Privacy Policy

Effective Date: February 16, 2026

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

First Coast Audiology is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your health information. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information, your rights regarding your health information, and our responsibilities under federal and applicable state law.

Your Rights

Get a 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. We will provide a copy or summary of your health information, usually within the time required by law. 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 for the denial in writing as required by law.

Request Confidential Communications

You may ask us to contact you in a specific way, such as at a particular phone number or email address, or to send mail to a different address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Ask Us to Limit What We Use or Share

You may ask us not to use or disclose certain health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to every request. If you pay for a healthcare item or service in full out-of-pocket, you may ask us not to disclose information about that item or service to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations. We will honor that request unless a law requires us to disclose the information.

Get a List of Certain Disclosures

You may request a list, or "accounting," of certain disclosures we have made of your health information. The accounting generally does not include disclosures made for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or certain other purposes permitted by law.

Get a Copy of This Notice

You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive the Notice electronically.

Choose Someone to Act for You

If you have given someone medical power of attorney or someone is your legal guardian or other legally authorized personal representative, that person may exercise your rights and make choices about your health information as permitted by law. We may verify that the person has appropriate authority before taking action.

File a Complaint

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with First Coast Audiology using the contact 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. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

Family, Friends, and Others Involved in Your Care

You may tell us whether we may share relevant information with a family member, friend, caregiver, or other person involved in your healthcare or payment for your care. If you are unable to tell us your preference, such as during an emergency, we may share information when we determine, using our professional judgment, that doing so is in your best interest and is permitted by law.

Communications With You

We may communicate with you regarding your care, appointments, treatment, hearing devices, billing, and other healthcare-related matters using the communication methods you have authorized. You may change your communication preferences by contacting our office.

Marketing

We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your protected health information for marketing when authorization is required by law. We will not use your photograph, video, testimonial, or other identifiable patient information for marketing purposes when authorization is required unless you have provided appropriate authorization.

Sale of Health Information

We will not sell your protected health information without your written authorization when authorization is required by law.

Fundraising

If we contact you for fundraising purposes, you may tell us not to contact you again.

How We Typically Use or Share Your Health Information

Treatment

We may use your health information and share it with other healthcare professionals who are involved in your care. For example, we may send the results of your hearing evaluation to your primary care physician, referring provider, ENT, speech-language pathologist, or another healthcare professional involved in your care when permitted by law. We may also communicate with hearing aid and hearing-device manufacturers, laboratories, or other service providers when necessary for the selection, ordering, fitting, programming, repair, or servicing of devices used in your care.

Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose your health information to operate our practice, improve the quality of our services, train staff, conduct quality-assurance activities, and manage our business.

Payment

We may use and disclose your health information to bill and obtain payment from you, Medicare, your insurance company, health plan, or another responsible party.

Appointment and Healthcare Communications

We may use your information to contact you regarding appointments, follow-up care, hearing healthcare services, treatment recommendations, patient education, and other information related to your care.

Other Ways We May Use or Share Your Information

Public Health and Safety

We may disclose health information for certain public-health and safety activities, including preventing or controlling disease; reporting adverse reactions or problems with medical devices; reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence when permitted or required by law; and preventing or reducing a serious threat to someone's health or safety.

Health Oversight

We may disclose health information to authorized agencies for activities such as audits, investigations, inspections, accreditation, and professional licensing.

Judicial and Administrative Proceedings

We may disclose health information in response to a valid court or administrative order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process when the requirements of applicable law are satisfied.

Law Enforcement

We may disclose health information for certain law-enforcement purposes when permitted or required by law.

Workers' Compensation

We may disclose health information as authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with workers' compensation laws and similar programs.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors

We may disclose health information to coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors when permitted by law.

Organ and Tissue Donation

We may disclose health information to organizations involved in organ, eye, or tissue donation and transplantation when applicable.

Research

We may use or disclose health information for research when permitted by law and when applicable privacy protections have been satisfied.

Government Functions

We may disclose health information for certain specialized government functions, including military, national security, protective services, and correctional institution activities, when authorized by law.

When Required by Law

We will disclose information about you when federal, state, or local law requires us to do so.

Substance Use Disorder Records

Federal law provides additional protections for certain substance use disorder patient records that are subject to 42 CFR Part 2. To the extent First Coast Audiology receives or maintains substance use disorder patient records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, additional restrictions may apply to the use and disclosure of those records.

Such records may not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against you unless you provide written consent or the disclosure is authorized by a court order and other applicable legal requirements are satisfied. Additional protections and consent requirements may apply to these records as required by federal law.

Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Written Authorization

For uses and disclosures not described in this Notice or otherwise permitted or required by law, we will obtain your written authorization. Your written authorization is generally required for certain marketing activities, the sale of protected health information, most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes if applicable, and other uses or disclosures for which authorization is required by law.

If you give us written authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time. Revoking an authorization will not affect actions we already took in reliance on the authorization before receiving your revocation.

Our Responsibilities

First Coast Audiology is required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information; provide you with this Notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices; follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect; notify you if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your unsecured protected health information, as required by law; respect the privacy rights described in this Notice; and apply additional protections to certain health information when required by federal or state law.

We may change the terms of this Notice and make the revised Notice effective for all health information we maintain, including information created or received before the change. If we make a material change, the revised Notice will be made available as required by law. The current Notice will be available at our offices and electronically through our website.

Questions or Complaints

Privacy Officer
First Coast Audiology
166 A1A N, Suite 100
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Phone: (904) 501-2280

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights.

Information about filing a HIPAA privacy complaint is available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

First Coast Audiology will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint or exercising your privacy rights.