1. Practice Overview & Scope
This Privacy Policy and Notice of Privacy Practices applies to Williams Dental Care, the private dental practice of Dr. Ross O. Williams, D.D.S. & Associates, located at 1740 Marco Polo Way STE 8, Burlingame, CA 94010.
It governs data collected through our public website (williamsdentalcare.com), online appointment booking requests, digital health intake forms, patient portal communications, telephone inquiries, and in-operatory clinical interactions.
We adhere strictly to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA), and the California Consumer Privacy Act / California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA) as applicable to health care providers.
2. Privacy Highlights at a Glance
HIPAA Protected
All clinical records, radiographs, and health charts are strictly protected under federal HIPAA security rules.
Never Sold or Traded
We never sell, rent, or monetize patient lists or personal contact information to data brokers or third-party advertisers.
Encrypted EHR
Our Electronic Health Record (EHR) database utilizes AES 256-bit encryption with continuous audit monitoring.
Full Record Access
You have the explicit right to inspect, review, and request digital copies of your dental charts and imaging.
3. Information We Collect
Depending on how you interact with Williams Dental Care, we collect information in the following categories:
- Patient Identification & Contact Data: Name, physical mailing address, email address, telephone numbers, date of birth, emergency contact name, and relationship.
- Dental & Medical Health History (PHI): Prior dental procedures, current medications, allergies, systemic conditions (e.g., cardiac status, diabetes, anticoagulation therapy), dental anxiety markers, radiographs (digital bitewings, panoramic X-rays, 3D CBCT scans), intraoral photographs, and periodontal charts.
- Insurance & Financial Information: Dental insurance carrier, subscriber ID, group number, primary policyholder details, payment history, and copay records. (Note: Credit card numbers are processed via certified PCI-DSS compliant gateways and are never stored on our web server).
- Website & Technical Usage Data: Anonymized IP addresses, browser version, device type, referring URL, and pages visited for system health, load balancing, and anti-fraud monitoring.
4. How We Use Your Information
We utilize collected data strictly for legitimate clinical, administrative, and legal purposes, including:
Clinical Treatment & Diagnosis: Formulating individualized dental treatment plans, performing cleanings, restorative restorations, cavity treatments, and emergency triage.
Appointment Coordination: Confirming appointments, sending automated SMS or email reminders, and managing rescheduling requests.
Insurance Verification & Billing: Pre-authorizing treatments, filing dental insurance claims, processing patient copayments, and providing itemized receipts.
Regulatory & Quality Assurance: Complying with mandatory reporting requirements under the Dental Board of California and maintaining sterile, high-standard patient operatory workflows.
5. HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL AND DENTAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
Permitted Uses & Disclosures Without Prior Authorization:
- Treatment: Providing dental exams, tooth fillings, scaling, sharing diagnostic radiographs with referring endodontists or oral surgeons.
- Payment: Transmitting diagnostic codes and treatment proofs to your dental insurance carrier for claim adjudication.
- Health Care Operations: Practice quality audits, digital scanner calibration, staff clinical training, and electronic software maintenance under signed Business Associate Agreements.
Disclosures Requiring Written Authorization:
Any use or disclosure of Protected Health Information for marketing purposes, sale of PHI, or psychotherapy notes requires your express written authorization, which you may revoke at any time in writing.
7. Zero Data Sale Guarantee
Williams Dental Care has never sold, does not sell, and will never sell or rent your personal, contact, or clinical health data to any data brokers, pharmaceutical marketers, advertising networks, or third parties. Your relationship with our clinic is sacred, confidential, and respected.
8. Data Security & Encryption Standards
To defend against unauthorized access, loss, or disclosure, our practice implements enterprise-grade technical, physical, and administrative safeguards:
- In-Transit Encryption: Modern Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.3) encrypts all data sent through our website and booking modal.
- At-Rest Encryption: Our electronic health record databases employ Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit encryption.
- Role-Based Access Control: Only clinical staff directly involved in your oral health care have credentialed access to your charts.
- Physical Security: Operatory computers auto-lock, and all physical facilities in Burlingame are secured after clinic hours.
9. Your Rights (HIPAA & California CMIA)
As a patient, you retain explicit legal rights concerning your health records:
Right to Inspect & Copy: You may submit a written request to inspect and receive digital copies of your dental charts, billing statements, and X-rays.
Right to Request Amendments: If you believe your clinical record contains an inaccuracy, you may submit a request to amend the record.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You may request a list of certain non-routine disclosures of your health information made outside of treatment, payment, or clinic operations.
Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request restrictions on how we disclose information to health plans if you pay for a procedure entirely out-of-pocket.
Right to Confidential Communications: You may request that we reach you only at a specific phone number or email address.
10. Retention of Dental Records
Under California law and Dental Board regulations, dental patient records are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years following the last date of treatment for adult patients. For pediatric patients, records are retained for at least seven (7) years after the patient reaches the age of 18 (i.e., until age 25). After the statutory retention period, digital and physical records are destroyed via certified secure shredding or cryptographic erasure.
12. Privacy Officer & Filing Complaints
If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise any patient rights, or believe your privacy rights have been infringed upon, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Williams Dental Care — Privacy & Compliance Office
Attn: Dr. Ross O. Williams, D.D.S. / HIPAA Privacy Officer
1740 Marco Polo Way STE 8, Burlingame, CA 94010, United States
Telephone: (650) 692-3387
Office Hours: Mon–Sat: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM PST
You also have the right to file a formal complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Office for Civil Rights), Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201. Williams Dental Care will never retaliate against any patient for filing a complaint.