HIPAA Policy

Effective date: September 15, 2026

This HIPAA Policy is a plain-language summary of how The Vascular Surgery Center of Excellence ("VSCE," "we," "us," or "our") may use and disclose protected health information (PHI) and how patients can exercise their privacy rights. It supplements, and does not replace, the practice's formal Notice of Privacy Practices when one is required or provided.

What is protected health information?

Protected health information is individually identifiable health information created, received, maintained, or transmitted by or for the practice in connection with healthcare services, payment, or healthcare operations.

How we may use or disclose PHI

We may use or disclose PHI without a separate written authorization when permitted by applicable law, including for:

• Treatment: coordinating care and communicating with healthcare professionals involved in your care.
• Payment: billing, collecting payment, and supporting coverage or claims.
• Healthcare operations: quality improvement, training, credentialing, scheduling, compliance, and other activities needed to run the practice.
• Required by law: responding to legal requirements, court orders, subpoenas, or other lawful processes.
• Public health and oversight: supporting public-health activities, reporting certain events, audits, investigations, and regulatory oversight.
• Safety and specialized purposes: preventing a serious threat to health or safety, workers' compensation, certain law-enforcement requests, judicial or administrative proceedings, organ donation, research permitted by law, coroners or medical examiners, and specialized government functions.

Uses that require your authorization

Uses and disclosures not otherwise permitted by law generally require your written authorization. Most uses of PHI for marketing and disclosures that constitute a sale of PHI require authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent the practice has already relied on it.

Your privacy rights

Subject to applicable law, you may:

• Inspect and receive a copy of your PHI.
• Ask the practice to correct PHI that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Request confidential communications by a particular method or at a particular location.
• Ask for restrictions on certain uses or disclosures of your PHI. We will consider the request, but are not always required to agree.
• Request an accounting of certain disclosures.
• Receive a paper or electronic copy of the applicable Notice of Privacy Practices.
• Act through a personal representative where legally authorized.

Our responsibilities

We are required to maintain the privacy of PHI, provide the applicable privacy notice, follow the terms of the current notice, and notify affected individuals after a breach of unsecured PHI when required by law. We will not retaliate against you for exercising a privacy right or filing a complaint.

Questions and complaints

To ask a question, exercise a privacy right, or raise a concern, contact The Vascular Surgery Center of Excellence at 2174 Canyon Plaza Drive, Suite 200, Twin Falls, ID 83301, or (208) 644-0556. 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 complaint.

Medical emergencies

This website is not monitored for emergencies. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.