Privacy Policy

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.

JWright Counseling & Consultation (the “Practice”) is committed to protecting your privacy. The Practice is required by federal law to maintain the privacy of Protected Health Information (“PHI”), which is information that identifies or could be used to identify you. The Practice is required to provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices (this “Notice”), which explains the Practice's legal duties and privacy practices and your rights regarding PHI that we collect and maintain.


YOUR RIGHTS
Your rights regarding PHI are explained below. To exercise these rights, please submit a written request to the Practice at the address noted below.

To inspect and copy PHI.
• You can ask for an electronic or paper copy of PHI. The Practice may charge you a reasonable fee.
• The Practice may deny your request if it believes the disclosure will endanger your life or another person's life. You may have a right to have this decision reviewed.

To amend PHI.
• You can ask to correct PHI you believe is incorrect or incomplete. The Practice may require you to make your request in writing and provide a reason for the request.
• The Practice may deny your request. The Practice will send a written explanation for the denial and allow you to submit a written statement of disagreement.

To request confidential communications.
• You can ask the Practice to contact you in a specific way. The Practice will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

To limit what is used or shared.
• You can ask the Practice not to use or share PHI for treatment, payment, or business operations. The Practice is not required to agree if it would affect your care.
• If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask the Practice not to share PHI with your health insurer.
• You can ask for the Practice not to share your PHI with family members or friends by stating the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply.

To obtain a list of those with whom your PHI has been shared.
• You can ask for a list, called an accounting, of the times your health information has been shared. You can receive one accounting every 12 months at no charge, but you may be charged a reasonable fee if you ask for one more frequently.

To receive a copy of this Notice.
• You can ask for a paper copy of this Notice, even if you agreed to receive the Notice electronically.

To choose someone to act for you.
• If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights.

To file a complaint if you feel your rights are violated.
• You can file a complaint by contacting the Practice using the following information:
JWright Counseling & Consultation
3010 Heather Rd, Folfcroft PA 19032
Jermain Wright
484-534-8767
• You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
• The Practice will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

To opt out of receiving fundraising communications.
• The Practice may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can ask not to be contacted again.


OUR USES AND DISCLOSURES
1. Routine Uses and Disclosures of PHI
The Practice is permitted under federal law to use and disclose PHI, without your written authorization, for certain routine uses and disclosures, such as those made for treatment, payment, and the operation of our business. The Practice typically uses or shares your health information in the following ways:

To treat you.
• The Practice can use and share PHI with other professionals who are treating you.
• Example: Your primary care doctor asks about your mental health treatment.

To run the health care operations.
• The Practice can use and share PHI to run the business, improve your care, and contact you.
• Example: The Practice uses PHI to send you appointment reminders if you choose.

To bill for your services.
• The Practice can use and share PHI to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.
• Example: The Practice gives PHI to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

2. Uses and Disclosures of PHI That May Be Made Without Your Authorization or Opportunity to Object
The Practice may use or disclose PHI without your authorization or an opportunity for you to object, including:

To help with public health and safety issues
• Public health: To prevent the spread of disease, assist in product recalls, and report adverse reactions to medication.
• Required by the Secretary of Health and Human Services: We may be required to disclose your PHI to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with the requirements of the final rule on Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information.
• Health oversight: For audits, investigations, and inspections by government agencies that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, other government regulatory programs, and civil rights laws.
• Serious threat to health or safety: To prevent a serious and imminent threat.
• Abuse or Neglect: To report abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.

To comply with law, law enforcement, or other government requests
• Required by law: If required by federal, state or local law.
• Judicial and administrative proceedings: To respond to a court order, subpoena, or discovery request.
• Law enforcement: For law locate and identify you or disclose information about a victim of a crime.
• Specialized Government Functions: For military or national security concerns, including intelligence, protective services for heads of state, or your security clearance.
• National security and intelligence activities: For intelligence, counterintelligence, protection of the President, other authorized persons or foreign heads of state, for purpose of determining your own security clearance and other national security activities authorized by law.
• Workers' Compensation: To comply with workers' compensation laws or support claims.

To comply with other requests
• Coroners and Funeral Directors: To perform their legally authorized duties.
• Organ Donation: For organ donation or transplantation.
• Research: For research that has been approved by an institutional review board.
• Inmates: The Practice created or received your PHI in the course of providing care.
• Business Associates: To organizations that perform functions, activities or services on our behalf.

3. Uses and Disclosures of PHI That May Be Made With Your Authorization or Opportunity to Object
Unless you object, the Practice may disclose PHI:

To your family, friends, or others if PHI directly relates to that person's involvement in your care.

If it is in your best interest because you are unable to state your preference.

4. Uses and Disclosures of PHI Based Upon Your Written Authorization
The Practice must obtain your written authorization to use and/or disclose PHI for the following purposes:

Marketing, sale of PHI, and psychotherapy notes.

You may revoke your authorization, at any time, by contacting the Practice in writing, using the information above. The Practice will not use or share PHI other than as described in Notice unless you give your permission in writing.


OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
• The Practice is required by law to maintain the privacy and security of PHI.
• The Practice is required to abide by the terms of this Notice currently in effect. Where more stringent state or federal law governs PHI, the Practice will abide by the more stringent law.
• The Practice reserves the right to amend Notice. All changes are applicable to PHI collected and maintained by the Practice. Should the Practice make changes, you may obtain a revised Notice by requesting a copy from the Practice, using the information above, or by viewing a copy on the website wwwjwcandc.com
• The Practice will inform you if PHI is compromised in a breach.

DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of protected health information, this information may include: notes from your health care provider, your medical history, your test results, treatment notes and insurance information.

We are also required to provide individuals with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices in regards to protected health information, and to notify affected individuals about breach of unsecured protected health information. This notice describes how we may use and disclose your medical information. It also describes your rights and our legal obligations with respect to your medical information. If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact Jermain Wright LPC

Privacy Officer listed above.

A. How This Practice May Use or Disclose Your Health Information without your permission.

1. Treatment. We use medical information about you to provide you with our services or treatment and we may share your medical information with other providers involved in your care. For example, we may share your treatment results with your doctor, etc.

2. Payment. We use and disclose medical information about you to obtain payment for the services we provide. For example, we give your health plan the information it requires before it will pay us. We may also disclose information to other health care providers to assist them in obtaining payment for services they have provided to you.

 3. Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose medical information about you to operate this practice. For example, we may use and disclose this information to review and improve the quality of services we provide, or check on performance of our staff. Or we may use and disclose this information to get your health plan to authorize services or referrals. We may also use and disclose this information as necessary for medical reviews, legal services and audits, including fraud and abuse detection and compliance programs. We may also share your medical information with our "business associates," such as our billing service, that perform administrative services for us. We have a written contract with each of these business associates that contains terms requiring them and their subcontractors to protect the confidentiality and security of your protected health information. We may also share your information with other health care providers, health care clearinghouses or health plans that have a relationship with you

4. Appointment Reminders. We may use and disclose medical information to contact and remind you about appointments. Reminders may be sent in the mail, by email, or by phone call or voicemail message. If you do not wish to get reminders, please let us know. If you are not home, we may leave this information on your answering machine or in a message left with the person answering the phone.

 5. Sign In Sheet. We may use and disclose medical information about you by having you sign in when you arrive at our office. We may also call out your name when we are ready to see you. 

6. Required by Law. As required by law, we will use and disclose your health information, but we will limit our use or disclosure to the relevant requirements of the law. When the law requires us to report abuse, neglect or domestic violence, or respond to judicial or administrative proceedings, or to law enforcement officials, we will further comply with the requirement set forth below concerning those activities.

7. Public Health. We may as required by law, to disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to: preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability; reporting child, elder or dependent adult abuse or neglect; reporting domestic violence; reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications; and reporting disease or infection exposure.

8. Health Oversight Activities. We may, and are sometimes required by law, to disclose your health information to health oversight agencies during the course of audits, investigations, inspections, licensure and other proceedings, subject to the limitations imposed by law.

9. Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. We may, and are sometimes required by law, to disclose your health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding to the extent expressly authorized by a court or administrative order. We may also disclose information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process if reasonable efforts have been made to notify you of the request and you have not objected, or if your objections have been resolved by a court or administrative order.

10. Law Enforcement. We may, and are sometimes required by law, to disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order, warrant, grand jury subpoena and other law enforcement purposes.

11. Public Safety. We may, and are sometimes required by law, to disclose your health information to appropriate persons in order to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or the general public.

12. Specialized Government Functions. We may disclose your health information for military or national security purposes or to correctional institutions or law enforcement officers that have you in their lawful custody.

13. Workers’ Compensation. We may disclose your health information as necessary to comply with workers’ compensation laws. For example, to the extent your care is covered by workers' compensation, we will make periodic reports to your employer about your condition. We are also required by law to report cases of occupational injury or occupational illness to the employer or workers' compensation insurer.

14. Change of Ownership. In the event that this medical practice is sold or merged with another organization, your health information/record will become the property of the new owner, although you will maintain the right to request that copies of your health information be transferred to practice or provider.

15. Breach Notification. In the case of a breach of unsecured protected health information, we will notify you as required by law. If you have provided us with a current e-mail address, we may use e-mail to communicate information related to the breach. In some circumstances our business associate may provide the notification. We may also provide notification by other methods as appropriate.

16. Psychotherapy Notes. We will not use or disclose your psychotherapy notes without your prior written authorization except for the following: 1) use by the originator of the notes for your treatment, 2) for training our staff, students and other trainees, 3) to defend ourselves if you sue us or bring some other legal proceeding, 4) if the law requires us to disclose the information to you or the Secretary of HHS or for some other reason, 5) in response to health oversight activities concerning your psychotherapist, 6) to avert a serious and imminent threat to health or safety, or 7) to the coroner or medical examiner after you die. To the extent you revoke an authorization to use or disclose your psychotherapy notes, we will stop using or disclosing these notes.

B. Your Rights: You have the right to:

1. Right to Request Special Privacy Protections. : You can request us not to use or share your information for treatment, payment, or health care operations. You can also ask us not to share information with individuals involved in your care, e.g. family members or friends. You must make these requests in writing. We must share information when required by law. We reserve the right to accept or reject any other request, and will notify you of our decision.

2. Right to Request Confidential Communications. You can request that you receive your health information in a specific way or at a specific location. For example, you may ask that we send information to a particular e-mail account or to your work address. You must make these requests in writing.

3. Right to Inspect and Copy. You have the right to see your health information and request a copy of that information with limited exceptions. To access your medical information, you must submit a written request detailing what information you want access to, whether you want to inspect it or get a copy of it, and if you want a copy, your preferred form and format.

4. Right to Amend or Supplement. You have a right to request that we amend or change your health information that you believe is incorrect or incomplete. You must make such requests in writing and provide a reason for the change. We don’t have to change your health information, and will provide you with information about this practice's denial and how you can disagree with the denial. We may deny your request if we do not have the information, if we did not create the information (unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment), if you would not be permitted to inspect or copy the information at issue, or if the information is accurate and complete as is. If we deny your request, you may submit a written statement of your disagreement with that decision, and we may, in turn, prepare a written rebuttal. All information related to any request to amend will be maintained and disclosed in conjunction with any subsequent disclosure of the disputed information.

5. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by this practice. You must make such request in writing. This practice does not have to account for the disclosures provided to you or pursuant to your written authorization, or as described in above paragraphs : (treatment), (payment), (health care operations), (notification and communication with family) and (specialized government functions) of Section A of this Notice of Privacy Practices or disclosures for purposes of research or public health

6. Right to a Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice. You have a right to notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information, including a right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices, even if you have previously requested its receipt by e-mail.

C. Changes to this Notice of Privacy Practices

We reserve the right to change this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future. After an amendment is made, the revised Notice of Privacy Protections will apply to all protected health information that we maintain, regardless of when it was created or received. We will keep a copy of the current notice posted in our practice location, and a copy will be available at each appointment.

D. File Complaints

You can file a complaint with us or with the government if you think that your information was used or shared in a way that is not allowed. You can also complaint when you were not allowed to view a copy of your information. To file a complaint with us, please contact our Privacy Officer listed at the top of this form. You can file a complaint with your regional office of the United States Office of Civil Rights. You will not be penalized in any way for filing a complaint.

I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE PRIVACY POLICIES DISCLOSED IN THIS NOTICE.

This Notice is effective on 1/1/24

Jermain L Wright MA, MS, LPC

JW Counseling & Consultation

Certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist

Certified Prologed Exposure Therapist

Supervisor Consultant for Prolonged Exposure Therapy

Behavior Specialist.