Notice of Privacy Practices

Our commitment to your privacy

Axis Pain & Anesthesia Group ("we," "our," or "the practice") is required by federal law — specifically, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the related HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 CFR Part 164, Subpart E) — to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI), to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect, and to notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI.

We take this responsibility seriously. This notice tells you how we may use and share your PHI, describes your rights under HIPAA and California law, and explains how to contact us if you have questions or concerns.

What is protected health information?

Protected health information (PHI) is individually identifiable information that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health; the health care you receive; or payment for your health care. PHI includes obvious items like your name, date of birth, Social Security number, and diagnoses, and also items like appointment dates, images (including imaging studies), and any notes our clinicians write about you.

How we may use and disclose your PHI

The following categories describe the ways we are permitted to use and disclose PHI. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed, but every use or disclosure we make will fall within one of these categories.

For treatment

We use PHI to provide you with medical treatment and services. For example, your physician may review your imaging, notes from a referring physician, and your past procedure history to plan a new injection or procedure. We may share PHI with other physicians, anesthesiologists, surgical centers, imaging facilities, pharmacies, physical therapists, and other health care providers involved in your care.

For payment

We use and disclose PHI so that the treatment and services you receive can be billed to and collected from you, your insurance company, a third-party payer (such as an attorney's office handling a personal-injury lien), Medicare, Medi-Cal, or workers' compensation. For example, we may send a claim to your insurer that includes information about your diagnosis and the procedure performed.

For health care operations

We may use and disclose PHI for operational activities that are necessary to run the practice and to make sure our patients receive quality care. Examples include quality-assessment reviews, credentialing and licensing of our physicians, training of clinical staff, audits, and general administrative activities.

Appointment reminders, treatment alternatives, and health-related benefits

We may use and disclose PHI to contact you about appointment reminders, to tell you about treatment alternatives, or to inform you about health-related services and benefits that may be of interest to you.

Business associates

We share PHI with third-party "business associates" who perform services on our behalf — for example, our electronic health record vendor, billing and coding vendors, and IT and security providers. Each business associate is required by a written Business Associate Agreement (BAA) to safeguard your PHI and to use it only for the purpose we specify.

Individuals involved in your care or payment for your care

We may share your PHI with a family member, friend, or other person you identify as involved in your care or payment for your care, to the extent the information is relevant. If you are not present or unable to agree or object, we will use our professional judgment to determine whether the disclosure is in your best interest.

As required by law

We will disclose PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.

To avert a serious threat to health or safety

We may use and disclose PHI when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.

Other permitted uses and disclosures

HIPAA also permits disclosures in specific, narrowly defined situations, including to: public-health authorities; health oversight agencies; in response to court and administrative orders, subpoenas, and discovery requests; law enforcement (within limits); coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors; organ-procurement organizations; for research purposes (with safeguards); to military command authorities, national security and intelligence agencies, and protective services; to correctional institutions with respect to inmates; and for workers' compensation claims.

Uses and disclosures that require your written authorization

We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing PHI for the following purposes:

• Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes
• Marketing — communications about a product or service that encourage you to purchase or use that product or service, where we receive financial remuneration from the third party whose product or service is being marketed
• Sale of PHI — any disclosure where we receive direct or indirect remuneration from the recipient in exchange for PHI (except for treatment, payment, health care operations as defined by law, and a limited set of narrowly defined purposes)
• Any other use or disclosure not described in this notice

If you provide an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already relied on it.

Your rights regarding your PHI

Under HIPAA and California law, you have the following rights with respect to your protected health information. Each request should be made in writing to our Privacy Officer (contact information below).

Right to access and obtain a copy

You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of the PHI we maintain about you in a "designated record set," including medical and billing records. You may request electronic copies when the records are maintained electronically. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies and may deny access in certain limited situations; if we deny your request, you may request a review of the denial.

Right to request amendments

If you believe PHI we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to ask us to amend the information. We are permitted to deny amendment requests in certain circumstances, including if the information was not created by us, is not part of our designated record set, or is accurate and complete. If we deny your request, you may submit a written statement of disagreement.

Right to an accounting of disclosures

You have the right to request a list ("accounting") of disclosures we have made of your PHI for reasons other than treatment, payment, or health care operations, and other limited exceptions. Your first accounting request in any 12-month period is free; additional requests may carry a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Right to request restrictions

You have the right to request a restriction on the uses and disclosures of your PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations, or to individuals involved in your care. We are not required to agree to most requested restrictions. However, if you pay in full out of pocket for a particular service and request that we not share information about that service with your health plan, we will honor that request unless we are required by law to disclose the information.

Right to confidential communications

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a specific way or at a specific location — for example, by a particular phone number, at a particular address, or by a specific email address. We will accommodate reasonable requests and will not ask why you are making the request.

Right to a paper copy of this notice

Even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you have the right to a paper copy at any time upon request.

Right to be notified of a breach

You have the right to be notified following a breach of your unsecured PHI. We will provide notice without unreasonable delay and in no case later than 60 days after discovery of the breach, in accordance with 45 CFR Part 164, Subpart D.

Right to choose someone to act for you

If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your PHI on your behalf. We will verify that the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

Additional rights under California law

California provides additional medical-privacy protections under the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act / California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA). While most health information at a medical practice is governed by HIPAA rather than the CCPA, California residents retain rights under state medical-records laws regarding access, amendment, and disclosure of their health information. Our website privacy policy describes your CCPA/CPRA rights with respect to information we collect through this website specifically.

Our duties

We are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy and security of your PHI
• Provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI
• Follow the terms of the notice currently in effect
• Notify affected individuals in the event of a breach of unsecured PHI

Changes to this notice

We reserve the right to change this notice at any time and to make the revised notice effective for PHI we already have about you as well as any PHI we receive in the future. We will post the current notice in our offices and on this website with its effective date. If material changes are made, we will notify you in writing or through this website the next time you interact with us.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us using the contact information below, or directly with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

To file a federal complaint:

• Online: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/
• By mail: Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Room 509F HHH Building, Washington, DC 20201
• By phone: 1-800-368-1019 (TDD 1-800-537-7697)

Contact us

If you have any questions about this notice, want to exercise any of your rights, or want to file a complaint directly with the practice, please contact our Privacy Officer:

• Privacy Officer — Axis Pain & Anesthesia Group
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: (562) 252-0816
• Mail: 8207 E 3rd St, Unit 105, Downey, CA 90241

Please put "Privacy inquiry" in your email subject so we can route it promptly.

This notice was last updated on April 22, 2026. You may obtain a copy by downloading this page, asking for a printed copy at any of our offices, or calling our Privacy Officer.