Your information. Your choices.
Privacy, HIPAA & Online Communication
Understand our contact options, their limitations, and your health-information rights.
Updated September 6, 2026. This website guide explains communication choices and digital-data handling. It does not replace Valley Neurology Group’s formal Notice of Privacy Practices. Ask our office for that notice and for help with access, correction, confidential communication, or a privacy concern.
Prefer to discuss private information in person?
You may choose to avoid online forms, AI chat, messaging, or electronic document transmission entirely. Call (661) 776-3876 during office hours to arrange an in-person discussion about your care, records, or privacy preferences. Please confirm the office and appointment before traveling. View offices and directions.
Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 am–5:30 pm PST. For a medical emergency, call 911. Online services are not monitored continuously.
Security safeguards have limits
VNG uses designated services and safeguards to support its obligations under HIPAA and California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA). No website, email, fax, device, or internet transmission can guarantee complete confidentiality. A padlock, encryption feature, or “HIPAA-enabled” label does not mean every part of a communication is immune from unauthorized access.
VNG cannot control every outside network, sender’s system, shared device, or third-party action. Delays, misdirected messages, and service outages can occur. Using these services does not waive your rights or release VNG or its vendors from duties imposed by applicable law.
How our services handle your request
Jotform — appointment requests, staff assistance & payments
Our linked Jotform forms may collect your name, date of birth, contact details, and relevant documents. New OnPatient access requests require an email address. Submit only what is relevant to your care. Designated alerts notify our staff, who sign in to a protected account to review details. Form submissions do not automatically verify identity or confirm appointments. Enter payment details only in designated payment fields, never in a message or uploaded document.
Paubox — intake, authorizations, messages & referral documents
VNG’s Paubox forms provide a hosted, encrypted route for messages and files to the office. Forms embedded inside VNG pages submit entries directly to Paubox. This differs from sending a message through an ordinary email app. Sender devices, downloaded copies, and forwarded messages still require appropriate safeguards.
Spruce Health — patient communication
Messages exchanged inside your Spruce account use its protected messaging service and differ from ordinary SMS texts. Notifications can still appear on lock screens or shared devices; manage them carefully. Referring providers should use the referral form, Paubox, or fax rather than the patient Spruce channel.
Fax & HumbleFax — records and referral documents
Office fax: (661) 766-3876. The voice number, (661) 776-3876, is different. VNG has confirmed a business associate agreement for its HumbleFax account. That agreement does not secure another sender’s devices, network, fax equipment, or handling of records.
The public website fax sender uses an Azure service and HumbleFax. It requires patient identity and contact fields, a request type, a written reason, and one to five PDF attachments. Attachments must total no more than 10 MB, and the fax must contain no more than 20 pages including the cover sheet. The destination is fixed to VNG’s fax number. Repeated requests are limited; shared names, birth dates, phone numbers or networks can affect availability.
The service processes uploaded files temporarily in memory and keeps limited operational receipts and hashed abuse-control identifiers. HumbleFax retains transmission records and documents according to the account’s settings. A successful transmission does not prove staff reviewed the document. Check the result and call the office to follow up, especially for time-sensitive material. Do not assume that opening a link or selecting a file sends a fax.
OnPatient — activated OnPatient Portal accounts
Existing users with activated access may sign in to OnPatient. Protect your password, use your own email address, and sign out on shared devices. Creating an account does not establish authority to access another person’s records. Access for minors, dependents and personal representatives depends on applicable law, the scope of authority and any required verification or authorization.
VNG AI Guide — navigation and requests for staff help
The AI guide is an automated navigation tool. It is not a clinician, cannot diagnose or prescribe, and cannot make final scheduling decisions. Chat information is handled by Jotform and its service providers under their applicable terms and account arrangements. Do not assume a blanket guarantee about every AI provider’s data handling. Read Jotform’s AI terms.
Do not place passwords, Social Security numbers, payment details, full medical records, or unnecessary clinical history in the chat. When asking for staff assistance, provide the required contact details and reason. Merely starting a chat or entering partial information is not a completed office request.
Follow requests for staff assistance with an office call. Chat alone does not confirm or cancel care. For emergencies, call 911.
Public website, tracking & external links
The public website host and external tools, including maps and review platforms, may process IP addresses, browser information and cookies. Privacy obligations depend on the information, how it is used, and applicable law. HIPAA, CMIA and California consumer-privacy protections have different scopes and exceptions.
Use to control optional analytics, review widgets and external media on this website. These tools remain off until you allow them. We honor Global Privacy Control signals by keeping optional tools off. Your selection is saved in this browser; make the same choice on other browsers or devices as needed. You may change your choice at any time. A change reloads the page, so finish or save any unsent work first. Previously shared information cannot be recalled by changing a browser preference. Forms and services you choose to use remain subject to their providers’ privacy terms.
Google, Feedback Link and Trustmary review tools involve external services. Do not include medical details, insurance information or another person’s information in public reviews. Use the office’s designated contact channels for care questions.
Before sending information
- Check accuracy: confirm the recipient, numbers and attachments.
- Limit sharing: send only what is needed. Do not send another person’s records without legal authority.
- Protect access: use a trusted device, screen locks and unique passwords.
- Avoid phishing: do not send verification codes to anyone claiming to be the office.
- Follow up: we strive to respond by the next business day. Call during office hours to follow up on requests and document submissions. Do not rely on online messages for urgent needs.
For referring organizations: VNG’s vendor arrangements do not certify your organization’s HIPAA or CMIA compliance. Your organization remains responsible for its own safeguards and lawful handling of information.
Your rights & privacy questions
HIPAA and applicable California law provide rights concerning medical information, including access, requests for amendments, confidential communications and certain restrictions. The scope and exceptions depend on the request and applicable law. Sensitive services may have additional protections.
To request the practice’s formal Notice of Privacy Practices, raise a concern, report a suspected disclosure, or request an alternative communication method, call (661) 776-3876 and ask for the Privacy Officer. You may also contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights. Raising a privacy complaint will not result in retaliation or require you to give up your rights.
Valley Neurology Group
3400 Calloway Dr, Suite 100, Bakersfield, CA 93312
General administrative email: frontdesk@valleyneurologygroup.com
If you prefer not to transmit private information online, call to arrange an in-person discussion.
HHS: Notice of Privacy Practices · California consumer privacy information