Maryland Children Health Center is committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of your child’s health information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information when you receive care from us or use our website, patient portal, or related services.
This notice applies to all services provided by MCHC, including: Well Child Visits, Sick Visits, Asthma Treatment, ADHD Screenings, and Immunizations.
We are required by federal and Maryland law to:
“PHI” includes information that identifies your child and relates to their health status, care, or payment for care.
HIPAA allows us to use or disclose PHI for the following purposes:
We may share PHI with doctors, nurses, specialists, hospitals, pharmacies, labs, and other providers involved in your child’s care.
Example: sending immunization records to a school-requested provider or coordinating asthma care with a pediatric pulmonologist.
We may use or share PHI with insurance plans or Medicaid to bill and collect payment for services.
Example: submitting claims for sick visits or ADHD screening evaluations.
We may use PHI to operate our practice safely and efficiently.
Examples include: quality improvement, staff training, care coordination, accreditation, legal compliance, and auditing.
These are standard HIPAA “treatment, payment, and operations” uses.
We may disclose PHI in certain additional situations allowed or required by law, including:
We only disclose the minimum necessary information for these purposes.
We will ask for your written permission (authorization) before using or sharing PHI for:
You may revoke an authorization at any time in writing, except where we already relied on it.
Because we serve minors, we follow both HIPAA and Maryland law on parental access and minor confidentiality.
If you have custody documents or special restrictions, please provide them so we can apply them correctly.
You (or your child’s legal representative) have the right to:
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the information in Section 14.
MCHC supports your right to timely access to electronic health information. We do not engage in practices that unlawfully delay, block, or discourage access to records, except where a legally recognized exception applies (for example, to prevent harm or protect privacy).
We use administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect PHI, including:
If unsecured PHI is breached, we will notify affected patients/guardians without unreasonable delay, and as required by HIPAA and Maryland law.
Notification may include what happened, what information was involved, steps we are taking, and how you can protect yourself.
When you visit our website, we may collect limited information such as device type, IP address, pages visited, and cookies for basic site functionality and security.
We do not sell personal information.
Our portal allows you to view medical records, test results, visit summaries, and immunization history. Portal messages are part of your child’s medical record.
Maryland’s consumer privacy law includes heightened protections for consumer health data. We follow MODPA principles such as data minimization, purpose limitation, and honoring consumer rights where applicable.
Note: Most clinical information is regulated under HIPAA. When MODPA applies (for example, to certain website or marketing data not covered by HIPAA), we comply with its requirements.
We may use cookies and similar tools to:
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We retain medical records in accordance with Maryland law and professional standards. Maryland generally requires retention of medical records for at least seven years, with longer retention for minors and certain clinical situations.
We may update this Notice as laws, technology, or our practices change. Updated versions will be available:
The effective date at the top will reflect the latest revision.
If you have questions, want to exercise your rights, or have a privacy concern, please contact:
Maryland Children Health Center
Location 1:
12150 Annapolis Rd, Suite 208
Glenn Dale, MD 20769
Phone: (301) 218-0398
Location 2:
6130 Oxon Hill Rd, Suite 202
Oxon Hill, MD 20745
Phone: (301) 567-1767
Fax: […]
Email: […]
You may file a complaint if you believe your child’s privacy rights were violated. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
You can complain to:
We treat your child’s health information with the same care we use for their health—carefully, respectfully, and only for the right reasons. If you ever want clarity about how something is handled, just ask. We’re happy to walk you through it.