BELL DENTAL MARYLAND HEIGHTS

HIPAA Omnibus Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective Date: February 16, 2026

Bell Dental Maryland Heights
3394 McKelvey Rd #110
Bridgeton, MO 63044
(314) 739-5600

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND/OR DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

The terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) apply to Bell Dental, its affiliates, and its employees. Bell Dental will share patients’ protected health information as necessary to carry out treatment, payment, and health care operations as permitted by law.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of our patient’s protected health information and to provide patients with Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices for protected health information.

We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice for as long as it remains in effect. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice as necessary and to make a new notice of privacy practices effective for all protected health information maintained by Bell Dental.

We are required to notify you in the event of a breach of your unsecured protected health information. We are also required to inform you that there may be a provision of state law that relates to the privacy of your health information that may be more stringent than a standard or requirement under the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”).

You may obtain a copy of any revised Notice of Privacy Practices or information pertaining to a specific State law by mailing a request to the Privacy Officer at the address below.

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

We may use and disclose your Protected Health Information in the following situations:

Authorization and Consent

Unless outlined below, we will not use or disclose your protected health information for any purpose other than treatment, payment, or health care operations unless you have signed a form authorizing such use or disclosure. You have the right to revoke such authorization in writing, with such revocation being effective once we receive the request in writing; however, such revocation shall not be effective to the extent that we have taken any action in reliance on the authorization or if the authorization was obtained as a condition of obtaining insurance coverage, other law provides the insurer with the right to contest a claim under the policy or the policy itself.

Treatment

We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information to provide medical treatment and/or services to manage and coordinate your medical care. For example, we may share your medical information with other physicians and health care providers, DME vendors, surgery centers, hospitals, rehabilitation therapists, home health providers, laboratories, nurse case managers, worker’s compensation adjusters, etc. to ensure that the medical provider has the necessary medical information to diagnose and provide treatment to you.

Payment

Your Protected Health Information will be used to obtain payment for your health care services. For example, we will provide your health care plan with the information it requires prior to paying us for the services we have provided to you. This use and disclosure may also include certain activities that your health plan requires prior to approving a service, such as determining benefits eligibility and prior authorization.

Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose your Protected Health Information to manage, operate, and support the business activities of our practice. These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment, employee review, licensing, fundraising, and conducting or arranging for other business activities. In addition, we may use a sign-in sheet at the registration desk where you will be asked to sign your name and indicate your physician. We may also call you by name in the waiting room when your physician is ready to see you. We may use or disclose your Protected Health Information, as necessary, to contact you to remind you of your appointment and inform you about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

We may communicate with you electronically for appointment reminders, billing notifications, treatment follow-up, patient portal messaging, and other health care operations purposes. Electronic communications may include secure email, text messaging, or patient portal systems. While we implement safeguards to protect your information, electronic communication carries inherent risks. You may request alternative communication methods as described under your right to request confidential communications.

Minors

Protected Health Information of minors will be disclosed to their parents or legal guardians unless prohibited by law.

Required by Law

We will use or disclose your Protected Health Information when required by local, state, federal, and international law.

Abuse, Neglect, and Domestic Violence

Your Protected Health Information will be disclosed to the appropriate government agency if there is the belief that a patient has been or is currently the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence and the patient agrees, or it is required by law to do so. In addition, your information may also be disclosed when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health or safety or the health and safety of others to someone who may be able to help prevent the threat.

Judicial and Administrative Proceedings

As sometimes required by law, we may disclose your Protected Health Information for the purpose of litigation.

Breach Notification Purposes

If for any reason, there is an unsecured breach of your Protected Health Information, we will utilize the contact information you provided to notify you of the breach, as required by law. In addition, your Protected Health Information may be disclosed as a part of the breach notification and reporting process.

In accordance with applicable federal law, including the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, unsecured Protected Health Information maintained in electronic systems may be subject to unauthorized access due to cybersecurity incidents. In the event of such an incident that meets the definition of a reportable breach, we will provide notification without unreasonable delay and no later than sixty (60) days following discovery, as required by law. We will also notify the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and, when applicable, the media, consistent with federal breach reporting requirements.

 

Business Associates

We may disclose your Protected Health Information to our business associates who provide us with services necessary to operate and function as a medical practice. We will only provide the minimum information needed for the associate(s) to perform their tasks relating to our business operations…

We may utilize electronic health record systems, cloud-based storage platforms, secure patient communication platforms, electronic claims processing systems, cybersecurity monitoring services, and other technology vendors in connection with our health care operations. These vendors qualify as Business Associates under HIPAA and are contractually required to safeguard your Protected Health Information in accordance with HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule standards.

PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION AND YOUR RIGHTS

If you request that we transmit your electronic Protected Health Information directly to a designated third party (including a personal health application), we will do so in accordance with HIPAA requirements. Please note that once your information is transmitted to a third party not subject to HIPAA, the information may no longer be protected under federal HIPAA privacy standards.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and will notify you of such changes. We will also make copies of our new notice available if you wish to obtain one. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

This Notice was updated on February 16, 2026 to clarify electronic communications practices, cybersecurity incident response procedures, use of technology vendors, and patient rights relating to electronic access and transmission of Protected Health Information.

COMPLAINTS

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint in writing with the Privacy Officer. You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the below address. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint.

Office for Civil Rights – Region VI

HHS Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
601 East 12th Street, Room 353
Kansas City, MO 64106

Voice Phone: (800) 368-1019
TDD: (800) 537-7697
Fax: (816) 426-3686

Complaints may also be filed electronically through the HHS Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

If you have questions, need further assistance regarding or would like to submit a request pursuant to this Notice, you may contact the Bell Dental Privacy Officer by phone at (314) 739-5600 or at the following address:

3394 McKelvey Rd #110
Bridgeton, MO 63044