Privacy Policy / Notice of Privacy Practices (HIPAA)

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Carolina Coastal Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa
**THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.**

**Effective Date:** September 1, 2026
Carolina Coastal Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your medical information. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your Protected Health Information (“PHI”), your rights regarding your health information, and our responsibilities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and other applicable federal and state laws.
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Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights.

Get a Copy of Your Medical Record
You may ask to inspect or receive an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we maintain about you. We will generally provide a copy or summary within the time required by law. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee when permitted by law.

Ask Us to Correct Your Medical Record
If you believe information in your medical record is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend or correct it. We may deny your request in certain circumstances, but if we do, we will explain the reason to you in writing as required by law.

Request Confidential Communications
You may ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a specific location.
For example, you may request that we contact you only on your mobile phone rather than at your home or workplace. 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 not always required to agree to your request.
If you pay for a healthcare service or item completely out of pocket, you may ask us not to disclose information about that service to your health insurance plan for payment or healthcare operations purposes. We will honor that request unless disclosure is required by law.

Get a List of Certain Disclosures
You may request an accounting of certain disclosures of your health information.
This generally includes certain disclosures made during the six years prior to your request but does not include many routine disclosures for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or disclosures you specifically authorized.

Get a Copy of This Notice
You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically. A current copy will also be available on our website.

Choose Someone to Act for You
If you have given another person medical power of attorney or if another person is your legal guardian or authorized personal representative, that person may exercise your HIPAA rights on your behalf as permitted by law. We may verify that the individual has appropriate authority before acting on a request.

File a Complaint
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Carolina Coastal Plastic

Surgery & Medical Spa.
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 privacy complaint.
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Your Choices
For certain types of health information, you may tell us how you would like your information shared.
You may tell us whether you want us to:
* Share information with family members, close friends, caregivers, or others involved in your care.
* Share information with someone involved in payment for your healthcare.
* Share information during a disaster-relief situation.
If you are unable to tell us your preference, such as during a medical emergency, we may share information if we believe doing so is in your best interest and is permitted by law.
We may also disclose information when necessary to prevent or reduce a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
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Photographs, Videos, Testimonials & Social Media
Because Carolina Coastal Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa provides cosmetic, surgical, and aesthetic services, photographs and videos may sometimes be used to document treatment, surgical results, and patient progress. Clinical photographs or videos that form part of your medical record may be used for treatment and other permitted healthcare purposes. However, we will obtain appropriate written authorization before using identifiable patient photographs, videos, testimonials, before-and-after images, or other Protected Health Information for marketing, advertising, promotional materials, social media, our website, or other public-facing purposes when such authorization is required by law.
You are not required to authorize the use of your image or medical information for marketing purposes as a condition of receiving treatment.
If you provide authorization, you may revoke that authorization in writing as permitted by law. Revocation will not affect uses or disclosures that occurred before we received your revocation.
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Marketing
We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your Protected Health Information for marketing purposes when HIPAA requires such authorization.
Certain communications regarding treatment, healthcare services, appointment reminders, treatment alternatives, products or services related to your care, and other communications permitted by law may not require a separate marketing authorization.
Where authorization is required, you may choose whether to provide it.
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Sale of Health Information
We will not sell your Protected Health Information when HIPAA requires your written authorization for such a disclosure.
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Psychotherapy Notes
Most uses or disclosures of psychotherapy notes, if we maintain such records, require your written authorization except in circumstances specifically permitted by law.
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Fundraising
If we conduct fundraising activities and contact you as permitted by law, you may tell us that you do not wish to receive future fundraising communications.
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How We Typically Use or Share Your Health Information

Treatment
We may use and disclose your health information to provide, coordinate, and manage your healthcare.
For example, your surgeon may share relevant health information with another physician, anesthesia provider, nurse, hospital, laboratory, pharmacy, or other healthcare professional involved in your care.

Running Our Practice
We may use and disclose your health information for healthcare operations necessary to operate our practice and improve patient care.

Examples may include:
* Quality assessment and improvement
* Staff training
* Patient safety
* Credentialing
* Compliance activities
* Business management
* Appointment scheduling
* Patient communications
* Evaluating the performance of healthcare professionals
* Improving our services
## Billing and Payment
We may use and disclose your health information to bill and obtain payment for healthcare services provided to you.
This may include communicating with insurance companies, health plans, payment processors, or other entities involved in payment for your care.
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Other Ways We May Use or Share Health Information
Federal and state laws allow or require us to use or disclose health information in certain circumstances.

Public Health and Safety
We may disclose health information for legally permitted public health activities, including:
* Preventing or controlling disease
* Reporting certain diseases or injuries
* Reporting adverse reactions to medications or medical devices
* Assisting with product recalls
* Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence when required or permitted by law
* Preventing or reducing a serious threat to health or safety

Research
We may use or disclose health information for approved research purposes when permitted by law and when applicable privacy requirements have been satisfied.

Compliance With the Law
We will disclose health information when federal or state law requires us to do so.
This may include disclosures to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when necessary to demonstrate our compliance with federal privacy requirements.

Organ and Tissue Donation
When applicable, we may disclose health information to organizations involved in organ, eye, or tissue donation and transplantation as permitted by law.

Medical Examiners, Coroners, and Funeral Directors
We may disclose health information to a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when permitted or required by law.

Workers’ Compensation
We may disclose health information as authorized by and necessary to comply with workers’ compensation laws and similar programs.

Law Enforcement and Government Requests
We may disclose health information when permitted or required by law for certain:
* Law enforcement purposes
* Health oversight activities
* Government investigations
* Military activities
* National security activities
* Protective services
* Correctional institution activities

Lawsuits and Legal Proceedings
We may disclose health information in response to certain court orders, administrative orders, subpoenas, discovery requests, or other lawful legal processes, subject to applicable privacy protections.
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Substance Use Disorder Records
Certain substance use disorder treatment records may receive additional confidentiality protections under federal law, including 42 CFR Part 2.

To the extent that Carolina Coastal Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa creates, receives, or maintains records protected by these laws, we will use and disclose those records only as permitted by applicable law.
Protected substance use disorder records generally may not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against a patient without the patient’s written consent or appropriate legal authorization, such as a qualifying court order and subpoena, as required by law.
If protected substance use disorder information would be used for fundraising communications, we will provide any notice and choice required by applicable law.
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Business Associates
We may use outside companies and individuals to perform certain services on our behalf.
These may include companies that provide services involving:
* Electronic medical records
* Billing
* Information technology
* Data storage
* Practice management
* Scheduling
* Communications
* Legal or accounting services
* Other healthcare-related business functions
When a third party is considered a Business Associate under HIPAA and receives Protected Health Information on our behalf, we require appropriate safeguards and agreements as required by law.
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Electronic Communications
Email, text messaging, online forms, patient portals, and other electronic communication methods may involve different levels of privacy and security.
We encourage patients to use communication methods specifically provided or approved by our practice for discussing sensitive medical information.
Please avoid submitting highly sensitive medical information through general website contact forms, social media messages, or other non-secure communication channels unless specifically instructed by our office.
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Our Responsibilities
Carolina Coastal Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa is required by law to maintain the privacy and security of Protected Health Information.
We are required to:
* Maintain appropriate safeguards to protect your health information.
* Follow the privacy practices described in the Notice currently in effect.
* Provide you with a copy of this Notice upon request.
* Notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured Protected Health Information when notification is required by law.
* Use or disclose only the health information reasonably necessary for a permitted purpose when the minimum-necessary standard applies.
We will not use or disclose your Protected Health Information in a manner not described in this Notice unless you provide written authorization or the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.
If you provide written authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time, except to the extent that we have already acted in reliance upon that authorization.
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Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and our privacy practices as permitted by law.
Changes may apply to health information we already have as well as information we receive in the future.
When we make a material change to this Notice, the updated Notice will be available:
* At our office
* Upon request
* On our website
The effective date shown at the beginning of the Notice will indicate when the current version became effective.
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Questions or Privacy Complaints
If you have questions about this Notice, would like to exercise your privacy rights, or wish to file a privacy complaint, please contact:

**Privacy Officer**
**Carolina Coastal Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa**
1275 21st Avenue North
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Phone: **(843) 448-9977**
Email: info@carolinacoastalplasticsurgery.com

You may also submit a complaint to:
**U.S. Department of Health and Human Services**
**Office for Civil Rights**
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone: **1-877-696-6775**

Information about filing a HIPAA complaint is available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

**Carolina Coastal Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint or exercising any of your privacy rights.**