Matteson Family Dental, Inc. (“Matteson Family Dental,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), oversees this website, including the services underlying the site and the content appearing herein, https://www.mattesonfamilydental.com/ (collectively, the “Site”). We have developed this privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) to inform users (“user,” “you,” or “your”) about how we collect information in the course of conducting our business, including on the Site, how we use the collected information, and a user’s rights with respect to the collected information. The terms contained herein apply to all users of this Site.

This Privacy Policy is binding on all those who access, visit, and/or use our Site, whether acting as an individual or on behalf of an entity, including you and all persons, entities, or digital engines of any kind that harvest, crawl, index, scrape, spider, or mine digital content by an automated or manual process or otherwise. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you do not agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy, then do not access or use the Site. By accessing and/or using the Site, you accept and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. Your use of our Site and any Personal Data you provide through the Site are subject to this Privacy Policy at all times.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at info@mattesonfamilydental.com or at the contact information at the bottom of this page.

We use and disclose health information about you for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. For example:

We may use or disclose your health information to a physician/dentist, dental auxiliaries, students and other healthcare providers providing treatment to you.

We may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for services we provide to you.

We may use and disclose your health information in connection with our healthcare operations. Healthcare operations include quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualifications of healthcare professionals, evaluating practitioner and provider performances, conducting training programs, accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities.

In addition to our use of your health information for treatment, payment or healthcare operations, you may give us written authorization to use your health information or to disclose it to anyone for any purpose. If you give us an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosures permitted by your authorization while it was in effect. Unless you give us a written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health information for any reason except those described in this notice.

We must disclose your health information to you, as described in the Patient Rights section of this notice. We may disclose your health information to a family member, friend or other person to the extent necessary to help with your healthcare or with payment for your healthcare, but only if you agree that we may do so.

We may use or disclose health information to notify, or assist in the notification of (including identifying or locating) a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care, of your location, your general condition, or death. If you are present, then prior to use or disclosure of your health information, we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such uses or disclosures. In the event of your incapacity or emergency circumstances, we will disclose health information based on a determination using our professional judgment disclosing only health information that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement in your healthcare. We will also use our professional judgment and our experience with common practice to make reasonable inferences of your best interest in allowing a person to pick up prescriptions, dental supplies, X-rays, or other similar forms of health information.

We may use Patient Information internally to offer goods and services we believe may be of interest. We may use Patient Information to contact you to inquire or survey about the Patient experience at the location(s) visited and the prospect of future services or improvements needed to continue as your services provider. We may also create and use aggregate Patient Information that is not personally identifiable to understand more about the common traits and interests of our Patients.

We may utilize one or more third-party service providers to send email or other communications to you on our behalf, including Patient satisfaction surveys. These service providers are prohibited from using your email address or other contact information for any purpose other than to send communications on our behalf.

It is our intention to only send email communications that would be useful to you and that you want to receive. When you provide us with your email address as part of the registration or appointment setting process, we will place you on our list of patients to receive informational and promotional emails. In addition, patients and visitors to our website are given the opportunity to “opt-in” to receive electronic promotional communications by selecting the option to receive promotional emails from us on our website.

Each time you receive a promotional email, you will be provided the choice to “opt-out” of future emails by following the instructions provided in the email, or you can “opt-out” at any time by following the instructions provided.

Our website utilizes “cookie” technology. “Cookies” are encrypted strings of text that a website stores on a user’s computer. Our website uses cookies throughout the online process to keep together information entered on multiple pages. For example, cookies enable our website to “remember” information provided to us. In addition, cookies are used to:

Measure usage of various pages on our website to help us make our information more pertinent to your needs and easy for you to access; and
Provide functionality such, as online appointing, bill paying and other functionalities that we believe would be of interest and value to you.
The two types of cookies that we use are referred to as “session” cookies and “persistent” cookies. Session cookies are temporary and are automatically deleted once you leave our website. Persistent cookies remain on your computer hard drive until you delete them. We do not use cookies to gather any personally identifiable information about you apart from what you voluntarily provide us in your dealings with us. Our cookies do not corrupt or damage your computer, programs or computer files. You may set your browser to block cookies.

We will not use your health information for fundraising activities without your written consent.

We may use or disclose your health information when we are required to do so by law.

We may disclose your health information to appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence, or the possible victim of other crimes. We may disclose your health information to the extent necessary to avert a serious threat to your health or safety, or the health or safety of others.

We may disclose to military authorities the health information of Armed Forces personnel under certain circumstances. We may disclose, to authorized federal officials, health information required for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities. We may disclose to a correctional institution or law enforcement official having lawful custody of protected health information of an inmate or patient under certain circumstances.

We may use or disclose your health information to provide you with appointment reminders (such as voicemail messages, postcards, or letters).

Access
You have the right to look at or get copies of your health information, with limited exceptions. You may request that we provide copies in a format other than photocopies. We will use the format you request unless we cannot practicably do so. We may charge a fee for producing dental records and X-rays as allowed by law.

Disclosure Accounting
You have the right to receive a list of instances in which we or our business associates disclosed your health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations and certain other activities, but not before July 30, 2020. If you request this accounting more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for responding to these additional requests.

Restrictions
You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your health information. We are not required to agree to these additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement (except in an emergency). When you pay in full outside of your insurance plan for services you may request that we restrict this information and not disclose it to your healthcare plan or insurer.

Breach Notification
We will provide you with notification of a breach of unsecured PHI as required by law.

Alternative Communication
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or to alternative locations. This request must be in writing. Your request must specify the alternative means or location, and provide satisfactory explanation of how payments will be handled under the alternative means or location you request.

Amendment
You have the right to request that we amend your health information. This request must be in writing, and it must explain why the information should be amended. We may deny your request under certain circumstances.

Electronic Notice
If you received this notice on our web site or by electronic mail (e-mail), you are also entitled to receive this notice in written form.

If you would like additional information about our privacy practices or have questions, Matteson Family Dental may be reached at 269.795.7916.

If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or if you disagree with a decision we made about access to your health information or our handling of your response to a request you made to amend or restrict the use or disclosure of your health information, or to have us communicate with you by alternative means or at alternative locations, you may send your concerns to Matteson Family Dental, Attn: Matteson Family Dental, 4710 M-37, Middleville, MI 49333. You also may submit written concerns to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will provide you with the address to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon request.

We support your right to maintain the privacy of your health information. We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.