Privacy Policy

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES AND HIPAA COMPLIANCE

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

I. PLEDGE REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION:

Our office understands that health information about you and your health care is personal. Our office is committed to protecting health information about you. Our office creates a record of the care and services you receive from your therapist. Our office needs this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by this mental health care practice. This notice will tell you about the ways in which our office may use and disclose health information about you. This document also describes your rights to the health information our office keeps about you and describes certain obligations our office has regarding the use and disclosure of your health information. Our office is required by law to:

Make sure that protected health information ("PHI") that identifies you is kept private.
Give you this notice of our office's legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information.
Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
Our office can change the terms of this Notice, and such changes will apply to all information our office has about you. The new Notice will be available upon request or our office will send a new copy of the change to you when changes happen.

II. USE AND DISCLOSURE OF HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU:

The following categories describe different ways that our office uses and discloses health information. For each category of uses or disclosures, our office will explain what it means and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways our office is permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

For Treatment Payment, or Health Care Operations:

Federal privacy rules (regulations) allow health care providers who have direct treatment relationships with the patient/client to use or disclose the patient/client’s personal health information without the patient’s written authorization to carry out the health care provider’s own treatment, payment, or health care operations.

Our office may also disclose your protected health information for the treatment activities of any health care provider. For example, if a clinician were to consult with another licensed health care provider about your condition, our office would be permitted to use and disclose your personal health information, which is otherwise confidential, to assist the clinician in diagnosing and treating your mental health condition. If you are assigned to an associate therapist and the associate consults with their supervisor about your condition, our office would be permitted to use and disclose your personal health information.

Disclosures for treatment purposes are not limited to the minimum necessary standard. Because therapists and other health care providers need access to the full record and/or complete information to provide quality care, the word "treatment" includes, among other things, the coordination and management of health care providers with a third party, consultations between health care providers, and referrals of a patient from one health care provider to another.

III. MESSAGING POLICY:

Our office understands the importance of secure and confidential communication. We offer multiple methods of communication, including phone calls, text messages, secure messages, and emails. By providing your contact information, you consent to receiving messages related to appointment scheduling, reminders, treatment updates, billing, and other relevant healthcare communications.

Secure Messaging:

We recommend using our secure messaging platform for any communication containing sensitive or personal health information.
We cannot guarantee the security of regular text messages or emails. If you choose to communicate via text or email, you acknowledge and accept the potential privacy risks.

Text Messages and Emails:

By providing your phone number or email address, you agree to receive messages from our office related to your care.
You may opt out of receiving non-essential communications at any time by notifying our office.
We will not send PHI through unencrypted email or text unless you have explicitly consented to this method of communication.
Mobile information will not be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

Phone Calls and Voicemails:

Our office may leave voicemails regarding appointment reminders, billing, or general practice updates.
If you have specific privacy preferences regarding voicemails, please notify us in writing.

Emergency Communication:

Our office does not provide emergency services via text, email, or voicemail. If you are experiencing a medical or mental health emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

If you wish to be removed from receiving future communications from Find Your Balance, Center for Growth & Change, you can opt out by texting STOP.

By using our communication services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this messaging policy. If you have any concerns or wish to update your communication preferences, please contact our office.

IV. LAWSUITS AND DISPUTES:

If you are involved in a lawsuit, our office may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order. Our office may also disclose health information about your minor child in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

V. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION:

Psychotherapy Notes:

Our office keeps “psychotherapy notes” as defined in 45 CFR § 164.501, and any use or disclosure of such notes requires your Authorization unless the use or disclosure is:

a. For our use in treating you.

b. For our use in training or supervising mental health practitioners to help them improve their skills in group, joint, family, or individual counseling or therapy.

c. For our use in defending ourselves in legal proceedings instituted by you.

d. For use by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate our compliance with HIPAA.

e. Required by law and the use or disclosure is limited to the requirements of such law. f. Required by law for certain health oversight activities pertaining to the originator of the psychotherapy notes.

g. Required by a coroner who is performing duties authorized by law.

h. Required to help avert a serious threat to the health and safety of others.

Marketing Purposes:

As a psychotherapist, I will not use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes.

Sale of PHI:

As a psychotherapist, I will not sell your PHI in the regular course of our business.

VI. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION.

Subject to certain limitations in the law, our office can use and disclose your PHI without your authorization for the following reasons:

When disclosure is required by state or federal law, and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant requirements of such law.
For public health activities, including reporting suspected child, elder, or dependent adult abuse, or preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.
For health oversight activities, including audits and investigations.
For judicial and administrative proceedings, including responding to a court or administrative order.
For law enforcement purposes, including reporting crimes occurring on our premises.
To coroners or medical examiners, when such individuals are performing duties authorized by law.
For research purposes, under strict conditions ensuring the protection of your privacy.
For workers’ compensation purposes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT OF PRIVACY NOTICE AND HIPAA COMPLIANCE

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), you have certain rights regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information.

By checking the box for this notice in our secure portal, you are acknowledging that you have received a copy of HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.

By signing this form in our secure portal you are authorizing FInd Your Balance, Center for Growth & Change Inc. and all its business name entities and employees to phone, text, secure message and or email you at your non HIPAA compliant email.

Examples of why we would call, text, secure message or email you are insurance verifications, appointment dates and times, reminders to complete documents, medical record requests, weekly sessions links and any other information related to our office.

Our office can’t guarantee the security of a voicemail , text message, secure message or email if it’s not HIPAA compliant. Please keep in mind that communications via email over the Internet are not secure.

Although it is unlikely, there is a possibility that information you include in a phone call , text or email can be intercepted and read by other parties besides the person to whom it is addressed.

EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS NOTICE

This notice went into effect in January 2020 and has been updated as of February 2024.

Find Your Balance, Center for Growth & Change

15720 Ventura Blvd Suite 420, Encino CA 91436

(818) 927-0478 / office@findyourbalancecenter.com / findyourbalancecenter.com