Notice of Privacy Practices

We May Use and Disclose Your PHI Without Your Approval for the Following Purposes

• Treatment. We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare treatment and related services. For example, we may use your PHI to discuss your care plans and provision of services during your appointment. We may also disclose your PHI to other healthcare providers involved in your care.
• Payment. We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for the services we provide to you. This may include disclosures to your health plan, billing companies, and collection agencies.
• Healthcare Operations. We may use and disclose your PHI for our healthcare operations. For example, we may use your PHI to evaluate the quality of care you received from us, to conduct cost-management and business planning activities, and to train new workers.
• Public Health Activities. We may disclose your PHI to public health authorities as authorized by law, including reporting disease, injury, vital events, and conducting public health surveillance or investigations.
• As Required by Law. We will share your PHI as required by state, local or federal law. For example, we may disclose your PHI to a health oversight agency for investigations, inspections, audits, and surveys. We may also disclose your PHI if asked to do so by a law enforcement official or in response to a court order, discovery request, or subpoena.
• Serious Threats to Health or Safety. We may use and disclose your PHI when necessary to reduce or prevent a serious threat to the health and safety of you or anyone else.
• Research. We can use or share your PHI for health research if (a) the research protocol has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established the protocols to ensure the privacy of your PHI; or (b) where we have received assurances from a researcher that the PHI is sought solely for review as necessary to prepare a research protocol or for similar purposes preparatory to research and no PHI will be removed from our premises in the course of the review.
• Work with a Medical Examiner or Funeral Director. We can share your PHI with a coroner or medical examiner for the purpose of identifying a deceased person, determining a cause of death, or other purposes as authorized by law. We may also disclose your PHI to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.
• Respond to Organ and Tissue Donation Requests. We may share your PHI with organizations involved in the procurement, banking, or transplantation of cadaveric organs, eyes or tissue, for the purpose of facilitating organ and tissue donation where applicable.
• Address Workers' Compensation Requests. We may share your PHI as authorized by, and in compliance with, laws relating to workers' compensation and similar programs established by law that provide benefits for work-related illnesses and injuries without regard to fault.
• Disclosures for Health-Related Benefits or Services. Sometimes we may want to contact you regarding service reminders, health-related products or services that may be of interest to you, such as health care providers or settings of care or to tell you about other health-related products or services offered at Viewpoint. You have the right not to accept such information.
• To Personal Representatives. We may disclose PHI to a person designated by you to act on your behalf and make decisions about your care in accordance with state law. We will act according to your written instructions in your chart and our ability to verify the identity of anyone claiming to be your personal representative.
• To Family and Friends. We may disclose PHI to people that you indicate are involved in your care or the payment of care. These disclosures may occur when you are not present, as long as you agree and do not express an objection. These disclosures may also occur if you are unavailable, incapacitated, or facing an emergency medical situation and we determine that a limited disclosure may be in your best interest. We may also disclose limited PHI to a public or private entity that is authorized to assist in disaster relief efforts in order for that entity to locate a family member or other person that may be involved in caring for you. You have the right to limit or stop these disclosures.
• Business Associates. We may disclose your PHI to our third-party business associates that perform activities or services on our behalf (e.g., an accounting or billing company). Each business associate must agree in writing to protect the confidentiality of your PHI.

Your Rights Regarding Your PHI

• Request Access. You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of PHI that may be used to make decisions about you, including your medical records and billing records. You must submit your request to us in writing in order to inspect and/or obtain a copy of the PHI we use and disclose about you.
• Request Amendment. You may ask us to amend your health record. To ask us to amend your health record please send a written request to our offices. We may deny your request to amend information if the information was not created by us, maintained by us, or if we determine the information is accurate. You may appeal in writing a decision by us not to amend your information.
• Request an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request a list of many of the disclosures we make of your PHI. To ask us for an accounting of our disclosures of your PHI, please send a written request to our offices.
• Request Restrictions. You have the right to ask us not to make uses or disclosures of your PHI to provide you with services, to seek payment for care, or to operate our healthcare operations. Although we may consider your request, we are not legally required to agree to your request, except as noted below. If you make a request for a restriction on the disclosure of your PHI to a health plan where the medical information relates solely to an item or service for which you paid for out of pocket in full, we are required to abide by your request, unless we are required by law to make the disclosure. It is your responsibility to notify any other providers about any such restrictions.
• Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health and related issues in a particular manner or at a certain location. For instance, you may ask that we contact you at home, rather than work, or to send communications in a sealed envelope instead of a postcard. You may be asked to pay for additional costs incurred to comply with your request. All requests must be in writing. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
• Paper Copy of This Notice. You are entitled to receive a paper copy of this Notice. You will be offered a copy on your first visit to the practice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time.

Substance Use Disorder Records

If we receive or maintain any information about you from a substance use disorder treatment program that is covered by 42 CFR Part 2 (a “SUD Program”) through a general consent you signed allowing disclosure for the purposes of treatment, payment or health care operations, we may use and disclose those SUD Program records for treatment, payment and health care operations purposes as otherwise described in this Notice. If we receive or maintain your SUD Program records through a specific consent you provide to us or another third party, we will use and disclose those SUD Program records only as expressly permitted by that consent.

In no event will we use or disclose your SUD Program records in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings by any Federal, State, or local authority, against you, unless authorized by your consent or the order of a court after it provides you notice of the court order.

Right to File a Complaint

Please tell us about any problems or concerns you have with your privacy rights or how we use or disclose your PHI. If for some reason we cannot resolve your concern, you can also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/. We will not penalize you or retaliate against you in any way for filing a complaint with us or the federal government.

Authorization for Other Uses and Disclosures

We will obtain your written authorization for uses and disclosures that are not covered by this notice or permitted by applicable law, such as for research, marketing, sale of your PHI, and most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes. Any authorization you provide to us regarding the use and disclosure of your PHI may be revoked at any time in writing. After you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose your PHI for the reasons described in the authorization.

Receive Notice of a Breach

You have the right to be notified in writing following a breach of your PHI that is not secured in accordance with certain security standards.

Changes to This Notice

From time to time, we may change our practices concerning how we use or disclose PHI, or how we will implement patient rights concerning their information. We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the provisions in our new Notice effective for all PHI we maintain. A revised Notice will be published for any future changes to these practices. Copies of the current Notice may be obtained by contacting us at info@viewpointdualrecovery.com. You may also visit our website at viewpointdualrecovery.com.