NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Advanced Psychiatric Solutions, LLC

Effective Date: 11/16/2024

Privacy Officer: Resheda House

Email: resheda@advancedpsychiatricsolutions.org

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.

We understand the importance of privacy and are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of your medical information.  We make a record of the medical care we provide and may receive such records from others.  We use these records to provide or enable other health care providers to provide quality medical care, to obtain payment for services provided to you and to enable us to meet our professional and legal obligations to operate this practice properly. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information, to provide individuals with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information, and to notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured protected health information. This notice describes how we may use and disclose your medical information.  It also describes your rights and our legal obligations with respect to your medical information.  If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact our Privacy Officer listed above.

How This Practice May Use or Disclose Your Health Information Without Your Permission

This practice collects health information about you and stores it in a chart (on a computer and/or in an electronic health record/personal health record).  This is your medical record.  The medical record is the property of this practice, but the information in the medical record belongs to you.  The law permits us to use or disclose your health information for the following purposes:

1. Treatment.  We use your health information about you to provide your care and we may disclose your health information to others who are involved in providing the care you need.  For example, we may share your health information with other health care providers such as your pharmacist, primary care provider, specialist provider, or laboratory that performs a test.  We may also disclose your health information to members of your family or others directly involved in your treatment based on your consent or as necessary to prevent serious harm.
2. Payment.  We use and disclose your health information about you to obtain payment for the services we provide.  
3. Health Care Operations.  We may use and disclose  your health care about you to operate this practice.  For example, we may use and disclose this information to review and improve the quality of care we provide, or the competence and qualifications of our professional staff.  Or we may use and disclose this information to get your health plan to authorize services or referrals.  We may also use and disclose this information as necessary for medical reviews, legal services and audits, including fraud and abuse detection and compliance programs.  We may also share your health care information with our "business associates," that perform administrative services for us.  We have a written contract with each of these business associates that contains terms requiring them and their subcontractors to protect the confidentiality and security of your protected health information. We may also share your information with other health care providers, health care clearinghouses or health plans that have a relationship with you.
4. Appointment Reminders.  We may use and disclose your health information to contact and remind you about appointments.  If you are not home, we may leave this information on your answering machine or in a message left with the person answering the phone.
5. Sign In Sheet.  We may use and disclose your health information about you by having you sign in when you arrive at our office.  We may also call out your name when we are ready to see you.
6. Notification and Communication With Family.  We may disclose your health information to close family members or friends involved in your treatment based on your consent or as necessary to prevent serious harm.
7. Required by Law.  As required by law, we will use and disclose your health information, but we will limit our use or disclosure to the relevant requirements of the law.  When the law requires us to report abuse, neglect or domestic violence, or respond to judicial or administrative proceedings, or to law enforcement officials, we will further comply with the requirement set forth below concerning those activities. We may disclose your information regarding deceased patients as mandated by state law or to a family member or friend that was involved in your care or payment of care prior to death, based on your prior consent.
8. Public Health.  We may, and are sometimes required by law, to disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to:  preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability; reporting child, elder or dependent adult abuse or neglect; reporting domestic violence; reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications; and reporting disease or infection exposure.  
9. Health Oversight Activities.  We may, and are sometimes required by law, to disclose your health information to health oversight agencies during the course of audits, investigations, inspections, licensure and other proceedings, subject to the limitations imposed by law.
10. Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. We may, and are sometimes required by law, to disclose your health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding to the extent expressly authorized by a court or administrative order.  We may also disclose information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process if reasonable efforts have been made to notify you of the request and you have not objected, or if your objections have been resolved by a court or administrative order.
11. Law Enforcement.  We may, and are sometimes required by law, to disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order, warrant, grand jury subpoena and other law enforcement purposes.
12. Public Safety.  We may, and are sometimes required by law, to disclose your health information to appropriate persons in order to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or the general public.
13. Specialized Government Functions.  We may disclose your health information for military or national security purposes or to correctional institutions or law enforcement officers that have you in their lawful custody.
14. Workers’ Compensation.  We may disclose your health information as necessary to comply with workers’ compensation laws.  For example, to the extent your care is covered by workers' compensation, we will make periodic reports to your employer about your condition.  We are also required by law to report cases of occupational injury or occupational illness to the employer or workers' compensation insurer.
15. Change of Ownership.  In the event that this practice is sold or merged with another organization, your health information/record will become the property of the new owner, although you will maintain the right to request that copies of your health information be transferred to another physician or medical group. 
16. Psychotherapy Notes.  We will not use or disclose your psychotherapy notes without your prior written authorization except for the following: 1) use by the originator of the notes for your treatment, 2) for training our staff, students and other trainees, 3) to defend ourselves if you sue us or bring some other legal proceeding, 4) if the law requires us to disclose the information to you or the Secretary of HHS or for some other reason, 5) in response to health oversight activities concerning your psychotherapist, 6) to avert a serious and imminent threat to health or safety, or 7) to the coroner or medical examiner after you die. To the extent you revoke an authorization to use or disclose your psychotherapy notes, we will stop using or disclosing these notes.

When This Medical Practice May Not Use or Disclose Your Health Information

Your Health Information Rights

1. 1. Right to Request Special Privacy Protections.  You can request us not to use or share your information for treatment, payment, or health care operations. You can also ask us not to share information with individuals involved in your care, e.g. family members or friends. You must make these requests in writing. We must share information when required by law. We reserve the right to accept or reject any other request, and will notify you of our decision.
   2. Right to Request Confidential Communications.  You have the right to request that you receive your health information in a specific way or at a specific location.  You must submit these request in writing.
   3. Right to Inspect and Copy.  You have the right to see your health information and request a copy of that information with limited exceptions. To access your medical information, you must submit a written request detailing what information you want access to, whether you want to inspect it or get a copy of it, and if you want a copy, your preferred form and format. You may also request a copy of your health information be provided to another person.
   4. Right to Amend or Supplement.  You have a right to request that we amend your health information that you believe is incorrect or incomplete.  You must make a request to amend in writing, and include the reasons you believe the information is inaccurate or incomplete.  We are not required to change your health information, and will provide you with information about this medical practice's denial and how you can disagree with the denial.  We may deny your request if we do not have the information, if we did not create the information (unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment), if you would not be permitted to inspect or copy the information at issue, or if the information is accurate and complete as is.  If we deny your request, you may submit a written statement of your disagreement with that decision, and we may, in turn, prepare a written rebuttal. All information related to any request to amend will be maintained and disclosed in conjunction with any subsequent disclosure of the disputed information.  
   5. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures.  You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by this practice, except that this medical practice does not have to account for the disclosures provided to you or pursuant to your written authorization, or as described in above paragraphs: (treatment),  (payment), (health care operations), (notification and communication with family) and (specialized government functions) of Section A of this Notice of Privacy Practices or disclosures for purposes of research or public health.
   6. Right to a Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice.  You have a right to notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information, including a right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices, even if you have previously requested its receipt by e-mail.

Changes to this Notice of Privacy Practices

We reserve the right to amend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future.  Until such amendment is made, we are required by law to comply with the terms of this Notice currently in effect.  After an amendment is made, the revised Notice of Privacy Protections will apply to all protected health information that we maintain, regardless of when it was created or received.  We will keep a copy of the current notice posted on our website www.advpsychsolution.com.

Complaints

You can file a complaint with us or with the government if you think that your information was used or shared in a way that is not allowed. You can also complaint when you were not allowed to view a copy of your information. To file a complaint with us, please contact our Privacy Officer listed at the top of this form. You can file a complaint with your regional office of the United States Office of Civil Rights. You will not be penalized in any way for filing a complaint.