Flagstaff Surgical Associates, P.A. – Patient-Friendly Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters to us. At Flagstaff Surgical Associates, P.A., we are committed to
protecting your personal and medical information. This policy explains—in simple terms—what we
collect, why we collect it, and how we keep it safe.

1. The Information We Collect

To care for you, we need some information. This may include:

Basic Personal Information

  • Your name, address, phone number, and email
  • Your date of birth
  • Your insurance details
  • Your emergency contact

Health Information

This includes your medical history, test results, treatment plans, and notes from your visits
with our providers.

Website & Online Information

If you use our website, we may collect:

  • Your IP address
  • The type of device or browser you use
  • Pages you view on our site

This helps us improve our website experience.

We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13 unless they are our patients and
a parent or guardian provides it.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

Care for You

  • Diagnose and treat medical conditions
  • Coordinate with other healthcare providers
  • Schedule appointments and follow-ups

Handle Billing

  • Work with insurance companies
  • Process payments for services provided

Improve Our Practice

  • Train staff
  • Ensure quality and safety
  • Meet legal and accreditation requirements

Communicate With You

  • Send appointment reminders
  • Respond to messages or requests
  • Share important updates about your care

We never sell your information.

3. When We Share Your Information

We only share your information when necessary, such as:

  • With other providers involved in your care
  • With your insurance company for billing
  • With companies that help us run our practice (like secure IT vendors)
  • When required by law (for example, public health reporting)

For anything else, we will ask for your written permission.

4. Your Rights as a Patient

You have important rights, including:

  • Seeing your medical records
  • Asking us to fix anything that’s incorrect
  • Requesting limits on who we share your information with
  • Asking for private communication, like using a different phone number
  • Requesting a list of times your information was shared for certain purposes

Just let us know in writing—we’re here to help.

5. How We Protect Your Information

We take your privacy seriously. We protect your information by:

  • Using secure electronic medical record systems
  • Limiting access to authorized staff only
  • Training our team on privacy and security
  • Using encryption and secure networks

If something ever happens that puts your data at risk, we will let you know as required by law.

6. Cookies & Online Tracking (Website)

Our website may use small files called cookies to:

  • Remember your preferences
  • Understand how people use our website
  • Improve your online experience

You can turn off cookies in your browser if you prefer.

7. Links to Other Websites

Our website may link to other sites. Their privacy practices are not ours, so we encourage you to
read their policies before sharing information with them.

8. Updates to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our
website. If we make big changes, we’ll let you know.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions or need help with anything in this policy, please contact:

Flagstaff Surgical Associates, P.A.
Privacy Officer

10. SMS / Text Messaging

Flagstaff Surgical Associates collects mobile phone numbers to communicate with patients via SMS and/or RCS text messages for purposes such as appointment reminders, billing notifications, and care coordination. Your privacy is a priority. Your mobile number will not be sold or shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. We will not use your number for unrelated marketing without your express written consent.

Flagstaff Surgical Associates uses text messaging to communicate with patients for purposes such as appointment reminders, billing notifications, and care coordination. You are not required to opt in as a condition of receiving care. Participation is voluntary. However, opting out may prevent us from sending you timely updates regarding your care. Message frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply.

Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

Text messages sent via SMS and RCS channels are not fully secure and may not be HIPAA-compliant; however, we take reasonable precautions to safeguard your privacy by restricting the content of these messages to non-sensitive notifications. Any messages containing detailed Protected Health Information (PHI) will be sent via a separate, secure messaging channel.

You may opt out of receiving text messages at any time by replying STOP. You will receive a final confirmation text to verify you have opted out. No further messages will be sent. If you would like to rejoin, you can authorize us to restart by texting START.

For help, reply HELP or contact us at (928) 773-2222 or info@flagstaffsurgical.com.