Notice of Privacy Practices

Last updated October 09, 2023

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"), you have certain rights regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information ("PHI")[cite: 11]. You may have additional rights under state and local law[cite: 6].

AGREEMENT REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION

We understand that health information about you and your health care is personal[cite: 13]. We are committed to protecting health information about you[cite: 14]. We create a record of the care and services you receive from us to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements[cite: 14, 15]. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by this health care practice[cite: 16].

Required by law, we must:

  • Make sure that PHI that identifies you is kept private[cite: 21].
  • Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information[cite: 22].
  • Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect[cite: 23].

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

Federal privacy rules allow health care providers who have a direct treatment relationship with a patient to use or disclose their personal health information without written authorization for the following purposes[cite: 31]:

  • Treatment: We may use and disclose your PHI to coordinate and manage your care[cite: 31, 39]. For example, if a clinician consults with another licensed provider regarding your medical indicators, we are permitted to use and share your PHI to assist in diagnosis and optimization[cite: 33, 35].
  • Healthcare Operations & Payment: We may use your PHI for operational purposes, including sending you appointment reminders, processing billing invoices, and managing clinical workflows[cite: 31, 36].
  • Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a dispute, we may disclose health information in response to a court order, administrative order, subpoena, or discovery request, provided efforts have been made to notify you or secure a protective order[cite: 40, 41].

USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRING YOUR SPECIFIC AUTHORIZATION

  • Marketing Purposes: We will never use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes without your explicit, prior written consent[cite: 54]. For instance, if you submit a patient review containing health details, we will provide a separate HIPAA release authorization before sharing it publicly[cite: 55, 56]. You retain the right to withdraw this consent at any time[cite: 59].
  • Psychotherapy Notes: Any use or disclosure of clinical psychotherapy notes outside of basic treatment, internal training, or formal legal defense requires direct authorization under 45 CFR § 164.501[cite: 43, 44, 46, 47].
  • Sale of PHI: We will not sell your protected health information[cite: 63].

USES AND DISCLOSURES PERMITTED WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION

Subject to statutory limitations, we may share your information without prior authorization for specific public safety or regulatory needs, including[cite: 65, 66]:

  • Compliance with state or federal laws[cite: 70].
  • Public health activities, including reporting suspected abuse or preventing serious safety threats[cite: 71].
  • Health oversight audits, judicial proceedings, or law enforcement reporting on premises[cite: 72, 73, 74].
  • Coroner, medical examiner, or organ donation requests authorized by law[cite: 75, 81].
  • Specialized government, military, or workers' compensation functions[cite: 78, 80].

YOUR RIGHT TO OBJECT

You have the right and choice to tell us if we may share your PHI with family members, close friends, or others involved directly in your care or payment tracking[cite: 83]. In emergency or unconscious situations, consent may be handled retroactively to protect your immediate safety[cite: 84].

YOUR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS UNDER HIPAA

  • Right to Request Limits: Request restrictions on specific uses for treatment or operations[cite: 86, 87]. We are not legally required to agree if it compromises your health safety[cite: 88].
  • Out-of-Pocket Restrictions: If you pay for a medical service or treatment entirely out-of-pocket in full, you have the right to restrict disclosure of that PHI to health insurance plans[cite: 89, 90].
  • Right to Choose Communication Methods: Request that we contact you via a specific method (e.g., alternative email or phone lines)[cite: 91, 92].
  • Right to Inspect and Copy: Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical charts within 30 days of a written request[cite: 93, 94, 95]. A reasonable cost-based fee may apply[cite: 96].
  • Accounting of Disclosures: Request a list of specific disclosures made over the past six years (excluding treatment/operations)[cite: 97, 98, 100]. We will process the first request per year free of charge[cite: 101].
  • Right to Correct/Update: Ask us to amend or correct mistakes in your medical file[cite: 102]. Decisions will be addressed in writing within 60 days[cite: 104].

HOW TO FILE A PRIVACY COMPLAINT

If you feel your privacy rights have been violated, you can file an internal complaint directly with us using our contact details listed on our website[cite: 112]. Alternatively, you may file an official complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights (200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington D.C. 20201, or via www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints)[cite: 112].

We will not retaliate against you in any way for filing a complaint[cite: 113].

We reserve the right to update the terms of this Notice[cite: 24, 115]. Modified versions will always be available upon request, via our secure portal, and published live on our digital clinic interface[cite: 25, 116].