OUR LEGAL OBLIGATIONS

Muunel Eyewear and all its direct and indirect subsidiaries are firmly committed to safeguarding your privacy. This notice outlines how we utilize and disclose your personal health information, your associated rights, and our legal responsibilities regarding such data.

Applicable federal and state laws mandate us to:

1. Maintain privacy and ensure the security of your health information.
2. Provide you with this notice about our privacy practices, legal obligations, and your rights concerning your health information.
3. Notify you and all other affected individuals in the event of a breach of unsecured health information.
4. Please adhere to the privacy practices outlined in this notice while it is in effect.

This notice became effective on April 1, 2019, and will continue to be in effect until it is replaced. We retain the right to modify our privacy practices and the terms of this notice at any time, provided such changes are permissible under applicable law.

We reserve the right to implement changes in our privacy practices and this notice, which will apply to all health information we maintain, including information created or received before the changes. In the event of a significant alteration in our privacy practices, we will update this notice and make it available to you, or it can be accessed on our website. You may request a copy of our notice at any time. For more information about our privacy practices or to obtain additional copies of this notice, please contact us using the information provided at the end.”**

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION

We utilize your health information for various purposes, including treatment, obtaining payment for treatment, administrative tasks, and evaluating the quality of care and service you receive. Your health information is stored in a medical or optical dispensary record, which is the physical property of Muunel Eyewear. This information encompasses any data, whether oral or recorded, generated or received by us, which individually identifies you and pertains to your past, current, or future physical or mental health or condition, the provision of healthcare to you, or the past, present, or future payment for healthcare services provided to you.

How We May Use or Disclose Your Health Information

For Treatment:
We may use or disclose your health information to optometrists, ophthalmologists, opticians, or other healthcare providers involved in your treatment. This may encompass:

1. Providing, coordinating, or managing your healthcare.
2. Facilitating consultations between healthcare providers concerning your care.
3. Referring you to another healthcare provider.
4. Sending you appointment reminders and recall information.

For Payment:

We may use and disclose your health information to enable the processing of payments for the treatment and services you receive. This may involve:

1. Billing and collection activities, along with associated data processing.
2. Submitting claims to your health or vision coverage.
3. Disclosing information related to payment collection to consumer reporting agencies.

For Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose your health information for our healthcare operational purposes. For instance, your health information may be used or disclosed to:

1. Conduct quality assessments and improvement activities.
2. Carry out training programs or credentialing activities.
3. Perform or arrange for medical reviews, legal services, audit services, fraud and abuse detection, and compliance programs.
4. Determine ways to continually enhance the quality and effectiveness of our products, services, and care, including customer satisfaction surveys and data analyses.
5. Effectively manage our business operations.
6. Engage in business planning and development, including acquisitions, mergers, and consolidations.
7. Communicate with you regarding (a) health-related products or services we provide, (b) your treatment, or (c) case management, care coordination, or recommendations for alternative treatments, therapies, providers, or care settings, to the extent these activities are not part of your current treatment plan.

To You, Your Family, and Friends

We must disclose your health information to you, as outlined in the “Your Information Rights” section of this Notice. Your health information may be disclosed to a family member, friend, or another individual to the extent required to assist with your healthcare or payment. This is permissible only if you provide consent for such disclosure or in cases where you cannot provide consent if it is deemed necessary based on our professional judgment.

Required by Law

We may use and disclose information about you as required by applicable law. In addition, we may disclose information for the following purposes:

• For judicial and administrative proceedings pursuant to a court order or specific legal authority.
• Pursuant to a shared/joint custody and child care or support arrangement authorized by law or court order.
• To report information related to abuse, neglect, or domestic violence victims.
• To assist law enforcement officials in their law enforcement duties.
• To assist public health, safety, or law enforcement officials in averting a serious threat to the health or safety of you or any other person.

Personal Representatives; Decedents

We may disclose your health information to your personal representatives authorized under applicable law, such as a guardian, power of attorney for health care, or court-appointed administrator. Your health information may also be disclosed to executors, legally authorized family members, funeral directors, or coroners to enable them to carry out their lawful duties upon your death.

Organ/Tissue Donation

Your health information may be used or disclosed for cadaveric organ, eye, or tissue donation purposes, provided that we adhere to applicable laws.

Government Functions

Specialized government functions, such as protecting public officials or reporting to various branches of the armed services, may require using or disclosing your health information.

Worker Compensation

Your health information may be used or disclosed to comply with laws and regulations related to Worker Compensation.

Marketing Products or Services

Marketing” refers to communications encouraging you to purchase or use a product or service. We will not use or disclose your health information for marketing without prior written authorization, except in cases allowed by HIPAA. We may provide information about products or services related to your healthcare needs as long as we do not receive compensation for such communications. We can communicate with you regarding treatment, case management, or care coordination without your authorization. However, suppose we receive payment for such communications. In that case, we must obtain your written consent unless the communication pertains only to a prescribed drug or biologic, and any compensation is solely for communication costs. This does not apply to payment for providing treatment to you.

Sale of Your Health Information

We will not sell your health information without your prior authorization, except in specific situations permitted by HIPAA. Under HIPAA, we or our business associates may receive compensation related to the exchange of your health information for purposes such as public health activities, research (if the cost reflects preparation and transmission), payment for your treatment, health care operations related to business sale, merger, or consolidation, services by a business associate, providing you with a copy of your health information, or as determined necessary by applicable laws or regulations.

Your Authorization

You can provide written authorization for us to use or disclose your health information. We will not condition your treatment on approving. You can revoke your consent in writing at any time, but it will not affect prior uses or disclosures made with your permission. Without written authorization, we can only use or disclose your health information for purposes described in this Notice.

To a Business Associate

A Business Associate is an entity that helps Muunel provide its services. We will only disclose your health information to Business Associates who have agreed in writing to protect your information as HIPAA requires.

Organized Health Care Arrangement (“OHCA”)

If we are part of an OHCA, we may disclose your Protected Health Information to another OHCA member for health care operations of the OHCA.

YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION RIGHTS

Access:

You can review or obtain copies of your health information with limited exceptions. Requests should be made in writing. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for expenses like copies and staff time. If you prefer an alternative format, we may charge a cost-based fee. If we maintain an electronic health record, you can request an electronic copy for a price not exceeding our labor costs.

Disclosure Accounting:

You have the right to receive a list of disclosures of your health information made by our business associates or us, other than for treatment, payment, health care operations authorized by you, or certain other activities for the past six years (or a shorter period if our relationship is less than six years). A reasonable, cost-based fee may apply for requests made more than once in 12 months. For disclosures by business associates, we can provide their contact information for direct requests.

Restriction

You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your health information. Except as noted below, we are not required to agree to these other restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement (except in an emergency). Upon your request, and except as otherwise required by law, we will not disclose your health information to a health plan for purposes of payment or health care operations when the information relates solely to a service/product for which you paid out-of-pocket in full.

Alternative Communication

You have the right to request in writing that we communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or to alternative locations. Your request must specify the alternative means or location, and provide a satisfactory explanation of how payments will be handled under the alternative means or location you request.

Amendment

You have the right to request that we amend your health information. Your request must be in writing, and it must explain why the information should be amended. We may deny your request under certain circumstances. You may obtain a form to request an amendment to your health information using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice.

Electronic Notice

If you receive this Notice on our website or by electronic mail (email), you are entitled to receive this Notice in written form as well.

Breach of Unsecured Health Information

If we discover that your health information has been breached (for example, disclosed to or acquired by an unauthorized person, stolen, lost, or otherwise used or disclosed in violation of applicable privacy law), and the privacy or security of the information has been compromised, we must notify you of the breach without unreasonable delay and in no event later than 60 days following our discovery of the breach.

Privacy questions and complaints

If you want more information about our privacy practices or have privacy questions or concerns, please get in touch with us. If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your health information or in response to a request you made to amend or restrict the use or disclosure of your health information or to have us communicate with you by alternative means or at alternative locations, you may complain to us using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice. You may separately choose to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights (OCR), by completing a Health Information Privacy Complaint Form (available at link) and sending it to the applicable OCR Regional Office listed on the form. An electronic complaint may be filed here. You must file a complaint with OCR within 180 days (6 months) after the occurrence of the act or omission giving rise to your complaint.

We support your right to the privacy of your health information. We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the Office of Civil Rights.