Privacy Policy & HIPAA Notice

About This Notice

This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how Anchor Advocacy ("we," "us," or "our") may use and disclose your protected health information (PHI) and how you can access this information. Anchor Advocacy is a medical advocacy and care navigation service operated by Gina Schwartz, RN, WCC. While we are not a covered entity under HIPAA in the traditional sense (as we do not provide medical treatment, bill insurance, or transmit health data electronically for claims), we voluntarily adopt HIPAA-aligned privacy practices because we believe your health information deserves the highest level of protection.

Information We Collect

In the course of providing advocacy and care navigation services, we may collect the following types of information:

• Personal identifying information (name, date of birth, contact details)
• Medical records, lab results, imaging reports, and clinical notes you provide
• Current diagnoses, conditions, symptoms, and medication lists
• Insurance information (provider, policy numbers)
• Healthcare provider information (names, contact details)
• Notes and summaries created during our work together
• Communications between you and Anchor Advocacy

How We Use Your Information

We use your health information solely for the purposes of:

• Advocacy Services: Reviewing your medical records, identifying patterns, creating timelines, and developing advocacy strategies on your behalf.
• Care Navigation: Helping you identify appropriate specialists, prepare for appointments, and understand your treatment options.
• Communication: Corresponding with you about your case, providing updates, and delivering written summaries or plans.
• Record Organization: Creating organized medical timelines, symptom summaries, and document packets for your use.

How We Protect Your Information

• All electronic records are stored in secure, encrypted systems.
• Access to your information is limited to Gina Schwartz, RN, WCC, and any authorized staff directly involved in your case.
• Physical documents are stored in locked, secure locations.
• We use secure communication methods whenever possible and encourage the use of encrypted email or secure messaging for sensitive information.
• We do not store credit card or payment information on our systems.

When We May Disclose Your Information

We will never sell, share, or disclose your health information to third parties except in the following limited circumstances:

• With Your Written Consent: We will only share your information with healthcare providers, insurance companies, or other parties when you have given us explicit written authorization to do so.
• As Required by Law: We may disclose information if required by federal, state, or local law (e.g., mandatory reporting of abuse or neglect, court orders).
• To Prevent Serious Harm: If we believe disclosure is necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety, or the health or safety of others.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access: Request copies of any records or notes we have created related to your case.
• Correction: Request corrections to any information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Restriction: Request that we limit how we use or share your information.
• Confidential Communication: Request that we communicate with you through a specific method or at a specific location.
• Accounting: Request a list of any disclosures we have made of your information.
• Revocation: Revoke any authorization you have given us at any time by providing written notice.
• Deletion: Request that we delete all records related to your case upon termination of services.

Data Retention

We retain your information for the duration of our working relationship and for a period of seven (7) years following the conclusion of services, unless you request earlier deletion. After the retention period, all records are securely destroyed.

Website & Digital Privacy

When you visit our website or submit forms online:

• Form submissions are transmitted securely and delivered to our private email.
• We do not use tracking cookies for advertising purposes.
• We may use basic analytics to understand website traffic (no personal health information is collected through analytics).
• We do not share website visitor information with third parties for marketing purposes.

Changes to This Policy

We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise any of your rights, or have concerns about how your information is being handled, please contact us: