Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 8, 2026 | Last Updated: October 8, 2026

Tarrant Neurology Consultants, P.A. (“TNC,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains, in detail, what personal information we collect, how we collect it, how we use it, when and with whom we share it, how we protect it, how long we keep it, and the choices and rights available to you.

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through our website (TarrantNeurology.com), online forms, our patient portal and online scheduling tools, telephone calls, email, text (SMS) messages, and paper and electronic forms completed at our offices. It applies to patients, prospective patients, parents and guardians, authorized representatives, referring providers, and website visitors.

Relationship to HIPAA. Health information that identifies you and relates to your care or payment for care is “protected health information” (PHI) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). PHI is used and disclosed only as described in our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, which is available at our front desk, on our website, and on request. If anything in this Privacy Policy conflicts with our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices regarding PHI, the HIPAA Notice controls.

1. Information We Collect

A. Information you give us directly

• Identity and contact information: name, date of birth, sex, mailing address, email address, home, work and mobile telephone numbers, preferred contact method, emergency contact, spouse or guardian name, and preferred pharmacy.
• Identification and insurance information: driver’s license or photo ID, Social Security number (where needed for billing or insurance), insurance cards, member and group numbers, policy holder information, and referral or authorization details.
• Health information: reason for visit, current medications, allergies, medical, surgical and family history, symptoms, questionnaire responses (such as depression and fall-risk screenings), test results, imaging, height and weight, and other information needed for your care.
• Financial and payment information: billing address, payment card or bank details entered through our payment processor, balances, and payment history. We do not store full payment card numbers on our own systems.
• Employment information: employer name, address, phone number and occupation, when you provide it or when it is needed for workers’ compensation, disability, FMLA or employment forms.
• Consent and preference records: signed consents and authorizations, designated representatives, release-of-information choices, communication preferences, and SMS opt-in and opt-out records (including date, time, method and mobile number).
• Communications: messages, calls, voicemails, emails, portal messages, text messages, and web form submissions you send to us, and records of our replies.

B. Information collected automatically

• Device and usage data: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, pages viewed, links clicked, referring website, date and time of visit, and general location derived from IP address.
• Cookies and similar technologies: see Section 6.

C. Information we receive from others

• Referring physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers involved in your care.
• Health insurance plans, Medicare and Medicaid programs, clearinghouses and eligibility- verification services.
• Laboratories, imaging centers, pharmacies and electronic prescribing networks.
• Electronic health information exchanges (eHX), when you have consented.
• Parents, guardians, spouses, family members or authorized representatives who provide information on your behalf.

2. How We Collect Information

We collect information when you: complete new-patient, registration and consent forms (paper or online); call, email, text or message us; request or schedule an appointment online or by phone; use our patient portal or telehealth services; make a payment; submit a web form; opt in to SMS messages; or visit our website. We also receive information through referrals, insurance verification, and records requests made with your authorization or as permitted by law.

3. How We Use Information

• Treatment and care coordination: to evaluate, diagnose and treat you; order and review tests; prescribe medications; and coordinate care with other providers.
• Scheduling and reminders: to schedule, confirm, reschedule and remind you of appointments, procedures and tests, and to contact you about missed appointments.
• Billing and payment: to verify insurance eligibility, obtain referrals and prior authorizations, submit claims, process payments, and collect balances.
• Patient communications: to respond to questions and requests, deliver test-result notifications, share care instructions, send forms, and provide customer-care messages, using the contact methods you choose.
• SMS messages: only if you opted in, as described in Section 5.
• Healthcare operations: to manage our practice, train staff, conduct quality and safety reviews, evaluate provider performance, and improve services.
• Website and systems: to operate, maintain, secure, troubleshoot and improve our website, portal and information systems.
• Safety and security: to detect and prevent fraud, misuse, security incidents and unauthorized access, and to protect patients, staff and property.
• Legal and regulatory: to comply with federal and Texas law, licensing and medical-record requirements, audits, subpoenas and court orders, and to establish or defend legal claims.

We do not use your information for purposes that are materially different from those described here without notifying you and, where required, obtaining your consent.

4. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing purposes. We share information only as described below and, for PHI, only as permitted by HIPAA:

• Healthcare providers: physicians, hospitals, therapists and other professionals involved in your treatment.
• Health plans and payers: insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid, workers’ compensation carriers and clearinghouses, for eligibility, authorization, billing and payment.
• Service providers and business associates: vendors who perform services on our behalf, such as our electronic health record and patient portal provider, billing and collection services, payment processors, appointment-reminder and text-messaging platforms, answering services, IT, hosting and security providers, transcription, and document-storage vendors. These vendors may use information only to provide services to us, must protect it, and, where they handle PHI, must sign HIPAA business associate agreements. Text-messaging platforms receive mobile numbers solely to deliver the messages you agreed to receive and may not use them for any other purpose.
• Laboratories, imaging centers and pharmacies: to perform and report tests and fill prescriptions.
• Health information exchanges: only if you consented to participate.
• Family members and representatives: people you designate in writing, parents or guardians of minors, and legally authorized representatives, consistent with your instructions.
• Legal, regulatory and public-health: government agencies, regulators, public-health authorities, courts and law enforcement when required or permitted by law, and to report abuse, neglect, or threats to health or safety as required by law.
• Business transfers: a successor organization in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of practice assets, subject to this Privacy Policy and applicable law.
• With your authorization: any other party you authorize in writing. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already acted on it.

5. SMS / Text Messaging

• Program: Tarrant Neurology Consultants patient text messages.
• How you opt in: by checking the SMS consent box and providing your mobile number on our registration form or website form, by giving verbal consent to our staff, or by texting a keyword we provide. Consent is optional and is not a condition of receiving medical care or purchasing any service.
• Messages you may receive: appointment reminders and confirmations, scheduling and rescheduling notices, follow-up and care-instruction messages, requests to complete forms, billing and payment notices, and other patient-related communications. We do not send promotional or marketing text messages.
• Frequency and cost: message frequency varies based on your appointments and care. Message and data rates may apply.
• Opt out and help: reply STOP to any message to stop receiving texts; you will receive one confirmation message and no further texts unless you opt in again. Reply HELP for help, or call us at 817-336-3968.
• Use of your mobile number: mobile numbers and SMS consent records are used only to send the messages you agreed to receive, to honor opt-out requests, and to keep records required by law. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
• Sensitive information: we limit the health information included in text messages. Do not use text messages for emergencies; call 911.

6. Cookies and Website Technologies

Our website and service providers may use cookies, web beacons, pixels, server logs and analytics tools to operate the website, remember your preferences, understand how visitors use the site, measure performance, and protect security. We configure these tools so that health information entered in our patient portal, scheduling or intake forms is not shared with advertising or analytics companies. You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings; some website features may not work without them. Our website does not respond to “Do Not Track” signals.

7. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may link to third-party services such as our patient portal, online scheduling, telehealth, payment, mapping and social-media sites. Those services are operated by third parties under their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review them. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of websites we do not control.

8. How We Protect Information

We use administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration or destruction. These include role-based access to records, staff privacy training, password and multi-factor protections, encryption of data in transit, secure electronic health record and portal systems, locked storage for paper records, and vendor agreements requiring protection of your information. No system is completely secure; if a breach of your unsecured PHI occurs, we will notify you as required by law.

9. How Long We Keep Information

We keep medical and billing records for the periods required by the Texas Medical Board and other federal and state laws, and longer when needed for ongoing care, legal claims or audits. Consent and SMS opt-in/opt-out records are kept for as long as required to demonstrate compliance. Website and technical data are kept only as long as needed for the purposes described above. When information is no longer needed, it is securely destroyed or de-identified.

10. Your Choices and Rights

• Access and copies: you may request to see or obtain a copy of your medical and billing records.
• Corrections: you may ask us to correct or amend information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Restrictions and confidential communications: you may request limits on certain uses or disclosures, and ask that we contact you by a specific method or at a specific address or phone number.
• Accounting of disclosures: you may request a list of certain disclosures of your PHI.
• Communication choices: you may change your contact preferences at any time, reply STOP to end text messages, and unsubscribe from non-essential emails.
• Revoking consent: you may revoke consents and authorizations in writing, except where we have already acted on them.
• Complaints: you may file a privacy complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

To make a request, contact us using the information in Section 13. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information online directly from children under 13. Information about minors needed for healthcare is provided by and handled with a parent, guardian or authorized representative and is protected under applicable law.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices, technology, services or legal requirements. The updated policy will be posted on our website with a new “Last Updated” date. If we make a material change to how we use or share personal information, we will provide notice before the change takes effect.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or SMS messages, please contact:
Tarrant Neurology Consultants, P.A. – Privacy Officer
713 Grainger Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76104
Phone: 817-336-3968
Website: www.tarrantneurology.com

Effective October 8, 2026