Notice of Privacy Practices

Practice

Michael Pimienta, MD

Effective date

November 1, 2026

Privacy questions

Call (424) 281-7392

Your rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record

• You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
• We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information within the time that federal and California law require. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask us to correct your medical record

• You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
• We may say "no" to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications

• You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, by home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
• We will say "yes" to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share

• You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say "no" if it would affect your care.
• If you pay for a service or health care item out of pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information with your health insurer for payment or operations. We will say "yes" unless a law requires us to share that information.

Get a list of those with whom we have shared information

• You can ask for a list (an accounting) of the times we have shared your health information for six years before the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
• We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one accounting a year for free but may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Get a copy of this privacy notice

You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.

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 health information.
• We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

• You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information at the end of this notice.
• You can 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, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
• We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

• Share information with your family, close friends or others involved in your care
• Share information in a disaster relief situation

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

• Marketing purposes
• Sale of your information
• Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

In the case of fundraising, we may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

Our uses and disclosures

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

Treat you

We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. Example: Dr. Pimienta shares the results of your colonoscopy with your primary care doctor, or sends a tissue sample to a pathology lab.

Run our practice

We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care and contact you when necessary. Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services, and to send you appointment reminders.

Bill for your services

We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. Example: We give information about you to Medicare so it will pay for your services, or we prepare a superbill you can send to your insurer.

Work with our business associates

We may share your information with companies that perform services for us, such as our electronic health record vendor. They must sign a business associate agreement and protect your information as the law requires.

How else we can use or share your information

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways, usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.

• Help with public health and safety issues: preventing disease, helping with product recalls, reporting adverse reactions to medicines, reporting suspected abuse, neglect or domestic violence, and preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone's health or safety.
• Do research: we can use or share your information for health research, under the conditions the law sets.
• Comply with the law: we will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we are complying with federal privacy law.
• Respond to organ and tissue donation requests: we can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
• Work with a medical examiner or funeral director: we can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director when an individual dies.
• Address workers' compensation, law enforcement and other government requests: for workers' compensation claims, for law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official, with health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law, and for special government functions such as military, national security and presidential protective services.
• Respond to lawsuits and legal actions: we can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

Extra protections under federal and California law

California's Confidentiality of Medical Information Act and other state and federal laws give extra protection to some kinds of health information, such as HIV test results, mental health records, substance use disorder treatment records, genetic test results and reproductive health care information. When another law gives you more protection than HIPAA, we follow the stricter law.

If we receive records of substance use disorder treatment that are protected by federal law (42 CFR Part 2), we will not use or share them in a civil, criminal, administrative or legislative proceeding against you unless you give written consent or a court orders it, as that law requires.

Our responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
• We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
• We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

Changes to the terms of this notice

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office and on this website.

This notice is effective November 1, 2026.

Contact us and complaints

For questions about this notice, to use any of your rights, or to make a privacy complaint, contact the office:

Phone

(424) 281-7392

Mail

Michael Pimienta, MD
Attn: Privacy
6333 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Our website privacy policy, which covers what this website collects, is on the privacy policy page.