This Notice of Privacy Practices is provided to you as required by federal law under HIPAA (45 CFR §164.520) and the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA), Civil Code §56 et seq. Where California law provides greater privacy protections than federal law, California law governs. This notice is effective as of the date you receive it and applies to all protected health information (PHI) created or received by Mindful Methods Advanced Nursing Practice, Inc.
This notice applies to Mindful Methods Advanced Nursing Practice, Inc., a HIPAA-covered entity operating as an outpatient psychiatric mental health practice in the state of California. All providers, staff, and business associates acting on behalf of Mindful Methods are required to protect the privacy of your health information and abide by the terms of this notice.
Protected Health Information (PHI) is any information that can be used to identify you and relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition, the provision of healthcare to you, or payment for your healthcare. This includes your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, diagnosis, treatment records, medication information, billing records, and any other individually identifiable health information, whether stored in paper, electronic, or any other format.
Electronic PHI (ePHI) is subject to additional protections under the HIPAA Security Rule (45 CFR Part 164, Subpart C).
We may use and disclose your PHI without your written authorization for the following purposes:
Treatment
We may use and share your health information to provide, coordinate, and manage your psychiatric care. For example, your provider may share information with another treating clinician, your primary care provider, a specialist, or a pharmacy as needed to coordinate your care. This may include sharing records, treatment notes, and medication information with members of your healthcare team.
Payment
We may use and disclose your health information to bill and collect payment for services rendered. This may include submitting claims to your insurance company, verifying your benefits, or working with a billing service. We will only share the minimum necessary information required for payment purposes.
Healthcare Operations
We may use your health information for internal practice operations, including quality assurance, staff training, compliance activities, audits, and business management. These activities are necessary to operate our practice and ensure the quality of care we provide.
In addition to treatment, payment, and operations, we may use or disclose your PHI without your authorization in the following limited circumstances as required or permitted by law:
Mental health information is afforded heightened protection under both federal and California law. Under HIPAA (45 CFR §164.508), psychotherapy notes — defined as notes recorded by a mental health provider in the process of a counseling session that are kept separate from the rest of your medical record — require your specific written authorization for disclosure in most circumstances, beyond standard treatment, payment, and operations uses.
Additionally, under California law, certain sensitive categories of health information receive extra protection, including mental health records, substance use disorder records, HIV/AIDS-related information, and reproductive health information. We will not disclose these categories of information without your specific written authorization, except as required by law.
For any use or disclosure of your PHI not described above, we will obtain your written authorization before sharing your information. This includes, but is not limited to:
You have the right to revoke any authorization you have given us at any time, in writing, except to the extent that we have already acted in reliance upon it. Revocation forms are available through our patient portal.
In all circumstances, we make reasonable efforts to use, disclose, and request only the minimum necessary amount of your PHI needed to accomplish the intended purpose, consistent with 45 CFR §164.502(b). This standard does not apply to disclosures made directly to you, disclosures made pursuant to your authorization, or disclosures required for treatment purposes.
You have the following rights with respect to your PHI. To exercise any of these rights, please submit a written request through our patient portal or contact our office directly.
Right to Access Your Records
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI held in our designated record set, with limited exceptions (45 CFR §164.524). Under California Health & Safety Code §123111, you are also entitled to copies of your records within 15 business days of a written request. We may charge a reasonable fee for copies as permitted by law.
Right to Request an Amendment
If you believe that PHI we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may request an amendment (45 CFR §164.526). We may deny your request under certain circumstances and will provide a written explanation if we do so.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI during the previous six years, excluding disclosures for treatment, payment, operations, and certain other purposes (45 CFR §164.528).
Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request restrictions on how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or operations (45 CFR §164.522). We are not required to agree to your request, except that we must honor a request to restrict disclosure to a health plan for services you have paid for in full out of pocket.
Right to Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you in a specific way or at a specific location (e.g., contact you only by phone at a certain number, or only by secure portal message). We will accommodate reasonable requests.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically. Please contact our office to request a printed copy.
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint with us or with the federal government. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.
For questions about this Notice or to exercise any of your privacy rights, please contact: