Notice of Privacy Practices | Seasons Counseling

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.

Seasons Counseling PLLC (“Seasons,” “we,” or “us”) is required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to keep your protected health information (PHI) private, to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect, and to notify you if a breach of your unsecured PHI occurs. PHI is information that identifies you and relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health, the care you receive, or payment for that care.

This notice applies to all of the records of your care created or kept by Seasons, at every Seasons office and through online sessions. It is separate from the website Privacy Policy, which covers information collected through this website.

How we may use and disclose your health information

The following categories describe the ways we may use and disclose PHI without your written authorization. Not every use or disclosure in a category is listed, but every permitted use or disclosure falls within one of them.

Treatment. We use your PHI to provide, coordinate, and manage your therapy, including consultation among Seasons clinicians and supervisors involved in your care. With your permission we may also share information with other providers treating you, such as your physician or a prescriber.
Payment. We use and disclose PHI to bill and collect payment for services, for example by sending claims to your health plan that include your diagnosis and the dates and type of service, or by confirming coverage with your insurer.
Health care operations. We may use PHI to run the practice, including quality review, clinical supervision, training, licensing, credentialing, audits, and business planning.
Appointment reminders and follow-up. We may contact you by the methods you have agreed to (phone, text message, or email) to remind you of appointments, follow up on paperwork, or tell you about services that may be of interest to you.
People involved in your care. We may share information with a family member, friend, or other person you identify as involved in your care or payment for your care, limited to what is relevant to their involvement, unless you object.
As required by law. We will disclose PHI when federal, state, or local law requires it, including mandatory reports of suspected abuse or neglect of a child, an elder, or a vulnerable adult.
To avert a serious threat to health or safety. We may disclose PHI when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public, to someone able to prevent the threat.
Public health and health oversight. We may disclose PHI to public health authorities and to agencies that oversee the health care system, such as licensing boards, for audits, investigations, and inspections.
Judicial and administrative proceedings. We may disclose PHI in response to a court or administrative order, or in some cases a subpoena or other lawful request, when the requirements of law that protect your information have been met.
Law enforcement. We may disclose limited PHI to law enforcement in the specific circumstances permitted by law, such as to comply with a court order or warrant, to identify or locate a suspect or missing person, or to report a crime on our premises.
Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors. We may disclose PHI as necessary for these officials to carry out their duties.
Workers' compensation, military, national security, and correctional institutions. We may disclose PHI as authorized by workers' compensation laws, to military command authorities for armed-forces personnel, to authorized federal officials for national security activities, and to a correctional institution or law-enforcement official who has custody of you.
Research. We may use or disclose PHI for research only under the conditions permitted by law, such as review and approval by an institutional review board or privacy board.
Business associates. We share PHI with companies that perform services for us, such as our electronic health record and scheduling system, billing services, and secure messaging providers. Each is required by written agreement to protect your information.

Uses and disclosures that require your written authorization

Except as described above or otherwise permitted by law, we will not use or disclose your PHI without your written authorization. In particular, the following always require your authorization:

Psychotherapy notes. Notes a therapist keeps separately from your record that document the contents of a session receive extra protection. We will not disclose them without your authorization, except for the therapist's own use, for supervision or training, to defend ourselves in a legal action you bring, when required by law, or to avert a serious threat to health or safety.
Marketing. We will not use your PHI for marketing communications, or accept payment for sending them, without your authorization.
Sale of information. We will never sell your PHI.
Any other use or disclosure not described in this notice.

You may revoke an authorization at any time in writing. The revocation applies from the date we receive it and does not affect actions we already took in reliance on the authorization.

Your rights regarding your health information

You have the following rights with respect to your PHI. To exercise any of them, contact the Privacy Officer using the information at the end of this notice. Some requests must be made in writing.

To inspect and receive a copy of your record. You may ask to see or receive a copy of your health and billing records, including an electronic copy if we keep them electronically. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee. In limited circumstances, such as psychotherapy notes or information that could endanger someone, we may deny access, and you may ask that the denial be reviewed.
To request an amendment. If you believe information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend it. We may deny the request if, for example, we did not create the information or we believe it is accurate and complete; if we deny it, we will tell you why in writing and you may add a statement of disagreement.
To an accounting of disclosures. You may request a list of certain disclosures we made of your PHI during the six years before your request, other than disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations, and some other exceptions.
To request restrictions. You may ask us to limit how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or operations, or to people involved in your care. We are not required to agree, except that we must honor your request not to share information with your health plan about a service you have paid for in full out of pocket.
To confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at a particular place, for example only by phone or only at a certain number. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
To be notified of a breach. We will notify you if your unsecured PHI is compromised.
To a paper copy of this notice. You may ask for a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically. The current notice is also posted on this website and available at each office.
To choose someone to act for you. If you have given someone medical power of attorney or someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your PHI. We will confirm their authority before acting.

Minors

When we treat a minor, we generally share information with parents or legal guardians as the law allows and as is clinically appropriate. Virginia law gives minors the right to consent to certain services and protects some information from disclosure to parents; your child's therapist will explain how confidentiality works for your family at the start of care.

Our duties and changes to this notice

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI, to provide you with this notice, and to follow the notice currently in effect. We reserve the right to change this notice and to make the new notice apply to PHI we already hold as well as information we receive in the future. When we make a material change we will post the revised notice on this website and at our offices and make copies available on request. The effective date appears at the top of this page.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, by mail (200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201), by phone (1-800-368-1019 or TTY 1-800-537-7697), or online at hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Contact

Privacy Officer, Seasons Counseling PLLC, 311 S. East Street, Suite 100, Culpeper, VA 22701. Phone 540-227-0505. You may also ask any Seasons staff member to connect you with the Privacy Officer.