HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective Date: 2025-06-21
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.
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
Fox Oak Counseling is committed to protecting your personal and health information. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your Protected Health Information (PHI), and your rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
We are legally required to maintain the privacy of your PHI, provide this notice, and abide by the privacy practices outlined here.
How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information
1. Treatment
We may use your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your care. For example, we may consult with other healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care.
2. Payment
We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for services provided. This may include submitting claims to your insurance provider or billing service.
3. Healthcare Operations
We may use or disclose your PHI for operational purposes such as quality assessment, staff training, licensing, and auditing.
Other Permitted or Required Uses and Disclosures
We may use or disclose your PHI in other ways permitted or required by law, including:
- When required by law
- To prevent a serious threat to health or safety
- For public health activities
- To report abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
- To health oversight agencies for audits and investigations
- To coroners, funeral directors, or organ donation organizations
- For workers’ compensation claims
- For approved research purposes
Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Authorization
We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your PHI for the following purposes:
- Marketing communications
- Sale of PHI
- Most uses of psychotherapy notes
You may revoke your authorization at any time in writing. However, this does not apply to uses or disclosures made before the revocation.
Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
You have the following rights under HIPAA:
- Right to Access: You can request to see or receive a copy of your health records.
- Right to Request Restrictions: You may request limitations on how we use or share your PHI. We are not always required to agree to your request.
- Right to Confidential Communications: You can request to receive communications in a certain way or at a specific location (e.g., only by phone, not email).
- Right to Amend: You can request corrections to your records if you believe they are incorrect or incomplete.
- Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You may request a list of times your PHI was shared (excluding disclosures for treatment, payment, or operations).
- Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You can request a printed copy of this notice at any time.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with:
Privacy Officer
Fox Oak Counseling
828-515-4788
jamie@foxoakcounseling.com
Or you may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and our privacy practices at any time. The new notice will apply to all health information we maintain and will be available on our website or upon request.
Contact Information
If you have any questions about this notice or your privacy rights, please contact us at:
Fox Oak Counseling
828-515-4788
jamie@foxoakcounseling.com