Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective date: September 15, 2026
Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.
This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can access it. Please review it carefully.
“You” and “your” refer to the client and, when applicable, the client’s parent, legal guardian, or authorized representative.
Your Rights
You have the right to:
Review or receive a paper or electronic copy of the client’s health record
Ask us to correct information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete
Request communication by a specific method or at a specific address
Ask us to limit certain uses or disclosures
Receive a list of certain disclosures made during the previous six years
Receive a paper copy of this notice
Authorize a legally qualified person to act on your behalf
File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated
We will respond to requests within the time required by applicable law. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies when permitted.
We are not always required to agree to a requested restriction. However, if you pay in full out of pocket, you may ask us not to disclose information about that service to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations. We will honor that request unless disclosure is required by law.
For minor clients, a parent or legal guardian generally exercises these rights. Exceptions may apply when a minor may legally consent to care independently or when another law limits parental access.
Your Choices
You may tell us whether to share relevant information with family members, caregivers, or others involved in the client’s care or payment for care. If you cannot communicate your preference, we may disclose information when we believe it is in your best interest or when necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
We will obtain written authorization before using or disclosing information for purposes not otherwise permitted by law, including most marketing, the sale of protected health information, and most uses of psychotherapy notes, if any. NVST does not sell protected health information or use it for fundraising.
You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. Revocation will not affect information already used or disclosed in reliance on the authorization.
How We May Use and Disclose Information
We may use or disclose health information without written authorization:
To provide, coordinate, or manage treatment
To bill for services, process payments, or verify benefits
To operate the practice, maintain records, improve services, meet licensing requirements, and contact you about care or appointments
To comply with federal or California law
For legally authorized public-health, safety, abuse-reporting, health-oversight, workers’ compensation, law-enforcement, research, or government activities
In response to a court order, subpoena, or other lawful process
To prevent or reduce a serious threat to health or safety
To medical examiners, coroners, or funeral directors when applicable
To the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a compliance investigation
When California law provides greater privacy protection, NVST will follow the more protective requirement.
To the extent NVST receives or maintains substance-use-disorder treatment records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, those records will not be used or disclosed in an investigation or legal proceeding against the patient without the patient’s written consent or a qualifying court order and subpoena.
Other uses and disclosures not described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization unless otherwise permitted or required by law.
Our Responsibilities
NVST is required to:
Protect the privacy and security of protected health information
Follow the practices described in this notice
Provide this notice upon request
Notify affected individuals of a breach when required by law
NVST may revise this notice and apply the new terms to information already maintained. The current notice will be available upon request and posted on the NVST website.
Questions or Complaints
To ask a question, exercise a privacy right, or file a complaint, contact:
Privacy Officer
Michelle Corinne Hileman, M.S., CCC-SLP
Napa Valley Speech Therapy, Inc.
4225 Solano Avenue PMB 711
Napa, CA 94558
Telephone: (707) 637-4970
Email: FrontOffice@nvspeechtherapy.com
You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights at hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint or by calling 1-877-696-6775.
NVST will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.