Notice of Privacy Practices

This Notice of Privacy Practices ("Notice") describes the privacy practices of Lev Pediatrics ("Practice," "we," "us," or "our"). Where this Notice refers to "you," it generally refers to the patient (the child) and/or the parent or legal guardian who makes health care decisions on the child's behalf.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of Protected Health Information ("PHI"), to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI, and to notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured PHI. PHI is information that identifies the patient and relates to the patient's health, condition, treatment, or payment for health care services.

We are required to follow the terms of this Notice currently in effect. We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the revised Notice effective for all PHI we maintain, including PHI created or received before the change. If we make a material change, we will post the revised Notice in the office, on our website at levkidscare.com, and provide a copy upon request.

Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding PHI we maintain about your child. To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer using the contact information at the end of this Notice.

Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your child's PHI that we maintain in a designated record set. You may request an electronic copy if the PHI is maintained electronically. Requests must be made in writing. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies. In limited circumstances, we may deny your request and will explain why in writing; you may have the right to have the denial reviewed.

Right to Request an Amendment. If you believe PHI we maintain about your child is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we amend it. Requests must be made in writing and include the reason for the requested amendment. We may deny your request in certain circumstances and will explain why in writing.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your child's PHI. The accounting does not include disclosures made for treatment, payment, or health care operations; disclosures made to you or with your authorization; and certain other disclosures. Requests must be made in writing and may cover up to six years prior to the request. The first accounting in any 12-month period is free; we may charge a reasonable fee for additional accountings in the same period.

Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request that we restrict certain uses and disclosures of your child's PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations, or to family members or others involved in care. We are not required to agree, except that we must agree to restrict disclosure to a health plan if the disclosure is for payment or health care operations (not treatment) and the PHI relates solely to an item or service for which you have paid out of pocket in full.

Right to Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about health matters in a particular way or at a particular location (for example, by mail to a specific address, or by phone at work rather than home). We will accommodate reasonable requests made in writing.

Right to Receive a Paper Copy of this Notice. You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously received it electronically.

Right to Be Notified of a Breach. You have the right to be notified if there is a breach of unsecured PHI concerning your child.

Right to File a Complaint. See the "Complaints" section below.

Minors and Parental Access

Because we provide pediatric care, most of our patients are minors. In general, Florida law and HIPAA permit a parent or legal guardian to act as the minor's personal representative and to access the minor's PHI. However, there are specific situations under Florida law in which a minor may consent to their own care and, as a result, has independent rights with respect to the related records:

• Emergency care (Fla. Stat. § 743.064)
• Pregnancy-related care (Fla. Stat. § 743.065)
• Care for the minor's own child (Fla. Stat. § 743.066)
• Outpatient mental health crisis services for minors age 13 and older (Fla. Stat. § 394.4784)
• Substance use disorder services (Fla. Stat. § 397.501 and 42 C.F.R. Part 2)
• Sexually transmitted disease services (Fla. Stat. § 384.30)
• Family planning services (Fla. Stat. § 381.0051)
• Examination and treatment following sexual battery (Fla. Stat. § 385.202)

When a minor has lawfully consented to their own care under one of these exceptions, we may be required to keep the related PHI confidential from the parent or guardian to the extent required by applicable law. In all other cases, the parent or legal guardian is the minor's personal representative and may access, amend, and authorize disclosure of the minor's PHI on the minor's behalf.

We may decline to treat a parent or guardian as a personal representative if we have a reasonable belief that doing so could endanger the minor, or if otherwise permitted or required by law (for example, in cases of suspected abuse or neglect).

How We May Use and Disclose PHI Without Your Authorization

The following categories describe the ways we are permitted to use and disclose PHI without your authorization. The examples below are illustrative and not a complete list.

Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations

• Treatment. We use and disclose PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage medical treatment. For example, we may share PHI with a specialist, hospital, laboratory, or pharmacy involved in your child's care.
• Payment. We use and disclose PHI to obtain payment for services, including verifying insurance coverage, billing, and collection activities.
• Health Care Operations. We use and disclose PHI for internal operations such as quality assessment, training, credentialing, compliance, care coordination, business planning, and general administrative activities.

Use of Software Tools, Including Artificial Intelligence

We may use software tools, including artificial intelligence ("AI")-assisted tools, to support functions such as appointment scheduling, clinical documentation, billing, insurance verification, and administrative review. Any such tool is used under the supervision of our clinicians and staff, and only through vendors that have entered into a Business Associate Agreement with us where required by HIPAA.

Business Associates

We contract with third parties to perform services on our behalf — for example, electronic health record vendors, billing services, information technology providers, secure messaging and fax providers, payment processors, and cloud storage providers. Where these vendors receive PHI, we enter into a Business Associate Agreement requiring them to protect PHI consistent with HIPAA.

Other Permitted Uses and Disclosures

We may also use or disclose PHI without your authorization in the following circumstances:

• When required by law, including reporting information to state or federal authorities as required by statute or regulation.
• Public health activities, such as reporting communicable diseases, vital statistics (births/deaths), vaccine administration (including to state immunization registries such as Florida SHOTS), and reactions to medications or product defects, to the extent permitted or required by law.
• Abuse, neglect, or domestic violence reports to authorities authorized by law to receive them. Florida law requires any person who knows or has reasonable cause to suspect child abuse, neglect, or abandonment to report it to the Florida Department of Children and Families (Fla. Stat. § 39.201).
• Health oversight activities, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure actions by government agencies.
• Judicial and administrative proceedings, in response to a court or administrative order, subpoena, or other lawful process, subject to applicable requirements.
• Law enforcement, in limited circumstances permitted by law.
• Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors to the extent necessary for them to carry out their duties.
• Organ, eye, or tissue donation.
• Research, when approved by an Institutional Review Board or Privacy Board and subject to HIPAA safeguards.
• Serious threats to health or safety, to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of any person or the public.
• Specialized government functions, including military and veterans activities, national security, protective services, and correctional institutions.
• Workers' compensation, as authorized by law.
• Persons involved in care, such as a family member, close friend, or other individual you identify as involved in the patient's care or payment for care, in accordance with HIPAA. In emergencies or when a parent is unavailable, we may use professional judgment to share information with someone accompanying the patient.

Additional Protections for Certain Types of Information

Certain categories of PHI receive additional protection under federal or state law beyond HIPAA, and we follow the more protective law where applicable. This includes:

• Substance use disorder records protected under 42 C.F.R. Part 2, which require written patient consent for most disclosures. Information disclosed from a Part 2 record may not be redisclosed without written consent or as otherwise permitted by Part 2. Unauthorized use or disclosure of Part 2 records may be subject to civil or criminal penalties. A patient (or where applicable, a personal representative) may file a complaint regarding an alleged Part 2 violation with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Mental health records protected under Florida law.
• HIV/AIDS information protected under Fla. Stat. § 381.004.
• Genetic information protected under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and related laws.

Once PHI has been disclosed to an outside recipient, the recipient may redisclose it, and it may no longer be protected by federal privacy regulations.

Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Written Authorization

The following uses and disclosures require your written authorization:

• Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes.
• Uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes.
• Sale of PHI.
• Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice.

You may revoke a written authorization at any time in writing, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.

Our Duties

We are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy of PHI we create or receive.
• Provide you with this Notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices regarding PHI.
• Notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI.
• Follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us and/or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

To file a complaint with us, contact our Privacy Officer using the information below.

To file a complaint with the federal government, contact:

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Notice, want to exercise any of the rights described above, or want to file a complaint, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Effective Date: January 1, 2026