BrightPath Behavior Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective Date: 12/29/2022

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and how you can get access to this information.  Please review it carefully.

Right to Notice

As a client, you have the right to adequate notice of the uses and disclosures of your protected health information. Under the Health insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) your protected health information can be used for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations.

1. Treatment: BrightPath Behavior may use or disclose your health information to a physician or other healthcare provider providing treatment to you.
2. Payment: BrightPath Behavior may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for services provided to you.
3. Healthcare Operations: BrightPath Behavior may use and disclose your health information in connection with health care operations. Healthcare operations include quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competency or qualifications of healthcare professionals, evaluating provider’s performance, conducting training programs, accreditations, certification, licensing, or credentialing activities.

Your Authorization:  Most uses and disclosures that do not fall under treatment, payment or healthcare operations will require your authorization in writing. Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes and most uses and disclosures for marketing purposes fall within this category and require your authorization before we may use your medical information for these purposes. Additionally, with certain limited exceptions, we are not allowed to use or disclose your medical information for purposes other than those described in this Notice of Privacy Practices, without first obtaining your written authorization. If you provide us authorization to use or disclose medical information about you, you may revoke (withdraw) that authorization, in writing, at any time.

Additional Uses and Disclosures of Your Medical Information:  We may use or disclose your medical information without your authorization to the following individuals, or for other purposes permitted or required by law, including:

• Emergency Situations: In the event of your incapacity or emergency situation, BrightPath Behavior may disclose health information to a family member or another person responsible for your child’s care using professional judgement. BrightPath Behavior may only disclose health information that is directly relevant to a person’s involvement in your healthcare.
• Required by Law: BrightPath Behavior may use or disclose your health information when required to do so by law.
• Abuse or Neglect: ABrightPath Behavior may disclose your health information to appropriate authorities if it is believed that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence or the victim of other crimes.  BrightPath Behavior may disclose your health information to the extent necessary to avert a serious threat to you.
• National Security: BrightPath Behavior must disclose the health information of Armed Forces personal to military authorities under certain circumstances. We may disclose health information to authorized federal officials required for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence and other appropriate authorities under certain circumstances.

Appointment Reminders:  BrightPath Behavior may use or disclose your health information to provide you with appointment reminders via phone, email, letters or text.

BrightPath Behavior has the right to restrict the disclosure of your protected health information (in writing). The request for restriction may be denied if the information is required for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.

Your Rights as a Patient:

• You have a right to request to receive confidential communications by alternative means or alternative locations regarding your protected information.
• You have a right to inspect and copy your protected health information. Ask us how to do this.
• You have a right to amend your protected information.
• You have a right to receive an account of disclosures of your protected health information.
• You have a right to a paper copy of this privacy notice.

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, and on our web site.

 Complaints:

• If you have complaints regarding the way your protected health information is handled, you may submit a complaint in writing to the BrightPath Behavior address: 2600 Via Fortuna, Suite 360, Austin, TX, 78746.
• You also have the option to 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 hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
• We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Contact Information

• For questions related to this Notice of Privacy Practices, please contact BrightPath Behavior’s Privacy Officer at 512-898-9044.