Effective date: October 16, 2026

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

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.

This notice explains health-information privacy for Ocean Blue Medical Research where HIPAA applies to the relevant entity and activity. Research consent and privacy authorization serve different purposes. The applicable study documents identify the responsible organization and any study-specific rules; this page does not create a joint HIPAA arrangement with affiliated organizations.

1. Your Rights

You have the right to:

Obtain an electronic or paper copy of your medical record.
Ask us to correct information you believe is incorrect or incomplete.
Request confidential communications.
Ask us to limit certain uses or disclosures.
Receive an accounting of certain disclosures.
Obtain a paper copy of this Notice.
Choose a personal representative to act for you.
File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights were violated.

Get an electronic or paper 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. Ask us how to make the request.

We generally will provide a copy or summary within 30 days after receiving a valid request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee as permitted by law. In limited situations, we may deny access; when applicable, we will explain the reason and any review rights.

Ask us to correct your medical record

You may ask us to amend health information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request, but we will explain the decision in writing, generally within 60 days, and tell you how to submit a statement of disagreement when applicable.

Request confidential communications

You may ask us to contact you in a specific way, such as using a particular telephone number, email address or mailing address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

You may ask us not to use or disclose certain information for treatment, payment or health-care operations. We are not required to agree to every request. If we agree, we may still disclose information when needed for emergency treatment or when required by law.

If you pay in full out of pocket for a specific item or service, you may ask us not to disclose information about that item or service to your health plan for payment or health-care operations. We will honor the request unless the law requires disclosure.

Receive an accounting of disclosures

You may ask for a list of certain disclosures made during the six years before your request. The accounting generally will not include disclosures for treatment, payment or health-care operations, disclosures you authorized, and certain other disclosures excluded by law.

We will provide one accounting in a 12-month period without charge. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for an additional accounting requested within the same 12 months after notifying you of the cost.

Get a copy of this Notice

You may request a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically. We will provide it promptly.

Choose someone to act for you

If a person has legal authority to act as your personal representative, such as through a health-care power of attorney or legal guardianship, that person may exercise your rights. We will verify the authority before acting.

File a complaint

You may complain to us by contacting the Privacy Officer listed at the end of this Notice.

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights through its online complaint portal, by mail at 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, or by calling 1-877-696-6775.

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

2. Your Choices

For certain information, you may tell us your preferences. If you have a clear preference, tell us what you want us to do.

Family, friends and others involved in your care

You may tell us whether to share relevant information with a family member, close friend or other person involved in your care or payment for your care.

If you cannot tell us your preference, such as when you are unconscious, we may share information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also disclose information when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

Disaster relief

We may share limited information with a disaster-relief organization so family members or others responsible for your care can be notified of your location, general condition or death, unless you object or the circumstances make obtaining your preference impracticable.

Uses that generally require written authorization

We generally will not use or disclose your information for the following purposes without your written authorization:

Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes.
Marketing, except for communications permitted without authorization by law.
Sale of protected health information.
Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice or otherwise permitted or required by law.

If you authorize a use or disclosure, you may revoke the authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we already acted in reliance on it.

Fundraising

We do not currently use protected health information for fundraising communications. If this practice changes, you will have the right to opt out of future fundraising communications.

3. How We Typically Use or Share Health Information

Treatment

We may use and share your health information with physicians, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, laboratories, specialists, hospitals and other professionals involved in your care.

Example: A clinician treating an injury may review information about your medications and health conditions or consult another treating professional.

Payment

We may use and share information to bill for services and obtain payment from health plans, government programs or other responsible parties.

Example: We may send diagnosis and procedure information to your insurer so it can determine coverage and payment.

Health-care operations

We may use and share information to operate our practice, improve quality, coordinate services, train staff, conduct audits, manage risk, perform credentialing, provide customer service and contact you when necessary.

Example: We may review health records to evaluate quality of care or identify opportunities to improve patient services.

We may contact you about appointments, follow-up care, treatment alternatives, care-management opportunities or health-related services that may interest you. You may request a reasonable alternative communication method.

Business associates

We may share information with service providers that perform functions for us, such as billing, technology, records storage, legal, accounting, consulting or quality support. When required, these business associates must safeguard the information and use it only as permitted by contract and law.

4. Other Uses and Disclosures Permitted or Required by Law

We may use or disclose your information for purposes that contribute to public health, safety and lawful administration, subject to applicable conditions and limitations.

Public health and safety

We may disclose information for activities such as:

Preventing or controlling disease.
Reporting adverse events, product defects or recalls.
Reporting suspected abuse, neglect or domestic violence when authorized or required.
Preventing or reducing a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
Reporting information required by public-health authorities.

Research

We may use or disclose information for research when you authorize it or when an Institutional Review Board, Privacy Board or applicable law permits the use without individual authorization. Research activities connected with Ocean Blue Medical Research may be subject to separate consent forms, authorization forms, privacy notices and study protocols.

Comply with the law and health oversight

We may disclose information when federal, state or local law requires it, including to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to demonstrate compliance with privacy law. We may also disclose information to health-oversight agencies for audits, investigations, inspections, licensure and disciplinary activities authorized by law.

Organ and tissue donation

We may disclose information to organ-procurement organizations or others involved in organ, eye or tissue donation and transplantation.

Medical examiners, coroners and funeral directors

We may disclose information to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director as necessary to perform duties authorized by law.

Workers' compensation

We may disclose information as authorized by and necessary to comply with workers' compensation or similar programs.

Law enforcement and government functions

We may disclose information for law-enforcement purposes and special government functions when the requirements of law are met, including certain military, national-security, protective-service and correctional circumstances.

Judicial and administrative proceedings

We may disclose information in response to a court or administrative order, subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process after applicable privacy protections and conditions are satisfied.

5. Specially Protected Information

Some categories of information receive additional protection under federal or Florida law, which may include information relating to HIV testing or treatment, sexually transmitted infections, mental-health services, genetic information, reproductive or family-planning services, and substance-use-disorder records. We will follow the more protective law when it applies.

Substance-use-disorder records subject to 42 CFR Part 2

To the extent we maintain substance-use-disorder patient records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, we will not use or disclose those records in a civil, criminal, administrative or legislative investigation or proceeding against you unless you provide written consent or a court order and subpoena satisfy applicable law.

Part 2 information used for fundraising communications, if ever applicable, will be subject to advance notice and an opportunity to opt out as required by law.

6. Our Responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of protected health information.
We must provide you with this Notice and follow the duties and privacy practices it describes.
We will notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information, as required by law.
We will not use or disclose information other than as described in this Notice unless you authorize it in writing or the law otherwise permits or requires it.
We will apply reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards.
We will not require you to waive your privacy rights as a condition of receiving treatment, except as permitted by law.

7. Changes to This Notice

We may change the terms of this Notice, and the revised terms may apply to all information we maintain, including information created or received before the change. The current Notice will be available on our website, at our office and upon request. The effective date will appear at the beginning of the Notice.

8. Privacy Contact

For questions, requests, copies of this Notice or complaints, contact:

Ocean Blue Medical Research
Attention: Privacy Officer
286 Westward Dr
Miami Springs, FL 33166
Phone: 305-885-8983

Please do not include detailed medical information in ordinary email or a general website form. Call the office for instructions on a secure method when necessary.

Privacy during a research study

Your study documents describe what information is collected, the purposes and the people permitted to review it. Depending on the authorization, protocol and law, recipients may include the sponsor, research monitors, laboratories, an IRB, FDA or other oversight authorities. HIPAA research use may require your authorization or a legally permitted alternative, such as a documented IRB or Privacy Board waiver.

You may ask about withdrawing participation and revoking authorization. Information already used or necessary to preserve study integrity may remain available as permitted by law. Access to certain records during a clinical trial may be temporarily suspended with your agreement when HIPAA permits. Call the study contact in your consent documents for details.

HIPAA Privacy Notice