We respect your privacy and comply with all HIPAA regulations. Below is our Notice of Privacy Practices, which explains how we may use and disclose your health information and your rights as a patient.

Sinapi Acupuncture & Wellness — NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES (NPP)

Effective Date: September 1st, 2025. Version: 1.0.

This office is dedicated to providing service with respect for human dignity. Protecting your privacy and healthcare information is fundamental in the course of our relationship. This Notice is effective as of the date above and may be revised. If the Notice is revised, we will make the revised Notice available and will provide updated copies upon request.

We gather personal information and health information in several ways:

  1. Information we receive from you.

  2. Information we receive from other healthcare providers.

  3. Information we receive from third-party payers.

This information is used for treatment, payment, and Health Care Operations (TPO). You should be aware that during the course of our relationship with you we will likely use and disclose health information about you for TPO. We may also use or disclose your PHI for other purposes only with your written authorization. You may revoke such authorizations in writing; we will honor revocations prospectively to the extent permitted by law.

Permitted Uses & Disclosures

1.      Treatment: For example, from time to time, your practitioner may decide that it is medically necessary to refer you to a specialist for additional care. That practitioner will need your medical information in order to be able to treat you and that is why we send out your records.

2.      Payment: Many of our patients utilize medical insurance that actually pays for their treatment. The insurers require your medical information to know how to pay us for your care and that is why we send out your records.

3.      Health Care Operations: We are allowed to disclose your medical information if that is necessary for our office to function efficiently. There are also times when we may need the help of a special vendor, such as a medical billing specialist, and we would then send your records to that vendor in order for us to carry on our business.

Marketing & Appointment Reminders

We will not use your protected health information for marketing communications without your written authorization. We may send appointment reminders and treatment-related communications (for example, appointment reminders, pre-visit instructions, or post-visit follow-up) by phone, voicemail, text message (SMS), email, or mail as part of TPO. Automated appointment reminders and routine receipts will avoid including detailed health information unless you have consented to receive secure messages. If you prefer reminders without any health detail or prefer a different message method, tell our Privacy Officer and we will honor reasonable requests for alternative communication methods. We may send general, non-PHI clinic announcements (for example, holiday hours or clinic news) unless you opt out. You may request that we limit how we send reminders (for example, “do not leave voicemail” or “no text messages”).

 

Note: You may specifically authorize us to use protected health information for any purpose or to disclose such information by submitting a written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, and we will honor revocations prospectively (unless we have already acted on the authorization).

Retention and recordkeeping

We maintain copies of our privacy notices and a log of versions. We retain privacy documentation and signed acknowledgements in accordance with HIPAA and applicable state requirements.

Disclosure When Required by Law

This office may use or disclose your Protected Health Information when required by law. This includes, but is not limited to, public health reporting, health oversight activities, issues of abuse or neglect, and legal proceedings.

Breach Notification: We will notify you promptly if there is a breach of your unsecured protected health information as required by federal and state law and will follow applicable breach-notification requirements.

Third-party vendors & Business Associate Agreements

If we use third-party services (for example, SMS/email reminder vendors or billing vendors) that create, receive, maintain, or transmit PHI on our behalf, we will have a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) in place with those vendors.

Your Rights

  1. Access: Upon written request you have the right to access, review, or receive copies of your healthcare records. Exceptions may apply (e.g., psychotherapy notes; certain legal/pre-adjudicative records; some lab data). We will act on your request for access within 30 days of receiving it and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee. If we cannot comply within 30 days, we will notify you in writing and may take one 30-day extension for limited reasons, but we will inform you of the reason for the delay and the date by which we will comply. You also have the right to receive a copy of your PHI in electronic form, if we maintain the PHI electronically; we will provide the PHI in the electronic form you request if it is readily producible.

  2. Accounting of Disclosures: Upon written request you have the right to receive a list of disclosures of your PHI, except for disclosures for TPO, disclosures with your authorization, disclosures to you, disclosures for national security/intelligence, disclosures made before April 14, 2003, or disclosures that do not require authorization. We will provide this data to you generally within 60 days of your request (we may provide a one-time 30-day extension if necessary). We will provide one free accounting per 12-month period. Additional requests may incur a reasonable fee.

  3. Restrictions: You may request restrictions on the use or disclosure of your PHI. We are not required to agree, but if we do, we will honor the restriction except in emergencies. Submit requests in writing and identify what information and to whom the restriction applies. If you paid, in full, out-of-pocket for a health care item or service and asked us not to bill your health plan for that item or service, you may request that we not disclose such PHI to your health plan for payment or health care operations. To request this restriction, submit a written request identifying the service and date(s).

  4. Amendments: You have the right to request amendment(s) of your PHI; requests must be in writing and explain the reason for the amendment. We will act on amendment requests within 60 days; if we need more time we will notify you and may take a one-time 30-day extension. We have the right to deny that request if you ask about medical information that 1) was not created by any of our practitioners; 2) the information is not part of the medical or billing records; 3) is not part of the records you may access or 4) the medical information is accurate and complete. If we agree to your request, we must make the appropriate amendment and follow the law regarding how and whom we inform about this amendment. If we do not agree, then we will tell you our reasons. You then have additional rights, including an appeal (by someone who did not participate in the decision not to allow you to amend your record) and you have the right to submit a written statement of disagreement.

  5. Confidential Communications: You have the right to request that communications be made to you by alternative means or at alternative locations (for example, only by mail). Please make this request in writing and provide the complete contact information for the alternative means. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

  6. Right to Paper Copy: You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice upon request. You have a right to receive all notices in writing.

California State Law: California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) and related state privacy laws may provide additional protections beyond federal HIPAA requirements. This office complies with applicable California privacy laws in addition to federal HIPAA requirements.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with this clinic or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights.

To file with this clinic, contact:
Privacy Officer: Yili (Amelia) Shi
Sinapi Acupuncture & Wellness
2060 Otay Lakes, Suite 220, Chula Vista, CA 91913
Phone: 626-715-4997 Email: yili.shi@sinapiacupuncture.com

Click here to download a PDF version of our NPP.