Notice of Privacy Practices

Protected health information (PHI) about you is maintained as a written and/or electronic record of your contacts or visits for healthcare services with our practice. Specifically, PHI is information about you, including demographic information (for example, name, address, phone number), that may identify you and relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition and related healthcare services.

Our practice is required by law to follow specific rules on maintaining the confidentiality of your PHI, using your information, and disclosing or sharing this information with other healthcare professionals involved in your care and treatment. This Notice describes your rights to access and control your PHI. It also describes how we follow applicable rules and how we use and disclose your PHI to provide your treatment, obtain payment for services you receive, manage our healthcare operations, and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law.

Your Rights Under the Privacy Rule

The following is a statement of your rights, under the Privacy Rule, in reference to your PHI. Please feel free to discuss any questions with our staff.

You Have the Right to Receive This Notice

You have the right to receive, and we are required to provide you with, a copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We are required to follow the terms of this Notice. We reserve the right to change the terms of our Notice at any time. Upon your request, we will provide you with a revised Notice of Privacy Practices if you call our office and request that a revised copy be sent to you in the mail, or ask for one at the time of your next appointment. The Notice will also be posted in a conspicuous location within the practice and, if maintained by the practice, on our website.

You Have the Right to Authorize Other Uses and Disclosures

You have the right to authorize any use or disclosure of PHI that is not specified within this Notice. For example, we would need your written authorization to use or disclose your PHI for certain marketing purposes, for most uses or disclosures of psychotherapy notes, or if we intend to sell your PHI. You may revoke an authorization at any time in writing, except to the extent that your healthcare provider, or our practice, has taken action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.

You Have the Right to Request Alternative Means of Confidential Communication

You have the right to ask us to contact you about medical matters using an alternative method (for example, email or telephone) and to a destination (such as an alternative address or cell phone number) designated by you. You must inform us in writing, using a form provided by our practice, how you wish to be contacted if other than the address or phone number we have on file. We will follow all reasonable requests.

You Have the Right to Inspect and Copy Your PHI

You may inspect and obtain a copy of your complete health record. If your health record is maintained electronically, you also have the right to request a copy in electronic format. We have the right to charge a reasonable fee for paper or electronic copies as established by professional, state, or federal guidelines.

You Have the Right to Request a Restriction of Your PHI

You may ask us, in writing, not to use or disclose any part of your PHI for the purposes of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. If we agree to the requested restriction, we will abide by it, except in emergency circumstances when the information is needed for your treatment.

In certain cases, we may deny your request for a restriction. However, you have the right to request, in writing, that we restrict communication to your health plan regarding a specific treatment or service that you, or someone on your behalf, has paid for in full, out-of-pocket. We are not permitted to deny this specific type of requested restriction.

You May Have the Right to Request an Amendment to Your PHI

You may request an amendment of your PHI for as long as we maintain this information. In certain cases, we may deny your request. If we deny your request, you have the right to submit a statement of disagreement, which we will keep with your record.

You Have the Right to Request a Disclosure Accountability

You may request a listing (accounting) of disclosures that we have made of your PHI to entities or persons outside of our office, except for those disclosures related to treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and certain other disclosures (such as those you authorized).

You Have the Right to Receive a Privacy Breach Notice

You have the right to receive written notification if the practice discovers a breach of your unsecured PHI and determines, through a risk assessment, that notification is required.

If you have questions regarding your privacy rights, please feel free to contact our Privacy Manager. Contact information is provided below under Privacy Complaints.

How We May Use or Disclose Protected Health Information

Following are examples of uses and disclosures of your PHI that we are permitted to make. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but to describe possible types of uses and disclosures.

Treatment

We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your healthcare with a third party that is involved in your care and treatment. For example, we may disclose your PHI to another healthcare provider who is treating your child, to your primary care physician, or to a pharmacy that fills prescriptions.

Special Notices

We may use or disclose your PHI, as necessary, to contact you to remind you of your appointment. We may contact you by phone, text message, secure portal, or other means to provide results from exams or assessments, and to provide information that describes or recommends treatment alternatives regarding your care. We may also contact you to provide information about health-related benefits and services offered by our office, for fundraising activities, or, with respect to a group health plan, to disclose information to the health plan sponsor. You will have the right to opt out of such special notices, and each such notice will include instructions for opting out where applicable.

Payment

Your PHI will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your healthcare services. This may include certain activities that your health insurance plan may undertake before it approves or pays for the services we recommend, such as making a determination of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits, reviewing services provided, or for utilization review activities.

Healthcare Operations

We may use or disclose your PHI in order to support the business activities of our practice. This includes, but is not limited to, business planning and development, quality assessment and improvement, medical review, legal services, auditing functions, and patient safety activities. For example, we may use PHI to review our services and to evaluate the performance of our staff providing care to you or your child.

Health Information Organization

Our practice may elect to use a health information organization or other such entity to facilitate the electronic exchange of information for the purposes of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, as permitted by law.

To Others Involved in Your Healthcare

Unless you object, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend, or any other person you identify, your PHI that directly relates to that person’s involvement in your care. If you are unable to agree or object to such a disclosure, we may disclose such information as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest based on our professional judgment.

We may use or disclose PHI to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative, or any other person responsible for your care, of your general condition or death. If you are not present or able to agree or object, your healthcare provider may, using professional judgment, determine whether the disclosure is in your best interest. In this case, only the PHI that is necessary will be disclosed.

Other Permitted and Required Uses and Disclosures

We are also permitted to use or disclose your PHI without your written authorization for the following purposes:

• As required by law;
• For public health activities;
• For health oversight activities;
• In cases of abuse or neglect;
• To comply with Food and Drug Administration requirements;
• For research purposes (under certain conditions);
• For legal proceedings;
• For law enforcement purposes;
• To coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors;
• For organ, eye, or tissue donation purposes;
• For certain types of criminal activity or to avert a serious threat to health or safety;
• For military and national security activities;
• For worker’s compensation and similar programs;
• When you are an inmate in a correctional facility or in the custody of law enforcement;
• If requested by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in order to investigate or determine our compliance with the requirements of the Privacy Rule.

Privacy Complaints

You have the right to complain to us, and/or directly to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, if you believe your privacy rights have been violated by us. You may file a complaint with us by notifying our Privacy Manager at:

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

AVISO sobre Prácticas de Privacidad

Brighter Path Behavioral Health Services LLC

La información de salud protegida (PHI), sobre usted o su hijo(a), se mantiene como un registro escrito y/o electrónico de sus contactos o visitas para servicios de salud en nuestra práctica. Específicamente, la PHI es información sobre usted, incluyendo información demográfica (por ejemplo, nombre, dirección, teléfono, etc.), que puede identificarle y que se relaciona con su condición de salud física o mental pasada, presente o futura, y con los servicios de atención médica relacionados.

Nuestra promesa a ustedes, nuestros pacientes y familias: Su información es importante y confidencial. Nuestra ética y nuestras normas exigen que su información se mantenga en estricta confidencialidad.

Modificaciones a este Aviso

Podemos modificar los términos de este Aviso en cualquier momento. Si modificamos este Aviso, podemos poner en vigencia los nuevos términos para toda la PHI que mantenemos, incluyendo información creada o recibida antes de la emisión del nuevo Aviso. Si modificamos este Aviso, publicaremos el Aviso revisado en el área de espera de nuestra oficina y, si corresponde, en nuestro sitio web.

Introducción

La ley nos exige que mantengamos la privacidad de la información sobre su salud. También se nos exige que le proporcionemos este Aviso sobre nuestras prácticas de privacidad, nuestras obligaciones legales y sus derechos concernientes a su información de salud (PHI). Debemos respetar las prácticas de privacidad que se describen en el presente Aviso (las cuales pueden ser modificadas periódicamente).

Para obtener más información sobre nuestras prácticas de privacidad, o copias adicionales de este Aviso, por favor comuníquese con nosotros a través de los medios enumerados en la sección de Preguntas o reclamos.

Usos y divulgaciones permitidos sin su autorización escrita

Podemos usar y divulgar la PHI sin su autorización escrita para ciertos fines que se describen a continuación. En lugar de ser exhaustivos, los ejemplos que se proporcionan en cada categoría tienen el propósito de describir los tipos de usos y divulgaciones que son permitidos por ley.

Tratamiento: Podemos usar y divulgar la PHI a fin de proporcionarle su tratamiento. Por ejemplo, podemos revisar y usar su historial médico o de comportamiento para diagnosticar, proporcionar servicios de análisis de conducta aplicada (ABA) y otros servicios clínicos, y coordinar la atención con otros proveedores de salud.

Pago: Podemos usar o divulgar la PHI para determinar la cobertura, facturación, gestión de reclamos y reembolso. Por ejemplo, la factura que enviamos a su seguro de salud puede incluir información sobre los servicios terapéuticos que usted o su hijo(a) recibieron, de manera que el asegurador pueda pagarnos esos servicios.

Operaciones de atención a la salud: Podemos usar y divulgar la PHI con relación a nuestras operaciones de atención a la salud, incluyendo actividades de mejoramiento de la calidad, programas de capacitación, acreditación, certificación, emisión de licencias y actividades de supervisión clínica.

Exigidos o permitidos por ley: Podemos usar o divulgar la PHI cuando la ley nos exige o nos permite hacerlo. Por ejemplo, podemos divulgar la PHI a las autoridades competentes si creemos razonablemente que usted o su hijo(a) es una posible víctima de abuso, abandono o violencia doméstica, o es una posible víctima de otros delitos.

Usos y divulgaciones que requieren su autorización escrita

Notas de psicoterapia: Debemos obtener su autorización para utilizar o divulgar de cualquier manera las notas de psicoterapia, salvo en las circunstancias específicas permitidas por la ley.

Comunicaciones de mercadeo; venta de PHI: Debemos obtener su autorización escrita antes de usar la PHI con fines de mercadeo o para su venta, de acuerdo con las definiciones y excepciones establecidas en la Ley HIPAA.

Otros usos y divulgaciones: Los usos y divulgaciones distintos de los descritos en este Aviso sólo podrán realizarse con su autorización escrita. Usted puede revocar tal autorización en cualquier momento, mediante una notificación escrita.

Sus derechos individuales

Derecho a inspeccionar y copiar: Usted puede solicitar el acceso a sus registros médicos y de facturación que mantenemos, con el propósito de inspeccionarlos y solicitar copias.

Derecho a comunicaciones alternativas: Usted puede solicitar, por escrito y de forma razonable, recibir la PHI por medios alternativos de comunicación o en lugares alternativos (por ejemplo, correos electrónicos), y nosotros haremos adaptaciones razonables para atender su pedido.

Derecho a solicitar restricciones: Usted tiene el derecho de solicitar una restricción a la PHI que usamos o divulgamos para fines de tratamiento, pago u operaciones de atención a la salud, según se describe en la sección de derechos en inglés.

Derecho a la nómina de divulgaciones: Mediante solicitud escrita, usted puede obtener una nómina de las divulgaciones de PHI realizadas por nosotros, con sujeción a ciertas restricciones.

Derecho a solicitar modificación: Usted tiene el derecho de solicitar que modifiquemos su PHI. Debe presentar la solicitud por escrito, explicando por qué debe modificarse esa información.

Derecho a obtener aviso: Usted tiene el derecho de obtener una copia impresa de este Aviso presentando la solicitud en nuestra oficina en cualquier momento.

Derecho a recibir notificación de una infracción: Estamos obligados a notificarle si detectamos una falla en la seguridad de su PHI no segura, de acuerdo con la ley federal.

Preguntas o reclamos

Si desea obtener información adicional sobre sus derechos de privacidad, o está preocupado(a) de que hayamos violado sus derechos de privacidad, puede comunicarse con nuestra Oficina de Cumplimiento o presentar un reclamo escrito a la Oficina de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de los EE.UU. No tomaremos represalias contra usted en caso de que presente un reclamo.