Coral Reef Dental – Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 21, 2025

Coral Reef Dental (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and maintaining the confidentiality of your personal and health information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or become a patient at our practice.

By visiting our site or receiving care at our office, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not provide personal or health information and discuss with us any concerns.

1. Information We Collect

a. Personal and Protected Health Information

We collect personal information you voluntarily provide and health-related information required to provide dental care. This may include:

• Name, address, phone number, email address

• Date of birth, gender, emergency contact

• Insurance information, payment/finance details

• Medical and dental history, current health status, treatment records, x-rays, images

• Notes about your care, referrals, and other clinical information

Because we provide dental services and transmit health-related information electronically (for example via claims or eligibility checks) you may be a “covered entity” under HIPAA and we must treat certain data as Protected Health Information (“PHI”).

b. Non-Personal / Technical Information

We also collect information that does not identify you personally, including:

• IP address, browser type and version, device and operating system

• Pages visited on our website, time on site, referring page

• Aggregated/anonymous usage data used for analytics and improvement

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for purposes including:

• Providing dental care and treatment, scheduling appointments, communicating with you

• Filing insurance claims, processing payments, verifying eligibility

• Improving our services, office operations, website experience

• Sending you appointment reminders, follow-up communications (with your consent or as permitted by law)

• Ensuring the security of our systems and data

• Complying with applicable legal, regulatory or professional requirements

3. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies on our website to improve user experience, store preferences, analyze site usage, and support our services.

• You may disable cookies in your browser, but some website features may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

• We may use third-party analytics (e.g., Google Analytics) to gather aggregated usage data to help us improve the website.

• These tools do not typically identify you personally unless you voluntarily provide information.

4. Sharing & Disclosure of Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal or health information to third-parties. We may share information in limited circumstances as outlined below:

• Service Providers & Business Associates: We may share PHI or other information with our service providers (such as billing companies, IT/hosting vendors, insurance clearinghouses) under written agreements to safeguard the information.

• Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations: Under HIPAA we may use or disclose PHI for treatment (sharing relevant info with other providers), payment (billing insurance) and health-care operations (quality improvement, training) without the need for your separate authorization.

• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law (e.g., court order, regulatory requirement, to report certain diseases) or to protect our rights.

• Business Transfers/Mergers: If our practice is sold, merged or reorganized, your information may be transferred to the new entity under similar privacy obligations.

• Minors/Guardians: For minors or patients with a legal guardian, disclosures may be made to the parent or guardian unless prohibited by law.

5. Your Rights & Choices

As a patient and resident of Florida receiving health care, you have certain rights:

• You may request access to or obtain a copy of your health record (subject to payment of reasonable fees). ADA

• You may request amendments/corrections to your health record.

• You may request an accounting of disclosures of your PHI (except for certain permitted disclosures).

• You may restrict certain uses or disclosures of your PHI where required by law (though we may decline if legally permissible).

• You may opt out of marketing communications or newsletters by following unsubscribe instructions or contacting us directly.

• If you believe your privacy rights under HIPAA or Florida law have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services or the Florida Department of Health. Florida Department of Health

6. Data Security & Retention

We maintain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your PHI and other information. Examples include: access controls, encryption where appropriate, staff training, and secure storage.
Despite our efforts, no electronic or physical system can be completely secure.
We retain your records and data for the period required by law (Florida statute and HIPAA: generally 6 years for adult patients) and delete or anonymize when practicable.

7. Third-Party Links & External Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party sites (for example insurance portals or informational resources). These external sites have their own privacy practices, and we are not responsible for their content or how they handle your information. We encourage you to review their policies before providing any personal data.

8. Children’s Privacy

Our practice and website services are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal health information from children under the age of 13 without parental consent. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected such information, we will take steps to remove it.

9. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our information practices or legal obligations. Any changes will be posted here with a revised “Effective Date.” We encourage you to review this page periodically.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact:

Coral Reef Dental
3490 E Lake Rd Ste A
Palm Harbor, FL 34685
Phone: 727-789-1333
Email: PaulCaputoDDS@gmail.com