Effective Date: August 21, 2026
Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.
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 of Privacy Practices applies to Viera HealthCare Primary Care and the healthcare professionals and workforce members who provide services through the clinic.
Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.
Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record
- You may ask to see or obtain an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we maintain about you. Ask us how to do this.
- We will provide a copy or summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee as permitted by law.
Ask us to correct your medical record
- You may ask us to correct health information about you that you believe is incorrect or incomplete.
- We may deny your request in certain circumstances, but we will explain the reason in writing, generally within 60 days.
Request confidential communications
- You may ask us to contact you in a particular way, such as at home, at work, or by mobile phone, or to send mail to a different address.
- We will agree to all reasonable requests.
Ask us to limit what we use or share
- You may ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to every request and may decline if it could affect your care.
- If you pay for a service or healthcare item out of pocket in full, you may ask us not to share that information with your health insurer for payment or healthcare operations. We will agree unless a law requires us to share the information.
Get a list of disclosures
- You may request an accounting of certain disclosures of your health information made during the six years before the date of your request, including who received the information and why.
- The accounting will not include disclosures for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and certain other disclosures permitted by law.
- We will provide one accounting during any 12-month period without charge. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for additional requests during the same period.
Get a copy of this notice
You may request a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically. We will provide 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 or otherwise authorized personal representative, that person may exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
- We will verify that the person has authority to act for you before taking action.
File a complaint if you believe your rights were violated
- You may complain to us by contacting our Privacy Officer using the information at the end of this notice.
- You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by writing to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint.
- We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Your Choices
For certain health information, you may tell us your choices about what we share. Tell us your preference, and we will follow your instructions when the law allows.
You have the right and choice to tell us whether 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 unable to tell us your preference, such as when you are unconscious, we may share information when we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share information when necessary to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
We will not use or share your information for the following purposes unless you give us written permission:
- Most marketing purposes.
- Sale of your health information.
- Most sharing of psychotherapy notes.
If we contact you for fundraising, you may tell us not to contact you again. If we maintain substance use disorder patient records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, we will provide clear advance notice and a choice regarding fundraising communications that use such information.
Our Uses and Disclosures
How do we typically use or share your health information?
Treat you
We may use your health information and share it with physicians, laboratories, pharmacies, specialists, hospitals, and other professionals who are treating you.
Example: A clinician treating you asks another healthcare professional about your overall health condition.
Run our organization
We may use and share your health information to operate our practice, improve your care, coordinate services, train staff, conduct quality assessment activities, and contact you when necessary.
Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.
Bill for your services
We may use and share your health information to bill and obtain payment from health plans or other responsible parties.
Example: We provide information about your services to your health insurance plan so it can process payment.
How else may we use or share your health information?
We are allowed or required to share information in other ways, usually for activities that contribute to the public good. We must meet legal conditions before sharing information for these purposes.
Help with public health and safety issues
We may share health information for certain purposes, including preventing disease, reporting communicable diseases, helping with product recalls, reporting adverse reactions to medications, reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, and preventing or reducing a serious threat to health or safety.
Conduct research
We may use or share information for health research when authorized by law and when applicable privacy protections are satisfied.
Comply with the law
We will share information when state or federal law requires it, including with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when it requests information to determine whether we are complying with federal privacy law.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
We may share health information with organ procurement organizations when applicable.
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
We may share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and government requests
We may use or share health information for workers’ compensation claims, for law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official, with health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law, and for special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services.
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
We may share health information in response to a court or administrative order or, when permitted by law, in response to a subpoena or other lawful process.
Additional Protections for Certain Information
Some categories of information may receive additional protection under federal or Texas law, including certain mental health records, substance use disorder records, genetic information, HIV or other communicable disease information, and information concerning minors. When another law provides greater privacy protection than HIPAA, we will follow the more protective law.
To the extent we maintain substance use disorder patient records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, we will not use or disclose those records in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against you without your written consent or a court order accompanied by a subpoena, as required by law.
Our Responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
- We will notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
- We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and provide you with a copy.
- We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you give us written authorization. If you provide authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.
Changes to the Terms of This Notice
We may change the terms of this notice. Changes may apply to all health information we maintain, including information created or received before the change. The current notice will be available upon request, at our clinic, and on our website.
Privacy Officer and Contact Information
For questions, requests, or complaints concerning this notice or your privacy rights, contact:
Privacy Officer
Atención Primaria Viera HealthCare
910 S. Wayside Dr., Suite 150
Houston, TX 77023
Phone: (713) 923-6333
Email: privacy@vierahealthcareclinic.com
For information about data collected through this website, cookies, and advertising technologies, please review our Website Privacy Policy.
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