Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective Date: August 10, 2026
YOUR INFORMATION. YOUR RIGHTS. OUR RESPONSIBILITIES.
This Notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed, how you can get access to this information, and your rights regarding your health information. Please review it carefully.
About This Notice
Mekail Ahmed MD PLLC ("the Practice," "we," "our," or "us") is a solo physician telehealth medical practice.
The Practice respects the privacy of your health information and is committed to handling protected health information ("PHI") in accordance with applicable federal and New York State law.
This Notice applies to PHI created, received, maintained, or transmitted in connection with services provided by the Practice, whether those services are delivered through telehealth, by telephone, through electronic communications, or through other legally permissible methods of healthcare delivery.
We are required by applicable law to maintain the privacy and security of PHI, provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, notify affected individuals following certain breaches of unsecured PHI when notification is legally required, and follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
The examples contained in this Notice describe common situations and are not intended to identify every use or disclosure permitted or required by law.
1. How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information
HIPAA and other applicable laws permit or require healthcare providers to use and disclose PHI under various circumstances. Not every permitted use or disclosure requires your written authorization.
Treatment. We may use or disclose your health information as reasonably necessary to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare — for example, exchanging relevant information with physicians, specialists, hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, imaging facilities, therapists, or other healthcare professionals or organizations involved in your care.
Payment. We may use or disclose information as reasonably necessary to obtain payment for healthcare services, including communications concerning insurance eligibility, benefits, coverage, prior authorization, medical necessity, claims processing, billing, collections, or payment.
Healthcare Operations. We may use or disclose PHI for healthcare operations permitted by law, such as quality improvement, compliance activities, credentialing, auditing, legal or administrative services, business planning, security activities, training, and evaluation of our services.
Communications With You. We may contact you regarding appointments, treatment, follow-up care, prescriptions, referrals, laboratory or imaging results, insurance, prior authorizations, billing, administrative matters, or other matters related to your healthcare. Depending upon the circumstances and the contact information available to us, communications may occur through telephone, voicemail, text message, email, patient portal, telehealth platform, mail, or other reasonable means. We use reasonable safeguards appropriate to the circumstances and applicable legal requirements. You may request reasonable alternative methods or locations for confidential communications as provided by law.
Business Associates. The Practice may use third-party organizations to perform services that involve PHI, which may include electronic health record providers, billing companies, clearinghouses, telehealth platforms, information technology providers, consultants, laboratories, and other service providers. When an organization qualifies as our HIPAA business associate, appropriate contractual safeguards will be required as provided by law.
Public Health Activities. We may disclose PHI for legally authorized public health activities, which may include preventing or controlling disease, reporting certain conditions, reporting adverse events involving medications or products, and other activities permitted or required by law.
Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose PHI to legally authorized health oversight agencies for activities such as audits, investigations, inspections, licensing, credentialing, or disciplinary proceedings.
Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence. We may disclose information concerning suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence when the disclosure is permitted or required by applicable law.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. We may disclose PHI in response to certain court orders, subpoenas, administrative proceedings, discovery requests, or other lawful processes when permitted or required by applicable law.
Law Enforcement. We may disclose PHI to law enforcement officials in circumstances permitted or required by applicable law.
Serious Threats to Health or Safety. When permitted by law and consistent with applicable professional standards, we may use or disclose information if we believe in good faith that doing so is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.
Workers' Compensation. We may disclose information as authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with workers' compensation laws or similar programs.
Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors. We may disclose PHI to coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, or other authorized persons when permitted by law.
Organ and Tissue Donation. When applicable, PHI may be disclosed to organizations involved in organ, eye, or tissue procurement, donation, or transplantation as permitted by law.
Research. We may use or disclose PHI for research when the applicable requirements of HIPAA and other laws have been satisfied.
Specialized Government Functions. We may make certain disclosures for military, national security, correctional institution, or other specialized governmental functions when authorized by law.
2. Uses and Disclosures That Require Authorization
Uses or disclosures of PHI that are not otherwise permitted or required by applicable law generally require your written authorization. Depending upon the circumstances, authorization may be required for certain uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes; marketing activities; sales of PHI; and other uses or disclosures not otherwise permitted by applicable law.
If you provide written authorization, you generally may revoke that authorization in writing at any time, subject to applicable law. A revocation does not affect actions already taken in reliance upon a valid authorization before the revocation was received.
We will not sell PHI in violation of applicable law. Nothing in this Notice expands our authority to use or disclose PHI beyond what applicable law permits.
3. Specially Protected Health Information
Certain categories of health information may receive additional protection under federal or New York State law. Depending upon the circumstances, additional legal requirements may apply to information involving HIV/AIDS; mental health treatment; substance use disorder treatment records; genetic information; reproductive or sexual health information; and other categories of specially protected health information.
Where another applicable law provides greater privacy protection than HIPAA, we will follow the more protective requirement to the extent it applies. Certain substance use disorder records may also be subject to additional federal confidentiality requirements, including applicable provisions of 42 CFR Part 2.
Privacy requirements may change over time. The Practice will apply applicable federal and state requirements in effect when a particular use, disclosure, or request is evaluated.
4. Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
Your rights are established by applicable law and may be subject to legal conditions, exceptions, procedures, and timeframes.
Right to Inspect and Obtain Copies. You generally have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of PHI maintained about you in a designated record set, subject to exceptions permitted by law. When applicable, you may request an electronic copy of electronically maintained records. Reasonable, cost-based fees may apply when permitted by law.
Right to Request an Amendment. If you believe information maintained about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you may request an amendment. We may deny a request under circumstances permitted by law. When required, we will explain the denial and applicable rights concerning that decision.
Right to Request Confidential Communications. You may request that we communicate with you about health information using an alternative method or location. We will accommodate reasonable requests as required by applicable law.
Right to Request Restrictions. You may request restrictions on certain uses or disclosures of PHI. We generally are not required to agree to every requested restriction. However, when you pay completely out of pocket for a healthcare service or item and request that information concerning that service or item not be disclosed to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations, we will honor the restriction when required by HIPAA unless disclosure is otherwise required by law.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You may request an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI as provided by law. An accounting does not necessarily include every use or disclosure of your information.
Right to a Copy of This Notice. You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously received or agreed to receive it electronically.
Right to Breach Notification. You have the right to receive notification following certain breaches of unsecured PHI when notification is required by applicable law.
5. Our Responsibilities
Mekail Ahmed MD PLLC will comply with applicable federal and state privacy and security requirements. We maintain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that we determine are reasonable and appropriate based upon applicable legal requirements, the nature of our operations, and reasonably identifiable risks.
No electronic information system, electronic storage method, internet connection, or method of communication can be guaranteed to be completely secure. While the Practice takes reasonable and appropriate measures required by applicable law to safeguard PHI, this Notice should not be interpreted as a guarantee that unauthorized access, disclosure, cyberattack, technological failure, human error, or another security incident can never occur.
If an incident involving PHI occurs, we will evaluate and respond to the incident in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Nothing in this Notice waives, limits, or modifies any responsibility imposed upon the Practice by applicable law.
6. Telehealth Services
The Practice provides healthcare through telehealth, including audio-video technology and, when clinically and legally appropriate, other electronic communication methods.
Telehealth may involve the electronic transmission or storage of PHI through telehealth platforms, electronic medical records, electronic prescribing systems, patient portals, telephone services, or related technologies. We use reasonable and appropriate safeguards consistent with applicable legal requirements.
However, telehealth involves inherent technological and privacy risks. These may include: internet or telecommunications interruptions; technical failures; unauthorized access to personal devices or accounts; compromised passwords or credentials; malware or other cybersecurity threats; misdirected communications; or other persons seeing or overhearing communications in the patient's environment.
Patients are encouraged to participate in telehealth from a reasonably private environment and use appropriately secured devices and networks when possible. The Practice cannot control the privacy or security of a patient's physical surroundings, personal devices, passwords, email accounts, telephone service, internet connection, or other systems outside the Practice's reasonable control.
Nothing in this section reduces the Practice's obligations under applicable law.
7. Electronic Communications
Patients may communicate with the Practice through various electronic methods when offered or permitted by the Practice. Certain electronic communication methods may carry greater privacy or security risks than others. Patients should safeguard devices, passwords, portal credentials, email accounts, telephone numbers, and other communication systems under their control.
If you have particular privacy concerns regarding communications, please notify us and request an alternative communication method. A patient's use or request for a particular communication method does not waive the Practice's obligations under HIPAA or other applicable law.
8. Family Members and Others Involved in Your Care
When permitted by law and consistent with applicable requirements, we may share information relevant to your healthcare or payment for healthcare with family members, relatives, caregivers, close personal friends, or other persons involved in your care. You may also designate a legally authorized personal representative. We will recognize personal representatives as required by applicable law.
9. Minors
Health information concerning minors will be handled in accordance with applicable federal and New York State law. Depending upon the circumstances and healthcare services involved, rights concerning a minor's PHI may belong to the minor, parent, guardian, or another legally authorized person.
10. Information Provided to the Practice
Safe and appropriate medical care depends in part upon accurate information. Patients are encouraged to provide complete and current information concerning their medical history, medications, allergies, other healthcare providers, contact information, insurance coverage, and other matters relevant to their care.
The Practice may reasonably rely upon information supplied by patients, authorized representatives, healthcare professionals, health plans, pharmacies, laboratories, and other sources unless we know or reasonably should know that the information is inaccurate. This provision does not alter our independent professional or legal responsibilities.
11. Third-Party Providers and Services
Providing healthcare may require interaction with independent organizations. As permitted by law, we may exchange relevant information with physicians, specialists, hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, imaging facilities, health plans, billing organizations, clearinghouses, electronic health record providers, telehealth providers, and other appropriate persons or organizations.
Independent healthcare providers and organizations may maintain their own records and operate under their own privacy practices. When an outside organization qualifies as our HIPAA business associate, applicable HIPAA requirements and contractual protections will apply. The Practice is not responsible for the independent acts or omissions of unrelated third parties except to the extent responsibility is imposed upon the Practice by applicable law.
12. Third-Party Websites and Technologies
The Practice's website or electronic services may contain links to or interact with technologies operated by third parties. Information independently collected by unrelated third parties may be governed by their own privacy policies and applicable law.
This Notice applies to PHI maintained by or on behalf of the Practice. It does not necessarily govern information independently collected by an unrelated third party. Where a third party is acting as a business associate of the Practice, applicable HIPAA requirements continue to apply.
13. Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to change this Notice and our privacy practices as permitted by applicable law. Changes may apply to PHI we already maintain as well as information created or received after the change. When required by law, we will make revised Notices available to patients. The current version of this Notice will be available through the Practice and on our website, as applicable.
14. Questions, Privacy Requests, and Complaints
If you have questions about this Notice, wish to exercise a privacy right, or believe your privacy rights may have been violated, please contact:
You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Mekail Ahmed MD PLLC will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint, raising a privacy concern, requesting information, or exercising a privacy right protected by law.
15. Availability of This Notice
A current copy of this Notice is available upon request. The Practice will make the Notice available electronically through its website when required and will make the Notice available in connection with electronic healthcare encounters as required by applicable law.
Practice Information
Mekail Ahmed MD PLLC
Solo Physician Medical Practice — Telehealth Medical Services
Physician: Mekail Ahmed, MD
Group NPI: 1346079647
Individual NPI: 1730755125
Privacy Officer: Mekail Ahmed, MD
Address: 142-22 Pershing Crescent, Briarwood, Queens, NY 11435
Telephone: (347) 481-6542
Email: support@ankirahealth.com
Website: ankirahealth.com
