosure, such as when additional information from a third party is collected, we may: 1) obtain your agreement prior to the disclosure, 2) provide you with the opportunity to object to the disclosure and proceed if you do not object or 3) proceed if we reasonably infer that you do not object to the disclosure. D.Health Care Operations. Your pet’s veterinary record may be viewed by us or external contractors for administrative purposes, for example, for data entry or accounting. a.Photo ID (client and patient). We may ask permission to take a photograph of you and your pet for our records. The photos help us recognize you and your pet to personalize your experience. It also helps protect you from identity theft and provides an additional safeguard against medical errors. E.Education. Your pet’s records may also be viewed for educational purposes by volunteers who are rotating with Karen Sueda Veterinary Behavior Inc. to further their education. These may include (pre-) veterinary students, veterinary interns, veterinary residents, and/or other veterinarians or veterinary technicians. These volunteers will be held to the same privacy policy standards. Your records may be used for educational purposes (e.g. continuing education lectures) with your consent or without your consent in a confidential manner (i.e., names and identifying information redacted). Under certain circumstances, your pet’s veterinary record may be disclosed without your authorization to researchers as part of a data set that omits your name and information that can directly identify you or your pet. F.As Required by Law. We may use and disclose your pet’s veterinary record when required to do so pursuant to any applicable federal, state or local law. These may include, but are not limited to: a.Reasonable cause to suspect animal cruelty or abuse (California Code Business and Professions Code, Sections 4830.5 and 4830.7) b.Provision to peace, human society and/or animal control officers acting to protect the animal’s welfare c.By subpoena or court order d.When a civil or criminal complaint is filed e.Workers’ compensation claims f.Animal disease reporting. Certain diseases or symptoms associated with diseases are reportable to government authorities, for example, rabies.

IV. USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRING YOUR WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION (MARKETING; SOCIAL MEDIA) For any purpose other than the ones described above in Section III, we only use or disclose your pet’s veterinary record when you give us your written authorization. A.Marketing. We must obtain your written authorization prior to using your personal information or pet’s veterinary record for purposes that are marketing-related. For example, we will not send you email or texts about products or services unless there are directly related to your pet’s current or recommended treatment. We also do not accept payment from outside companies in exchange for providing your or your pet’s information for marketing purposes. We may provide refill reminders or communicate with you regarding availability of lower-priced or alternative prescriptions or products that may be part of your pet’s current or recommended treatment. We may market to you during direct exchanges (e.g. in-person, video or phone call) and may provide you with promotional gifts of nominal value without obtaining your written authorization. B.Social Media. We will not, without your written authorization, post identifying information about you or your pet on social media. Any commentary or descriptions posted on social media or the internet will either shield the identities of the people and pets involved or be posted only after explicit written authorization has been obtained.

V. YOUR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS (WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION; DECLINING/LIMITING AUTHORIZATION; REVOCATION; RECEIVING COMMUNICATIONS; RECEIVE RECORDS; AMEND RECORDS; COPY OF NOTICE; COMPLAINTS) A.Written Authorization. We will ask you to sign a written authorization to allow disclosure of your pet’s veterinary record or personal information, other than for purposes outlined in Section III. B.Declining and/or Limiting Authorization. You may decline consent to disclose your pet’s veterinary record or personal information at any time. Additionally, you have the right to further restrict or limit our use or disclosures of your pet’s information, within legal boundaries. For example, you may restrict access to your pet’s records to only certain individuals. However, we may still disclose your pet’s veterinary record or your personal information if we are legally obligated to do so or if not doing so will jeopardize your pet’s health or welfare. To limit use or disclosures, send a written request outlining your restrictions to the Contact Individual identified below. Declining or limiting authorization will not affect your pet’s treatment or your relationship with us. C.Revocation of Your Authorization. You may revoke your authorization, except to the extent that we have already taken action in reliance upon it, by providing a written revocation statement to the Contact Individual identified below. D.Right to Receive Communications by Alternative Means or at Alternative Locations. You may request, and we will accommodate to the best of our ability, any reasonable written request for you to receive communication by alternative means, or at alternative locations. E.Right to Inspect and Receive a Copy of Your Pet’s Veterinary Record. You may request a copy of your pet’s veterinary record as well as your communication and/or billing records for the preceding three years. We may elect to provide you with either a summary of your pet’s medical records or electronic copies. If you are requesting a copy of your records, please request and submit a Veterinary Medical Record Request Form to the Contact Individual below. If you request one or more printed copies, mailed copies or printed/emailed copies sent to multiple locations, we may charge you a reasonable copy and/or postage fee. F.Right to Amend Your Records. You have the right to request that we amend your pet’s veterinary record file or billing records, for example if you note an inaccurate description of an event in your pet’s history or an erroneous charge. If you desire to amend your records, please obtain and submit an Amendment Request Form from the Contact Individual below. We will comply with your request unless we believe that the information that you are requesting to be amended is, in fact, accurate and complete or other special circumstances apply. Your request for amendment will become a part of your pet’s veterinary record. G.Right to Receive Paper Copy of this Notice. Upon request, you may obtain a paper copy of this Notice, even if you agreed to receive such notice electronically. H.For Further Information; Complaints. If you desire further information about your privacy rights, are concerned that we have violated your privacy rights or disagree with a decision that we made about access to your pet’s veterinary record, you may contact the Contact Individual below or file a complaint with the California Veterinary Medical Board Department of Consumer Affairs: https://www.vmb.ca.gov/consumers/comp_inf.shtml

VI. EFFECTIVE DATE AND RIGHT TO CHANGE TERMS OF THIS NOTICE A.Effective Date. This Notice is effective on March 1, 2024. B.Right to Change Terms of this Notice. We may change the terms of this Notice at any time. If we change this Notice, we may make the new notice terms effective for all your information and your pet’s veterinary records that we maintain, including any information created or received prior to issuing the new notice. If we change this Notice, we will post the new notice on our website. You also may obtain any new notice by contacting our office at info@ksvetbehavior.com.

VI. CONTACT INDIVIDUAL I may contact Dr. Karen Sueda at: Karen Sueda Veterinary Behavior, Inc. 5182 Sunlight Place Los Angeles, CA 90016 Telephone Number: (213) 905-6655 E-mail: info@ksvetbehavior.com

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