HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective Date: 3/4/2026

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how medical, dental, and health information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can access this information. Please review it carefully.

Sleep Wellness Matters is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your health information. We are required by applicable federal and state law, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information and to provide you with this notice regarding our privacy practices and legal responsibilities.

Your Rights

You have certain rights regarding your protected health information. When it comes to your health information, you have the right to:

Get a Copy of Your Health, Dental, and Sleep Care Records

You may ask to see or obtain an electronic or paper copy of your health records, dental records, sleep-related treatment records, 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 applicable law. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee when permitted by law.

Ask Us to Correct Your Health Records

You may ask us to correct health information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.

We may deny your request in certain circumstances, but we will provide you with a written explanation when required by law.

Request Confidential Communications

You may ask us to contact you in a specific way, such as at your home, office, or mobile telephone number, or to send communications to a different mailing 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 generally not required to agree to your request unless otherwise required by law. If you pay for a healthcare service or item in full out of pocket, you may ask us not to share information about that service or item with 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 of your protected health information.

The accounting will identify certain times we shared your health information, the recipients of the information, and the reasons for the disclosures, as required by law.

Get a Copy of This Notice

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

Choose Someone to Act for You

If you have given another person medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian or 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 individual has the appropriate legal authority before taking action.

File a Complaint

You may file a complaint with Sleep Wellness Matters if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

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

For certain health information, you may tell us your preferences regarding what we share.

In certain situations, you may have the right and ability to tell us whether we may:

• Share information with family members, close friends, or others involved in your care.
• Share information in connection with disaster relief efforts.
• Contact you regarding certain fundraising activities.

If you are unable to communicate your preference, such as during a medical emergency, we may share information when we determine that doing so is in your best interest and is permitted by law.

We may also disclose information when necessary to reduce or prevent a serious and imminent threat to health or safety, consistent with applicable law.

How We Typically Use or Share Your Health Information

We may use and disclose your protected health information in the following ways:

To Treat You

We may use your health information and share it with dentists, physicians, sleep medicine providers, laboratories, medical equipment providers, and other healthcare professionals involved in your care.

For example, we may share relevant health or treatment information with a referring physician or other healthcare provider to coordinate your sleep apnea care.

To Run Our Practice

We may use and disclose your health information for healthcare operations and to manage our practice, improve the quality of care we provide, and contact you when necessary.

For example, we may use health information to evaluate our services, train team members, coordinate patient care, and improve our sleep wellness and sleep apnea treatment services.

To Bill for Your Services

We may use and disclose your health information to bill and obtain payment from dental insurance plans, medical insurance plans, Medicare, health plans, or other entities responsible for payment.

For example, we may provide information regarding a consultation, sleep-related service, or oral appliance treatment to an insurance carrier so that it can process a claim.

Appointment Reminders and Treatment Communications

We may use your contact information to provide appointment reminders, scheduling information, treatment follow-ups, oral appliance care information, and other communications related to your care.

Other Ways We May Use or Share Your Information

We may use or disclose your health information in other situations permitted or required by law. These uses and disclosures may include:

Public Health and Safety

We may disclose health information for certain public health and safety activities, including:

• Preventing or controlling disease.
• Reporting adverse reactions to medications, medical devices, or products.
• Assisting with product recalls.
• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence when required or permitted by law.
• Preventing or reducing a serious threat to an individual’s or the public’s health or safety.

Health Research

We may use or disclose your health information for health research when all applicable legal requirements have been satisfied.

Compliance With the Law

We may disclose your health information when required by federal or state law. This may include disclosures to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to demonstrate our compliance with federal privacy laws.

Organ and Tissue Donation

We may disclose health information to organ procurement organizations when applicable.

Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors

We may disclose health information to a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director as permitted by law.

Workers’ Compensation, Law Enforcement, and Government Requests

We may use or disclose health information:

• For workers’ compensation claims.
• For certain law enforcement purposes.
• To health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law.
• For certain government functions authorized by law.

Legal Proceedings

We may disclose health information in response to a court order, administrative order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful legal process when permitted or required by law.

Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Authorization

We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your protected health information when HIPAA or other applicable law requires your authorization.

Certain uses and disclosures of health information for marketing purposes and certain disclosures involving the sale of protected health information require authorization when applicable.

You may revoke a written authorization at any time by notifying us in writing. Your revocation will not affect uses or disclosures already made in reliance on your authorization.

Our Responsibilities

Sleep Wellness Matters is required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.

We will:

• Maintain appropriate safeguards to protect your health information.
• Notify you following a breach of your unsecured protected health information when notification is required by law.
• Follow the privacy practices described in this notice while the notice is in effect.
• Use or disclose only the health information necessary for a permitted purpose when the minimum necessary standard applies.
• Provide you with information regarding your privacy rights and our legal responsibilities.

We will not use or disclose your health information for purposes not described in this notice unless you provide written authorization or the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices and our privacy practices.

Any revised notice may apply to health information we already maintain as well as information we receive in the future.

The current Notice of Privacy Practices will be available upon request and may be posted on our website.

Questions or Complaints

If you have questions about this notice, would like to exercise your privacy rights, or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact Sleep Wellness Matters.

Sleep Wellness Matters
8418 New Town Rd
Waxhaw, NC 28173
Phone: (704) 709-5786

You may also submit a complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

Sleep Wellness Matters will not retaliate against you for filing a privacy complaint or exercising your rights under HIPAA.