Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective date: October 2026

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.

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

At Silicon Valley Hearing, your trust matters to us. We create a record of the care and services you receive, including hearing evaluations, hearing aid fittings, tinnitus treatment, and other audiology services. This record is your protected health information (PHI).

We are required by law to keep your health information private, to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect. We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

How We May Use and Share Your Health Information

Treatment. We use your health information to provide your care. For example, we may share your hearing test results with your physician, an ENT specialist, or a cochlear implant team involved in your treatment. We may also share information with hearing aid manufacturers to order, program, or repair your devices.

Payment. We use and share your information to bill and get paid by health plans or other payers. For example, we may give your insurance company information about your hearing evaluation so it will pay for the service.

Health care operations. We use your information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when needed. For example, we may review records to evaluate the quality of our services or send you appointment reminders.

Business associates. Some services are provided by outside companies, such as billing services, electronic records systems, and our patient portal and telehealth platforms. These companies must sign agreements to protect your information.

Communicating with you. We may contact you by phone, mail, text message, or email about appointments, device updates, follow-up care, or services that may interest you. You can ask us to contact you in a different way at any time.

Family and friends. With your permission, or if you are present and do not object, we may share information with a family member or friend involved in your care. Many of our patients bring a loved one to their hearing aid fitting, and we welcome that.

Other Ways We May Share Your Information

The law allows or requires us to share your information in certain situations, often only when specific conditions are met:

• When required by federal, state, or local law
• For public health and safety activities, such as reporting adverse events with medical devices or preventing a serious threat to health or safety
• To health oversight agencies for audits, inspections, and licensing
• In response to a court order, subpoena, or other lawful process
• To law enforcement officials in limited circumstances
• To coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors
• For organ and tissue donation requests
• For workers' compensation claims
• For specialized government functions, such as military or national security purposes
• For research, when approved through a process that protects your privacy

Uses That Require Your Written Permission

We will not do the following without your written authorization:

• Use or share your information for marketing purposes
• Sell your health information
• Share most psychotherapy notes

For any other use not described in this notice, we will ask for your written authorization. You may cancel an authorization at any time in writing, except where we have already acted on it.

Your Rights

Get a copy of your records. You may ask to see or receive a paper or electronic copy of your health and billing records. We will usually provide them within 30 days and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask us to correct your records. If you believe information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us in writing to correct it. We may say no, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, by mobile phone only) or at a different address. We will say yes to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share. You may ask us not to use or share certain information. We are not required to agree, except in one case: if you pay for a service in full out of pocket, you may ask us not to share that information with your health insurer.

Get a list of those we have shared information with. You may ask for a list of the times we shared your information in the six years before your request, who we shared it with, and why. This list will not include disclosures for treatment, payment, operations, or those you authorized. One list per year is free.

Get a copy of this notice. You may ask for a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

Choose someone to act for you. If you have given someone medical power of attorney, or if someone is your legal guardian, that person may exercise your rights for you.

File a complaint. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us using the contact information below. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights at www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/ or by calling 1-877-696-6775. We will never retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

California Privacy Protections

As a California health care provider, we also follow the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA). In some cases, California law provides stronger protections than federal law, and we follow whichever law gives you greater privacy.

Changes to This Notice

We may change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The current notice will be available in our office and on our website.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this notice or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact our Privacy Officer:

• Privacy Officer: Dr. Marni Novick, AuD
• Mail: Silicon Valley Hearing Inc., 340 Dardanelli Lane, Suite 22, Los Gatos, CA 95032
• Phone: (408) 540-7128
• Email: info@siliconvalleyhearing.com

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