HIPAA Privacy Policy
KATE CHRISTMAN, LCSW LLC
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
1123 Clairmont Rd
Decatur, GA 30030
Phone: 470-280-8301
Email: kate@katechristmanlcsw.com
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO
THIS INFORMATION.
PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU.
The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information. For each category of uses or disclosures, we will elaborate on the meaning and provide specific examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.
For Payment. We may use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at the Practice may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company or a third party. For example, it may be essential that you provide us with your health plan information regarding care you receive at the Practice so that your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for those services. In addition, we may tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive in order to obtain necessary approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment and we may utilize a billing service company to assist with billing and collections. You may restrict the disclosure of your PHI to a health plan if the disclosure is for payment or health care operations and pertains to a health care item or service for which you have paid out of pocket in full.
For Treatment. We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to other Practice personnel who are involved in taking care of you at the Practice. We also may disclose medical information about you to people outside the Practice who may be involved in your medical care after you leave the Practice to other persons that are part of your care.
For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose medical information about you for Practice operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the Practice and ensure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may combine medical information about a variety of Practice patients to decide what additional services the Practice should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments are effective. We may also disclose information to other Practice personnel for review and learning purposes.
POLICY REGARDING THE PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION.
We understand that medical information pertaining to you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting your medical information. We create a record of the care and services you receive at the Practice. We need this record in order 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 the Practice.
This notice will inform you about the different ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.
The law requires us to:
Make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private;
Acquire your authorization before any use or disclosure of any psychotherapy notes, PHI for marketing purposes, and sales of PHI;
Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you; and
Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
OTHER CATEGORIES OF INFORMATION THAT WE MAY USE OR DISCLOSE INCLUDE.
Appointment Reminders. We may use and disclose medical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at the Practice.
As Required By Law. We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law, regulations and interpretive guidance.
Individual Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. We may release medical information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care. We may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care. We may also inform your family or friends about your condition. In addition, we may disclose medical information about you to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety. We may use and disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.
Treatment Alternatives. We may use and disclose medical information to inform you about, recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.
LESS FREQUENT USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION INVOLVING THOSE NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN YOUR CARE COULD INCLUDE:
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors. We may release medical information to a coroner or medical examiner, in order to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also release medical information about patients of the Practice to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their services.
Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose medical information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
Law Enforcement. We may release medical information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:
In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;
To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person's agreement;
About a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
About criminal conduct at the Practice; and
In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or to identify, description or location of the person who committed the crime.
Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose medical information about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose medical information about you 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.
Public Health Risks. We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities. These activities generally include the following, but are not limited to:
Preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability;
Reporting births and deaths;
Reporting child abuse or neglect;
Notifying the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.
Worker's Compensation. We may release medical information about you for worker's compensation or similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.
Uses and disclosures not described in this Notice of Privacy Practices will be made only with your authorization.
NOTICE OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an "accounting of disclosures." This is a list of the disclosures we made of medical information about you.
To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to the Practice’s Privacy Officer, Kate Christman, LCSW. Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before February 26, 2003. Your request should indicate in what form you want the list (for example, on paper, electronically). The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the cost of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.
Right to Amend. If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for the Practice. To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to the Practice’s Privacy Officer. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request.
We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
Is not part of the medical information kept by or for the Practice;
Is not part of information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
Is accurate and complete.
Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about your care. You may access PHI maintained electronically in one or more designated record sets, whether or not the designated record set is an electronic health record. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes.
To inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to the Practice’s Privacy Officer. If you request a copy of the information, we are entitled to charge a reasonable fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request, whether it is in paper or electronic form.
If you request an electronic copy of PHI that is maintained electronically in one or more designated record sets, we will provide you with access to the electronic information in the electronic form and format that you requested, if it is readily producible, or if not, in a readable electronic form and format as agreed.
If so requested, we will transmit the requested copy of PHI directly to a designated person, if your request is: (1) in writing; (2) signed by you; and (3) clearly identifies the designated person and where we should send the PHI.
We will respond to your request within 30 days. If the information cannot be gathered within the initial 30-day period, then we will respond with a written notice of the reasons for the delay and the expected date, no later than 60-days from the original request. However, we may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to medical information, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen by the Practice will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.
Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice. You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this notice. You may obtain a copy of this notice at our website, www.katechristmanlcsw.com. To obtain a paper copy of this notice contact the Practice’s Privacy Officer.
Right to Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at home or by email.
To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing in the Practice’s Privacy Officer. We will not ask you the reason for the request and will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.
Right to Restrict Disclosures to Health Plan. You have the right to restrict disclosures of PHI to a health plan if the disclosure is for payment or health care operations and pertains to a health care item or service for which you have paid out of pocket in full.
Right to be Notified of Breach. You have the right to or you will be notified following a breach of unsecured PHI if you are affected by the breach.
Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a diagnosis you have. We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment.
To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to Privacy Officer. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.
We will honor your request to restrict disclosure of your PHI to a health plan if (1) the disclosure is for the purpose of carrying out payment or health care operations and is not otherwise required by law and (2) the PHI pertains solely to a health care item or service for which you, or a person other the health plan on your behalf (such as a family member), has paid the covered entity for in full.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for medical information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice in the Practice. The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right-hand corner, the effective date. In addition, each time you visit the Practice for treatment or health care services, we will offer you a copy of the current notice in effect.
COMPLAINTS
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Practice or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with the Practice, contact Kate Christman, LCSW LLC by phone at 470-280-8301 or by mail at 1123 Clairmont Road, Decatur, GA 30030. All complaints must be submitted in writing. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.
OTHER USES OF MEDICAL INFORMATION
Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to use will be made only with your written permission. If you provide us permission to use or disclose medical information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provide to you.
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact Kate Christman, LCSW at: 470-280-8301
Effective Date: October 7, 2022