SoftCare Clinic

Privacy & Compliance

HIPAA Notice

SoftCare Sağlık Hizmetleri ve Limited Şirketi ("SoftCare Clinic") is a healthcare organization established and operating in Turkey. The United States' Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) applies only to organizations operating within the United States that are defined under U.S. law as a "covered entity" or a "business associate." SoftCare Clinic does not fall under either of these definitions. As a result, HIPAA is NOT a legally binding regulation for SoftCare Clinic, and SoftCare Clinic is not a HIPAA "covered entity" or "business associate," is not subject to HIPAA, and has not been, and cannot be, officially "certified" as HIPAA compliant by any government body, since no such official government certification mechanism for HIPAA exists.

However, because we serve a large number of patients from the United States, and to help these patients understand our practices using a data protection standard they are familiar with and trust, we voluntarily strive to align our operational processes with the core principles of HIPAA's Privacy Rule and Security Rule. This page has been prepared to transparently explain the scope and the limits of this voluntary commitment. This page is a description of a voluntary alignment with certain HIPAA principles as a trust-building gesture toward our American patients; it is not, and must not be read as, a claim of legal HIPAA compliance, certification, or any legal guarantee.

Responsible Organization Identity

Company Name: SoftCare Sağlık Hizmetleri ve Limited Şirketi
MERSİS No.: 0772156786400001
Global D-U-N-S Number: 751176703
Address: Şişli Fulya Mahallesi Bahçeler Sokak No 19, İstanbul, Turkey
Phone: +90 212 241 30 10
Website: https://softcareclinic.com

Important Clarification About the Scope of HIPAA

For the avoidance of any doubt, we restate this clearly: SoftCare Clinic is NOT a U.S. "covered entity" or "business associate," is NOT "subject to" HIPAA, and has NOT been, and cannot be, "certified" under HIPAA by any government authority (no such official government certification mechanism for HIPAA exists in the first place). This page is not a legal compliance statement or a compliance certification of any kind. It is solely a description of operational principles we have voluntarily chosen to adopt, offered in good faith as a trust-building gesture to our American patients, and it creates no legal obligation on SoftCare Clinic under U.S. law and provides no legal guarantee.

Principles We Voluntarily Follow

  • Administrative safeguards: regular staff training on the confidentiality of health information, and access rights limited according to job role
  • Physical safeguards: controlled access to the areas where patient files and medical records are stored
  • Technical safeguards: authentication for access to electronic health records, encryption of data, and maintenance of access logs
  • Minimum necessary principle: health information is shared only to the extent necessary

Use of Your Health Information

Your health information is primarily used to plan, carry out, and follow up on your treatment. Your information is not shared with third parties for marketing purposes without your explicit consent. Information is shared with healthcare providers we collaborate with during your treatment, such as laboratories or imaging centers, only to the extent necessary.

What You May Request as a Patient

  • Request access to, and a copy of, your health records
  • Request correction of any errors you notice in your records
  • Request information about who your information has been shared with and for what purpose
  • Request that certain communication preferences be applied (e.g., which channel is used for appointment reminders)

Retention Period

Your health records are retained for the periods prescribed by Turkish healthcare legislation. These periods may differ from certain U.S. state regulations; if you have a question about a specific retention period, we recommend contacting us.

How to Submit a Request

You can submit any questions or requests regarding your health information using the contact information at the end of this page. Indicating that you would like your request to be assessed under HIPAA principles will help ensure it is directed through the correct process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SoftCare Clinic "HIPAA compliant"?

SoftCare Clinic is not an organization subject to HIPAA under U.S. law; therefore, "HIPAA compliance" does not apply to us in a technical or legal sense, and we make no such compliance claim. Instead, we voluntarily strive to reflect HIPAA's core principles in our operations. That is what this page describes -- a voluntary alignment, not a certification or legal compliance status.

Why do you mention HIPAA at all if it doesn't apply to you?

Most of our patients from the United States are familiar with the HIPAA standard for health data security. This page was prepared to transparently explain, in order to meet that expectation, which measures we have voluntarily adopted -- it is important to us not to create a false impression of legal applicability or certification.

Is my health information transferred outside the United States?

Your health records are kept in Turkey by SoftCare Clinic as the organization providing your treatment. For detailed information on the processing of your data, you may also refer to our Privacy Notice.

This document is not a legal compliance certificate or statement of any kind; it confirms that SoftCare Clinic is not subject to HIPAA under U.S. law, that no official government HIPAA certification exists or is being claimed, and that this page only describes voluntarily adopted operational principles. This text does not constitute legal advice, and SoftCare Clinic reserves the right to update this document as necessary.