Privacy and Accessibility

HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, Website Privacy Notice, and Accessibility Statement
HIPAA privacy practices
Website privacy
Accessibility

HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

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.

Our responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information, provide this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, notify you following a breach of unsecured protected health information when required by law, and follow the notice currently in effect.

How we may use and disclose your information

Treatment

We may use and disclose your health information to provide, coordinate, and manage your care, including consultations, referrals, prescriptions, laboratory services, imaging, and communication with other treating providers.

Payment

We may use and disclose your information to bill and collect payment, verify eligibility, obtain prior authorization, submit claims, and coordinate benefits.

Health care operations

We may use and disclose information for quality improvement, credentialing, training, auditing, compliance, patient safety, business planning, and other activities needed to operate our practices.

Care coordination and value-based care

We may use and disclose information as permitted by law to coordinate care, support population health activities, improve outcomes, measure quality, and participate in value-based arrangements.

Other permitted or required uses

We may also use or disclose information as permitted or required for public health activities, health oversight, abuse or neglect reporting, judicial and administrative proceedings, law enforcement, workers’ compensation, organ and tissue donation, research approved under applicable requirements, and to prevent or lessen a serious threat to health or safety.

Uses that require written authorization

Uses and disclosures not otherwise described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. Most uses of psychotherapy notes, most uses for marketing, and disclosures that constitute a sale of protected health information require authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.

Substance use disorder records

Records protected by 42 CFR Part 2 receive additional confidentiality protections. If we create or maintain such records, their use and disclosure will be handled in accordance with applicable federal requirements. Part 2 records, or testimony describing their contents, generally may not be used in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against the patient without written consent or a qualifying court order.

Your rights

  • Inspect or obtain an electronic or paper copy of health and billing records, subject to limited exceptions.
  • Ask us to correct health information that you believe is incorrect or incomplete.
  • Request confidential communications at an alternative address or by an alternative method.
  • Ask us to limit certain uses or disclosures. We are not required to agree to every request.
  • Request that we not disclose information about care to a health plan when you paid for that care in full out of pocket, unless disclosure is required by law.
  • Receive an accounting of certain disclosures.
  • Choose someone to act for you when that person has legal authority.
  • Receive a paper copy of this notice at any time.

Family, caregivers, and personal representatives

Unless you object, we may share information relevant to your care or payment with a family member, caregiver, personal representative, or another person involved in your care. We may use professional judgment when you are unable to express a preference.

Communications

We may contact you about appointments, treatment alternatives, care management, and health-related services. Ask us about available communication preferences and secure patient portal options.

Complaints and questions

You may file a complaint with us 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.

Michelle Smith
3085 Harlem Road (Suite 350)
Cheektowaga, NY 14225
(716)-844-5652 / msmith@maximweb.com

Changes to this notice

We may change this notice and make the revised notice effective for the health information we already maintain and information we receive in the future. The current notice will be available in our offices, on our websites, and upon request.

Website Privacy Notice

This Website Privacy Notice explains how information may be collected, used, disclosed, and protected when you visit these Great Lakes websites. It is separate from our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, which describes how protected health information may be used and disclosed.

Information we may collect

Information you provide

We may collect information you submit through website forms, including your name, email address, telephone number, insurer selection, and communications you send to us.

Information collected automatically

Our website and service providers may collect technical information such as IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, referral source, and approximate location derived from an IP address. Confirm the technologies actually deployed before publication.

How we may use information

  • Respond to requests and provide practice information.
  • Operate, secure, maintain, and improve the website.
  • Measure use of website content and services.
  • Administer insurance-participation support submissions.
  • Comply with legal obligations and protect rights and safety.

Insurance-participation submissions

If this feature is enabled, information submitted to support insurer participation may be retained internally for validation, deduplication, security, and aggregate reporting. Only aggregate totals should be provided publicly or to insurers unless a separate disclosure is authorized and legally permitted.

Do not submit medical information through general forms

General website forms and ordinary email should not be used for diagnoses, treatment questions, medical records, prescriptions, or other sensitive health information. Use an approved secure patient portal or call the practice.

Cookies and analytics

The website may use cookies or similar technologies for essential operation, security, preferences, and analytics. Before launch, identify each deployed technology, its purpose, duration, provider, and available user controls.

Service providers and links

We may use vendors to host, secure, analyze, or support website services. Links to insurer, government, and other third-party websites are governed by those organizations’ policies.

Security and retention

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards. No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure. Information should be retained only as long as needed for the stated purposes, legal obligations, dispute resolution, and security.

Children's privacy

The website is intended for patients, parents, guardians, caregivers, and other adults. It is not designed to collect personal information directly from children under 13 without appropriate parental or guardian involvement.

Your choices

You may control cookies through available website tools and browser settings, unsubscribe from optional communications using the instructions provided, and contact us about access, correction, or deletion requests where applicable.

Contact us

Allison Stoll
3085 Harlem Road (Suite 350)
Cheektowaga, NY 14225
(716)-844-5630 / astoll@maximweb.com

Changes

We may update this notice. The revised version will be posted here with an updated date.

Accessibility Statement

Great Lakes Urology, Great Lakes Oncology, and Great Lakes Pediatric Urology are committed to providing digital content that is accessible to patients, family members, caregivers, and visitors with disabilities.

Our accessibility goal

We aim to design, develop, and maintain these websites in substantial alignment with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA. This statement describes a goal and should not be treated as a conformance certification unless testing supports that claim.

Accessibility measures

  • Semantic headings and page landmarks.
  • Keyboard-accessible navigation and controls.
  • Visible keyboard focus indicators.
  • Readable typography and sufficient color contrast.
  • Text alternatives for meaningful images.
  • Form labels, instructions, and understandable error messages.
  • Responsive layouts that support enlargement and mobile use.
  • Reduced-motion support where animation is used.

Ongoing work

Accessibility is an ongoing process. New content and functionality should be reviewed through automated checks, keyboard-only testing, screen-reader testing, zoom and reflow testing, and testing by people with disabilities when practicable.

Third-party content

Some linked or embedded content may be provided by third parties. We encourage vendors to provide accessible services and will work to offer an accessible alternative when a barrier is reported.

Request assistance or report a barrier

If you have difficulty accessing content or using a feature, contact us. Please include the page address, a description of the issue, and your preferred contact method. Device, browser, and assistive-technology details are helpful but not required.

Accessibility Assistance
website_accessibility@greatlakesurology.com

Alternative formats

Upon request, we will make reasonable efforts to provide information through another accessible method, such as telephone assistance, an accessible electronic document, large print, or in-person support.

Feedback

We welcome accessibility feedback and use it to prioritize improvements. We will not require you to disclose a disability to request assistance.