Notice of Privacy Practices

Your rights

You have rights concerning your medical and health information. To exercise these rights, contact our Privacy Officer listed below.

Access and obtain copies of your record

You may ask to inspect or receive an electronic or paper copy of health information we maintain about you. When HIPAA applies, we generally respond within 30 days, subject to any legally permitted extension, and may charge a lawful, reasonable cost-based fee.

Request a correction

You may ask us to amend health information you believe is incomplete or incorrect. We may deny certain requests but will provide an explanation in writing. Under HIPAA, we generally respond within 60 days, subject to permitted extensions.

Request confidential communications

You may ask us to contact you at a particular telephone number, email address, mailing address, or by an alternative reasonable method. We will accommodate reasonable requests as required by law.

Request restrictions on sharing

You may ask us to limit certain uses or disclosures for treatment, payment or healthcare operations. We may not be required to agree. If you pay for a service in full out of pocket, you may request that we not disclose information about that service to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations; when HIPAA applies, we will honor that request unless disclosure is required by law.

Request an accounting of disclosures

You may request an accounting of qualifying disclosures of your health information during the prior six years, subject to legal exceptions such as most treatment, payment and healthcare operations disclosures. One accounting per 12 months is generally free; lawful charges may apply for additional requests.

Get a paper copy and choose a representative

You may request a paper copy of this notice at any time. A verified personal representative with legal authority to act for you may exercise your rights where permitted by law.

File a complaint

You may complain directly to us or to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for making a privacy complaint.

Your choices

You can tell us your preferences about sharing information with family, friends or others involved in your care or payment for your care. In emergencies or when you cannot communicate, we may make permitted disclosures consistent with your best interests and applicable law. We may disclose information for lawful disaster-relief coordination.

For uses requiring written authorization—such as most marketing using protected health information, sales of protected health information, and most disclosures of psychotherapy notes if we ever maintain them—we will obtain it first. If we conduct fundraising using information as permitted by law, you may opt out. Additional choices apply to certain federally protected substance use disorder records.

How we use and disclose health information

We may use or disclose health information as permitted by HIPAA, Washington law and other applicable rules. These examples explain common purposes:

Treatment

We may review your health history and treatment notes to provide safe massage therapy or related services, or share relevant information with another healthcare professional involved in your care. Example: We share a relevant treatment summary with your referring healthcare provider.

Payment

We may use or disclose information to verify coverage, submit claims, justify medical necessity, obtain payment, process appeals, and respond to insurer inquiries. Example: We provide dates of service, diagnosis information when applicable, and supporting clinical documentation to your medical insurer, PIP automobile insurer, Washington L&I, or a self-insured workers' compensation administrator as the law allows.

Healthcare operations

We may use or share information for quality assurance, administrative operations, staff training consistent with law, auditing, and healthcare business management. Example: Authorized staff review records to assess service quality or correct a billing error. Technology and administrative vendors that handle protected health information for us must be subject to appropriate safeguards and agreements when required.

Other disclosures permitted or required by law

In appropriate circumstances, with the applicable safeguards and legal requirements, information may be disclosed for public health activities; reports of abuse or neglect; prevention of serious threats to health or safety; authorized health oversight; research under applicable protections; workers' compensation; certain law-enforcement and government functions; compliance with laws; organ and tissue donation coordination; medical examiners and funeral directors; and responses to valid court or administrative orders, subpoenas, or other lawful legal processes. Not every category will ordinarily apply to our practice.

Disclosures may be subject to more stringent protections for particular records under Washington or federal law. We do not treat a subpoena or a third-party request as automatic permission to release all records.

Uses requiring written authorization and special protections

Uses and disclosures not described in this notice or otherwise permitted or required by law will generally require your written authorization. You may revoke that authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we already acted in reliance on it.

Some information receives extra protection, including certain mental health, sexually transmitted infection, and substance use disorder records. We will follow applicable special confidentiality laws and will not disclose such records simply because an ordinary billing release exists.

Records protected by 42 CFR Part 2: If we receive patient records protected by federal substance use disorder confidentiality law, they receive additional protection. Such records generally cannot be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative or legislative proceedings against you without legally sufficient written consent or the appropriate court order and process. Additional Part 2 requirements may govern how the records can be used or shared.

Redisclosure: Information lawfully disclosed to another person or organization may be redisclosed by that recipient and may no longer be protected by HIPAA, although other state or federal privacy laws may continue to apply.

Washington notice of information practices

We maintain a record of healthcare services provided to you. You may request access to and copies of that record, and you may request a correction. We will not disclose your healthcare record unless you direct us to do so or unless applicable law permits or requires it. Contact our Privacy Officer below to request records or additional information.

Washington law permits certain disclosures needed for care, healthcare operations, insurance payment and workers' compensation, and imposes additional restrictions on some sensitive records. We follow the more protective rule when applicable.

Our responsibilities

• We must protect the privacy and security of protected health information as required by applicable law.
• We must follow the terms of the notice currently in effect and make the notice available to you.
• We will notify affected people following a breach of unsecured protected health information when the law requires notification.
• We may revise this notice and make revised terms apply to information already maintained, as permitted by law. The updated notice will be available at our practice, upon request, and on our website.

Questions, records requests and complaints

You may also complain to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201; phone 1-877-696-6775; or online at HHS privacy complaints. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.