1. Introduction

Welcome to CareChart, the patient portal for VCU Dentistry. CareChart is designed to provide patients with secure access to personal health information, appointment scheduling, communication with providers, and other services. By accessing or using CareChart, you agree to comply with the following Terms and Conditions ("Agreement"). Please review them carefully.

2. Eligibility & Account Security

• To use CareChart, you must be a registered patient at VCU Dentistry.
• You agree to maintain the confidentiality of your login credentials and notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to your account.
• careChart is not intended for use by minors unless permitted by law and authorized by a parent or guardian.

3. Use of Portal Services

• You may use CareChart to access personal health records, schedule appointments, make payments, and communicate with your dental provider.
• CareChart should not be used for emergency situations. If you have a medical emergency, call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room.

4. Privacy & Data Protection

• Your personal information is protected in accordance with our Privacy Policy. We use secure encryption methods to safeguard your data.
• By using CareChart, you consent to our collection and use of your data as outlined in our Privacy Policy.

5. Communications & Messaging

• CareChart allows communication between patients and providers. However, messages sent through CareChart may not be monitored in real time, and response times may vary.
• You agree to use appropriate language and avoid sharing confidential information in non-secure messages.

6. Payment & Billing

• Any payments made through CareChart are subject to our billing policies.
• Fees for dental services, including appointment cancellations and missed visits, may apply and will be outlined in our billing terms.

7. Termination & Access Restriction

• We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your careChart access at our discretion if you violate these terms.
• You may discontinue your use of careChart at any time by notifying us..

8. Limitation of Liability

• We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation of CareChart.
• We are not liable for any damages arising from your use or inability to use CareChart, except as required by law.

9. Modifications to Terms

• We reserve the right to update or modify these Terms and Conditions at any time.
• Continued use of CareChart after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

10. Contact Information

• For any questions regarding these Terms and Conditions or CareChart, please contact us at:

VCU Dentistry

520 N 12 St

Richmond, VA 23298

804.828.9190

Notice of Privacy Practices 

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. 

Protecting your health information is important to us. The law says that we must keep your Protected Health Information (PHI) private, provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI, follow the current terms of this notice, and notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured PHI. 

VCU Dental Care reserves the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time. Any changes made will apply to all of your health information maintained by VCU Dental Care. If changes are made to this Notice, the new notice will be posted and a paper copy made available upon request. The Notice will also be posted on our website. 

How Your Health Information Can Be Used and Disclosed Without Your Permission 

Treatment Purposes 

VCU Dental Care may use your health information to provide treatment or services for you. The doctors, nurses, and other people caring for you may share your health information to provide you with any needed treatments or services, like x-rays, lab work, or therapy. Sometimes, this may mean speaking with health care professionals who are not part of VCU Dental Care, like nursing home staff, therapists, and home health care workers. We may also share your health information with non-health care personnel in an emergency situation. In addition, we may contact you to remind you of an upcoming appointment, to tell you about alternative treatments, or to tell you about health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. 

Payment Purposes 

We may use or disclose your health information so we may receive payment for the treatment and services we have provided to you. We also may contact your insurance company to learn what services are included in your health plan, to get prior approval for certain treatments or services, and to tell them about your treatment to make sure it is a covered service.

Health Care Operations 

We may use and share your health information to operate our facility and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care, to rate the services that you received, or how well our staff cared for you. We may use your health information to see where we can make improvements or to find better ways to provide care. We may also use health information to make sure our health care professionals have the right skills and qualifications for their jobs. We may share information with students and professionals for review and education purposes. We may use health information for business planning, or disclose it to attorneys, accountants, consultants, and others who assist VCU Dental Care in its activities and to make sure we are following the law. 

Other Uses and Disclosures of Your Health Information That Do Not Require Your Permission

• Required by Law - When federal or state law says we have to. 
• Public Health - For public health activities, including product recalls, preventing or controlling disease, injury, or reporting vital events, such as births and deaths. 
• Abuse, Neglect, Domestic Violence - Notifying law enforcement or other agencies if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. 
• Health Oversight - For health oversight activities, such as audits, investigations, licensing, and accreditation by agencies (for example, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services). 
• Legal Proceedings, Lawsuits, Administrative Proceedings, and Other Legal Actions - In a legal proceeding if the request for the information is through an order from a court or administrative tribunal. Your health information may also be disclosed in response to a subpoena or other lawful process. 
• Law Enforcement - If asked by law enforcement, or if the law says we must, we may disclose medical information: 
• to report certain wounds or other physical injuries if required by law to do so; 
• to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person; 
• about a suspected victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances we are unable to obtain the person’s agreement; 
• about a death suspected to be the result of criminal conduct; 
• about criminal conduct at VCU Dental Care; and 
• in case of a medical emergency, to report a crime, the location of the crime or victims, or the identity, description, or location of the person who committed the crime. 
• Coroners, Funeral Directors, Medical Examiners - To funeral directors as needed, and to coroners or medical examiners to identify a deceased person, determine the cause of death, and perform other functions authorized by law. 
• Organ and Tissue Donation - To help with the donation, procurement, and transplantation of organs, eyes, and tissue if you have chosen to be a donor. 
• Research - For research purposes, there are times when your health information may be disclosed. All such research has to be approved through a formal process before we use or disclose any information. Information about you may be used to find patients with specific characteristics or illnesses for research study. The information reviewed in preparation for research will remain under VCU Dental Care control. 
• Threats - To stop or reduce a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of another person. 
• National Security and Armed Forces - To government officials for national security and intelligence activities, or to military authorities under some circumstances if you are a member of the military. 
• Special Government Functions - To government officials for special investigations or to protect the President of the United States, other authorized persons, or foreign heads of state. 
• Worker’s Compensation - For worker’s compensation to provide information to process your claim.

VCU Dental Care may use or disclose your health information in the following ways unless you object: 

• Coordination of Care - Disclose your health information with a family member, other relative, or friend, or any other person you identify if they are involved with your care or the payment related to your care. 
• Notify of Location - Use or disclose your information to provide notification of your location, general condition, or death to a family member, personal representative, or another person responsible for your care or to assist in a disaster relief situation. 
• Fundraising - Share information about you and/or contact you about activities to raise funds to expand and support health care services, education, and research for VCU Dental Care. You have the right to opt out of receiving these communications. 

Additional Restrictions on Use and Disclosure

• Special Protections for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Information Although we are not a substance use disorder treatment program under federal law (a “SUD program”), we may receive information from a SUD Program about you. We may not disclose SUD information for use in a civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceeding against you unless we have (i) your written consent, or (ii) a court order accompanied by a subpoena or other legal requirement compelling disclosure issued after we and you are given notice and an opportunity to be heard.

Other Uses and Disclosures of Your Health Information 

Uses or disclosures that require your written permission include the following: 

• Uses and disclosures for marketing purposes. This does not apply to: 
• face-to-face communications, 
• when promotional gift of nominal value is provided, 
• refill reminders or communications about a drug currently prescribed as long as any monies received are only for the cost of labor, supplies, and postage, or 
• communications promoting health in general that do not promote a product or service from a particular provider 
• Disclosures that constitute a sale of your health information under applicable law 

We will not use or share your information other than as described in this Notice unless we obtain your written permission. You may revoke your written permission to use or disclose your health information except to the extent that action has already been taken in reliance on the permission you gave. Your request must be in writing and addressed to the Office of Risk and Compliance, P.O. Box 980566, Richmond, Virginia 23298. 

Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information 

You have the following rights with respect to your health information. An individual you designate as your personal representative or with legal authority to make healthcare decisions for you may also exercise these rights on your behalf, except under certain circumstances. 

● Access Your Record - The right to see or get a copy of your health information. There may be situations when this is not possible. In addition, you may be asked to pay a reasonable, cost-based fee for any copies of your records. To find out how to do this call (804) 827-2552 or email [email protected]. 

● Amend Your Record - The right to request an amendment or addendum if you feel the information in your health record is incorrect or incomplete. Direct your written request to the Office of Risk and Compliance and include a reason why you are requesting the information be changed. In some circumstances, VCU Dental Care may not honor the request. If this happens, we will tell you why we did not make the changes. We will do so in writing and we will explain other rights you would have at that point. 

● Accounting of Disclosures - The right to receive a list of the disclosures of your health information for six years prior to the date of your request. We will include all disclosures except those for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). You are allowed one free listing in a 12- month period. There will be a reasonable, cost-based fee for more than one listing in a 12-month period. 

● Request Restrictions – The right to request that we not share certain health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. VCU Dental Care is not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we may still share information if it is necessary to provide emergency care to you. You may also request that information not be shared with your health insurer for purposes of payment or healthcare operations. We are required to agree if you, or someone on your behalf, have paid for the items or services out of pocket and in full, unless the law requires us to share that information. 

● Right to Request Confidential Communications - The right to request that communications, such as mail or reminders from VCU Dental Care be received in a confidential manner; for example,an alternate address or telephone number. We will agree to reasonable requests. Right to Request Confidential Communications: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you may ask that we contact you only at home or by mail. If you want us to communicate with you in a certain way, you will need to give us specific details about how you want to be contacted including a valid alternative address. We will not ask you the reason for the request, and we will accommodate all reasonable requests. However, if we are unable to contact you using the ways or locations you have requested, we may contact you using the information we have. SMS Opt-In and Phone Numbers for the purpose of SMS will not be shared with third parties, vendors and affiliates. To opt out of receiving communications, email [email protected] or call 804-827-2552, specifying what communication methods you would prefer to opt out of (email, voice, sms). 

● Copy of Notice - The right to receive a paper copy of this Notice even if you have agreed to accept this notice electronically. 

● File a Formal Complaint - The right to file a complaint with VCU Dental Care and/or to the United States Department of Health and Human Services if you believe that your privacy rights have been violated. To file a complaint with VCU Dental Care, please contact the VCU Dental Care HIPAA Compliance Office at (804) 828-5790, by email at [email protected] or by writing to P.O. Box 980566, Richmond, VA 23298-0566. If you choose to file a complaint, we will not do anything to retaliate against you. 

For More Information 

If you would like more information about your rights or about the uses and disclosures of your medical information, you may contact the VCU Dental Care HIPAA Compliance Office at (804) 828-5790, by email at [email protected] or by writing to P.O. Box 980566, Richmond, VA 23298-0566. This Notice is effective as of February 5, 2026.

Patient Bill of Rights