Notice of Privacy Practices

Sound Bites Speech & Feeding Therapy
Effective Date: September 21, 2026

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

This Notice describes how medical information about you or your child may be used and disclosed and how you may access this information. Please review it carefully.

Sound Bites Speech & Feeding Therapy (“Sound Bites,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of protected health information (“PHI”). This Notice explains our privacy practices, your rights regarding PHI, and our responsibilities under federal and applicable state law.

When the patient is a minor, the rights described in this Notice generally may be exercised by the patient’s parent, legal guardian, or other legally authorized personal representative. When applicable law gives a minor the authority to control certain health information, we will honor those rights as required by law.

Your Rights

You have certain rights regarding the health information maintained by Sound Bites.

Obtain a Copy of the Medical Record

You may request to inspect or receive an electronic or paper copy of the medical record and other health information we maintain about you or your child.

We generally will provide a copy or summary within 30 days of receiving the request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee when permitted by law.

Ask Us to Correct the Medical Record

You may ask us to correct or amend health information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.

We may deny the request in certain circumstances. If we do, we will provide a written explanation, generally within 60 days.

Request Confidential Communications

You may ask us to contact you in a specific way, such as by telephone, email, or mail, or to send communications to a different address.

We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Ask Us to Limit What We Use or Share

You may ask us not to use or disclose certain information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We generally are not required to agree to every request. If we agree, we may still disclose the information if emergency treatment is necessary.

If you pay for a service in full out of pocket, you may ask us not to share information about that service with your health plan for payment or healthcare-operations purposes. We will honor that request unless disclosure is required by law.

Obtain an Accounting of Disclosures

You may request a list of certain disclosures of your health information made during the six years before your request, including who received the information and why it was disclosed.

The accounting generally will not include disclosures for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or certain other disclosures permitted by law.

We will provide one accounting during any 12-month period at no charge. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for additional requests during the same 12-month period.

Obtain a Copy of This Notice

You may request a paper or electronic copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically.

Choose Someone to Act for You

If someone has legal authority to act on behalf of the patient, such as a parent, legal guardian, healthcare agent, or other legally authorized personal representative, that person may exercise applicable privacy rights on the patient’s behalf.

We may verify the person’s authority before acting on a request.

File a Complaint

You may file a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You may contact Sound Bites using the information at the end of this Notice.

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights:

Online: hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint
Phone: 1-877-696-6775
Mail: 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201

Sound Bites will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint or exercising a privacy right.

Your Choices

For certain types of health information and disclosures, you may tell us your preferences regarding how information is shared.

Depending on the circumstances, you may choose whether we may share relevant information with:

  • Family members, caregivers, or others involved in the patient’s care

  • Individuals involved in payment for the patient’s care

  • Organizations assisting with disaster-relief efforts

If you are unable to communicate a preference, we may use professional judgment to determine whether a disclosure is in the patient’s best interests when permitted by law. We may also share information when necessary to reduce a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

We will obtain written authorization before using or disclosing PHI for purposes that require authorization, including:

  • Most marketing activities involving PHI

  • The sale of PHI

  • Most disclosures of psychotherapy notes, if we maintain them

  • Public use of identifiable patient photographs, testimonials, or treatment stories

Sound Bites does not sell patient health information or use PHI for fundraising.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent that we have already acted in reliance on it.

How We May Use and Disclose Health Information

HIPAA permits us to use or disclose PHI without obtaining a separate authorization in certain circumstances.

Treatment

We may use and share health information to provide, coordinate, or manage treatment.

For example, when permitted, we may communicate with another healthcare professional involved in your child’s care.

Payment

We may use and disclose health information as necessary to obtain payment for services.

When applicable, information may be submitted to Health First Colorado (Colorado Medicaid) or another responsible payer to process claims, confirm eligibility, obtain authorization, or determine payment for services.

Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose health information for activities necessary to operate Sound Bites and provide quality care.

These activities may include:

  • Care coordination

  • Quality assessment and improvement

  • Clinical supervision

  • Credentialing

  • Billing and administrative activities

  • Compliance activities

  • Auditing

  • Business planning

  • Reviewing the quality and effectiveness of services

  • Contacting you when necessary regarding services

Sound Bites may use business associates to perform certain functions. These business associates are required by law and contract to appropriately safeguard PHI.

Public Health and Safety

We may disclose health information when permitted or required by law for certain public-health and safety purposes, including:

  • Preventing disease

  • Reporting certain injuries or conditions

  • Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence

  • Reporting adverse reactions or product-safety concerns

  • Preventing or reducing a serious threat to health or safety

  • Other legally required public-health activities

Health Oversight

We may disclose health information to authorized health-oversight agencies for activities such as audits, investigations, inspections, licensure activities, and oversight of government benefit programs.

Research

We may use or disclose health information for research only when applicable legal requirements have been satisfied.

Compliance With the Law

We may use or disclose health information when federal, state, or other applicable law requires us to do so.

We may disclose information to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if requested to demonstrate our compliance with federal privacy law.

Organ and Tissue Donation

When applicable, we may disclose health information to organ-procurement organizations or other entities involved in organ, eye, or tissue donation and transplantation.

Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors

We may disclose health information to a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when permitted or required by law.

Workers’ Compensation and Similar Programs

We may disclose health information as authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with workers’ compensation or similar programs.

Law Enforcement and Government Requests

We may use or disclose health information when permitted or required by law:

  • For certain law-enforcement purposes

  • In response to authorized government investigations

  • For certain military, national-security, or protective-service activities

  • To authorized health-oversight agencies

Legal Proceedings

We may disclose health information in response to certain court or administrative orders, subpoenas, discovery requests, or other lawful processes when permitted or required by law.

Substance Use Disorder Records

Federal law provides additional protections for certain substance use disorder (“SUD”) patient records governed by 42 CFR Part 2.

To the extent Sound Bites receives, creates, or maintains information protected by Part 2, those records will be handled according to applicable federal requirements.

Part 2-protected records generally may not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against the patient without:

  1. The patient’s written consent; or

  2. An appropriate court order and subpoena or other legal process required by law.

Sound Bites does not use Part 2-protected information for fundraising.

Additional Protections Under State Law

Some types of health information may receive additional protection under Colorado or other applicable law. When another law provides greater privacy protection or places stricter limits on a disclosure, Sound Bites will follow the more protective requirement.

Our Responsibilities

Sound Bites is required by law to:

  • Maintain the privacy and security of PHI

  • Follow the duties and privacy practices described in the Notice currently in effect

  • Provide a copy of this Notice upon request

  • Notify affected individuals when required if a breach compromises the privacy or security of PHI

  • Obtain written authorization before using or disclosing PHI for purposes requiring authorization

  • Respect applicable patient and personal-representative privacy rights

We will not use or disclose PHI in a manner inconsistent with this Notice unless you provide written authorization or the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

Changes to This Notice

Sound Bites may change the terms of this Notice as permitted by law.

Changes may apply to health information we already maintain and to information received or created in the future.

The current Notice will be available upon request and on our website at soundbitespeds.com. The effective date at the beginning of the Notice will identify the current version.

Questions, Requests, or Complaints

For questions about this Notice, requests to exercise privacy rights, or complaints regarding privacy practices, contact:

Privacy Officer: Sydney Howard, M.A., CCC-SLP
Sound Bites Speech & Feeding Therapy
Mailing Address: 6244 S Niagara Way, Centennial, CO 80111
Phone: (720) 927-8567
Email: sydney@soundbitespeds.com
Website: soundbitespeds.com

Sound Bites will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint, asking a question, or exercising a privacy right.