Acupuncture Healing Arts Center (AHAC)

Notice of Privacy Practices

Updated and Effective Date: October 1st, 2025

This notice describes how your medical information may be used and disclosed, and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Purpose and Commitment

Acupuncture Healing Arts Center (AHAC) is committed to protecting your privacy and maintaining the security of your personal health information. In compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and applicable Texas privacy laws including Texas HB 300 and the Texas Medical Records Privacy Act, AHAC safeguards all medical and personal data entrusted to us.

How AHAC Uses and Discloses Health Information

AHAC may use or disclose your protected health information (PHI) for the following purposes:

·         Treatment: To provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare services among providers involved in your care.

·         Payment: To obtain reimbursement for treatment or services provided to you.

·         Healthcare Operations: To support the business functions of the practice such as quality assurance, staff training, and compliance evaluations.

·         Authorized Disclosures: Additional disclosures may occur only with your written consent, as required by Texas HB 300, for specific electronic disclosures not otherwise permitted under HIPAA.

AHAC will not sell or disclose your PHI to any third party without your explicit, written authorization.

Additional Texas-Specific Protections

·         Enhanced Authorization Standards: Texas law requires explicit patient authorization for any nonexempt electronic PHI disclosure that HIPAA would otherwise permit verbally.

·         Timely Patient Access: AHAC will honor requests to access medical records within 15 business days of receipt, as required by Texas HB 300.  

·         Reasonable, cost-based fees may apply for copying, mailing, or preparing electronic media, consistent with federal and Texas regulations. The clinic will charge a fee of $25 for the first 20 pages and 15 cents per page thereafter for copying, plus the additional actual mailing cost, based upon the delivery method I request (i.e., first class mail, overnight delivery, etc.)

·         Sensitive Test Results: Following Senate Bill 922 (2025), AHAC clinicians may delay the immediate electronic release of sensitive test results （such as pathology or genetic findings） for up to three days to allow clinical communication prior to patient receipt.

·         Electronic Record Security and Localization: In compliance with Texas’s 2025 Data Localization Law (S.B. 1188), all electronic health records are securely stored and maintained within the United States and accessible only by authorized AHAC personnel.

Patient Rights

You have the right to:

·         Request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your PHI.

·         Request confidential communications (for example, via alternate addresses or phone numbers).

·         Inspect or obtain copies of your health information in electronic or paper format.

·         Request amendments to correct or supplement your records.

·         Receive an accounting of disclosures of your PHI upon written request.

·         Receive a copy (paper or electronic) of this Privacy Notice.

To exercise these rights, contact AHAC’s HIPAA Privacy Officer at the address or phone number below. AHAC will comply with all reasonable and lawful requests.

Data Security and Record Handling

AHAC applies administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect all health records from unauthorized access, loss, or alteration. Access to patient information is limited to individuals whose duties require it, in accordance with state and federal confidentiality standards.

Artificial intelligence tools may be used for diagnostic or documentation purposes only under practitioner supervision, and any such use will be disclosed to you as required by Texas law.

Breach Notification

In the event of any unauthorized disclosure or breach involving unsecured PHI, AHAC will notify affected patients promptly, as mandated by federal and Texas state law.

Changes to This Notice

AHAC reserves the right to revise this Notice at any time. Updated versions will be posted at our clinic and on our official website, and a copy will be provided upon request.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our HIPAA Privacy Officer or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at:
www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints

You will not face retaliation for filing a complaint in good faith.

Contact Information

Privacy Officer
Acupuncture Healing Arts Center (AHAC)
Xiaotian Shen
Email: getmyacupuncture@gmail.com

This policy ensures full alignment with federal HIPAA privacy rules and the most recent Texas privacy standards, including HB 300’s authorization requirements, S.B. 922’s patient protection provisions, and Texas’s 2025 electronic data localization statute.