SMK Nurse Practitioner LLC, DBA The Online NP

Your Health Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

Proposed Effective Date: October 8, 2026

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed, how you may access that information, and your rights regarding your health information. Please review it carefully.

This notice applies to healthcare services provided by The Online NP, including telemedicine consultations, medication refills, urgent care, medical weight management, and hormone therapy.

You have the following rights concerning your health information, subject to applicable law.

Access your medical records. You may request an electronic or paper copy of your medical records and other health information maintained about you. We generally respond within 30 days and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee where permitted.

Request corrections. You may ask us to correct information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. If we deny your request, we will explain why in writing, generally within 60 days.

Request confidential communications. You may ask us to communicate with you through a particular method or at a particular address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Request restrictions. You may request limits on how we use or disclose information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not generally required to agree, except in certain circumstances involving services paid for entirely out of pocket and disclosures to health plans.

Receive an accounting of disclosures. You may request an accounting of certain disclosures of your health information during the preceding six years, subject to applicable exclusions.

Receive this notice. You may request a paper or electronic copy of this notice at any time.

Choose a personal representative. A legally authorized representative may exercise your rights when permitted by law.

File a complaint. You may contact our privacy representative or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

You have choices about certain uses and disclosures of your health information.

You may tell us your preferences regarding sharing information with family members, friends, caregivers, or others involved in your care, and regarding certain disaster-relief situations.

If you cannot communicate your preference, we may share relevant information when permitted by law and when we believe doing so is in your best interest.

We generally require written authorization for uses or disclosures involving marketing, sale of protected health information, and most disclosures of psychotherapy notes.

The Online NP does not send promotional marketing emails to patients or sell patient medical information.

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

Treatment and coordination of care

We may use and disclose health information to evaluate, diagnose, prescribe, and coordinate treatment, including communicating with pharmacies, laboratories, specialists, and other healthcare professionals involved in your care.

Healthcare operations

We may use information to maintain records, evaluate quality, support administrative activities, and operate our telemedicine practice.

Payment

The Online NP is a self-pay practice and does not submit insurance claims for medical visits.

We may use information for billing, payment processing, refunds, and related administrative activities. Patients may independently use insurance for prescriptions or laboratory services provided by outside organizations.

Public health and safety

We may disclose information when permitted or required by law for public health reporting, suspected abuse or neglect, medication safety, and preventing serious threats to health or safety.

Legal and regulatory obligations

We may disclose information as required by applicable law, including certain health oversight activities, court proceedings, workers' compensation matters, and legally authorized government requests.

Research and other legally permitted activities

We may use or disclose information for research, organ and tissue donation, medical examiner functions, and other purposes only when applicable legal requirements are satisfied.

The Online NP provides healthcare remotely.

Patient intake forms, clinical questionnaires, medical records, and designated patient communications are managed through Practice Better, our electronic patient management platform.

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to our operations to protect health information.

Patients should use designated patient-care communication channels for sensitive medical information rather than general website inquiry forms or unsecured email.

Certain categories of health information may receive additional protections under federal or state law, including substance use disorder treatment records, mental health information, reproductive health information, HIV-related information, and other sensitive records.

The Online NP does not operate a substance use disorder treatment program. However, if we receive records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, we will handle those records according to applicable confidentiality requirements.

Where applicable, additional consent or authorization may be required before using or disclosing specially protected information.

Part 2 records generally may not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against a patient without the patient's specific consent or an appropriate court order meeting applicable requirements.

Where a patient has consented to the use or disclosure of Part 2 records for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, subsequent uses and disclosures remain subject to applicable legal limitations.

We are committed to maintaining the privacy and security of health information in accordance with applicable law.

Where HIPAA applies, we are required to follow its privacy, security, and breach notification requirements.

We will provide required notification following a breach of unsecured protected health information.

We will follow the privacy practices described in the notice currently in effect and will not use or disclose information in ways requiring authorization without obtaining that authorization.

We will honor applicable federal and state privacy protections, including any laws that provide greater confidentiality protections.

We may revise this notice when our privacy practices or applicable legal requirements change.

The revised notice will be available on our website and upon request. Changes may apply to health information already maintained by our practice, as permitted by law

Privacy Contact: Stephanie Kowatch, MSN, FNP-C

SMK Nurse Practitioner LLC
DBA The Online NP

3495 Lakeside Dr., #1448
Reno, NV 89509

Phone: (775) 285-6411

Email: stephanie@theonlinenp.com

Website: https://theonlinenp.com

You may also file a complaint with:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office for Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20201

Phone: 1-877-696-6775

Website: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html

We will not retaliate against anyone for exercising their privacy rights or filing a complaint.