Privacy policy.

RareKare Primary Care ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy and maintaining the confidentiality of your personal health information. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose and safeguard your information when you visit our offices in Sugar Land or Cypress, Texas, use our telehealth services, or use this website.

By using our services you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.

Information we collect

Personal information

• Name, date of birth, gender and contact information (email, phone number, address)
• Insurance information and payment details
• Government-issued identification for identity verification
• Emergency contact information

Protected health information (PHI)

• Medical history, current medications and allergies
• Symptoms, diagnoses, vital signs, exam findings and treatment plans
• Laboratory results and diagnostic reports
• Provider notes and clinical observations
• Prescription records and medication management details

Technical information

• Device information (IP address, browser type, operating system)
• Website usage data (pages visited, time spent)
• Video visit metadata (connection quality, session duration)
• Cookies and similar technologies

How we use your information

Treatment, payment and healthcare operations

• Treatment: providing medical care, prescribing medications, coordinating with laboratories and specialists, and managing your health conditions
• Payment: collecting visit fees, providing itemized receipts, and, once credentialed, billing insurance
• Healthcare operations: quality improvement, compliance monitoring and administrative functions

Communication

• Appointment reminders and follow-up notifications
• Test results and treatment updates through the patient portal
• Responses to your inquiries
• Service announcements and policy updates

Legal and safety purposes

• When required by law (court orders, subpoenas, regulatory requirements)
• When necessary to prevent serious harm to you or others
• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect or domestic violence as required by law
• Complying with public health regulations

How we share your information

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal health information. We share information only in the following circumstances:

Healthcare providers and business associates

• Pharmacies, to fill your prescriptions
• Laboratories (LabCorp) for diagnostic testing
• Specialists, imaging centers and other providers involved in your care
• Our electronic health record and scheduling vendor (Tebra) and other technology providers operating under Business Associate Agreements

With your authorization

We obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your health information for purposes not covered by this Privacy Policy, our HIPAA Notice, or applicable law. You may revoke an authorization at any time in writing.

Texas law

We comply with the Texas Medical Records Privacy Act and other Texas privacy requirements, including heightened protections for mental health records, HIV-related information and genetic testing results.

Data security

• Encryption: data transmissions use industry-standard TLS encryption
• Access controls: role-based access to records
• Secure storage: HIPAA-compliant electronic health record systems
• Incident response: documented procedures for breach notification

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We maintain reasonable safeguards and will notify you as required by law if a breach affects your information.

Your privacy rights

• Access: request copies of your medical records
• Amendment: request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete information
• Accounting: receive a list of certain disclosures we have made
• Restriction: request limits on how we use or disclose your information
• Confidential communication: request contact by specific methods or at specific locations
• Complaint: raise concerns about our privacy practices without retaliation

To exercise these rights, contact either office in writing using the details below.

Data retention

We retain health information for at least as long as required by HIPAA and Texas medical record retention rules, and longer where legal or regulatory obligations apply. When the retention period ends, records are securely destroyed.

Minors

Patients under 18 require parental or guardian consent for care. We comply with Texas law regarding minors' healthcare privacy rights.

Third-party services

Some third-party services run on this website and receive limited technical information when you visit. None of them receive your protected health information, and none of them are HIPAA business associates.

• Google Analytics measures how visitors use this website, such as which pages are viewed and how long visits last. It sets cookies and receives your IP address and your activity on this site. We have turned off Google's advertising personalization, Google signals and user-provided data features for this property, and we do not send Google any information that identifies you as a patient.
• Cloudflare delivers this website and runs the security check on our contact form that blocks automated abuse.
• Formspark receives and forwards messages sent through our contact form.
• Google Fonts and Google Maps load the typography and location maps used on our pages.

We also link out to our scheduling platform (Tebra). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external sites. The contact form on this website is not a secure channel for health information; please do not submit medical details through it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Updates are posted on this page with a revised date. Continued use of our services after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or requests to exercise your rights can be sent to either office:

RareKare Primary Care Sugar Land
7616 Branford Place, Suite 220
Sugar Land, TX 77479
Phone: (713) 597-7689

RareKare Primary Care Cypress
21212 Northwest Fwy, Suite 205
Cypress, TX 77429
Phone: (713) 574-9646

You also have the right to file a complaint with:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy
Phone: 1-800-368-1019