Privacy and HIPAA
Confidentiality
With very few exceptions, the information discussed during your therapy session and all
documentation (written or in any other medium) is kept private and confidential unless you expressly allow the release of information in writing. Some very important exceptions to this rule are: if there is a court order for the therapist to appear, or to produce the client’s chart; if your insurance company is involved, some limited information will be given after you sign the release of information part of the insurance form; if the therapist learns that there exists a serious threat to any person, including yourself; if there is evidence of or suspected child, dependent adult, or elder abuse. I am mandated by law to report suspected child abuse.
HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH 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, please contact the office at (813)480-2401
These Privacy Practices guide the practice of Lynn Allen LMHC LMFT including any staff I may hire or any business associate or treatment professional with whom I need to share your health information.
We are required by law to:
• Keep health information about you private.
• Provide you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information about you.
• Follow the most stringent state or federal law.
• Abide by our currently published Notice of Privacy Practices.
How we may use and disclose health information about you
• We may use and disclose health information about you for treatment (example, sending medical information about you to a specialist as part of a referral); to obtain payment for treatment (example, sending billing information to your insurance company); and to support our health care operations (using patient information to improve quality care).
• We may use and disclose health information about you without your prior authorization for several other reasons. Subject to certain requirements, we may give out health information about you without prior authorization for public health purposes, abuse or neglect reporting, health oversight audits or inspections, and emergencies. We also disclose medical information when required by law, such as in response to valid judicial or administrative orders.
Other uses of health information
• In any other situation not involving routine care, financial and insurance matters or office operations, we will ask for your written authorization before using or disclosing health information about you. If you choose to authorize use or disclosure, you can later revoke that authorization by notifying us in writing of your decision.
Your rights regarding health information about you
• In many cases, you have the right to look at or get a copy of health information that we use to make decisions about your care, after you submit a written request. If you request copies, we may charge a fee for the cost of copying, mailing or related supplies. If we deny your request to review or obtain a copy, you may submit a written request for a review of that decision.
• If you believe that information in your record is incorrect or if important information is missing, you have the right to request that we correct the records, by submitting a request in writing that provides your reason for requesting the amendment. We could deny your request to amend a record if the information was not created by us.
• If it is not part of the health information maintained by us; or if we determine that record is accurate. You may appeal, in writing, a decision by us not to amend a record.
• You have the right to a list of those instances where we have disclosed medical information about you, other than for treatment, payment, health care operations or where you specifically authorized a disclosure, when you submit a written request.
• If this notice was sent to you electronically, you have the right to a paper copy of this notice.
• You have the right to request that health information about you be communicated to you in a confidential manner, such as sending mail to an address other than your home, by notifying us in writing of the specific way or location for us to use to communicate with you.
• You may request, in writing, that we not use or disclose health information about you for treatment, payment or health care operations or to persons involved in your care except when specifically authorized by you, when required by law, or in an emergency. We will consider your request but we are not legally required to accept it. We will inform you of our decision on your request.
• All written requests or appeals should be submitted to Lynn Allen LMHC LMFT.
Complaints
• If you feel that your privacy rights have been violated, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your records, you may send a written complaint to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights at the address below. Under no circumstance will you be penalized or retaliated against for filing a complaint.
US Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Civil Rights
200 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20201
