386.287.0977
386.287.0977
Aqua Blue Pediatrics – Florida
Effective Date: 06/15/2026
This Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) describes how medical information about your child may be used and disclosed and how you, as the parent, legal guardian, or patient, can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.[hhs]
Who this Notice applies to
This Notice applies to Aqua Blue Pediatrics and its workforce members, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, medical assistants, and administrative staff. It also applies to students, trainees, and business associates who help us deliver services and who are required to protect your health information.[hhs]
Our legal duties
We are required by federal and Florida law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information (“PHI”), to provide you with this Notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices, and to notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI. We will follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect and may change our privacy practices as laws and regulations change. If we make material changes, we will post the updated Notice in our offices, make it available on our website, and provide it upon request.[flsenate]
We will not use or disclose your PHI in a way that is not described in this Notice unless you authorize us in writing or the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.[flsenate]
Your rights regarding your child’s PHI
You (or your child, if legally able to act on their own behalf) have the rights below with respect to PHI we maintain about your child.[floridahealth]
Right to inspect and obtain a copy
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of PHI in our designated record set, such as medical and billing records, with certain limited exceptions. We may provide copies in paper or electronic form and may charge a reasonable, cost‑based fee as permitted by law. In some cases we may deny access, and you may have the right to request a review of that denial.[csgfirm]
Right to request amendment
If you believe PHI we maintain is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we amend it. Your request must be in writing and state the reasons for the amendment. We may deny the request in certain situations, but if we accept it, we will make the amendment and notify the appropriate parties.[floridahealth]
Right to request restrictions
You may request that we restrict how we use or disclose PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations, or to people involved in your child’s care. We are not required to agree to most requested restrictions, but we must agree when you have paid in full out‑of‑pocket for a service and request that we not disclose that information to your health plan, except as required by law.[hhs]
Right to confidential communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you in a specific way or at a specific location (for example, at a different mailing address or phone number). We will accommodate reasonable requests.[floridahealth]
Right to an accounting of disclosures
You have the right to request an accounting of certain disclosures of PHI we have made for up to six years prior to the date of your request, excluding those for treatment, payment, health care operations, and other routine disclosures permitted or authorized by you.[hhs]
Right to a copy of this Notice
You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.[hhs]
Right to file a complaint
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Aqua Blue Pediatrics and/or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. You may also file a complaint with the appropriate Florida regulatory agency. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.[csgfirm]
Parents, legal guardians, and minors
In general, parents and legal guardians may exercise the rights described in this Notice for unemancipated minors. In some situations, Florida or federal law allows or requires minors to consent to certain services (for example, certain reproductive health, sexually transmitted infection, or substance use services), and the minor may have the right to control access to records related to those services. When state or federal law grants the minor greater privacy protections, we will follow the more protective law.[flsenate]
How we may use and disclose PHI
Below are examples of how we use and disclose PHI. Not every possible use or disclosure is listed, but these examples illustrate common categories.[floridahealth]
For treatment
We use and disclose PHI to provide, coordinate, and manage medical care and related services. For example, we may share PHI with specialists, laboratories, pharmacies, hospitals, or other providers involved in your child’s care.[floridahealth]
For payment
We use and disclose PHI to bill and collect payment for the services we provide, including submitting claims to health plans, verifying benefits, and obtaining prior authorizations.[hhs]
For health care operations
We use and disclose PHI for activities necessary to operate our practice, improve quality, train staff, conduct risk management, and perform compliance and auditing functions. We may use secure electronic systems, including certified electronic health record systems, telehealth platforms, and supervised artificial intelligence tools, to assist with documentation, scheduling, billing, and other operational tasks.[hhs]
Individuals involved in your child’s care or payment
We may disclose PHI to family members, caregivers, or others you identify as involved in your child’s care or payment, when appropriate and consistent with law, and in certain emergencies.[floridahealth]
Other uses and disclosures permitted or required by law
We may use or disclose PHI without your written authorization in the situations below, subject to applicable conditions and safeguards.[flsenate]
Public health and safety
We may disclose PHI for public health activities, such as reporting communicable diseases, immunization data, adverse events, and vital statistics like births and deaths. We may disclose PHI to avert a serious threat to health or safety, as permitted by law.[csgfirm]
Abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
We may disclose PHI to appropriate government authorities if we reasonably believe a child is a victim of abuse, neglect, or other crimes, as required or authorized by law.[csgfirm]
Health oversight activities
We may disclose PHI to health oversight agencies for audits, inspections, investigations, licensing, and other oversight activities.[hhs]
Judicial and administrative proceedings; law enforcement
We may disclose PHI in response to court orders, subpoenas, warrants, or other lawful processes, and for certain law enforcement purposes, subject to applicable requirements.[flsenate]
Specialized government functions
We may disclose PHI for certain military, national security, protective services, and correctional institution purposes, as allowed by law.[hhs]
Workers’ compensation
We may disclose PHI as authorized by workers’ compensation or similar laws related to work‑related injuries or illnesses.[hhs]
Research
We may use or disclose PHI for approved research, subject to institutional review and privacy safeguards.[floridahealth]
Coroners, medical examiners, and organ donation
We may disclose PHI to coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, and organ procurement organizations to carry out their duties and facilitate organ, eye, or tissue donation.[floridahealth]
Additional protections for certain types of information
Some types of health information receive extra protection under federal or state law, including information related to mental health services, HIV/AIDS, genetic testing, reproductive health, and substance use disorder treatment. When those laws are more protective than HIPAA, we will follow the more protective law.[csgfirm]
Substance use disorder (Part 2) records
Records from federally assisted substance use disorder programs are subject to federal law governing confidentiality of Part 2 records. We will not use or disclose Part 2 records in legal proceedings against you or your child without written consent or a court order that meets those requirements.[hhs]
Reproductive health care information and attestations
We will not use or disclose health information to investigate or impose liability on any person for seeking, obtaining, providing, or facilitating lawful reproductive health care, or to identify any person for such purposes. When we disclose information potentially related to reproductive health care to certain health authorities, law enforcement, coroners, medical examiners, or in legal proceedings, we will obtain an attestation that the information will not be used for prohibited investigative or enforcement purposes, except as allowed when the reproductive care at issue was not lawful in the circumstances.[ahima]
Health information exchanges and patient portals
We may participate in secure health information exchanges that allow authorized providers and entities to electronically access PHI to support treatment and coordination of care. You may be able to opt out of participation in certain exchanges as permitted by state law and our policies; opting out does not prevent us from sharing PHI directly with treating providers when necessary.[floridahealth]
We may offer patient portals or personal health record applications that allow you to view portions of your child’s health information from mobile devices and to synchronize certain wellness data. We will not disclose synchronized mobile health data to third parties without your permission, as described in our portal terms.[floridahealth]
Data breaches and notifications
If a breach of unsecured PHI affecting you or your child occurs, we will investigate, mitigate, and notify you without unreasonable delay and consistent with federal HIPAA breach notification requirements and Florida’s data breach notification timelines. The notification will include a brief description of what happened, the types of information involved, recommended steps you may take to protect yourself, and our corrective actions.[leg.state.fl]
Uses and disclosures that require your written authorization
Other uses and disclosures of PHI not described in this Notice will be made only with your written authorization. These include most uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes and any sale of PHI, as well as certain uses of psychotherapy notes. You may revoke an authorization at any time in writing, except to the extent we have already taken action in reliance on it.[hhs]
How we provide this Notice
We will provide this Notice no later than the first in‑person or telehealth visit at Aqua Blue Pediatrics, post it prominently in our offices, and make it available on our website. We will make good‑faith efforts to obtain your written acknowledgment that you received this Notice and will document our efforts if we cannot obtain it.[martin.floridahealth]
Contact information and complaints
If you have questions about this Notice, want to exercise any of your privacy rights, or wish to file a complaint, please contact:
Privacy Officer
Aqua Blue Pediatrics
785 W Granada Blvd Suite 4
Ormond Beach, FL 32174
Phone: 386.287.0977
You may also file a complaint with:
You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.[floridahealth]
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