Legal
Effective Date: January 1, 2026 | Last Updated: January 1, 2026
Your medical records are personal, and this document explains how PalliMate protects them, what we can and cannot do with them, and the rights you have over them. Federal and Tennessee law set specific rules for how a medical practice handles protected health information, and this Notice describes how PalliMate follows those rules. If anything here is unclear, please ask.
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
PalliMate, PLLC and Dr. James Meadows, MD are committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. We are required by federal law — specifically, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA") — and by Tennessee law to maintain the privacy of protected health information, give you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect, and notify you if a breach of your unsecured protected health information occurs.
In this Notice, "protected health information," or "PHI," means individually identifiable information about your health, your healthcare, or the payment for your healthcare that is created or received by PalliMate.
This Notice applies to all records of your care created or maintained by PalliMate, including information you submit through our HIPAA-secure contact form on pallimate.com, which is provided by our telehealth platform and begins the creation of a patient record at the moment of submission.
We reserve the right to change this Notice at any time and to make the revised Notice effective for PHI we already maintain as well as PHI we create or receive in the future. When we make a material change, we will post the revised Notice on pallimate.com, send it to active patients through secure messaging, and make paper copies available upon request.
For most uses and disclosures of your PHI, we use only the minimum information necessary for the purpose. The following categories describe when HIPAA permits us to use or disclose your PHI without obtaining your written authorization.
We use and disclose your PHI to provide consultative palliative medicine guidance. For example, Dr. Meadows reviews the medical records you upload to your portal to prepare for your consultation, and with your permission he may communicate with your other treating physicians to clarify clinical information or coordinate care.
We use and disclose your PHI to bill and collect payment for services. For example, your name, service date, and charge amount are submitted to our payment processor so that your card can be charged for a Detailed Consultation.
We use and disclose your PHI for activities necessary to operate the practice, including quality review, compliance, and maintaining our records. For example, Dr. Meadows may review prior consultation summaries to ensure continuity when preparing for a follow-up session.
HIPAA also permits us to use or disclose your PHI without your authorization in certain specific situations. In each case, we disclose only what is necessary to accomplish the purpose.
Once we disclose your PHI to a person or entity outside PalliMate — for example, to another treating physician, to a family member you have authorized, or to a government agency — that recipient may not be bound by HIPAA, and the information may be redisclosed by them and no longer protected by HIPAA. We will not knowingly disclose PHI to a recipient we believe intends to misuse it, but we cannot control what recipients do with information once it has been shared.
We will obtain your written authorization for any use or disclosure of PHI not described in Section 2. In particular, we will obtain your authorization before:
You may revoke a written authorization at any time by contacting care@pallimate.com in writing. Revocation stops future disclosures made under the authorization but does not reverse disclosures already made in reliance on it.
If PalliMate is sold, merged, reorganized, or transferred to a successor entity — whether through practice sale, physician retirement, incapacity, or another business transition — your PHI may be transferred along with the practice as part of the transaction. Any successor entity receiving your PHI is required by HIPAA to maintain the confidentiality of that information and to follow a Notice of Privacy Practices at least as protective of your rights as this one.
If PalliMate closes without a successor, your medical records will be retained for the period required by Tennessee law (see Section 6) and stored in a manner that maintains their confidentiality. Instructions for how to request your records following practice closure will be posted on pallimate.com and, to the extent practicable, sent directly to active patients.
You have the following rights with respect to the PHI we maintain about you. To exercise any of them, contact care@pallimate.com or send a secure message through your patient portal. Where the right requires a written request, secure message will suffice.
You have the right to inspect and receive a copy of your medical and billing records. We will respond within 30 days of a written request and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copying, mailing, and supplies as permitted by law. In limited circumstances we may deny a request; if we do, you have the right to have the denial reviewed.
If you believe information in your records is incorrect or incomplete, you may request an amendment in writing, including the reason for the request. We will respond within 60 days. We may deny the request if the information was not created by PalliMate, is not part of the records we maintain, or is already accurate and complete. If we deny the request, you may submit a written statement of disagreement, which we will add to your record.
You have the right to receive a list of certain disclosures of your PHI made in the six years preceding your request. This right does not cover disclosures for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations; disclosures you authorized; or disclosures made directly to you. The first accounting in any 12-month period is free; reasonable fees may apply to additional requests in the same period.
You have the right to request restrictions on how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, or on disclosures to family members or others involved in your care. We are not required to agree, with one exception: if you pay for a service out of pocket in full and ask us not to disclose PHI about that service to a health plan for payment or operations purposes, we must agree. Because PalliMate is a private-pay practice and does not bill insurance, this exception is effectively the baseline for our services.
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health in a particular way or at a particular location — for example, only through secure messaging, or only at a specific phone number. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically. Contact care@pallimate.com to request one.
You have the right to be notified if a breach of your unsecured PHI occurs. We will notify you in writing within 60 days of discovering the breach and will describe what happened, what information was involved, the steps we are taking to investigate and mitigate harm, and the steps you can take to protect yourself. Notifications to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and for larger breaches to the media, will be made as required by law.
Tennessee law requires physicians to retain medical records for at least 10 years from the date of the last professional contact. PalliMate retains patient medical records for at least this period. Billing records are retained for at least 7 years as required by federal tax law. Records are stored in a manner designed to maintain their confidentiality and are securely destroyed after the applicable retention period expires. You retain the right to request copies of your records in writing at any time during the retention period, regardless of whether your patient portal is active.
We are required by law to:
We will not use or disclose your PHI in a manner inconsistent with this Notice without first obtaining your authorization.
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with PalliMate, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or with both. You will not be retaliated against, and your care will not be affected, if you file a complaint.
PalliMate, PLLC
Attn: Dr. James Meadows, MD
1050 Glenbrook Way, Suite 480-182
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Email: care@pallimate.com
Phone: 615-533-5655
Office for Civil Rights
Website: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/
We reserve the right to change this Notice. Any revised Notice will apply to all PHI we maintain, including PHI created or received before the revision. A revised Notice will be posted on pallimate.com, and active patients will receive notice through secure messaging and email. Paper copies of the current Notice are available upon request.
Questions about this Notice, or requests to exercise any of the rights described above, should be directed to:
Dr. James Meadows, MD
PalliMate, PLLC
1050 Glenbrook Way, Suite 480-182
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Email: care@pallimate.com
Phone: 615-533-5655
Website: pallimate.com
Related documents: Privacy Policy · Terms of Service
This Notice of Privacy Practices is effective January 1, 2026.
