Patient Rights and Responsibilities

1Scope

This Policy applies to patients receiving clinical services from or through Sleep Balance Academy PC and, where applicable, to lawful personal representatives. It supplements specific rights provided by federal and state law and does not reduce any right described in our Notice of Privacy Practices or a state-specific patient-rights requirement.

2Your Rights as a Patient

You have the right to:

• Receive considerate, respectful, and professionally appropriate care without unlawful discrimination or retaliation.
• Know the identity and professional role of the clinician responsible for your care and, upon request, receive information reasonably sufficient to verify licensure or credentials.
• Receive information about your condition, proposed evaluation or treatment, material risks and benefits, reasonable alternatives, and the likely consequences of declining, in a manner you can understand.
• Participate in decisions about your care, ask questions, seek a second opinion, and accept or refuse a test, treatment, device, or recommendation to the extent permitted by law.
• Be told when telehealth or another remote modality has material limitations and request an appropriate alternative when reasonably available.
• Receive privacy and confidentiality consistent with HIPAA, applicable state law, and our Notice of Privacy Practices.
• Access and request amendment of your health information as provided by law, without access being conditioned on payment of an unrelated treatment balance.
• Request reasonable communication accommodations, auxiliary aids, language assistance, or accessibility accommodations when required by law.
• Receive information about charges before non-emergency scheduled services and, if you are uninsured or self-pay, a Good Faith Estimate when required by the No Surprises Act.
• Make a complaint to SBA, a licensing board, HHS Office for Civil Rights, a state attorney general, or another appropriate agency without retaliation.

3Privacy During Telehealth

You may ask who is present during a telehealth encounter and may request that unnecessary observers leave. We will not record a clinical encounter without any notice and consent required by applicable law. You should participate from a reasonably private and safe location when possible and tell the clinician if privacy at your location is limited.

4Refusal, Withdrawal, and Continuity

You may decline or withdraw consent to a non-emergency test, treatment, or telehealth service as permitted by law. A clinician may explain the foreseeable consequences and document the decision. Refusal does not permit SBA to retaliate against you, although a clinician may be unable to provide a particular service when the information or consent necessary to provide that service safely is unavailable. You may request transfer of records to another clinician. If SBA ends a clinical relationship, we will follow applicable professional and state-law requirements concerning notice, emergency coverage, records, and reasonable continuity of care.

5Your Responsibilities

To support safe and effective care, we ask you to provide accurate and complete information about symptoms, history, medications, allergies, other clinicians, and changes in your condition; confirm your physical location for telehealth; participate from a safe location and not while driving; keep appointments or provide notice when possible; follow agreed plans or tell the clinician when you are not following them; treat staff and clinicians respectfully; safeguard account credentials; and provide accurate billing and insurance information when applicable.

6Billing Questions and Good Faith Estimates

Ask us if you do not understand a charge. Uninsured or self-pay patients may request a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges as provided by federal law. A Good Faith Estimate is not a guarantee that no additional clinically necessary service will ever be recommended, but federal law may provide a patient-provider dispute process if billed charges substantially exceed the estimate.

7Emergencies

SBA's online services are not emergency services. If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to an emergency department. Do not wait for a portal message or scheduled appointment response.

8Questions and Complaints

Questions or complaints may be sent to support@sleepbalanceacademy.com. Privacy complaints may also be directed to the Privacy Contact listed in the Notice of Privacy Practices. We will not retaliate against a patient for raising a concern or exercising a legal right.