The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires all health care records and other individually identifiable health information used or disclosed to us in any form, whether electronically, on paper, or orally, be kept confidential. This federal law gives you, the client, rights to understand and control how your health information is used. HIPAA provides penalties for covered entities that misuse personal health information.
This notice describes how protected health information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to it.
Protected health information is information created or received by a health care provider, health plan, employer, or other health care organizations.
Protected health information can include demographic and medical information that concerns the past, present, or future physical or mental health of an individual.
Protected health information contains specific information that identifies an individual or can be used to identify an individual.
Please review carefully.
1) Your mental health records are used to provide treatment, bill and receive payments, and conduct licensed clinical social work operations. Examples of these activities include, but not limited to, review of treatment records to ensure appropriate care, electronic or mail delivery of billing for treatment to you or other authorized payers, appointment reminder telephone calls, text messaging, or email and records review to ensure completeness and quality of care. Use and disclosure of mental health records is limited to the internal use outlined above except required by law or authorized by the patient or legal representative.
2) Federal and State laws require abuse, neglect, domestic violence and threats to be reported to social services or other protective agencies. If such reports are made, they will be disclosed to you or your legal representative unless disclosure increases risk of further harm.
3) Disclosed information will be limited to the minimum necessary. You may request an account (SimplePractice) for any uses or disclosures other than those described above.
4) You, or your legal representative, may request your records to be disclosed to yourself or any other entity. Your request must be made in writing, clearly identify the person authorized to request the release, specify the information you want disclosed, the name and address of the entity you want the information released to, purpose and the expiration date of the authorization. Any authorization provided may be revoked in writing at anytime. Psychotherapy notes are part of your mental health records. LoveHugh, LLC has 15 days to respond to a disclosure request.
5) You may request corrections to your records.
6) A request for disclosure may be denied under the following circumstances: disclosure would likely endanger the life or physical safety of you or another person, requested information references other persons, except another healthcare provider, or if released to a legal representative would likely result in harm.
7) If a request for disclosure is denied for reasons outlined in Section 6, you or your legal representative may request review of the denial. A review will be conducted by another licensed healthcare provider appointed by the original reviewer, who was not involved in the original decision to deny access. A review will be concluded within 30 days.
8) You may request that we restrict uses and disclosures outlined in Section 1. However, we are not required to agree to the restrictions. If an agreement is made to restrict use or disclosure, we will be bound by such restriction until revoked by you or your legal representative in writing except when disclosure is required by law or in an emergency. We may also revoke such restrictions regarding information gathered as required by law or in an emergency. We may also revoke such restrictions, but information gathered while the restriction was in place will remain restricted by such an agreement.
9) If you wish to complain about privacy related issues you may contact the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington DC, 20201. In any case there will not be any retaliation against you or your legal representative for filing a complaint.
10) This agreement may be modified or amended as required by law or in the course of health care operations.
Love Hugh, LLC Limits of Confidentiality
Federal and state laws require any information about your intake, assessment, diagnosis and treatment may not be released without your informed consent while you are a client of LoveHugh, LLC or after you have been discharged from services.
HOWEVER, your protected health information can and will be released to the appropriate authorities without your consent as follows:
1) If you are a danger to yourself;
2) If you are a danger to others (violent or threatening towards others or their property);
3) If you are emotionally disable (unable to care for self causing your life or health to be at risk);
4) If there is suspected physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse or neglect of an individual under the age of 18;
5) If there is suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an individual who is 65 years of age or older;
6) If we receive a subpoena accompanied by a court order:
a. to release information from your treatment records
b. regarding your arrest
c. requiring testimony in court.
LoveHugh, LLC is mandated by law to release information to and notify the proper authorities or persons in the above situations.