Alameda Eyes Optometry

Notice of Privacy Practices

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

Effective Date: October 13 2026

Practice: Alameda Eyes Optometry
Location: Alameda, California
Website: www.alamedaeyes.com
Privacy Officer: Anders Hansson OD
Telephone: 5107692020
Email: drhansson@alamedaeyes.com

PLEASE REVIEW THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY.

This notice explains how your protected health information may be used and disclosed, how you can obtain access to your information, and the rights you have regarding your medical records.

Alameda Eyes Optometry is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal and medical information in accordance with applicable federal and California law.

1. Information We Protect

Your protected health information may include:

• Personal identifying and contact information.

• Medical and ocular health histories, diagnoses, medications, and allergies.

• Eye examination findings, prescriptions, and clinical notes.

• Retinal imaging, optical coherence tomography (OCT), visual fields, and other diagnostic results.

• Dry-eye, binocular-vision, Neurolens, and myopia-management assessments.

• Contact lens fitting and eyewear-related clinical information.

• Insurance coverage, claims, payment, and billing information.

• Information submitted through our electronic patient forms, patient communications, and secure healthcare technology platforms.

2. How We Use and Disclose Information

Treatment

We may use and disclose your medical information to provide, coordinate, and manage your eye care.

This includes sharing necessary information with other treating healthcare professionals, specialists, laboratories, and referral providers.

Payment

We may use or disclose necessary information to obtain payment for healthcare services, verify coverage, process insurance claims, and coordinate reimbursement.

This may include communication with vision and medical insurers, including VSP and other applicable health plans.

Healthcare Operations

We may use necessary patient information to operate and improve our practice, including quality assurance, staff training, appointment coordination, clinical record management, billing audits, and patient service improvement.

Electronic Services and Business Associates

We use electronic health records, scheduling systems, secure patient intake tools, communication platforms, laboratories, and other service providers.

When required by HIPAA, companies handling protected health information on our behalf must have appropriate business associate agreements and safeguards.

Other Legally Permitted Disclosures

We may use or disclose information as permitted or required by applicable law, including for public health activities, legally required reporting, health oversight, authorized research, workers’ compensation, certain government functions, and valid legal processes.

Other disclosures may include appropriate requests from coroners, medical examiners, or organ donation organizations.

Any disclosure must satisfy applicable legal conditions and limitations.

3. Your Privacy Rights

Access your records

You may request to inspect or receive copies of your medical records, including eligible electronic records.

We will generally respond within 30 days, subject to applicable federal and California laws. Reasonable, legally permitted fees may apply.

Request corrections

You may request that we amend information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny certain requests where legally permitted, but we will explain the decision in writing.

Request confidential communications

You may ask us to communicate with you using a particular telephone number, mailing address, or other reasonable method.

We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Request restrictions

You may ask us to limit certain uses or disclosures of your health information. We are not always required to agree.

However, if you pay in full out of pocket for a healthcare item or service, you generally have the right to request that we not disclose information about that item or service to your health insurer for payment or healthcare operations, unless disclosure is required by law.

Request an accounting of disclosures

You may request an accounting of certain disclosures made during the previous six years, subject to legal exceptions.

One accounting within a 12-month period is generally free.

Receive a copy of this notice

You may request a printed copy of this notice at any time, even if you previously agreed to electronic delivery.

Authorize a personal representative

A person legally authorized to act for you may exercise your privacy rights, subject to applicable law and verification of their authority.

4. Your Choices

You may tell us your preferences concerning certain communications and disclosures, including sharing information with family members, friends, or others involved in your care or payment for your care.

In circumstances where you cannot express a preference, we may make disclosures permitted by law when we determine they are in your best interest or necessary to address a serious threat to health or safety.

We generally require your written authorization for uses or disclosures involving:

• Marketing that requires authorization under HIPAA.

• Sale of protected health information.

• Most disclosures of psychotherapy notes, if applicable.

• Other purposes requiring authorization under federal or California law.

You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we have already relied on it.

5. Specially Protected Information

Certain categories of medical information are subject to additional confidentiality protections under California or federal law.

These may include mental health records, HIV-related information, and substance-use-disorder treatment records, depending on the circumstances.

Where stricter privacy laws apply, Alameda Eyes Optometry will follow those requirements.

If we receive or maintain records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, those records are subject to additional restrictions. In particular, such records generally cannot be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against you without the legally required consent or qualifying court authorization and subpoena.

6. Patient Communications

We may contact you for healthcare-related purposes, including:

• Appointment reminders and scheduling.

• Prescription and contact lens follow-up.

• Recommended clinical follow-up.

• Referral coordination.

• Patient care instructions.

• Billing, insurance, or payment matters.

Communications may be delivered using the contact methods you provide, subject to applicable privacy requirements and your communication preferences.

You may request reasonable alternative or confidential methods of communication.

7. Electronic Patient Records and Online Forms

Alameda Eyes Optometry uses digital systems to support patient registration, medical histories, appointment scheduling, and clinical documentation.

Information submitted through authorized online patient forms becomes part of your healthcare record as applicable.

We take reasonable and legally required steps to safeguard electronic protected health information.

Use of electronic platforms does not eliminate your rights to access, correct, or request restrictions on your information.

8. Our Legal Responsibilities

Alameda Eyes Optometry is required to:

• Maintain the privacy and security of protected health information.

• Follow the terms of the currently effective Notice of Privacy Practices.

• Provide patients with access to this notice.

• Notify affected individuals of breaches of unsecured protected health information as required by law.

• Apply applicable federal and California privacy protections.

We will not use or disclose protected health information for purposes requiring your authorization without obtaining that authorization.

9. Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to revise this Notice of Privacy Practices and make the revised notice effective for the protected health information we maintain, as permitted by law.

The current notice will be available at our office and on our website.

10. Questions and Complaints

If you have questions about this notice or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact:

Alameda Eyes Optometry — Privacy Officer
1432 Park Street Alameda CA 94501
510-769-2020
drhansson@alamedaeyes.com

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office for Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20201
Telephone: 1-877-696-6775
Website: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/

​​​​​​​You will not be retaliated against for filing a privacy complaint.