HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully. This practice is committed to maintaining client confidentiality. Release of your health care information is done in accordance with federal and state laws and the ethics of the social work and counseling professions. This notice is required to be given to all clients, and it describes policies related to the use and disclosure of your healthcare information, your rights, and this practice’s responsibilities.
Treatment
This practice may need to use or disclose health information about you to provide, manage, or coordinate your care or related services, such
as: consultants and potential referral sources. In all cases, your identifying information will not be disclosed without explicit written permission from you.
Payment
Your health information may be used or disclosed to provide what is necessary to verify insurance coverage and/or benefits with your insurance carrier as well as to process your claims and bills. If your insurance company or other payor is seeking health information about you beyond the usual standard, you will be informed before such information is provided.
Operations
This practice may need to use information about you to review treatment procedures and business activity. Information may be used for certification,
compliance, and licensing activities. In all cases, no identifying information will be disclosed without written permission from you.
There are other uses or disclosures of your information that do not require your consent, as provided for in the law:
Emergencies: Sufficient information may be shared to address an immediate emergency (example: you have fallen in our office and we call 911).
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: Your personal health information may be disclosed in the course of a judicial or administrative proceeding in response to a valid court order or other lawful process (example: Workers Compensation).
Mandated Reporting: If you are an immediate danger to yourself or others, your health information will be disclosed to the authorities, as well as alerting any other person who may be in danger, should there be a suspicion of child, disabled person, or elder abuse/neglect, it is an obligation under state law to report this to the appropriate authority.
Criminal Activity or Danger to Others: Health information may be disclosed if a crime is committed on the premises or against our personnel, or if it is believed someone is in immediate danger.
National Security, Intelligence Activities, and Protective Services to the President and Others: Health information may be released to authorized federal officials as authorized by law in order to protect the President or other national or international figures, or in cases of national security.
Business Associates: The minimum necessary health information may be disclosed to business associates who perform functions on this practice’s behalf. (For example: billing, bookkeeping, etc.) These business associates comply with the standards of privacy practices and are not allowed to use or disclose any information other than that which is needed to perform their function.
Clinical Supervision: Under the professional ethics of the social work and counseling professions, clinical supervision is encouraged, and your health information may be disclosed during this time to provide you with the highest quality of care
Scheduling Appointments: Your phone number will be used to contact you to schedule appointments unless you specify otherwise (See Right to Request How You are Contacted below).
Client’s Rights
Right to Receive Appropriate Treatment: You have a right to receive treatment that is appropriate and helpful. If you are not satisfied, you may terminate treatment at any time.
Right to Request How You are Contacted (phone, voicemail, text, email): It is the typical practice to communicate with you at the phone number you provide. Unless you specify, voicemails may be left for you. If you prefer email contact, you have a right to specify this, but please understand that email communication is not guaranteed confidential. Bills and receipts will be emailed to you unless otherwise specified. You have a right to specify the way that you prefer communication and messages left. No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties. Phone numbers we collect and the consent we have received from you will not be shared with third party providers without your specific written consent.
Choosing to engage in text (SMS) messaging with your therapist is entirely voluntary, and you have the right to refuse or withdraw your consent at any time. You may opt out of receiving text messages by contacting your Therapist directly and making this request. However, please note that opting out may impact the Provider’s ability to communicate important information about your treatment or appointments. While every effort will be made to protect the security and confidentiality of information transmitted through text (SMS) messages, there are inherent risks associated with all electronic communication. These risks include unauthorized access, loss of privacy, and potential breach of sensitive information. It is important to be aware that text (SMS) messages may not be entirely secure and could be intercepted or accessed by unintended recipients. Message and data rates may apply to text messages. Please consult your mobile service provider regarding any applicable fees or charges.
Right to Inspect and Copy Records: You have the right to look at or get copies of your health information. If you request a copy of your records, the
request must be in writing and a reasonable charge may be made for the costs incurred.
Right to Release Your Medical Records: You may consent in writing to release your records to other providers. You have the right to revoke this
authorization, in writing, at any time. However, this revocation will not affect any of the communication made prior to the revocation.
Right to Correct Your Medical Records: You have a right to request that items are added or amended in your health information. Your request must be in writing and it must explain why the information should be amended. This practice has the right to deny your request under certain circumstances and you will be told in writing within 30 days.
Right to Get a List of All Instances in Which Your Information Has Been Shared: You have the right to receive a list of instances in which your health information has been disclosed for a purpose other than treatment, payment, or health care operations or when you have asked
for your information to be disclosed. To request an accounting of disclosures, you must do so in writing. This information is available seven years after
the last date of service.
Right to Ask for Limited Use or Sharing: You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information used or disclosed about you. For example, you could ask that information not be shared with the insurance company, in which case you would be responsible to pay in full for the services provided. To limit the use or sharing of your information, a request must be done so in writing. This practice has the right not to agree to the request, but it will be considered very seriously. If this practice agrees, the agreement will be abided by unless the information is needed in an emergency or by law.
Changes to the Terms of this Notice
We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, as well as on our website (in the client forms section).
Benefits and Risks of Telehealth
Telehealth refers to providing psychotherapy services remotely using telecommunications technologies, such as video conferencing or telephone. One of the benefits of telehealth is that the client and clinician can engage in services without being in the same physical location. This can be helpful in ensuring continuity of care during national or local health emergencies (e.g. COVID19) or if the client or clinician moves to a different location, takes an extended vacation, or is otherwise unable to continue to meet in person. It can be also more convenient and take less time. Telehealth, however, requires technical competence on both our parts to be helpful. Although there are benefits of telehealth, there are some differences between in-person psychotherapy and telehealth, as well as some risks. For example:
Risks to confidentiality
Because telehealth sessions take place outside of the therapist’s private office, there is potential for other people to overhear sessions if you are not in a private place during the session. On our end we will take reasonable steps to ensure your privacy. But it is important for you to make sure you find a private place for our session where you will not be interrupted. It is also important for you to protect the privacy of our session on your cell phone or other device. You should participate in therapy only while in a room or area where other people are not present and cannot overhear the conversation.
Issues related to technology
There are many ways that technology issues might impact telehealth. For example, technology may stop working during a session, other people might be able to get access to our private conversation (though Life Care Wellness therapists use HIPAA compliant technology), or stored data could be accessed by unauthorized people or companies.
Crisis management and intervention
Usually, we will not engage in telehealth with clients who are currently in a crisis situation requiring high levels of support and intervention. Before engaging in telehealth, your therapist will develop with you an emergency response plan to address potential crisis situations that may arise during the course of your telehealth work.
Efficacy
Most research shows that telehealth is about as effective as in-person psychotherapy. However, some therapists believe that something is lost by not being in the same room. For example, there is debate about a therapist’s ability to fully understand non-verbal information when working remotely.
Electronic Communications
We will decide together which kind of telehealth service to use. While you are solely responsible for any cost to you to obtain any necessary equipment, accessories, or software to take part in telehealth, the telehealth video call system Life Care Wellness is using has no cost to you.
Confidentiality
Life Care Wellness has a legal and ethical responsibility to make my best efforts to protect all communications that are a part of our telehealth. However, the nature of electronic communications technologies is such that we cannot guarantee that our communications will be kept confidential or that other people may not gain access to our communications. We will try to use updated encryption methods, firewalls, and back-up systems to help keep your information private, but there is a risk that our electronic communications may be compromised, unsecured, or accessed by others. You should also take reasonable steps to ensure the security of our communications (for example, only using secure networks for telehealth sessions and having passwords to protect the device you use for telehealth).
No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
The extent of confidentiality and the exceptions to confidentiality that we outlined in our Service Contract still apply in telehealth. Please let your therapist know if you have any questions about exceptions to confidentiality.