Privacy Policy
Below is a general overview of our business policies. It also contains summary information about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a federal law that provides privacy protections and patient rights regarding the use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information (PHI) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations.
SERVICES: Medication management and individual therapy services at our practice are offered by a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
PROFESSIONAL FEES In addition to appointments, I charge $60/hour for other professional services you may need, though I will break down the hourly cost if I work for periods of less than one hour. These services include completing certified documents, court appearances, report writing, telephone conversations lasting longer than 10 minutes, preparation of records or treatment summaries, and the time spent performing any other service you may request of me.
BILLING AND PAYMENTS You will be expected to pay for each session at the time it is held, unless we agree otherwise or unless you have insurance coverage that requires another arrangement. Payment schedules for other professional services will be agreed to when they are requested.
CONTACTING ME Due to my work schedule, I am often not immediately available by telephone. While I am usually in my office Monday, Tuesday, and some Saturdays between 9:00 AM and 3:30 PM, I probably will not answer the phone when I am with a patient. When I am unavailable, my telephone is answered by voicemail that I monitor frequently. I will make every effort to return your call on the same day you make it, with the exception of Sundays and holidays.
PROFESSIONAL RECORDS The laws and standards of my profession require that I keep Protected Health Information about you in your Clinical Record. Except in unusual circumstances that involve danger to yourself and/or others or where information has been supplied to me confidentially by others, you may examine and/or receive a copy of your Clinical Record if you request it in writing. Because these are professional records, they can be misinterpreted and/or upsetting to untrained readers. For this reason, I recommend that you initially review them in my presence or have them forwarded to another mental health professional so you can discuss the contents. In most circumstances, I am allowed to charge a copying fee. The exceptions to this policy are contained in the attached Notice Form. If I refuse your request for access to your records, you have a right of review, which I will discuss with you upon your request.
PATIENT RIGHTS HIPAA provides you with several new or expanded rights concerning your Clinical Records and disclosures of protected health information. These rights include requesting that I amend your record; requesting restrictions on what information from your Clinical Records is disclosed to others; requesting an accounting of most disclosures of protected health information that you have neither consented to nor authorized; determining the location to which protected information disclosures are sent; having any complaints you make about my policies and procedures recorded in your records; and the right to a paper copy of this Agreement, the attached Notice form, and my privacy policies and procedures. I am happy to discuss any of these rights with you.
MINORS & PARENTS Patients under 18 years of age who are not emancipated and their parents should be aware that the law may allow parents to examine their child's treatment records. Because privacy in mental health services is often crucial to successful progress, particularly with teenagers, it is sometimes my policy to request an agreement from parents that they consent to give up their access to their child's records. If they agree, during treatment, I will provide them only with general information about the progress of the child's treatment and the child's attendance at scheduled sessions. I will also provide parents with a summary of their child's treatment when it is complete. Any other communication will require the child's authorization, unless I feel that the child is in danger or is a danger to someone else, in which case, I will notify the parents of my concern. Before giving parents any information, I will discuss the matter with the child, if possible, and do my best to handle any objections the child may have.
CONFIDENTIALITY In general, the privacy of all communications between a patient and a mental health professional is protected by law, and I can only release information about our work to others with your written permission. But there are some exceptions. In most legal proceedings, you have the right to prevent me from providing any information about your treatment. In some proceedings involving child custody and those in which your emotional condition is an important issue, a judge may order my testimony if they determine that the issues demand it. There are some situations in which I am legally obligated to take action. When I believe it is necessary to attempt to protect others from harm, I may have to reveal some information about a patient's treatment. These situations are unusual in my practice. If I have reason to believe that a patient is threatening serious bodily harm to another, I may be required to take protective actions. These actions may include notifying the potential victim, contacting the police, or seeking hospitalization for the patient. If I have reason to suspect that a patient is abusing or neglecting a child or vulnerable adult, or has been a victim of such abuse or neglect, the law requires that I file a report with the appropriate governmental agency. Once such a report is filed, I may be required to provide additional information. If a patient threatens to harm himself/herself, I may be obligated to seek hospitalization for that individual or to contact family members or others who can help provide protection. These situations rarely occur. If such a situation does occur, I will make every effort to fully discuss it with you before taking any action, and I will limit my disclosure to what is necessary. While this written summary of exceptions to confidentiality should prove helpful in informing you about potential problems, it is important that we discuss any questions or concerns that you may have now or in the future. The laws governing confidentiality can be quite complex, and I am not an attorney. In situations where specific advice is required, formal legal advice may be needed.