Notice of Privacy Practices
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.
My commitment to your privacy
Innerstanding Psychotherapy PLLC (the practice, "I" or "me") is required by law to keep your protected health information (PHI) private, to give you this notice of my legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the notice currently in effect. PHI is information that identifies you and relates to your past, present or future health, the care you receive, or payment for that care.
How I may use and disclose your health information
For treatment. I use your information to provide therapy and to coordinate your care. With your written permission, I may share information with another provider involved in your care, such as a prescribing provider for ketamine-assisted treatment.
For payment. I may use and disclose information to bill and collect payment, including submitting claims to your health plan and responding to its requests. If you pay privately and in full, you can ask me not to share information with your health plan about that service, and I must agree.
For health care operations. I may use information to run the practice, such as quality review, training, licensing, professional consultation and business administration.
Appointment reminders and practice communications. I may contact you by email, text or phone to remind you of appointments or to share information about your care. You may ask me to use a particular contact method.
Business associates. I use services such as an electronic health record, a telehealth video platform and a billing service. Each must sign an agreement requiring them to protect your information.
Uses and disclosures that require your written authorization
- Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, which are my separate notes about the content of our sessions.
- Uses and disclosures for marketing purposes.
- Any sale of your health information.
- Any other use or disclosure not described in this notice.
You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. The revocation does not affect disclosures I have already made in reliance on it.
Uses and disclosures that do not require your authorization
The law permits or requires me to use or disclose information without your authorization in limited situations, including:
- As required by law, including reporting suspected abuse or neglect of a child, a dependent adult or an older adult.
- To prevent a serious threat to your health or safety or the safety of another person, to the extent state law allows or requires.
- Judicial and administrative proceedings, in response to a court order or, in some circumstances, a subpoena. I will try to inform you so you can object, unless the law prevents it.
- Health oversight by licensing boards and government agencies authorized to audit or investigate the practice.
- Public health activities, such as reporting required by public health authorities.
- Law enforcement, in the narrow situations permitted by law.
- Workers' compensation claims, to the extent authorized by law.
- Coroners and medical examiners, as permitted by law.
- Specialized government functions, such as military or national security activities.
- Research, only with safeguards approved under federal rules.
Telehealth
All sessions take place by secure video. Sessions are not recorded by me, and I ask that you do not record them either. I take reasonable steps to hold sessions from a private space, and I ask you to do the same.
Your rights
- To see and get a copy of your record. You may inspect and receive a copy of your health information, with limited exceptions such as psychotherapy notes. I may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies. State law may give you extra rights.
- To ask for a correction. If you believe information in your record is wrong or incomplete, you may ask me in writing to amend it. I may decline, and if I do I will tell you why and how to respond.
- To an accounting of disclosures. You may ask for a list of certain disclosures I have made of your information in the past six years.
- To request restrictions. You may ask me to limit how I use or share your information. I am not required to agree, except for the health plan restriction described under Payment above.
- To confidential communications. You may ask me to contact you in a certain way or at a certain place, for example by email only or at a specific phone number. I will accommodate reasonable requests.
- To a paper copy of this notice, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.
- To be notified of a breach of your unsecured health information.
- To choose someone to act for you, such as a person with a valid medical power of attorney.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may complain to me using the contact details below, or to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201, by phone at 1-800-368-1019, or online at www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints. I will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
State law
Where the law of the state you live in gives you more protection than federal law, I follow state law. Mental health records have added protections in each of the states where I am licensed: Washington, Florida, Colorado, Idaho, Vermont, Delaware and South Carolina.
Changes to this notice
I may change this notice and make the new notice apply to information I already hold. The current notice is always posted on this website, and a copy is available on request.
Contact
Sean O'Connor, MA, LMHC, Privacy Officer
Innerstanding Psychotherapy PLLC
Email: sean@innerstandingpsychotherapy.com
Text preferred: (509) 341-0067