At Grutzmacher & Lewis, our ophthalmologists and staff members are dedicated to providing safe, comfortable, and effective eye care for each and every patient. Whether you are considering laser vision correction, need cataract eye surgery or other treatment, our Sacramento surgeons can provide the care you need. We are available to answer any questions you may have and will do our best to make your experience with us a pleasant one.

The Doctors

Drs. Richard Grutzmacher, Richard Lewis and Patricia Sierra are surgeons with advanced fellowship training in the medical and surgical care of eye disorders. Drs. Grutzmacher and Sierra are corneal specialists emphasizing in laser eye surgery (PRK and LASIK), corneal transplantations, and cataract treatment in Sacramento. Dr. Lewis is an internationally recognized glaucoma authority who also specializes in cataract and vision correction procedures.

A pioneer and leader in laser vision correction, Dr. Grutzmacher was instrumental in advancing the development and growth of laser eye surgery in the Sacramento Valley region, having instructed numerous area physicians in PRK and LASIK techniques, as well as performing the first PRK in 1995 in the Greater Sacramento area.

Doctor Lewis continues to research various treatments for glaucoma and presbyopia. Currently, he has several therapeutic studies being conducted in his office. If you are interested in learning more about these studies, or wish to be a part of one of our studies, please contact Grutzmacher & Lewis to speak with one of our Study Research Coordinators, Dr. Monica Robinson or Wendy McElrath, COT.

At Grutzmacher & Lewis, our treatments are based on careful screening to determine the health of your eyes, your personal needs, and the best treatment for your unique situation.

The Staff

For almost two decades, our office manager, Linda, has efficiently coordinated our office. Helping to keep things running is our dedicated, friendly, and experienced front office staff: Karyn, Tiffany, Amy, Wendy, Kathy and Ruby. Not only compassionate and sympathetic to the wide variety of individual needs encountered daily, their knowledge of insurance requirements and office procedure scheduling serves our patients well.

We have three excellent ophthalmologists, Dr. Grutzmacher, Dr. Lewis and Dr. Sierra. All three are board certified, fellowship trained surgeons. In addition to these doctors, we have an exceptional optometrist, Dr. Robinson. She confidently treats patients as well as prescribes glasses.

Assisting with such things as patient workups and counseling, prescription refills, and minor surgery are our Ophthalmic Assistants: Ruth, Carrie, Tatum, Alice, Jaime, Christine and Brenda. The expertise offered by these women reflects their years of extensive training.

Sometimes your visit will include the scheduling of surgery. As with everything else in our office, we have very qualified and knowledgeable surgery schedulers to direct and counsel you through the process. For medical surgery scheduling, such as cataracts and corneal transplants, either Christine, Brenda or Linda will meet with you. If your goal is to schedule LASIK, PRK, or any other laser vision correction or eye surgery procedure with one of our Sacramento surgeons, either Brenda or Linda will help you select a date and time.

Our research coordinators, Dr. Robinson and Wendy, assist Dr. Lewis, Dr. Grutzmacher and Dr. Sierra with clinical research studies in new drug and device development. If you would like to learn more about our current – open studies, please feel free to contact Dr. Monica Robinson or Wendy to schedule an appointment or to discuss your options.

Initial Exam

Whether you are coming in to find out if you are a candidate for laser vision correction or other eye surgery at our Sacramento office, the initial consultation is the key to determining your treatment needs and potential results. It may be quite involved. We will ask about your eyes, your general health, and medications that you take. It is helpful for you to bring a list of medications (drops or pills) with dosages you are presently using. If you wear glasses, bring them with you as well.

You should allow one to three hours for this initial consultation. Our doctors will examine your eyes thoroughly. Depending on the nature of the problem, several special tests may be performed. It is likely that your eyes will be dilated during the course of the examination, so we suggest you bring a pair of dark sunglasses and arrange to have someone drive you home.

Following the examination, we will review our findings, thoroughly explain your treatment options, and answer any questions. If another physician has referred you, a summary of your initial and any subsequent examinations will be sent to your doctor, under whose care you will remain.

At Grutzmacher & Lewis, we believe that it is important for our patients to understand as much as possible about their condition and treatment options. The services and care we provide include educating you about your diagnosis and therapy; however, it is impossible to cover everything in the limited amount of time we have with each patient.

Therefore, we have designed this website to assist you in finding the answers you may be looking for with regard to your eye health. If at any time you have a question about your eye health or the laser eye surgery procedures we offer for vision correction, contact Grutzmacher & Lewis in Sacramento at (916) 649-1515.

Patient Forms

Please use the links below to download our patient forms in printable PDF format:

• Medical History Questionnaire
• Patient Letter-HIPAA
• Patient Survey
• Privacy Practices
• Registration Form

Privacy Notice

GRUTZMACHER & LEWIS, A MEDICAL CORPORATION

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

(HIPAA) 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.

About Us

Grutzmacher & Lewis, A Medical Corporation is an Ophthalmology practice specializing in Cataract, Cornea, Glaucoma and Refractive Surgery.

What is “Protected Health Information” or “PHI”?

“Protected health information,” or “PHI” for short, is information that identifies who you are and relates to, your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition, the provision of health care to you, or past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to you. PHI does not include information about you that is publicly available, or that is in a summary form that does not identify who you are. If you are an employee of our participating physician’s office, PHI does not include your health information in your personnel file.

Purpose of this Notice

In the course of doing business, we gather and maintain PHI about our patients. We respect the privacy of your PHI and understand the importance of keeping this information confidential and secure. This Notice describes our privacy practices and how we protect the confidentiality of your PHI. We are obligated to maintain the privacy of your PHI by implementing reasonable and appropriate safeguards. We are also obligated to explain to you by this Notice about our legal obligations to maintain the privacy of your PHI. We must follow our Notice that is currently in effect.

How We Protect Your PHI

We restrict access to your PHI to those employees who need access in order to provide services to our patients. We have established and maintain appropriate physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect your PHI against unauthorized use or disclosure. We have established a training program that our employees must complete and update annually. We have also established a Privacy Office, which has overall responsibility for developing, training and overseeing the implementation and enforcement of policies and procedures to safeguard your PHI against inappropriate access, use and disclosure.

Types of Use and Disclosure of PHI We May Make Without Your Authorization

Treatment; Payment; Health Care Operations

Federal and state law allows us to use and disclose your PHI in order to provide health care services to you, as well as to bill and collect payments for the health care services provided to you by our participating physicians. For example, we may use your PHI to authorize referrals to specialists and to review the quality of care provided by your participating physician. We may disclose your PHI to health plans or other responsible parties to receive payment for the services provided to you by our participating physicians.

We may also use or disclose your PHI, for example, to recommend to you treatment alternatives, to inform you about health-related benefits and services that we offer, or to contact you to remind you of your appointments. We conduct these activities to provide health care to you, and not as marketing.

Federal and state law also allows us to use and disclose your PHI as necessary in connection with our health care operations. For example, we may use your PHI for resolution of any grievance or appeal that you file if you are unhappy with the care you have received. We may also use your PHI in connection with population-based disease management programs. We may use or disclose your PHI to perform certain business functions to our business associates, who must also agree to safeguard your PHI as required by law.

We are also allowed by law to use and disclose your PHI without your authorization for the following purposes:

1. When required by law – In some circumstances, we are required by federal or state laws to disclose certain PHI to others, such as public agencies for various reasons;
2. For public health activities – Such as reports about communicable diseases, defective medical devices to the FDA or work-related health issues;
3. Reports about child and other types of abuse or neglect, or domestic violence;
4. For health oversight activities – Such as reports to governmental agencies that are responsible for licensing physicians or other health care providers;
5. For lawsuits and other legal disputes – In connection with court proceedings or proceedings before administrative agencies, or to defend us or our participating physicians in a legal dispute;
6. For law enforcement purposes –Such as responding to a warrant, or reporting a crime;
7. Reports to coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors – To assist them in performance of their legal duties;
8. For tissue or organ donations – To organ procurement or transplant organizations to assist them;
9. For research – To medical researchers with an approval of an institutional review board (IRB) or privacy board that oversees studies on human subjects. Researchers are also required to safeguard your PHI;
10. To avert a serious threat to the health or safety of you or other members of the public;
11. For national security and intelligence/military activities – Such as protection of the President or foreign dignitaries;
12. In connection with services provided under workers’ compensation laws.

We may disclose your PHI, without your written authorization, to your family members or other persons if they are involved in your care or payment for that care. We may also notify disaster relief organizations to assist them with their relief efforts. When you are a patient at a hospital or medical facility with which we are affiliated, we may create a directory that includes your name, your location at the facility, your general condition and your religious affiliation. Information in this directory may be disclosed to visitors and clergy. However, we must first provide you with an opportunity to agree or object to such disclosure. If you cannot agree or object because you are incapacitated or otherwise unavailable, we will use our professional judgment.

You, as a parent, can generally control your minor child’s PHI. In some cases, however, we are permitted or even required by law to deny your access to your child’s PHI, such as when your child can legally consent to medical services without your permission.

There are some types of PHI, such as HIV test results or mental health information, which are protected by stricter laws. However, even such PHI may be used or disclosed without your written authorization if required or permitted by law.

Authorizations

All other uses and disclosures of your PHI must be made with your written authorization.

If you need an authorization form, we will send you one for you or your personal representative to complete. When you receive the form, please fill it out and send it to the following address:

GRUTZMACHER & LEWIS, A MEDICAL CORPORATION
1515 RIVER PARK DRIVE, SUITE 100
SACRAMENTO, CA 95815

You may revoke or modify your authorization at any time by writing to us at the same address. Please note that your revocation or modification may not be effective in some circumstances, such as when we have already taken action relying on your authorization.

Your Rights Regarding Your PHI

Access to Your PHI

You have the right to review and copy your PHI we maintain. If you wish to have access to your PHI, please write to us. We will respond to your request and tell you when and where you can review your PHI in our possession within our normal business hours. If you would like a copy of the information we have, please write to us at the same address. If we provide you with a copy, we may charge a reasonable administrative fee for copying your PHI to the extent permitted by applicable law. If we deny your request for review or copy of your PHI, we will explain the reason in writing. If we don’t have your PHI, but know who does, we will tell you who to contact.

Right to Amend Your PHI

You have the right to request amendments to your PHI. If you wish to have your PHI corrected or updated, please write to us and tell us what you want changed and why. We will respond to you in writing, either accepting or denying your request. If we deny your request, we will explain why. You may also send us an addendum that is no longer than 250 words in length for each item you believe is incorrect. Please clearly indicate that you want the addendum to be included in your PHI. We will attach your addendum to the record(s) of your PHI. Your amended PHI will be available for your review upon request.

Right to Receive an Accounting of Disclosures of Your PHI

You have the right to request an accounting of certain disclosures that we make of your PHI. You can request an accounting by writing to us. Please note that certain disclosures, such as those made for treatment, payment, or health care operations, need not be included in the accounting we provide to you. We will respond to your request within a reasonable period of time, but no later than 60 days after we receive your written request.

Right to Receive a Copy of This Notice

You have the right to request and receive a paper copy of this Notice.

Right to Request Restrictions

You have the right to request restrictions on how we use and disclose your PHI for our treatment, payment, and health care operations. All requests must be made in writing. Upon receipt, we will review your request and notify you whether we have accepted or denied your request. Please note that we are not required to accept your request for restrictions. Your PHI is critical for providing you with quality health care. We believe we have taken appropriate safeguards and internal restrictions to protect your PHI, and that additional restrictions may be harmful to your care.

Right to Confidential Communications

You have the right to request that we provide your PHI to you in a confidential manner. For example, you may request that we send your PHI by an alternate means (e.g., sending by a sealed envelope, rather than a post card) or to an alternate address (e.g., calling you at a different telephone number, or sending a letter to you at your office address rather than your home address). We will accommodate any reasonable requests, unless they are administratively too burdensome, or prohibited by law.

Right to Complain

We must follow the privacy practices set forth in this Notice while in effect. If you have any questions about this Notice, wish to exercise your rights, or file a complaint; please direct your inquiries to:

GRUTZMACHER & LEWIS, A MEDICAL CORPORATION
1515 RIVER PARK DRIVE, SUITE 100
SACRAMENTO, CA 95815

You may contact your Health Plan or the California Department of Managed Care with your concerns as well. You also have the right to directly complain to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Service. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint against us.

Rights Reserved

We will use and disclose your PHI to the fullest extent authorized by law. We reserve the rights as expressed in this Notice. We reserve the right to revise our privacy practices consistent with law and make them applicable to your entire PHI we maintain, regardless of when it was received or created. If we make material or important changes to our privacy practices, we will promptly revise our Notice. Unless the changes are required by law, we will not implement material changes to our privacy practices before we revise our Notice. You may request updates to this Notice at any time.

Effective Date

The effective date of this Notice is April 14, 2003.