Chrysallís Wellness Center
Notice of Privacy Practices
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
Our practice is dedicated to maintaining the privacy of your Individually Identifiable Health Information (IIHI) or Protected Health Information (PHI). This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information. At Chrysallís Wellness Center, the privacy of your medical information is important to us. We understand that your medical information is personal, and we are committed to protecting it.
We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We may change the terms of our notice, at any time. The new notice will be effective for all protected health information that we maintain at that time. Upon your request, we will provide you with any revised Notice of Privacy Practices by calling the office and requesting that a revised copy be sent to you in the mail or asking for one at the time of your next appointment. Our practice will also post a copy in our office in a visible location always.
Understanding Your Health Record/Information
Each time you visit a hospital, physician, or other healthcare provider, a record of your visit is made. Typically, this record contains your symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care or treatment. This information, often referred to as your health or medical record.
Your Health Information Rights
Although your health record is the physical property of the healthcare practitioner or facility that compiled it, the information belongs to you.
Right to A Copy of Your Medical Records
This means you may inspect and obtain a copy of protected health information about you that is contained in a designated record set for as long as we maintain the protected health information. A "designated record set" contains medical and billing records and any other records that your physician and the practice uses for making decisions about you. To inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must contact the office to obtain an Authorization Form. Once you have received this form, please fill it out thoroughly and send the form back to the office.
Under federal law, however, you may not inspect or copy the following records; psychotherapy notes; information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or use in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding, and protected health information that is subject to law that prohibits access to protected health information. Depending on the circumstances, a decision to deny access may be reviewed. In some circumstances, you may have a right to have this decision reviewed.
Right to Request Restrictions
You may request that any part of your protected health information not be disclosed to family members or friends who may be involved in your care or for notification purposes as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. Your request must state the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply.
Right to Amend
This means you may request an amendment of protected health information about you in a designated record set for as long as we maintain this information. In certain cases, we may deny your request for an amendment. If we deny your request for amendment, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us and we may prepare a rebuttal to your statement and will provide you with a copy of any such rebuttal. Please contact our Privacy Officer to obtain the "Health Record Amendment Form". This form must be submitted to our office.
Right to Receive Certain Accounting Disclosures
This right applies to disclosures for purposes other than treatment, payment or healthcare operations as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. It excludes disclosures we may have made to you, for a facility directory, to family members or friends involved in your care, or for notification purposes.
The right to receive this information is subject to certain exceptions, restrictions and limitations.
Right to Obtain A Paper Copy
You are entitled to receive a paper copy of our notice of privacy practices. To obtain a paper copy of this notice, please contact the Office.
Our Responsibilities Chrysallís Wellness Center is required to:
- Maintain the privacy of your health information
- Provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you
- Abide by the terms of this notice
- Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction
- Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations
Appointment Reminders
We may contact you by phone or leave a message on your home, work or cell phone as a reminder that you have a follow up appointment scheduled. Please notify us if you do not wish to be contacted for appointment reminders.
Notification
We may use or disclose information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative, or another person responsible for your care, your location, and general condition.
Communication with Family Members
Health professionals, using their best judgment, may disclose to a family member, other relative, close friend or any other person you identify, health information relevant to that person's involvement in your care or payment related to your care.
Research
We may disclose information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your health information.
Disclosures Required by Law
We may use or disclose your protected health information to the extent that the use or disclosure is required by federal, state, or local law. The use or disclosure will be made in compliance with the law and will be limited to the relevant requirements of the law. You will be notified, as required by law, of any such uses or disclosures.
Military and National Security
When the appropriate conditions apply, we may use or disclose protected health information of individuals who are Armed Forces personnel (1) for activities deemed necessary by appropriate military command authorities; (2) for a determination by the Department of Veterans Affairs of your eligibility for benefits, or (3) to foreign military authority if you are a member of that foreign military services. We may also disclose your protected health information to authorized federal officials for conducting national security and intelligence activities, including for the provision of protective services to the President or others legally authorized.
Lawsuits and Disputes
If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose your medical information in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose your medical information in response to a subpoena.
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors
We may disclose protected health information to a coroner or medical examiner for identification purposes, determining cause of death or for the coroner or medical examiner to perform other duties authorized by law. We may also disclose protected health information to a funeral director, as authorized by law, to permit the funeral director to carry out their duties. We may disclose such information in reasonable anticipation of death.
Other Uses and Disclosures of Health Information
We will not use or disclose your Protected Health Information for any purpose other than those identified in the previous sections without your specific, written Authorization. If you give us Authorization to use or disclose health information about you, you may revoke that Authorization in writing at any time. If you revoke the Authorization, we will no longer use or disclose information about you for the reasons covered by your written Authorization, but we cannot take back any uses or disclosures already made with your permission. We cannot release you're your Psychotherapy Notes without a special signed, written authorization (different than the Authorization mentioned above) from you.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
We may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects, or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacement.
Correctional Institution
Should you be an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the institution or agents there of health information necessary for your health and the health and safety of other individuals.
If have questions and would like additional information, you may contact our Office.
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with our Office. OR with the Secretary of Health and Human Services by using the information below:
Timothy Noonan, Regional Manager
Office for Civil Rights. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center, Suite 16T70 61 Forsyth Street, S.W. Atlanta, GA 30303-8909 Customer Response Center: (800) 368-1019 Fax: (202) 619-3818 TDD :(800) 537-7697 Email: ocrmail@hhs.gov