Notice of Privacy Practices
How your health information may be used and disclosed, and the rights you have over it.
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.
That paragraph is required verbatim by federal regulation and must appear prominently.
Our commitment
Luxxe Wellness & Beauty is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information, to provide you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to notify you following a breach of unsecured protected health information. We are required to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.
How we may use and disclose your health information
For treatment
We use your health information to provide and coordinate your care — for example, reviewing your medical history before determining whether a treatment is appropriate for you.
For payment
We are a cash-pay practice and do not bill insurance for the services we provide. We use your information to collect payment for those services.
Where we write a prescription or order laboratory work, that information goes to your pharmacy or the laboratory, which may in turn bill your health plan. Those are separate entities with their own privacy practices, and any claim they submit is between you, them, and your insurer.
For health care operations
We may use your information for quality assessment, staff training and evaluation, and general business operations.
Other uses that require your written authorization
- Photographs. We take clinical photographs to document your treatment and track results. They are never used on our website, social media, or in any marketing without your separate written authorization, signed specifically for that purpose. That authorization is optional, is not a condition of treatment, and you may revoke it in writing at any time — we will remove the images from any material we control, though we cannot retrieve copies others have already saved or shared.
- Marketing communications beyond appointment reminders and treatment follow-up.
- Any sale of protected health information, which we do not do.
- Most uses of psychotherapy notes, if applicable.
Uses permitted or required without your authorization
We may disclose information as required by law; for public health activities; to report suspected abuse or neglect; for health oversight activities; in response to court orders or subpoenas; for law enforcement purposes; to coroners and funeral directors; for organ donation; for research under specified conditions; to avert a serious threat to health or safety; for workers' compensation; and for specialized government functions.
Your rights
- Inspect and copy your health information, including an electronic copy of records kept electronically
- Request an amendment if you believe information is incorrect or incomplete
- Request an accounting of certain disclosures we have made
- Request restrictions on how we use or disclose your information. We are not required to agree, except that we must honor a request to withhold information from a health plan when you have paid in full out of pocket
- Request confidential communications at an alternative address or by an alternative method
- Receive a paper copy of this notice on request, even if you agreed to receive it electronically
- Be notified if a breach of your unsecured health information occurs. We will notify you without unreasonable delay and within 60 days of discovery, as federal law requires, and we follow Texas notification requirements where they apply.
To exercise any of these rights, contact our Privacy Officer below.
Texas law gives you a shorter deadline than federal law. Under the Texas Medical Records Privacy Act, we must provide requested records within 15 business days of a written request — not the 30 days federal law allows. We follow the shorter period.
Texas law also requires your separate written authorization before we electronically disclose your protected health information for any purpose other than treatment, payment, or health care operations, or as otherwise permitted by law.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us at the contact below, or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
You may also contact the Texas Attorney General, which enforces the Texas Medical Records Privacy Act, at texasattorneygeneral.gov. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights accepts complaints at ocr.hhs.gov.
How we protect your information
Access to patient records is limited to those who need it to provide or support your care. Everyone with access is trained on their privacy obligations, as Texas law requires, within 90 days of beginning work with us and at least every two years thereafter.
Our website is deliberately built not to collect health information. The consultation form asks only for your name, contact details, the treatment category you are interested in, and a scheduling preference. Anything clinical is collected afterwards through a secure channel.
Changes to this notice
We reserve the right to change this notice and to make the revised notice effective for information we already have as well as information we receive in the future. The current notice will always be posted on this website and available at our office.
Privacy Officer
Dr. Heather Aguirre, DO — Privacy Officer
Luxxe Wellness & Beauty
540 Madison Oak Drive, Suite 130
San Antonio, TX 78258
(210) 346-1550
info@luxxewellnessandbeauty.com