Notice of Privacy Practices

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 of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) describes how Vantage Life Institute NJ, P.A. collects, uses, discloses, and maintains protected health information (“PHI”). In conducting our business, we will receive and create records containing your PHI. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI and to provide you with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI.

We must abide by the terms of this Notice while it is in effect. This current Notice was last updated on June 6, 2025 and will remain in effect until we replace it. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time, as long as the changes are in compliance with applicable law. If we change the terms of this Notice, the new terms will apply to all PHI that it maintains, including PHI that was created or received before such changes were made. If we change this Notice, we will post the new Notice on our website(s) and/or mobile application and will make the new Notice available upon request.

INFORMATION WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU

PHI is information about you that may be used to identify you (such as your name, social security number, or address), and that relates to (a) your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition, (b) the provision of healthcare to you, or (c) your past, present, or future payment for the provision of healthcare. This includes the following information:

• PHI Collected From You: information or data that you provide to us related to your health conditions, diagnoses, or symptoms. For example, this may include information and data collected through our platform. This may also include information about your health history, health status, diagnostic information, and other health related information.

• PHI Collected From Third Parties: we may collect information from entities associated with your healthcare, such as healthcare providers or health insurance companies.

• PHI Collected Automatically: when you use our products, websites, applications, or services, we automatically collect information about your interactions.

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PHI

We may use and disclose your PHI in the following ways:

Treatment, Payment, and Healthcare Operations. We are permitted to use and disclose your PHI for purposes of treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. For example:

• Treatment. We may disclose your PHI to another physician or healthcare provider for purposes of a visit or in connection with the provision of follow-up treatment.  

• Payment. We may use and disclose your PHI to third parties for the purposes of processing and collecting claims and other charges. This includes your health insurer, health plan, benefits manager or consultant, payment processor, collections entity, or their representatives or agents.

• Healthcare Operations. We may use and disclose your PHI in connection with our healthcare operations, such as providing customer service, obtaining medication history from third parties, conducting quality review assessments, and providing the technical means and infrastructure to host and facilitate treatment services (including telehealth, video, or chat features). We may engage third parties to provide these services for us. If any such third party must have access to your PHI in order to perform its services, we will require that third party to enter an agreement that binds the third party to the use and disclosure restrictions outlined in this Notice.

Additional Uses. We may use your PHI to participate in health information exchanges (HIEs) so that we can electronically share, request, and receive your medical information with other HIE participants for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations purposes described above. We may also communicate with family and friends who are involved in your care and payment for care. We may also use your PHI to create deidentified and/or aggregate information.

Authorization. We are permitted to use and disclose your PHI upon your written authorization, to the extent such use or disclosure is consistent with your authorization. We need your written authorization prior to us using and disclosing your PHI for marketing purposes, fundraising purposes, to your employer, or for the sale of your PHI. You may revoke any such authorization at any time.

As Required by Law. We may use and disclose your PHI to the extent required by law.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

The following categories describe unique circumstances in which we may use or disclose your PHI:

• Public Health Activities. We may disclose your PHI to public health authorities or other governmental authorities for purposes including preventing and controlling disease, reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting domestic violence, and reporting to the Food and Drug Administration regarding the quality, safety, and effectiveness of a regulated product or activity. We may, under certain circumstances, disclose PHI to persons who have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or condition.

• Workers’ Compensation. We may disclose your PHI as authorized by, and to the extent necessary to comply with, workers’ compensation programs and other similar programs relating to work-related illnesses or injuries.

• Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose your PHI to a health oversight agency for authorized activities such as audits, investigations, inspections, licensing, and disciplinary actions relating to the healthcare system or government benefit programs.

• Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. We may disclose your PHI, in certain circumstances, as permitted by applicable law, in response to an order from a court or administrative agency, or in response to a subpoena or discovery request.

• Law Enforcement. We may, under certain circumstances, disclose your PHI to a law enforcement official, such as for purposes of reporting a crime or identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person.

• Decedents. We may, under certain circumstances, disclose PHI to coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors for purposes such as identification, determining the cause of death, and fulfilling duties relating to decedents.

• Organ Procurement. We may, under certain circumstances, use or disclose PHI for the purposes of organ donation and transplantation.

• Research. We may, under certain circumstances, use or disclose PHI that is necessary for research purposes.

• Threat to Health or Safety. We may, under certain circumstances, use or disclose PHI if necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.

• Specialized Government Functions. We, may in certain situations, use and disclose PHI of persons who are, or were, in the Armed Forces for purposes such as ensuring proper execution of a military mission or determining entitlement to benefits. Peppy may also disclose PHI to federal officials for intelligence and national security purposes.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PHI

You have the following rights regarding the PHI maintained by us:

Confidential Communication. You have the right to receive confidential communications of your PHI. You may request that we communicate with you through alternate means or at an alternate location, and we will accommodate your reasonable requests. You must submit your request in writing to us.

Restrictions. You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You also have the right to request that we restrict our disclosures of PHI to only certain individuals involved in your care or the payment of your care. You must submit your request in writing to us. We are not required to comply with your request. However, if we agree to comply with your request, we will be bound by such agreement, except when otherwise required by law or in the event of an emergency.

Inspection and Copies. You have the right to inspect and copy your PHI. You must submit your request in writing to us. We may impose a fee for the costs of copying, mailing, labor, and supplies associated with your request. We may deny your request to inspect and/or copy your PHI in certain limited circumstances. If that occurs, we will inform you of the reason for the denial, and you may request a review of the denial.

Amendment. You have a right to request that we amend your PHI if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete, and you may request an amendment for as long as the information is maintained by us. You must submit your request in writing to us and provide a reason to support the requested amendment. We may, under certain circumstances, deny your request by sending you a written notice of denial. If we deny your request, you will be permitted to submit a statement of disagreement for inclusion in your records.

Accounting of Disclosures. You have a right to receive an accounting of all disclosures we have made of your PHI. However, that right does not include disclosures made for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations; disclosures made to you about your treatment; disclosures made pursuant to an authorization; and certain other disclosures. You must submit your request in writing to us and you must specify the time period involved (which must be for a period of time less than six years from the date of the disclosure). Your first accounting will be free of charge. However, we may charge you for the costs involved in fulfilling any additional request made within a period of 12 months. We will inform you of such costs in advance, so that you may withdraw or modify your request to save costs.

Breach Notification. You have the right to be notified in the event that we (or one of our Business Associates) discovers a breach of unsecured PHI.

Paper Copy. You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this Notice from us at any time upon request. To obtain a paper copy of this notice, please contact us by phone or in writing.

Complaint. You may complain to us and to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services if you believe that your privacy rights have been violated. To file a complaint with us, you must submit a statement in writing to us. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to: 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C., 20201, or by calling 1-877-696-6775, or by visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

COMMUNICATIONS PLATFORMS

We may use PHI to send you reminders or messages about your treatment or diagnostic services and other communications related to your care. We may send these messages via email, phone call, mobile application notification, chat functionality, or text message. However, you understand that these platforms may not be a secure method of communication, and that you agree to the security risks of such communication. If you would prefer not to exchange PHI using some or all of these methods, you should not communicate with us via those means, and you must notify us of your request in writing.

FURTHER INFORMATION

If you would like more information about your privacy rights, would like to file a complaint, or send us a written request to exercise any right described in this Notice, please contact us at: hello@vantagelifeinstitute.com.