Notice of HIPPA Privacy Practices
NORTH COUNTRY COUNSELING P.C.
105 2ND AVENUE NE, SUITE 110
GLENWOOD, MN 56334
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
I. PLEDGE REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION: Your health record contains personal information about your past, present and future physical and/or mental health and related health care services. This information is referred to as your Protected Health Information (PHI). This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your PHI in accordance with applicable law, including the HIPAA regulations. It also describes your rights regarding how you may gain access to and control your PHI. It is required by law to maintain the privacy of PHI and to provide you with a notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI. We reserve the right to change the terms of our Notice of Privacy Practices at any time and those changes will be effective for all PHI that we maintain. A copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices will be made available to you upon request. A record of the care and services you receive from our office is created after services are rendered. These records are required to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by this mental health care practice.
II. HOW I MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU:
For Treatment, Payment, or Health Care Operations: Federal privacy regulations allow health care providers who have direct treatment relationship with the patient/client to use or disclose the patient/client’s personal health information without the patient’s written authorization, to carry out the health care provider’s own treatment, payment or health care operations. Your protected health information may also be disclosed for the treatment activities of any health care provider without your written authorization. For example, if a clinician were to consult with another licensed health care provider about your condition, we would be permitted to use and disclose your person health information, which is otherwise confidential, in order to assist the clinician in diagnosis and treatment of your mental health condition.
Disclosures for treatment purposes are not limited to the minimum necessary standard. Because therapists and other health care providers need access to the full record and/or full and complete information in order to provide quality care. The word “treatment” includes, among other things, the coordination and management of health care providers with a third party, consultations between health care providers and referrals of a patient for health care from one health care provider to another.
Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a lawsuit, North Country Counseling may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order. North Country Counseling may also disclose health information about your child in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
III. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION:
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Psychotherapy Notes. Our providers do keep “psychotherapy notes” as that term is defined in 45 CFR § 164.501, and any use or disclosure of such notes requires your Authorization unless the use or disclosure is:
a. For my use in treating you.
b. For my use in training or supervising mental health practitioners to help them improve their skills in group, joint, family, or individual counseling or therapy.
c. For my use in defending myself in legal proceedings instituted by you.
d. For use by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate my compliance with HIPAA.
e. Required by law and the use or disclosure is limited to the requirements of such law.
f. Required by law for certain health oversight activities pertaining to the originator of the psychotherapy notes.
g. Required by a coroner who is performing duties authorized by law.
h. Required to help avert a serious threat to the health and safety of others.
2. Marketing Purposes. As a psychotherapist, I will not use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes.
3. Sale of PHI. As a psychotherapist, I will not sell your PHI in the regular course of my business.
IV. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION. Subject to certain limitations in the law, North Country Counseling can use and disclose your PHI without your Authorization for the following reasons:
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When disclosure is required by state or federal law, and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant requirements of such law.
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For public health activities, including reporting suspected child, elder, or dependent adult abuse, or preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.
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For health oversight activities, including audits and investigations.
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For judicial and administrative proceedings, including responding to a court or administrative order, although my preference is to obtain an Authorization from you before doing so.
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For law enforcement purposes, including reporting crimes occurring on my premises.
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To coroners or medical examiners, when such individuals are performing duties authorized by law.
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For research purposes, including studying and comparing the mental health of patients who received one form of therapy versus those who received another form of therapy for the same condition.
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Specialized government functions, including, ensuring the proper execution of military missions; protecting the President of the United States; conducting intelligence or counter-intelligence operations; or, helping to ensure the safety of those working within or housed in correctional institutions.
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For workers' compensation purposes. Although my preference is to obtain an Authorization from you, I may provide your PHI in order to comply with workers' compensation laws.
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Appointment reminders and health related benefits or services. I may use and disclose your PHI to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment with me. I may also use and disclose your PHI to tell you about treatment alternatives, or other health care services or benefits that I offer.
V. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT.
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Disclosures to family, friends, or others. North Country Counseling may provide your PHI to a family member, friend, or other person that you indicate is involved in your care or the payment for your health care, unless you object in whole or in part. The opportunity to consent may be obtained retroactively in emergency situations.
VI. YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR PHI:
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The Right to Request Limits on Uses and Disclosures of Your PHI. You have the right to ask North Country Counseling not to use or disclose certain PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations purposes. North Country Counseling is not required to agree to your request, and may say “no” if your clinician believes it would affect your health care.
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The Right to Request Restrictions for Out-of-Pocket Expenses Paid for In Full. You have the right to request restrictions on disclosures of your PHI to health plans for payment or health care operations purposes if the PHI pertains solely to a health care item or a health care service that you have paid for out-of-pocket in full.
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The Right to Choose How North Country Counseling Send PHI to You. You have the right to ask North Country Counseling contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address, and we will agree to all reasonable requests.
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The Right to See and Get Copies of Your PHI. Other than “psychotherapy notes,” you have the right to get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other information that North Country Counseling has about you. North Country Counseling will provide you with a copy of your record, or a summary of it, if you agree to receive a summary, within 30 days of receiving your written request, and North Country Counseling may charge a reasonable, cost based fee for doing so.
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The Right to Get a List of the Disclosures I Have Made.You have the right to request a list of instances in which I have disclosed your PHI for purposes other than treatment, payment, or health care operations, or for which you provided me with an Authorization. North Country Counseling will respond to your request for an accounting of disclosures within 60 days of receiving your request. The list we will give you will include disclosures made in the last six years unless you request a shorter time. We will provide the list to you at no charge, but if you make more than one request in the same year, we will charge you a reasonable cost based fee for each additional request.
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The Right to Correct or Update Your PHI. If you believe that there is a mistake in your PHI, or that a piece of important information is missing from your PHI, you have the right to request that we correct the existing information or add the missing information. We may say “no” to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days of receiving your request.
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The Right to Get a Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice. You have the right to get a paper copy of this Notice, and you have the right to get a copy of this notice by e-mail. And, even if you have agreed to receive this Notice via e-mail, you also have the right to request a paper copy of it.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS NOTICE
This notice went into effect on September 20, 2013
Reviewed 12.5.2022