WS Privacy Policy

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Notice of Privacy Practices (NOPP):

This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information (PHI) 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. “Protected health information” or “PHI” is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services.

As Required By Law: We may use and disclose your protected health information when required to do so by Federal, state or local law.

Legal Proceedings: We may disclose PHI in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding, in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal (to the extent such disclosure is expressly authorized), in certain conditions in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.

Accounting: You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why. We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one accounting a year for free but will charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months. We reserve the right to decline more than three requests in one year or an additional request where there is no new information to include.

Treatment: Your Protected Health Information (PHI) may be used and disclosed without your prior authorization by Wellness Solutions, LLC. Our office staff and others outside our office may disclose PHI without your authorization to those who are involved in your care and treatment for the purpose of providing healthcare services to you, to pay your healthcare bills, to support the operation of Wellness Solutions, LLC, and any other use required by law. We will use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your healthcare with a third party. For example, Wellness Solutions, LLC would disclose your PHI, as necessary, to insurance companies.

Healthcare Operations: We may use or disclose, as needed, your PHI in order to support the business activities of Wellness Solutions, LLC. These activities include, but are not limited to, quality assessment activities, employee review activities, employee training, licensing, and conducting or arranging for other business activities. For example, we may disclose or share your PHI to third parties for normal business practices. We may call you by name in the waiting room to see you. We may use or disclose your PHI, as necessary, to contact you to remind you of your appointment or other treatment related activities. We may use and disclose your health information for healthcare and business operations.

Payment: Your PHI will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your health care services. For example, obtaining approval for treatment may require that your relevant PHI be disclosed to a health plan or employee assistance plan (EAP) to obtain approval for coverage and payment.

Emergencies: We may use or disclose your PHI in an emergency treatment situation. If this happens, we will try to obtain your consent as soon as reasonable and practical. If your healthcare provider or another healthcare provider is required by law to treat you and the healthcare provider has attempted to obtain your consent then he or she may still use or disclose your PHI to treat you.

Request Confidential Communications: You can request communication preferences based on how you would like to receive and share information with Wellness Solutions, LLC. We will agree to reasonable requests based on individual circumstances.

Others Involved in Your Health Care: Unless you object, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend or any other person you identify, your PHI that directly relates to that person’s involvement in your healthcare. If you are unable to agree or object to such disclosure, we may disclose such information as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest based on our professional judgment. We may use or disclose PHI to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative or any other person that is responsible for the care of your location, general condition, safety concerns, emergency situations, or death. Finally, we may use or disclose your PHI to an authorized public or private entity to assist in disaster relief efforts and to coordinate uses and disclosures to family or other individuals involved in your healthcare.

Social Service, Fundraising, & Community Activities and Events: We may use and disclose your health information in order to contact you for social service fundraising, and community activities and events being held or sponsored or supported by Wellness Solutions, LLC. Examples of these activities and events may be No Suicide Prevention Walks to Raise Awareness and food or clothing drives. If you do not want Wellness Solutions, LLC to contact you for these types of activities and events, you may opt out at any time by calling (713) 893-3989 Monday-Friday from 9 AM to 5:00 PM CST or email [email protected] .

Public Health: We may disclose your PHI for public health activities and purposes to a public health authority that is permitted by law to collect or receive the information. This disclosure will be made for the purpose of controlling disease, injury, or disability.

Communicable Diseases: We may disclose your PHI, if authorized by law, to a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading the disease or condition.

Health Oversight: We may disclose your PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, and inspections. Oversight agencies seeking this information include government agencies that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, and other government regulatory programs.

Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your PHI to a public health authority that is authorized by law to receive reports of child, elder, or persons with disabilities for suspected abuse or neglect. In addition, we may disclose your PHI if we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence to the governmental entity or agency authorized to receive such information. In this case, the disclosure will be made consistent with the requirements of applicable Federal and state laws.

Food and Drug Administration: We may disclose your PHI to a person or company required by the Food and Drug Administration (i) to report adverse events, product defects or problems, biologic product deviations, track products; (ii) to enable product recalls; (iii) to make repairs or replacements; or (iv) to conduct post marketing surveillance, as required.

Coroners, Funeral Directors and Organ Donation: We may disclose your PHI 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 PHI to a funeral director, as authorized by law, in order to permit the funeral director to carry out their duties. We may disclose such information in reasonable anticipation of death. PHI may be disclosed for cadaveric organ, eye or tissue donation purposes.

Research: We may disclose your PHI to researchers when their research has been approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your PHI.

Criminal Activity: Consistent with applicable Federal and state laws, we may use or disclose your PHI if we believe that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and/or imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.

Military Activity and National Security: When the appropriate conditions apply, we may use or disclose PHI of individuals who are Armed Forces personnel: (i) for activities deemed necessary by appropriate military command authorities; (ii) for the purpose of a determination by the Department of Veterans Affairs; or (iii) to foreign military authority if you are a member of the foreign military services.

Workers’ Compensation: We may use or disclose your PHI as authorized to comply with workers’ compensation laws and other similar legally-established programs.

Inmates: We may use or disclose your PHI if you are an inmate of a correctional facility and your health care provider created or received your PHI in the course of providing care to you.

Copy of this Notice:  You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. This may include medical and billing records, but does not include any psychotherapy notes. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly. You may also find a copy of this notice on the Wellness Solutions, LLC website which is WWW.WellnessSolutionsLLC.COM All individuals who sign documents via electronic signature receive their own copy. Wellness Solutions, LLC reserves the right to provide a clinical summary of care instead of clinical notes, progress notes, or psychotherapy notes. If you request copies, we may charge you a reasonable fee to locate and copy your information and postage if you want the copies mailed to you.

Amendment: You have the right to request that we amend your health information. This means you may ask us not to use or disclose any part of your PHI for the purposes of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You may also request that any part of your PHI 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. The specific restrictions you are requesting must be made in writing and give Wellness Solutions, LLC reasonable time to implement your request. Your health care provider is not required to agree to a restriction that you may request. If your health care provider believes it is in your best interest to permit use and disclosure of your PHI, your PHI will not be restricted. You then have the right to use another healthcare provider. If your health care provider does agree to the requested restriction, we may not use or disclose your PHI in violation of that restriction unless it is needed to provide emergency treatment. 

Our Responsibilities:

  • We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.

  • We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

  • We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.

  • We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

  • We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website.

  • You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting the Corporate Privacy Officer Danielle C. Ellis MA, MCJ, LPC, NCC at (713) 893-3989 Monday-Friday 9 AM - 5 PM CST or by emailing [email protected] or [email protected] . Wellness Solutions, LLC mailing address is as follows: 8000 Research Forest Drive, Suite 115 PMB 1168, The Woodlands, Texas 77382. (The entire address must be included or we will not receive it.)

  • You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, by calling 1-877-696-6775 or by visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.

  • We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

 

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