Notice of Privacy Practices
Christian Family Care, LLC ("we," "us," or "our") is required by law to protect the privacy of your health information, to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect. This Notice describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information ("PHI") and your rights regarding that information.
This Notice Covers Your Health Information — And Your Rights to It
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.
The statement above is required by federal law, and we mean it. In this notice, "medical information" means the Protected Health Information (PHI) we create and maintain as part of your counseling care: what we protect, when we may share it, and the rights you have over it.
How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information
We may use and disclose your PHI for the following purposes without your written authorization:
Treatment
We may use your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your counseling or coaching and related services — for example, consulting with another provider involved in your care, or, with your permission, coordinating care with your physician.
Payment
We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for services — for example, billing and collecting payment from you, a third party, or an insurer, which may include sharing limited information about your diagnosis, treatment dates, and services provided.
Health Care Operations
We may use and disclose your PHI to support the business activities of our practice — for example, quality assessment, staff training and supervision, scheduling, licensing, and general administration.
Special Protection for Psychotherapy Notes
Psychotherapy notes are notes recorded by your counselor documenting the contents of a counseling session, kept separate from the rest of your record. These notes receive special protection. We will not use or disclose your psychotherapy notes without your written authorization, except in limited circumstances permitted or required by law, such as for our own training, to defend ourselves in a legal action you bring, for certain oversight of the provider, or to avert a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
Uses and Disclosures That Require Your Written Authorization
Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice will be made only with your written authorization. This includes, with limited exceptions:
- Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes;
- Uses and disclosures for marketing purposes;
- Disclosures that constitute a sale of your PHI.
You may revoke a written authorization at any time, in writing, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.
Special Protection for Substance Use Disorder Records
To the extent any of your records are protected under the federal substance use disorder confidentiality regulations (42 CFR Part 2), we will not disclose those records except as permitted by those regulations or with your written consent. Federal law and regulations generally do not protect information disclosed to law enforcement in connection with a patient's commission of a crime on our premises or against our personnel, or as needed to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
Re-disclosure warning. Information we disclose with your authorization, or as otherwise permitted by law, may be re-disclosed by the person or organization that receives it and may no longer be protected by federal privacy law.
Other Permitted or Required Uses and Disclosures
We may use or disclose your PHI without your authorization in the following situations, subject to legal requirements and limits:
- When required by law — including certain reporting required by federal, state, or local law;
- To prevent a serious threat to your health or safety or that of another person or the public;
- Abuse, neglect, or domestic violence — to report as required or permitted by law;
- Public health activities — such as preventing or controlling disease;
- Health oversight activities — such as audits, investigations, and licensure;
- Judicial and administrative proceedings — in response to a court order, or a subpoena or other lawful process with appropriate assurances;
- Law enforcement — in limited circumstances permitted by law;
- Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors; organ and tissue donation;
- Research — when approved through a process that protects your privacy;
- Workers' compensation — as authorized by law;
- Specialized government functions — such as military or national security activities.
Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
You have the following rights with respect to your PHI:
- Inspect and copy — You may request to inspect and obtain a copy of your record, in the form and format you request if readily producible. We may charge a reasonable cost-based fee.
- Request an amendment — You may ask us to amend information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request in certain cases and will explain why in writing.
- Request restrictions — You may ask us to limit how we use or disclose your PHI. We are not required to agree, except that we must agree to a request to restrict disclosure to a health plan for payment or operations when you have paid for the service in full out of pocket.
- Request confidential communications — You may ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a specific location.
- Accounting of disclosures — You may request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI.
- Paper copy — You may obtain a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
- Breach notification — You have the right to be notified if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
- Revoke authorization — You may revoke a prior written authorization, in writing, at any time, except to the extent we have already relied on it.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer using the information below.
Our Responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI.
- We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
- We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this Notice and provide you a copy of it.
- We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we may in writing. If you give us written permission, you may change your mind at any time by notifying us in writing.
Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the revised Notice effective for PHI we already have as well as any information we receive in the future. The current Notice will be posted on our website and available at our office, with its effective date shown above.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us by contacting our Privacy Officer below. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights:
Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20201
1-877-696-6775 · hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Contact Us
For questions about this Notice, or to exercise any of your rights, contact our Privacy Officer:
Privacy Officer: Krysta Winter
Christian Family Care, LLC
7401 Bitterroot Place, Suite 201
Sioux Falls, SD 57108
Phone: (605) 215-6043
Email: klwinter [at] christianfamilycarellc.org