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.
Meaningful Psychiatry, PLLC ("we," "us") is required by law to protect the privacy of your health information, to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.
Your rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.
- Get a copy of your health and claims records. You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. We will provide a copy or a summary, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
- Ask us to correct your record. You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. We may say "no," but we'll tell you why in writing within 60 days.
- Request confidential communications. You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, a home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address. We will say "yes" to all reasonable requests.
- Ask us to limit what we use or share. You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree, and we may say "no" if it would affect your care. If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information with your health insurer for payment or our operations. We will say "yes" unless a law requires us to share it.
- Get a list of those with whom we've shared information. You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we've shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why. We will include all disclosures except those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We'll provide one accounting a year for free but may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another within 12 months.
- Get a copy of this privacy notice. You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.
- 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 and make choices about your health information. We will make sure the person has this authority before we take any action.
- File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated. See "How to file a complaint" below. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Your choices
For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:
- Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
- Share information in a disaster relief situation
If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
In these cases we never share your information unless you give us written permission:
- Marketing purposes
- Sale of your information
- Most sharing of psychotherapy notes
Our uses and disclosures
We typically use or share your health information in the following ways:
- Treat you. We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. Example: Your provider coordinates your medications with your primary care doctor.
- Run our practice. We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. Example: We use secure systems to schedule appointments and send reminders.
- Bill for your services. We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.
We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways, usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes:
- Help with public health and safety issues, such as reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, and preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone's health or safety
- Comply with the law, including sharing information with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we're complying with federal privacy law
- Respond to lawsuits and legal actions, such as in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena
- Address workers' compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests, as permitted or required by law
- Work with a medical examiner or funeral director when an individual dies
- Do research, under conditions the law sets
We use trusted vendors (business associates), such as our secure electronic health record and scheduling platform, who must protect your information under written agreements with us.
Washington State law. Washington law, including the Uniform Health Care Information Act (RCW 70.02), gives additional protection to mental health information. When state law is more protective of your privacy than federal law, we follow state law.
Our responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
- We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
- We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
- We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.
Changes to the terms of this notice
We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office materials, and on this website.
How to contact us or file a complaint
To make a request described in this notice, or if you have questions, contact our office:
- Email: admin@meaningfulpsychiatry.com
- Call or text: 425-272-5931
If you feel we have violated your rights, you can complain to us using the contact information above. You can also 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/hipaa/filing-a-complaint.