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

Treatment
We may use or disclose your health information to another dentist or other health care providers providing treatment that we do not provide. We may also share your health information with a pharmacist to provide you with a prescription or with a laboratory that performs tests or fabricates dental prostheses or orthodontic appliances.

Payment
We may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for services we provide to you, unless you request that we restrict such disclosure to your health plan when you have paid out-of-pocket and in full for services rendered.

Health Care Operations
We may use and disclose your health information in connection with our health care operations, for example in sending appointment reminders. Other health care operations include but are not limited to quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualifications of health care professionals, evaluating practitioner and provider performance, conducting training programs, accreditation, certification, licensing, or credentialing activities. The California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act does limit the types of health care operations in which we can use or disclose your health information without your authorization. For example, if the dental practice is sold or merged, the new owner will seek permission to use your information to continue to treat you. Your authorization also is required if a credit or collection agency seeks your health information.

We may use business associates to conduct the above transactions. We may also use and disclose your health information if required by law or for public health, benefit, and safety purposes. For example:

Public Health and Safety
We may disclose your health information to a public health authority as part of lawful activities to prevent or control disease, injuries, and disabilities and to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to report safety issues with drugs and medical devices. We may disclose your health information to appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that you are a 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.

Government Oversight
We may disclose your health information to government regulatory agencies, such as the Dental Board of California or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to carry out their legal responsibilities in investigations, inspections, audits, enforcement, and licensing.

Law Enforcement, Coroners and Legal Proceedings
We may disclose your health information to a law enforcement agency, coroner, or medical examiner for official purposes such as identifying an individual or reporting crimes. We may be compelled to disclose your health information in response to a subpoena, court order, discovery request or other legal process. We may disclose to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials having lawful custody of protected health information of inmates or patients under certain circumstances.

Workers’ Compensation
We may disclose your health information to the extent permitted for workers’ compensation.

National Security
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.

Your Authorization
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 is in effect. Unless you give us a written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health information for any reason except those permitted uses described in this notice.

We may request your authorization to use your name, image or testimonial in our social media platforms and marketing efforts.

We may request your authorization to release your insurance information to another healthcare provider.