top of page

Notice of Privacy Practices

Sour Lake Health & Medical

Effective Date: August 8th, 2026

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

This Notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can obtain access to this information.

Please review it carefully.

Sour Lake Health & Medical is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your health information.

This Notice applies to health information maintained by Sour Lake Health & Medical and explains our responsibilities, your rights, and the ways we may use or disclose your Protected Health Information (“PHI”) as permitted or required by law.

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights.

Obtain a Copy of Your Medical Record

You may ask to inspect or receive an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we maintain about you.

We will provide access or a copy as required by applicable law. A reasonable cost-based fee may be charged where permitted.

Ask Us to Correct Your Medical Record

If you believe health information we maintain about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we amend it.

We may deny the request in certain circumstances permitted by law, but we will explain the reason for the denial.

Request Confidential Communications

You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at a specific location.

For example, you may request that we call a particular telephone number or send correspondence to a specific mailing address.

We will accommodate reasonable requests as required by law.

Ask Us to Limit What We Use or Share

You may request that we restrict certain uses or disclosures of your health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.

We are not required to agree to every requested restriction.

However, if you pay for a healthcare service or item entirely out of pocket and request that we not disclose information about that service to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations purposes, we will honor the request when required by law.

Receive a List of Certain Disclosures

You may request an accounting of certain disclosures of your health information.

This accounting generally identifies certain disclosures made during the applicable period before your request but may exclude disclosures made for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and other disclosures excluded by law.

Obtain a Copy of This Notice

You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive the Notice electronically.

Choose Someone to Act for You

If you have given another individual medical power of attorney or another person is legally authorized to act on your behalf, that person may exercise your rights and make certain choices concerning your health information as permitted by law.

We may verify that the individual has appropriate authority before taking action.

File a Complaint

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Sour Lake Health & Medical.

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you may tell us your preferences about what we share.

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to tell us whether we may:

  • Share information with family members, close friends, or others involved in your care

  • Share information in a disaster-relief situation

  • Contact you for certain fundraising purposes

If you are unable to communicate your preference—for example, during an emergency—we may share information when we believe doing so is in your best interest and is permitted by law.

We may also disclose information when necessary to reduce a serious and imminent threat to health or safety when permitted by law.

Marketing and Sale of Information

We generally will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your health information for purposes requiring authorization under HIPAA, including certain marketing activities or the sale of PHI.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent that we have already acted in reliance upon it.

How We May Use and Share Your Health Information

We typically use or disclose health information in the following ways.

Treatment

We may use and share your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare.

For example, we may share relevant information with another healthcare professional involved in your treatment.

Payment

We may use and disclose your health information to bill and obtain payment from health plans or other entities.

For example, information about a visit may be provided to your insurance company to obtain payment for services.

Healthcare Operations

We may use and share your health information to operate our practice, improve care, train staff, conduct quality assessments, and manage business activities.

For example, we may review patient records as part of quality-improvement activities.

Business Associates

We may share health information with companies or individuals that perform certain services on our behalf when permitted by law.

When required, these business associates must appropriately protect your health information.

Public Health and Safety

We may disclose health information for certain public health and safety activities permitted or required by law, including:

  • Preventing or controlling disease

  • Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence where required or authorized

  • Reporting adverse reactions to medications or products

  • Reporting certain communicable diseases

  • Preventing or reducing a serious threat to health or safety

  • Complying with health oversight activities

Complying With the Law

We may disclose health information when required by federal, state, or local law.

Health Oversight

We may disclose health information to authorized agencies for audits, investigations, inspections, licensing activities, disciplinary actions, and other legally authorized oversight activities.

Workers' Compensation

We may disclose health information for workers' compensation matters or similar programs when permitted by law.

Law Enforcement and Other Government Requests

We may disclose health information for certain law-enforcement purposes or government functions when applicable legal requirements are satisfied.

Judicial and Administrative Proceedings

We may disclose health information in response to certain court orders, administrative orders, subpoenas, discovery requests, or other lawful processes when permitted or required by law.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors

We may disclose health information to coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors when permitted by law.

Organ and Tissue Donation

We may disclose health information to organizations involved in organ, eye, or tissue donation when applicable.

Research

We may use or disclose health information for research under circumstances permitted by law and subject to applicable privacy protections.

Certain Sensitive Health Information

Certain categories of health information may receive additional protections under federal or Texas law.

Where a more protective law applies, Sour Lake Health & Medical will follow the requirements of that law.

This may include certain information involving mental health services, substance-use-disorder treatment records, genetic information, HIV/AIDS information, or other specially protected information.

Where Sour Lake Health & Medical maintains records subject to federal substance-use-disorder confidentiality requirements under 42 CFR Part 2, those records will be used and disclosed in accordance with applicable federal requirements.

Our Responsibilities

Sour Lake Health & Medical is required by law to:

  • Maintain the privacy and security of your Protected Health Information

  • Provide you with this Notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices

  • Follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect

  • Notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured PHI when required by law

  • Follow applicable federal and Texas privacy requirements

We will not use or disclose your health information other than as described in this Notice unless you provide written authorization or another use or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

If you authorize us to use or disclose information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time, subject to applicable limitations.

Texas Privacy Protections

Sour Lake Health & Medical is located in Texas and will comply with applicable provisions of the Texas Medical Records Privacy Act and other state laws governing the confidentiality of medical information.

When Texas law provides greater privacy protections than federal law, the more protective applicable requirement will generally govern.

Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change this Notice and our privacy practices as permitted by law.

Changes may apply to health information we already maintain as well as information we receive in the future.

When material changes are made, we will make the revised Notice available as required by law and update the effective date.

The current Notice will be available at our office and on our website.

Questions or Complaints

If you have questions about this Notice, need assistance exercising your privacy rights, or wish to file a privacy complaint, please contact:

Privacy Officer
Sour Lake Health & Medical
689 Sixth Street
Sour Lake, TX 77659

Phone: (409) 287-4100

You may also submit a complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights.

Sour Lake Health & Medical will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint or exercising your privacy rights.

bottom of page