Notice of Privacy Practices | Riverside West Dental Group

Effective date: September 30, 2026

Practice and location covered by this notice: Riverside West Dental Group, 6945 Streeter Ave, Riverside, CA 92504

Privacy contact: Dr. Steven S. Kim

Phone: (951) 687-7300

Please read this notice

This notice explains how Riverside West Dental Group may use and disclose information in your dental and other health records, how you can obtain that information, and the rights you have concerning it. It applies to protected health information we create or receive while providing care, seeking payment, and operating the practice. It also applies to information held for us by companies that assist with those activities.

This notice concerns patient health information. The separate website privacy policy explains how the public website handles visits, cookies, contact messages, and similar website information.

Your rights

See or receive your record

You may ask to inspect or receive a paper or electronic copy of your dental record, including dental images and treatment notes, and other health information we maintain about you. Tell us the format you prefer. We will respond within the period required by law. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee where permitted, and we will explain any lawful reason for denying access and any review rights.

Ask us to correct information

If you believe information in your record is inaccurate or incomplete, you may ask us in writing to amend it. We may deny a request for a reason permitted by law, but we will explain a denial in writing and tell you how to submit a statement of disagreement.

Ask for private communications

You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at a different address. For example, you may ask us to call a specified number instead of mailing your home. We will accommodate reasonable requests. Tell us how to reach you if we have a question about the request.

Ask us to limit certain uses or disclosures

You may ask us to restrict the information we use or disclose for treatment, payment, or practice operations, or the information we disclose to a person involved in your care. We generally do not have to agree. If we do agree, we will honor the restriction except when emergency treatment or another legal exception applies.

If you pay us in full out of pocket for a particular item or service and ask us not to disclose that item's or service's information to your health plan for payment or health care operations, we will honor that request unless the law requires the disclosure. Tell us about the request when arranging payment so we can process it correctly.

Receive an accounting of certain disclosures

You may request an accounting of certain disclosures of your health information during the six years before your request. The accounting does not include every disclosure; for example, treatment, payment, and health care operations disclosures are generally excluded under current HIPAA rules. One accounting in a 12-month period is free. If you request more, we may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee after telling you the amount.

Receive a copy of this notice

You may request a paper copy of this notice at any time, including if you previously agreed to receive it electronically. We will provide one promptly.

Have someone act for you

A person with valid legal authority, such as a legal guardian or health care representative, may exercise your rights. We will verify that authority before sharing information or acting on a request.

Complain without retaliation

If you believe we violated your privacy rights, contact the privacy contact listed at the end of this notice. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, at HHS complaint page. We will not retaliate against you for making a complaint.

Your choices

You may tell us whether we may share relevant information with family members, close friends, or other people involved in your care or payment for it. You may also tell us your preference about sharing information with disaster relief organizations. If you cannot tell us your preference, we may use professional judgment to share information in your best interest or when needed to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat, as the law permits.

We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your health information for a purpose that requires it, including most marketing uses, a sale of your health information, and most uses or disclosures of psychotherapy notes if we maintain any. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time; the revocation does not undo an action we already took in reliance on it.

If we contact patients for fundraising, you may tell us to stop. If a proposed fundraising communication would use a substance use disorder record protected by 42 CFR Part 2, we will give the advance notice and choice the law requires.

How we may use and disclose information

We may use and disclose health information without your written authorization for treatment, payment, and health care operations as permitted by law:

Treatment: We may use your record to plan and provide dental care at our Riverside office. For example, we may send a relevant dental image and treatment information to a specialist or dental laboratory involved in your care.
Payment: We may use and disclose information to bill you, submit claims, determine coverage, or obtain payment for services.
Health care operations: We may use and disclose information to manage the practice, assess and improve care, train staff, conduct permitted quality and compliance activities, and contact you about care or services.

We may also use or disclose information when the law allows or requires it, subject to the conditions and limits that apply:

for public health activities, such as required disease reporting, product recalls, or reporting adverse events;
to report suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence when permitted or required;
to prevent or lessen a serious threat to health or safety;
for research when an applicable authorization, review, or legal exception permits it;
to comply with federal or state law, including lawful requests from agencies overseeing health care privacy;
to organ or tissue procurement organizations, if relevant;
to a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when someone dies;
for workers' compensation, health oversight, law enforcement, military, national security, or other special government functions when authorized by law; and
in response to a court or administrative order, subpoena, or other legal process when the legal requirements are met.

We may share information with vendors that perform services for us, such as records, billing, hosting, communications, or document handling, when permitted by law and subject to appropriate privacy obligations. We use or disclose only the information needed where a minimum-necessary rule applies.

Additional protection for certain substance use disorder records

If we receive or maintain a substance use disorder patient record protected by 42 CFR Part 2, special federal protections apply. We will not use or disclose that record in a civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigation or proceeding against you without your specific written consent or a qualifying court order accompanied by a subpoena or comparable legal requirement. Other uses and disclosures of such records also depend on the consent and exceptions that apply under Part 2. This paragraph does not mean that our dental practice operates a substance use disorder treatment program.

State laws and other limits

California's Confidentiality of Medical Information Act generally requires authorization before a health care provider discloses medical information, unless a specific legal permission or requirement applies. California law also protects patient access to records and limits disclosure of certain minors' confidential care. We will follow those rules when they give your information greater protection than the general practices described here. These protections apply in addition to the Part 2 protections described above.

Our responsibilities

We are required to protect the privacy and security of your protected health information and to follow the practices described in the notice currently in effect. We will notify affected people and others as required if a breach compromises unsecured protected health information.

We will provide this notice to patients when required, make it available on request, and post it in our office and on a website that describes our services. We may revise it as our practices or the law change. A revised notice may apply to information we already hold. We will make the current version available in the office, on the website, and on request. We will not use or disclose your information for a purpose outside this notice unless you authorize it in writing or the law permits or requires it.

Questions, requests, or complaints

Contact the practice's privacy contact to request a record, exercise a right, ask a question, or make a complaint:

Privacy contact: Dr. Steven S. Kim

Practice: Riverside West Dental Group

Mail: 6945 Streeter Ave, Riverside, CA 92504

Phone: (951) 687-7300

Website: https://riversidewestdentalgroup.com

You may also complain to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, at HHS complaint page. We will not retaliate because you asked a question, exercised a right, or filed a complaint.