LASIK Benefits USA Notice of Privacy Practices

Utilizing our network of LASIK Surgeons, you can save 40% to 50% off the national average cost of LASIK surgery. While charges for LASIK procedures can vary widely by practice and region, the national average LASIK surgery cost is $2,001 per eye (as reported by Market Scope, May 9 2007) for Traditional LASIK. Custom LASIK procedures typically add anywhere between $500-1000 per eye extra onto that. Our LASIK pricing is fixed and not determined by prescription. The pricing covers everything you will need – from your initial pre-operative screening, to the LASIK procedure itself, as well as all post-operative follow-up visits and a one-year retreatment warranty. There are no hidden costs of LASIK surgery, nor undisclosed fees.

LASIK Benefits USA 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 READ IT CAREFULLY.

LASIK Benefits USA is required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information (hereafter referred to as "PHI") and to provide patients with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices. PHI is information about you, including demographic data, that can reasonably be used to identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health, the provision of health care to you or the payment for that care.

Our Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

We do not sell your PHI to anyone or disclose your PHI to other companies who may want to sell their products to you (such as catalog or telemarketing firms).

We must have your written authorization to use and disclose your PHI, except for the following cases:

Treatment: We may use and disclose your PHI to health care providers who request it in connection with your treatment.

Payment: We may use and disclose health information about you to bill for our services and to collect payment.

Health Care Operations: We may use and disclose your PHI for our health care operations, including: conducting quality assessment and improvement of care; reviewing the competence or qualifications of health care professionals; performing outcome assessments and health claim analyses; preventing, detecting and investigating fraud and abuse; communicating with you about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services; and business management and general administrative activities. In addition, we may also disclose your PHI to a health care provider who treated you for purposes of that provider's own quality assessment activities.

Appointment Reminders, Treatment Options, and Other Health-Related Services: We may use and disclose PHI to contact you to remind you of appointments, information about treatment, or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

Fulfillment of Legal Requirements: We may use or disclose PHI if we are required to do so by law (such as in responding to court orders or subpoenas), and to comply with workers' compensation laws. We will also disclose PHI if required by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and state regulatory authorities.

Matters of Public Interest: We may use or disclose your PHI for matters in the public interest, such as public health and safety activities, vital statistics reporting, or aiding in averting public health threats.

Research: We may use your PHI to perform select research activities, provided that certain established measures to protect your privacy are in place.

Business Associates: From time to time we engage third parties to provide various services for us. Whenever an arrangement with such a third party involves the use or disclosure of your PHI, we will have a written contract with that third party designed to protect the privacy of your PHI.

Questions and Complaints

If you want more information about our privacy practices, cost of LASIK surgery, or to make any of the requests outlined in the individual rights section above, please contact:

Privacy Officer
LASIK Benefits USA
1555 Sherman
Suite 342
Evanston, IL 60201

If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you believe that we have inappropriately used or disclosed your PHI, you are also entitled to submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will provide you with their address to file your complaint upon request.

Changes to This Notice

We are required to follow the terms of this current Notice.

LASIK Benefits USA does reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all PHI. Should any of our policies or practices change, the revised Notice will be made available to you upon request, and will be immediately posted on our website.

Notice Effective Date: June 27, 2005