Privacy Policy & HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Spring Valley Dental Group is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of your personal and health information.

We use and disclose your information only as permitted or required by law to provide dental care, manage our practice, and meet legal and regulatory obligations. We do not sell your health information or use it for unrelated purposes.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect and maintain the following types of information:

• Personal information: name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, and insurance details
• Health information (PHI): dental and medical history, diagnoses, treatment records, x-rays, clinical notes, and billing information
• Website information: limited, non-identifiable technical data such as browser type, IP address, and site usage through standard analytics tools

Online forms are not intended for transmitting sensitive health information. Please contact our office directly for clinical or urgent matters.

3. How We Use Your Information

YWe may use or disclose your information as permitted by HIPAA for the following purposes:

• Treatment: providing, coordinating, or managing your dental care
• Payment: billing, claims processing, and insurance verification
• Healthcare operations: quality assessment, staff training, compliance, and practice management
• Communication: appointment reminders, follow-up care, treatment discussions, and office updates
• Legal and public health purposes when required by law

We share only the minimum necessary information and only with authorized parties.

4. Electronic Communications, Email and Text Messaging

Spring Valley Dental Group may communicate with you by phone, email, text message, or patient portal regarding appointments, treatment, billing, and practice updates.

You may request to receive communications by email or text, including unencrypted methods, and acknowledge that electronic communications may carry privacy risks. Your communication preferences will be documented and honored whenever possible.

For more details on how we manage electronic communications, please see our Patient Communication Policy.

5. Marketing Communications

We may occasionally send informational or promotional messages about our services, office updates, or events.

• You may opt out of non-essential communications at any time.
• We do not sell or share your contact information with third-party marketers.
• Marketing communications involving third-party products or services require written authorization as required by HIPAA.

6. Your Rights Under HIPAA

You have the right to:

• Access your records and obtain copies, including electronic copies when requested and readily producible
• Receive your records within 30 days of a written request, or sooner when possible
• Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete records
• Request restrictions on certain uses or disclosures (we may not always be able to agree)
• Request confidential communications by alternative means or locations
• Receive an accounting of disclosures of your information
• Obtain a paper copy of this Notice at any time

To exercise these rights, please submit a written request to our Privacy Officer.

7. How We Protect Your Information

We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information, including:

• Secure systems and access controls
• Password protection and encryption where appropriate
• Staff training and confidentiality requirements

Access to your information is limited to authorized team members who need it to perform their job duties.

8. Website Privacy and Analytics

Our website uses basic cookies and anonymous analytics to improve functionality and user experience. These tools do not collect personal health information.

Our website may link to third-party platforms (such as social media or patient portals). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites.

For accessibility-related information, please review our Accessibility Statement.

9. Disclosures Without Authorization

We may disclose your information without your written authorization when permitted or required by law, including:

• For treatment, payment, and healthcare operations
• To comply with court orders, subpoenas, or regulatory requirements
• For public health activities or reporting abuse, neglect, or threats to safety
• To avert a serious threat to health or safety
• For law enforcement or national security purposes when legally required

Any other use or disclosure requires your written authorization, which you may revoke at any time in writing.

10. Special Protections for Certain Health Information

Some types of health information are subject to additional privacy protections under applicable federal or state law.

This includes, but is not limited to, information related to substance use disorder diagnosis, treatment, or referral that is protected under Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations (42 CFR Part 2), as well as certain mental health, genetic, and HIV-related information.

Spring Valley Dental Group does not provide substance use disorder treatment programs. However, we may receive records containing this type of information as part of a patient’s medical history, coordination of care, referrals, or records received from other healthcare providers, including federally assisted programs such as the Veterans Affairs health system.

When such information is received, we will comply with all applicable legal requirements governing its use and disclosure, including the heightened confidentiality protections required under 42 CFR Part 2.

In general:

• Substance use disorder records protected by 42 CFR Part 2 may not be used or disclosed without the patient’s written consent, except as permitted or required by law.
• These records generally may not be used against a patient in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings without proper authorization or a qualifying court order that provides notice to the patient.
• We will not redisclose Part 2–protected information except as allowed by law.

Nothing in this Notice reduces the protections provided to such information under applicable federal or state law.

11. Changes to This Notice

We may update this Notice to reflect changes in laws, regulations, or office practices. The most current version will always be available on our website and at our office.

Updates to this policy will be reflected here and may also be noted in our Terms of Service.

12. Questions or Complaints

If you have any questions about this notice or believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact:

Privacy Officer
Spring Valley Dental Group
904 E Highway 50
O’Fallon, IL 62269
📞 (618) 632-8471
✉️ svdg@dentaloffice.org

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR). We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

13. Acknowledgment of Receipt

Patients will be asked to acknowledge receipt of this Notice upon registration or during the initial visit.

Spring Valley Dental Group
904 E Highway 50 • O’Fallon, IL 62269
(618) 632-8471 | www.svdg-ofallon.com