HIPAA Notice | Effective Date: October 29, 2026
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND SHARED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.
This Notice applies to Dr. Kopelman, Joel Kopelman, MD, FACS (“the Practice,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), including our physicians, staff, and offices in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. The federal law known as HIPAA requires us to keep your protected health information (“PHI”) private, to give you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, to tell you if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI, and to follow the Notice currently in effect.
The following describes how we may use and share your PHI without your written permission. Not every use or disclosure is listed, but each one fits within these categories.
We use and share your PHI to provide, coordinate, and manage your care. For example, we may share information with an anesthesiologist, surgical facility, laboratory, your primary care doctor, or another specialist involved in your care.
We use and share PHI to bill for and collect payment for our services, including with insurers, health plans, and billing companies. For example, if we ask your insurance to cover a medically necessary procedure, we will send the plan information about your diagnosis and the procedure. For services you pay for yourself, see your right to limit sharing with health plans below.
We use and share PHI to run the Practice, such as for quality review, staff training, credentialing, licensing, accreditation, audits, legal services, and business planning.
We will get your written authorization before we: (a) use or share PHI for marketing, including using your photos, videos, name, likeness, or testimonial on our website, social media, or other promotional materials; (b) sell your PHI; (c) use or share psychotherapy notes, if any; or (d) make any other use or disclosure not described in this Notice. You may take back your authorization at any time in writing, except for actions we have already taken based on it.
Right to see and get a copy. You may ask to see or get a copy (paper or electronic) of your medical and billing records. We will respond within 30 days and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee. We may deny access in limited situations and will explain how to ask for a review.
Right to ask for a correction. If you believe something in your record is wrong or incomplete, you may ask us in writing to amend it. We will respond within 60 days. If we say no, we will explain why in writing.
Right to a list of disclosures. You may ask for a list of certain times we shared your PHI in the six years before your request. The first list in any 12 months is free; we may charge a reasonable fee for more.
Right to ask for limits. You may ask us to limit how we use or share your PHI for treatment, payment, or operations. We do not have to agree, with one exception: if you pay in full out of pocket for a service and ask us not to tell your health plan, we must honor that request unless the law requires otherwise.
Right to private communications. You may ask us to contact you in a certain way or place, such as a different phone number or mailing address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
Right to a paper copy of this Notice. You may ask for a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
Right to be told about a breach. We will notify you if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI, as the law requires.
Right to choose someone to act for you. If you have given someone medical power of attorney or have a legal guardian, that person may use your rights and make choices about your PHI.
To use any of these rights, send a written request to the Privacy Officer at the address below. We will not retaliate against you for using your rights or filing a complaint.
Regular email, text messages, and website forms are not completely secure. Please do not send detailed health information through them. We use website analytics and similar tools as described in our Privacy Policy. We do not use tracking tools in a way that gives your PHI to advertisers or other third parties without your permission. If you contact us by email or text and ask us to reply the same way, you accept the risk that the message could be intercepted.
Some information about you, such as mental health, HIV/AIDS, substance use treatment, genetic, and reproductive health information, may have stricter protection under New York, New Jersey, or Florida law. When state law protects your privacy more than HIPAA does, or gives you more rights, we will follow the stricter law.
We may change this Notice, and the changes will apply to all PHI we hold. The current Notice is posted in our offices and on our website, and you may ask for a copy at any time. The effective date is at the top.
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Practice or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
Privacy Officer: Joel Kopelman, MD, FACS
Dr. Kopelman, Joel Kopelman, MD, FACS
Office for Civil Rights
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
