Ember & Ivy Notice of Privacy Practices

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Effective Date: May 7, 2025

This notice describes how health information may be used and disclosed by Ember & Ivy ("I", "me", "we", "us", "our") and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

I understand that health information about you and your health care is personal. I am committed to protecting health information about you. I create a record of the care and services you receive from me. I need 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 outlines the ways I may use and disclose health information about you. I also describe your rights to the health information I keep about you and describe certain obligations I have regarding the use and disclosure of your health information. I am required by law to:

• Make sure that protected health information (“PHI”) that identifies you is kept private.
• Give you this notice of my legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information.
• Follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.
• Inform you that I can change the terms of this Notice, and such changes will apply to all information I have about you. The current notice will be available upon request.

The following categories describe different ways that I use and disclose health information. Where examples are provided, please know that those examples may not be all-inclusive.

For Treatment Payment, or Health Care Operations:

Federal privacy rules (regulations) allow health care providers who have direct treatment relationship 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. I may also disclose your protected health information for the treatment activities of any health care provider. This too can be done without your written authorization. For example, if I were to consult with another licensed health care provider about your condition, I would be permitted to use and disclose your personal health information, which is otherwise confidential, to assist the other provider in diagnosis and treatment of your mental health condition.

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 full and 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 for health care from one health care provider to another.

Lawsuits and Disputes:

If you are involved in a lawsuit, I may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order. I may also disclose health information about your 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.

Psychotherapy Notes:

I do keep “psychotherapy notes” as that term is defined in 45 CFR § 164.501, and any use or disclosure of such notes requires your Authorization unless the use or disclosure is:

• For my use in treating you.
• For my use in training or supervising mental health practitioners to help them improve their skills in group, joint, family, or individual counseling or therapy.
• For my use in defending myself in legal proceedings instituted by you.
• For use by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate my compliance with HIPAA.
• Required by law and the use or disclosure is limited to the requirements of such law.
• Required by law for certain health oversight activities pertaining to the originator of the psychotherapy notes.
• Required by a coroner who is performing duties authorized by law.
• Required to help avert a serious threat to the health and safety of others.

Marketing Purposes:

As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I will not use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes.

Sale of PHI:

As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I will not sell your PHI in the regular course of my business.

Subject to certain limitations in the law, I 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 my premises.
• To coroners or medical examiners, when such individuals are performing duties authorized by law.
• For research purposes, including studying and comparing the mental health of patients who received one form of therapy versus those who received another form of therapy for the same condition.
• Specialized government functions, including, ensuring the proper execution of military missions; protecting the President of the United States; conducting intelligence or counter-intelligence operations; or, helping to ensure the safety of those working within or housed in correctional institutions.
• For workers’ compensation purposes.
• Appointment reminders and health related benefits or services. I may use and disclose your PHI to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment with me. I may also use and disclose your PHI to tell you about treatment alternatives, or other health care services or benefits that I offer.

Disclosures to family, friends, or others:

I may provide your PHI to a family member, friend, or other person that you indicate is involved in your care or the payment for your health care, unless you object in whole or in part. The opportunity to consent may be obtained retroactively in emergency situations.

• The Right to Request Limits on Uses and Disclosures of Your PHI. You have the right to ask me not to use or disclose certain PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations purposes. I am not required to agree to your request, and I may say “no” if I believe it would affect your health care.
• The Right to Request Restrictions for Out-of-Pocket Expenses Paid for In Full. You have the right to request restrictions on disclosures of your PHI to health plans for payment or health care operations purposes if the PHI pertains solely to a health care item or a health care service that you have paid for out-of-pocket in full.
• The Right to Choose How I Send PHI to You. You have the right to ask me to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address, and I will agree to all reasonable requests.
• The Right to See and Get Copies of Your PHI. Other than “psychotherapy notes,” you have the right to get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other information that I have about you. I will provide you with a copy of your record, or a summary of it, if you agree to receive a summary, within 30 days of receiving your written request (with a possible 30-day extension). I may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for fulfilling your request for PHI as permitted by law.
• The Right to Get a List of the Disclosures I Have Made. You have the right to request a list of instances in which I have disclosed your PHI for purposes other than treatment, payment, or health care operations, or for which you provided me with an Authorization. I will respond to your request for an accounting of disclosures within 60 days of receiving your request (with a possible 30-day extension). The list I will give you will include disclosures made in the last six years. First requests within a 12-month period are provided at no charge, but subsequent requests within the same year may be assessed a reasonable cost-based fee per request as permitted by law.
• The Right to Correct or Update Your PHI. If you believe that there is a mistake in your PHI, or that a piece of important information is missing from your PHI, you have the right to request that I correct the existing information or add the missing information. I may say “no” to your request, but I will tell you why in writing within 60 days of receiving your request. I may also request a 30-day extension if I am unable to make a determination on your request within the initial 60 days.
• The Right to Get a Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice. You have the right get a paper copy of this Notice, or receive one by e-mail. Even if you have agreed to receive this Notice via e-mail, you still have the right to request a paper copy of it.

If you have any questions about our Notice of Privacy Practices or how your health information may be used or disclosed by us, you may contact us at:

     Ember & Ivy

     admin@emberandivy.net

     (309) 323-0206