HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
At MindFuel Mental Health, we are dedicated to protecting your Protected Health Information (PHI). Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), we are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices.
1. How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information
We may use and disclose your PHI for the following purposes without your written authorization:
For Treatment: We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your psychiatric care and any related services. For example, we may disclose clinical information to your primary care physician, therapist, or other healthcare providers involved in your treatment plan.
For Payment: We may use and disclose your PHI so that the services you receive may be billed and payment collected from you, your insurance company, or a third party. For example, we may send information to your insurance provider to verify coverage or obtain prior authorization for medications (such as Spravato®).
For Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose your PHI to run our practice smoothly and ensure all patients receive high-quality care. For example, we may use health information to review our treatment procedures or evaluate the performance of our staff.
As Required by Law: We will disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety: We may use and disclose your PHI when necessary to prevent a serious, imminent threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.
Abuse or Neglect: We are legally mandated to disclose PHI to report suspected child abuse, elder abuse, or neglect to the appropriate Florida state authorities.
2. Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Written Authorization
For any use or disclosure of your PHI not covered above, we must obtain your written authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time. The following require your explicit written authorization:
Psychotherapy Notes: Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes (detailed notes recorded by your provider documenting the contents of a counseling session) require your written authorization.
Marketing & Sale of PHI: We will never sell your PHI or use your health information for marketing purposes without your written consent.
3. Your Individual Rights Regarding Your PHI
Under HIPAA, you have the following rights regarding the medical information we maintain about you:
Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and obtain an electronic or paper copy of your medical and billing records. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copying and mailing.
Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the PHI we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to your request, except if you request that we not disclose PHI to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations purposes, and the PHI pertains solely to a healthcare item or service for which you have paid us out-of-pocket in full.
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, only calling your personal cell phone rather than a home phone).
Right to Amend: If you feel that the health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. Your request must be made in writing and provide a reason supporting the amendment.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request a list (accounting) of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI for purposes other than treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You have the right to receive a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.
4. Breach Notification
We are required by law to notify you in the event of a breach of your unsecured Protected Health Information.
5. Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint with our office or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). You will not be penalized or retaliated against for filing a complaint.
To file a complaint with our practice, please contact: MindFuel Mental Health Privacy Officer
Email: marisol@mindfuelmentalhealth.com
Phone: (727) 223-1579