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NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Turn About, Inc. is required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health
information, and must inform you of our privacy practices and legal duties.
This notice describes how mental health information about you may be disclosed
and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR TURN ABOUT CLIENT RECORD
Each time you visit a Turn About mental health provider (counselor), a record
of your visit is made. Typically this record contains your presenting problems,
bio/psychosocial history, evaluations with their scoring and interpretation
completed and signed consent forms, school/ legal/ activity information pertinent
to treatment, diagnosis, plan for treatment, and a record of any progress.
This information, often referred to as your health record, serves as a basis
for planning your treatment and services. It is a legal document describing
the treatment you received and providing the means of communication among the
necessary professionals who contribute to your care. Also, it provides the
means by which you, or a third party payer, can verify that services billed
were actually provided. Understanding what is in your record and how your health
information is used helps you to ensure its accuracy, better understand who,
what, when, where and why others may have access to your health information
and make informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others.
YOUR MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION RIGHTS
Although your mental health record is the physical property of Turn About,
the information, with some clearly defined restrictions, belongs to you. You
have the right to:
- Obtain a paper copy of the NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES upon
request.
- Inspect a copy of your mental health record with the exception
of psychotherapy notes and actual testing instruments; and a copy of information
compiled in reasonable anticipation of use in a civil, criminal, or administrative
action or proceeding. (Copies will cost ten cents per page.)
- Request different ways to communicate with you, i.e., refrain
from leaving messages on voice mail regarding appointment time.
- Request an amendment to your health record. Requests must be
in writing and will be reviewed by Turn About, Inc. You must submit sufficient
information to support your request.
- Request a restriction of certain uses and disclosures of your
information.
TURN ABOUT, INC. RESPONSIBILITIES
Turn About, Inc. is required to maintain the privacy of your health information
and provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices
with respect to information we collect and maintain about you. We must accommodate
reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative
means or at alternative locations.
It is Turn About's responsibility to safeguard your information and release
it with your permission for treatment, payment or healthcare. Should you refuse
the release of information, it is our right to refuse services.
Except as described in this notice, Turn About, Inc. may not make any
use of disclosure of information from your record unless you give your written
authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, but
this will not affect any use or disclosure made by Turn About, Inc. before
the revocation.
WITH YOUR WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION, TURN ABOUT MAY RELEASE INFORMATION
FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:
- FOR TREATMENT: Turn About may use information in your record
to provide treatment to you. We may disclose information in your record to
help you get healthcare services from another provider, a hospital, etc. For
example, upon making a referral to a psychiatrist, we may disclose information
to that individual.
- FOR PAYMENT: Turn About may use or disclose information from
your record to obtain payment for the services you receive. For example, we
may submit your diagnosis with a health insurance claim in order to demonstrate
to the insurer that the services should be covered.
- FOR HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS: Turn About may use or disclose information
from your record to allow healthcare operations. These operations include activities
such as reviewing records to see how care can be improved, contacting you with
information about treatment alternatives, and coordinating care with other
providers.
Any communication between any person licensed or certified under Florida Statute
491, including those he/she supervises and his or her client shall be confidential.
This privilege shall be waived under the following circumstances:
AS REQUIRED BY LAW: Turn About, Inc. will disclose mental health information
as required to do so by federal, state, or local law. We must respond if served
with a valid subpoena. Potential disclosure of mental health information may
include, but is not limited to the following entities:
- THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES: If you or others
provide information to Turn About, Inc. regarding actual or suspected child
or elder abuse, we are required by law to report this information to the Florida
Abuse Hotline.
- LAW ENFORCEMENT: When there is clear and immediate probability
of physical harm to the client, other individuals, or to society, we must notify
the potential victim, family member, law enforcement, or other appropriate
authorities.
Every reasonable effort will be undertaken to resolve these issues therapeutically
and to notify the client before such a compromise of the client-therapist
relationship is made.
- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Turn About, Inc. must disclose information
requested to prove that we are complying with federal regulations that safeguard
your mental health information.
Turn About, Inc. provides services without regard to race, color, sex, creed, religion, national origin or handicapping conditions.
Copyright 2018 Turn About, Inc. © |
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