Confidentiality & Privacy Policy
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal regulation that established national standards for how health information is transmitted and disclosed.
HIPAA, which became federal law in 1996, enacted a number of privacy rights and protections for consumers in order to ensure that care information remains sufficiently confidential.
The Privacy Rule, added to this legislation in 2000, set further standards to prevent inappropriate use or disclosure of protected health information (PHI). Importantly, it also:
- Clarified when therapists and counselors were able to share treatment information with other care providers and a client’s family members.
- Made provisions to allow therapists and counselors to keep psychotherapy notes separate and confidential.
*** NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES ***
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW OUR INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED, AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
If you have any questions about this notice, please contact our Privacy Officer at (803) 773-2088.
This notice describes our practices and those of
- Any mental health care professional allowed to enter information in your chart.
- Any employees of Helping Hands Counseling Center, INC
All of these people follow the terms of this notice. They may also share protected health information (PHI) with each other for treatment, payment or mental health care operations as described in this notice.
OUT PLEDGE REGARDING INFORMATION:
We are committed to protecting information about you and your mental health. We create a record of the care and services you receive from us. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of our records.
We are required by law to:
- Maintain the privacy of your information
- Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices related to your information and follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE INFORMATION ABOUT YOU:
Treatment- We may use and disclose PHI to treat or provide services to you.
Payment- We may use and disclose PHI so that we can bill and be paid for treatment and services you receive from us. For example, we may need to give information about your treatment to your insurance company so they will pay for your services.
Agency Operations: We may use and disclose PHI as needed to carry out our organizational needs. For example, we may use or disclose PHI about you to improve our quality of care.
Those Involved in Your Care- We may release relevant PHI to a friend, family member or anyone else you designate with a signed release form that is involved in your care or payment related to your care.
Other- We may use or disclose PHI for the following purposes:
*Appointment Reminders *To avert threat to health of safety *Worker’s Compensation
* Lawsuits and disputes *Custodial law enforcement *As required by law