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Effective Date: April 14, 2003

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 THIS CAREFULLY.

If you have any questions about this notice, please contact our privacy officer:
Raul Lona, M3 Physical Therapy
7230 Medical Center Dr #401 West Hills, CA 91307
(714) 514-5799

This notice describes the procedures and practices that this clinic and its professional, support and administrative staff follow to protect the privacy of your health information.

YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

This notice applies to the information and records we have about your health, health status, and the health care and services you received at this office. Your health information may include information created and received by this office, it may be in the form of written or electronic records or spoken words, and it may include information about your health history, health status, symptoms, examinations, test results, diagnoses, treatments, procedures, prescriptions, related billing activity and similar types of health-related information.

We are required by law to give you this notice. It will tell you about the ways in which we use and disclose health information about you and describes your rights and our obligations regarding the use and disclosure of that information.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

We may use and disclose health information for the following purposes:

For Treatment. We may use health information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose health information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, office staff or other personnel who are involved in taking care of you and your health.

For example, the doctor who referred you for physical therapy may be treating you for a medical or orthopedic condition and we may need to know about that and any other health problems that could complicate your treatment. We may use your medical history to decide what treatment is best for you. We will consult with your doctor and send reports about your treatment to the doctor. We do this to provide the most appropriate care for you.

Different personnel in our office may share information about you and disclose information to people who do not work in our office in order to coordinate your care, such as telephoning your doctor and getting needed information. Family member and other health care providers may be part of your physical therapy outside this office and that may require us to provide information about you.

For payment. We may need to disclose health information about you in order to bill your health plan or insurance company or other third party for your treatment in this clinic.

We may also need to tell your health plan or insurance company about a treatment you are going to receive in order to obtain prior approval, or to determine whether your plan will pay for the treatment.

For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose health information about you in order to manage the clinic and ensure that you and our other patients receive quality care.

For example, we may use your health information to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We may also use health information about all or many of our patients to help us decided what additional services we should offer, how we can become more efficient, or whether certain treatments are effective for certain problems.

We may also disclose your health information to your health plan and other health care providers that care for you in order to help these plans and providers evaluate or improve care, reduce cost, coordinate and mange health care and services, train staff and comply with the law.

Appointment Reminders. We may contact you to remind you of your appointment.

Treatment Alternatives. We may tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may interest you.

Health-Related Products and Services. We may tell you about health-related products or services that may interest you.

Please notify us if you do not wish to be contacted for appointment reminders, or if you do not wish to receive communications about treatment alternatives or health-related products and services. If you advise us in writing (at the address listed at the top of this Notice) that you do not wish to receive these communications, we will not use or disclose your information for these purposes.

OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES

We may use or disclose health information about you for the following purposes, in accordance with the requirements and limitations of state and other law:

To Avert Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may use and disclose health information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.

Required By Law. We will disclose health information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law.

Research. We may use and disclose health information about you for research projects that are subject to a special approval process. We will ask you for your permission if the researcher will have access to your name, address or other information that reveals who you are, or will be involved in your care at the office.

Military, Veterans, National Security and Intelligence. If you are or were a member of the armed forces, or part of the national security or intelligence communities, we may be required by military command or other government authorities to release health information about you. We may also release information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

Worker's Compensation. We may release health information about you for workers' compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

Public Health Risks. We may disclose health information about you for public health reasons in order to prevent or control disease, injury or disability; or report suspected abuse or neglect, non-accidental physical injuries or problems with products.

Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for audits, investigation, inspections, or licensing purposes. These disclosures may be necessary for certain state and federal agencies to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose health information about you in response to a court or administrative order. Subject to all applicable legal requirements, we may also disclose health information about you in response to a subpoena.

Law Enforcement. We may release health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process, subject to all applicable legal requirements.

Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors. We may release health information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death.

Information Not Personally Identifiable. We may use or disclose health information about you in a way that does not personally identify you or reveal who you are.

Family and Friends. We may disclose health information about you to your family members or friends if we obtain your verbal agreement to do so or if we give you an opportunity to object to such a disclosure and you do not raise an objection. We may also disclose health information to your family or friends if we can infer from the circumstances, based on our professional judgment that you would not object. For example, we may assume you agree to our disclosure of your personal health information to your spouse when you bring your spouse with you into the room during treatment or while treatment is discussed.

In situations where you are not capable of giving consent (due to your incapacity or medical emergency), we may, using our professional judgment, determine that a disclosure to your family member or friend is in your best interest. In that situation, we will disclose only health information relevant to the person's involvement in your care.

Non-Custodial Parent. We may disclose health information about a minor child equally to the custodial and non-custodial parent unless a court order limits the non-custodial parent's access to the information.

OTHER USES AND DISCLOSURES PURSUANT TO YOUR SIGNED AUTHORIZATION

We will not use or disclose your health information for any purpose other than those identified in the previous sections without your specific, written Authorization. If you sign an Authorization for us to use or disclose health information about you, you may revoke that Authorization, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your Authorization, we will no longer use or disclose information about you for the reasons covered by your written Authorization, but we cannot take back any uses or disclosures already made with your permission.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

You have the following rights regarding health information we maintain about you:

Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to inspect and copy your health information, such as medical and billing records, that we keep and use to make decisions about your care. You must submit a written request to Raul Lona at our clinic in order to inspect and/or copy records of your health information. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other associated supplies.

We may deny your request to inspect and/or copy records in certain limited circumstances. If you are denied copies of or access to, health information that we keep about you, you may ask that our denial be reviewed. If the law gives you a right to have our denial reviewed, we will select a licensed health care professional to review your request and our denial. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your request, and we will comply with the outcome of the review.

Right to Correct. If you believe health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request a correction as long as the information is kept by this office.

To request a correction, complete and submit a MEDICAL RECORD AMENDMENT/CORRECTION FORM to Raul Lona in our clinic. We will provide you with one of these forms at your request.

We may deny your request for an amendment if your request is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to correct information that:

  • We did not create, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the correction.
  • Is not part of the health information that we keep.
  • You would not be permitted to inspect and copy.
  • Is accurate and complete.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an "accounting of disclosures." This is a record of the disclosures we made of medical information about you for purposes other than treatment, payment, health care operations, and a limited number of special circumstances involving national security, correctional institutions and law enforcement. The records may also exclude any disclosures we have made based on your written authorization.

To obtain this accounting, you must submit your request in writing to Raul Lona in our clinic. It must state the time period for which you want an accounting. The time period may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before April 14, 2003. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper, electronically). The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.

Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the health information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for it, like a family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had.

We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment or we are required by law to use or disclose the information.

To request restriction, you may complete and submit the REQUEST FOR RESTRICTION ON USE/DISCLOSURE OF MEDICAL INFORMATION AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION to Raul Lona in our clinic. We will provide you with one of these forms at your request.

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 can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail or e-mail.

To request confidential communications, you may complete and submit the REQUEST FOR RESTRICTION ON USE/DISCLOSURE OF MEDICAL INFORMATION AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION to Raul Lona. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.

Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive it electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We reserve the right to change this notice, and to make the revised or changed notice effective in the future. We will post the current notice or a summary of the current notice in the office with its effective date in the top right hand corner. You are entitled to a copy of the notice currently in effect.

COMPLAINTS

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our office or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with our office, contact Raul Lona in our clinic at (714) 514-5799. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

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Lona (6K)

Raul Lona, DPT, OCS, ATC

Dr. Raul Lona earned his Bachelor of Science degree and Certification as an Athletic Trainer from California State University, Fullerton in 1998. Raul received his Clinical Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California in 2001. He recently re-certified his Orthopedic Clinical Specialty in 2015 and is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Dr. Lona has been published in subjects related to Lower Back Pain. As such, he specializes in treatment and differentiation of lumbar and hip disorders. In addition, Dr. Lona enjoys treating patients with ankle and foot disorders. Dr. Lona recently completed clinical training in Pain Science as it relates to rehabilitation and has become passionate about helping patients understand and manage their pain.

Most recently Dr. Lona earned his level 1 certification with Titleist Performance Institute (TPI). Improper alignment and movements predispose many patients and golfers to injury. Raul will use this certification to better help golfers avoid and more quickly recover from injury.

When not treating patients, Raul values his time with his wife and 3 kids. Raul is involved in coaching his kids' sports teams, including soccer and baseball. Raul regularly practices yoga and is passionate about fitness and health.

Edwards (5K)

Mariko Edwards, MPT, OCS

Mariko Edwards received her Master's degree in Physical Therapy from Mount Saint Mary's College in 2000. Also in that year, she started working for Rebecca Schraven (the founder of M3 Physical Therapy) where she flourished in the orthopedic rehabilitation setting. In her time with WLPT, she has developed collaborative relationships with referring physicians and other healthcare providers in order to ensure optimal patient care.

Mariko is a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist, a certified Pilates instructor and a certified Kinesio Taping practitioner. Her expertise in these various methods has contributed to her ability to provide successful patient outcomes for a variety of conditions. With knowledge, compassion, skill and a sense of humor, Mariko continues to guide her patients on the road to recovery.

Mariko participated in and enjoyed sports and athletics throughout her life, from team sports such as softball to individual training in Pilates. Since becoming certified in Pilates in 2005 she has utilized this method is not only rehabilitating her patients but also as a student herself. She believes Pilates is the perfect form of exercise for patients of all abilities and fitness levels. She particularly enjoys training and conditioning prenatal and postnatal women.

Mariko is a wife and a mother of two amazing daughters who contribute to her ability to teach with patience and understanding. Her hobbies include supporting her favorite teams, the Lakers, Dodgers and Chargers and nurturing her knowledge of all things pop culture.

Hisamune (5K)

Chris Hisamune, PT

Chris Hisamune graduated from California State University, Northridge in 1983. He has 30 years of experience helping people achieve their goal of feeling and moving better, with 10 of those years dedicated at M3 Physical Therapy. He accomplishes those goals primarily through manual orthopedic skills. He specializes in alignment and postural dysfunctions. Chris's clinical interests include training for better body use through movement training and prevention of disorders associated with Osteoporosis.

Munesha Lona

Munesha Lona, PT, DPT, PCS

Munesha obtained her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California in 2001. Her passion for treating pediatric patients extends across a multitude of treatment settings, including inpatient, rehab, and medical units within a school setting. She earned her Pediatric clinical specialty in 2007. Munesha enjoys exercising, traveling, and spending time with her husband and three kids.

Kristina Bond

Kristina Bond, PT, DPT

Kristina Bond earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from California Baptist University in 2014. She then went on to receive her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2017. During her time in Alabama, Kristina completed clinical rotations in a variety of settings including inpatient, outpatient orthopedics, and pediatrics. She also worked with the research department at Lakeshore Foundation, a paralympic training center. Kristina has been published in subjects related to telehealth for patients with Parkinson Disease, and involved in the research of adaptive fitness for people with disabilities.

In her spare time Kristina enjoys spending time with her husband and son, hiking, playing sports on the beach, ice skating, and traveling. She is passionate about promoting health and fitness in the community, and helping people of all ages to reach their goals.

Courtney Trueblood

Courtney Trueblood, PT, DPT

Dr. Courtney Trueblood earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology with a pre-Physical Therapy emphasis from San Diego State in 2017. She went on to earn her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from Western University of Health Sciences in July, 2023. In her gap years between undergrad and graduate school, she worked as a Director and Head Team Coach for Byers Gymnastics in Northern California, working with kids of all ages in a recreational and competitive platform.

Courtney has a passion for helping individuals with injury prevention, return to sport, and all-around health and wellness. Her knowledge and expertise in gymnastics and other recreational/competitive sports assists with her patient care and being able to address the entire individual, not just physical impairments. She aims to improve each patient’s quality of life through movement enhancement, education, fitness and health management.

Outside of the clinic, Courtney enjoys spending time with her two dogs and fiancé, spending as much time as possible outdoors, especially at the beach. She is an avid cross fitter, competes in local competitions, and coaches cross fit classes in her free time.

Leilani Okihara

Leilani Okihara, PT, DPT

Leilani Okihara earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from California State University of Northridge. She then went on to receive her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California. During her time at USC she completed clinical rotations focused on a variety of orthopedic and neurological conditions. Following one of her clinical experiences, she found an interesting on furthering her knowledge on balance, vestibular, and concussion rehabilitation.

Growing up she participated in sports to where she found her love for physical activity and saw how movement is a key component of a healthy lifestyle. In her free time, she loves to do anything involving the outdoors and can mostly be found at the beach. Her hobbies include running, playing basketball, rock climbing, hiking, and of course cheering on the Lakers.

Cathy Soliva

Cathy Soliva, DPT, OCS

Cathy Soliva received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in California State University Northridge in 2018. She completed her one-year orthopedic residency at Kaiser Permanente in 2021 and is a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist. She is active in the physical therapy community and has served in both the House of Delegates for the American Physical Therapy Association and in the Assembly of Representatives for the California Physical Therapy Association. While she was in physical therapy school, she had the opportunity to do research with stroke patients in Malawi and work for a short time in an orthopedic hospital in Vietnam. During and after physical therapy school, she has given several presentations on cultural competency for the care of LGBTQ patients.

Cathy became a physical therapist because she wanted to help people, in a real and tangible way. One of the most rewarding things for her is to see her patients improve, to see them achieve their goals, whether that is riding their bike for six hours or go for a walk without pain. She uses manual therapy to assist with pain and range of motion as needed, then emphasizes exercise, education, and movement training to help her patients achieve their goals.

In her free time, Cathy enjoys reading and video games and watching movies with her wife.

Mariedet Leano

Mariedet Leano
Billing and Collections Manager

Stephanie Martinez

Stephanie Martinez
Patient Care Coordinator

Scott Fleming

Scott Fleming
PT Clinic Assistant

Korina Martinez

Korina Martinez
PT Clinic Assistant

Scott Fleming

Ashley Yu
PT Clinic Assistant

Alexis Mendez

Alexis Mendez
Pilates Instructor

Monica Kirste

Monica Kirste
Pilates Instructor

Elizabeth Lam

Elizabeth Lam
PT Clinic Assistant

Alexis Gaines

Alexis Gaines
Patient Care Coordinator

Karen Argueta

Karen Argueta
Patient Care Coordinator

Hayley Yount

Hayley Yount
PT Clinic Assistant

Brandon Le

Brandon Le
PT Clinic Assistant

Megan Lee

Megan Lee
PT Clinic Assistant

Amanda Tigar

Amanda Tigar
Director of Operations

Aubrey Adams

Aubrey Adams
PT Clinic Assistant

[DianeGlezerman]
Maham Ahmed

Maham Ahmed
PT Clinic Assistant

Sean Duran

Sean Duran
PT Clinic Assistant

Chad Sticher

Chad Sticher, DPT, OCS

Chad Sticher has earned his Bachelor's in science in Kinesiology - exercise science at California State University of Northridge in 2015. During his time there he was able to participate in research projects and got experience working with and providing adaptive exercise for individuals with various neurological deficits in the Brown Center of Achievement. Chad attended the University of the Pacific for physical therapy school and graduated with his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2019. Following PT school Chad completed a yearlong orthopedic residency with Kaiser Permanente where he was able to further his knowledge and skills. After completing his residency, he got certified as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in 2021.

Chad grew up playing a variety of sports including volleyball, basketball, and football. His experience with sports is what lead him to pursue a career related to physical activity. During his early experiences in the field volunteering and working as a PT aide, he learned to fall in love with the rehab process and helping people in their path to recovery. In his free time, he likes to play volleyball and basketball as well as spending time with his friends and girlfriend. He loves to root on his LA Dodgers and is a die-hard Lakers fan."

Paulette Rios

Paulette Rios
PT Clinic Assistant

Bridgette Sellman

Bridgette Sellman
PT Clinic Assistant

[SamanthaMeneses]
[DeniseInteriano]
Yu-ting Chen

Yu-ting Chen, PT, DPT

I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from National Taiwan University in 2013. After finishing alternative civilian service in The Affiliated Hearing Impaired School of National University of Tainan to assist campus PT in treating students with disabilities. Then I worked as a research assistant in Performance Analysis Laboratory in National Taiwan University to conduct studies investigating relationship factors and sensorimotor control problems for shoulder dyskinesis. After 2 years, I came to the US to pursue Doctor of Physical Therapy in Loma Linda University to advance my knowledge and techniques.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my wife, playing Pokemon GO, searching and trying gourmet restaurant and traveling.

I am willing to spend time to explain and answer all the questions patients might have and would like to see them feel better and live better.

[ValeriaAraujo]
Ashley Nava

Ashley Nava
PT Clinic Assistant

Jocelyn Barraza

Jocelyn Barraza
Patient Care Coordinator

Coming Soon...

Matias Ramirez

Matias Ramirez
PT Clinic Assistant

Coming Soon...

Ramirez, Matias

Andrea Gutierrez
Patient Care Coordinator

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Yu-ting Chen

Ryan Nguyen, PTA

Ty Westby

Ty Westby
PT Clinic Assistant

Aria Memarzadeh

Aria Memarzadeh
PT Clinic Assistant

Talia Ehsanipour

Talia Ehsanipour
PT Clinic Assistant

Taryn Zimmerer

Taryn Zimmerer
Pilates Instructor

Rosana Feld

Rosana Feld
Pilates Instructor

Olya Fromer

Olya Fromer
Pilates Instructor

Clarisse McLeod

Clarisse McLeod
Pilates Instructor

Talia Ehsanipour

Steve Palasi
PT Clinic Assistant

Coming Soon...

Therese Palad

Therese Palad, PT, DPT

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Therese received her B.S. in Kinesiology and Doctorate in Physical Therapy at California State University, Northridge. She grew up playing Dance Dance Revolution and participating in hip-hop dance competitions. Throughout college, she tutored kids and college students in mathematics. She combined her passion for movement and love of teaching to help people meet their goals through physical therapy. In her spare time, she enjoys being with her family and dachshunds, trying new foods, attending art and entertainment events, taking Afro-Carribean Zumba classes, painting, traveling, and hiking.

Katlyne Stiles

Katlyne Stiles
Patient Care Coordinator

Coming Soon...

Mya Warner

Mya Warner
PT Clinic Assistant

Coming Soon...

Amanda Tigar

Rika Jitosho, DPT, MBA

Dr. Rika Jitosho earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T) and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A) degrees from Emory University. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California Los Angeles, where she gained valuable experience in managing sports-related injuries while working with Division I UCLA athletes through the Sports Medicine Internship Program.

Her involvement in the Sports Medicine Internship Program sparked Rika's passion for Physical Therapy, enabling her to leverage her own understanding of movement as a dancer to help others. Rika has over 15 years of experience in various dance styles, and she has received training from renowned dance companies including American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet.

Rika's clinical interests include treating dancers and active patients with a range of orthopedic conditions. By integrating her skills in movement training, she aims to enhance movement quality in order to optimize overall function and quality of life for her patients.

Outside of the clinic, Rika enjoys maintaining an active lifestyle through dance, yoga, pilates, and hiking. She also values spending quality time with friends and family.

Lauren Giek

Lauren Gieck
Patient Care Coordinator

Chris King

Chris King
PT Clinic Assistant

Chris King

Summer Moss
PT Clinic Assistant

Korina Martinez

Karlie Reza
PT Clinic Assistant/ Patient Care Coordinator

Talia Ehsanipour

Steve Palasi
PT Clinic Assistant

Coming Soon...

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