Privacy Policy for Optimal Nurturing LLC www.optimalnurturing.com

Effective date: 2/18/2024

Welcome to Optimal Nurturing LLC, accessible from www.optimalnurturing.com. We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of our visitors' information. This Privacy Policy outlines the types of information we collect from our users, how we use it, and the measures we take to protect it.

1. Information Collection

We collect various types of information for various purposes to provide and improve our service to you. Such information may include:

  • Personal Identification Information (PII): This may include, but is not limited to, your name, email address, telephone number, and any other information you choose to provide us through forms, subscriptions, or direct contact.

  • Usage Data: We collect information on how the service is accessed and used. This Usage Data may include details such as your computer's Internet Protocol address (e.g., IP address), browser type, browser version, our service pages that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other diagnostic data.

2. Use of Data

Optimal Nurturing LLC uses the collected data for various purposes, including:

  • To provide and maintain our service

  • To notify you about changes to our service

  • To allow you to participate in interactive features of our service when you choose to do so

  • To provide customer support

  • To gather analysis or valuable information so that we can improve our service

  • To monitor the usage of our service

  • To detect, prevent, and address technical issues

  • To provide you with news, special offers, and general information about other goods, services, and events which we offer

3. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your personal information with third parties under the following circumstances:

  • Service Providers: We may share your information with service providers who perform services on our behalf.

  • Legal Requirements: Optimal Nurturing LLC may disclose your information where required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities.

  • Business Transfer: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your Personal Data may be transferred.

4. Data Security

The security of your data is important to us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect in various ways, including:

  • Provide, operate, and maintain our website

  • Improve, personalize, and expand our website

  • Understand and analyze how you use our website

  • Develop new products, services, features, and functionality

  • Communicate with you, either directly or through one of our partners, including for customer service, to provide you with updates and other information relating to the website, and for marketing and promotional purposes

  • Send you emails

  • Find and prevent fraud

Optimal Nurturing HIPAA Notice Of Privacy Practices

The HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices is only applicable to established clients of Optimal Nurturing Lactation who have entered into a professional relationship with Optimal Nurturing, LLC and have signed and dated our consent forms and notice of privacy practices inside our Electronic Health Record, IntakeQ. However, it is provided here as a courtesy and for transparency.

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN OBTAIN ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. The terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) apply to Optimal Nurturing LLC, its affiliates, employees, and contractors. Optimal Nurturing, LLC will share protected health information of patients as necessary to carry out treatment, payment, and health care operations as permitted by law. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of our patients' protected health information and to provide patients with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information. We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice for as long as it remains in effect. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice as necessary and to make a new notice of privacy practices effective for all protected health information maintained by Optimal Nurturing, LLC. We are required to notify you in the event of a breach of your unsecured protected health information. We are also required to inform you that there may be a provision of state law that relates to the privacy of your health information that may be more stringent than a standard or requirement under the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”). A copy of any revised Notice of Privacy Practices or information pertaining to a specific State law may be obtained by written request.

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION:

Authorization and Consent: Except as outlined below, we will not use or disclose your protected health information for any purpose other than treatment, payment or health care operations unless you have signed a form authorizing such use or disclosure. You have the right to revoke such authorization in writing, with such revocation being effective once we actually receive the writing; however, such revocation shall not be effective to the extent that we have taken any action in reliance on the authorization, or if the authorization was obtained as a condition of obtaining insurance coverage, other law provides the insurer with the right to contest a claim under the policy or the policy itself.

Uses and Disclosures for Treatment: We will make uses and disclosures of your protected health information as necessary for your treatment. Doctors and nurses and other professionals involved in your care will use information in your medical record and information that you provide about your symptoms and reactions to your course of treatment that may include procedures, medications, tests, medical history, etc.

Uses and Disclosures for Payment: We will make uses and disclosures of your protected health information as necessary for payment purposes. During the normal course of business operations, we may forward information regarding your medical procedures and treatment to The Lactation Network and/or your insurance company to arrange payment for the services provided to you. We may also use your information to prepare a bill to send to you or to the person responsible for your payment.

Uses and Disclosures for Health Care Operations: We will make uses and disclosures of your protected health information as necessary, and as permitted by law, for our health care operations, which may include clinical improvement, professional peer review, business management, accreditation and licensing, etc. For instance, we may use and disclose your protected health information for purposes of improving clinical treatment and patient care.

Individuals Involved In Your Care: We may from time to time disclose your protected health information to designated family, friends and others who are involved in your care or in payment of your care in order to facilitate that person's involvement in caring for you or paying for your care. If you are unavailable, incapacitated, or facing an emergency medical situation and we determine that a limited disclosure may be in your best interest, we may share limited protected health information with such individuals without your approval. We may also disclose limited protected health information to a public or private entity that is authorized to assist in disaster relief efforts in order for that entity to locate a family member or other persons that may be involved in some aspect of caring for you.

Business Associates: Certain aspects and components of our services are performed through contracts with outside persons or organizations, such as accounting, auditing, accreditation, outcomes data collection, legal services, etc. At times it may be necessary for us to provide your protected health information to one or more of these outside persons or organizations who assist us with our health care operations. In some cases, we may have a contractor or subcontractor completing necessary work for our company which may have access to your protected health information in order to complete their work.

Appointments and Services: We may contact you to provide appointment updates or information about your treatment or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. You have the right to request and we will accommodate reasonable requests by you to receive communications regarding your protected health information from us by alternative means or at alternative locations. For instance, if you wish appointment reminders to not be left on voice mail or sent to a particular address, we will accommodate reasonable requests. With such request, you must provide an appropriate alternative address or method of contact. You also have the right to request that we not send you any future marketing materials and we will use our best efforts to honor such request. You must make such requests in writing, including your name and address.

Research: In limited circumstances, we may use and disclose your protected health information for research purposes. In all cases where your specific authorization is not obtained, your privacy will be protected by strict confidentiality requirements applied by an Institutional Review Board which oversees the research or by representations of the researchers that limit their use and disclosure of your information.

Marketing: We must obtain your authorization for any use or disclosure of your protected health information for marketing, except if the communication is in the form of (1) a face-to-face communication with you, or (2) a promotional gift of nominal value.

Other Uses and Disclosures: We are permitted and/or required by law to make certain other uses and disclosures of your protected health information without your consent or authorization for the following:

• Any purpose required by law;

• If we suspect child abuse or neglect; or if we believe you to be a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence;

• To law enforcement if you disclose a plan to harm yourself or others;

• To the Food and Drug Administration to report adverse events, product defects, or to participate in product recalls;

• Court or administrative ordered subpoena or discovery request;

• Providing notification to your or your child's designated healthcare provider in the event of a potentially serious medical problem.

RIGHTS THAT YOU HAVE REGARDING YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION:

Access to Your Protected Health Information: You have the right to copy and/or inspect much of the protected health information that we retain on your behalf. For protected health information that we maintain in any electronic designated record set, you may request a copy of such health information in a reasonable electronic format, if readily producible. Requests for access must be made in writing and signed by you or your legal representative. You will be charged a reasonable copying fee and actual postage and supply costs for your protected health information. If you request additional copies you will be charged a fee for copying and postage.

Amendments to Your Protected Health Information: You have the right to request in writing that protected health information that we maintain about you be amended or corrected. We are not obligated to make requested amendments, but we will give each request careful consideration. All amendment requests, must be in writing, signed by you or legal representative, and must state the reasons for the amendment/correction request. If an amendment or correction request is made, we may notify others who work with us if we believe that such notification is necessary.

Right to Notice of Breach: We take very seriously the confidentiality of our patients’ information, and we are required by law to protect the privacy and security of your protected health information through appropriate safeguards. We will notify you in the event a breach occurs involving or potentially involving your unsecured health information and inform you of what steps you may need to take to protect yourself.

Paper Copy of this Notice: You have a right, even if you have agreed to receive notices electronically, to obtain a paper copy of this Notice.

Complaints: If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint in writing. You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the below address. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint. Office for Civil Rights Department of HHS Jacob Javits Federal Building 26 Federal Plaza - Suite 3312 New York, NY 10278 Voice Phone (212) 264-3313 FAX (212) 264-3039 TDD (212) 264-2355

For Further Information: If you have questions, need further assistance regarding or would like to submit a request pursuant to this Notice, you may contact the Optimal Nurturing, LLC Owner by phone at (423)228-0303 or by email at heather@optimalnurturing.com.