NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Morning Star Mental Health
Effective Date: January 1, 2025
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 Legal Duty
Morning Star Mental Health is required by law to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI) and to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI. We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice while it is in effect.
PHI is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition, the provision of health care to you, or payment for the provision of health care to you.
How We May Use and Disclose Your PHI
The following categories describe the ways we may use and disclose your PHI. Not every use or disclosure will be listed, but all permitted uses fall within one of these categories.
For Treatment
We may use or disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your mental health treatment and related services. This includes sharing PHI with other healthcare providers involved in your care (e.g., your primary care physician or a specialist) with your consent.
For telehealth sessions, your PHI may be transmitted electronically over secure, HIPAA-compliant platforms.
For Payment
We may use or disclose your PHI to obtain reimbursement for the treatment provided to you, including billing your insurance company, verifying coverage, and collecting payment.
For Healthcare Operations
We may use or disclose your PHI for our healthcare operations, such as quality assessment, staff training, licensing, and conducting business activities necessary to run our practice.
Group Therapy
If you participate in group therapy, you will share PHI with other group members. While we instruct all participants to maintain confidentiality, we cannot guarantee that all participants will do so. By participating in group therapy, you acknowledge this limitation.
Other Permitted Uses and Disclosures
We may also use or disclose your PHI without your authorization in the following circumstances:
As required by law, including public health reporting and responses to legal proceedings
To report suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence to appropriate authorities
To avert a serious threat to health or safety (including your own or others')
For workers' compensation and similar programs
To health oversight agencies for audits, inspections, and investigations
For research purposes, subject to appropriate privacy protections
To coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors as required by law
To the extent necessary for national security or intelligence activities
Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Authorization
Other uses and disclosures of your PHI not described above will be made only with your written authorization, including:
Most disclosures of psychotherapy notes
Use of your PHI for marketing purposes
Sale of your PHI
Other uses or disclosures not permitted or required by law
You may revoke any authorization you have given us at any time, in writing. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosure already made in reliance on the authorization.
Your Rights Regarding Your PHI
Right to Inspect and Copy
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI maintained in our records. We may charge a reasonable fee for copies. We will respond to your request within 30 days. In limited circumstances, we may deny your request.
Right to Amend
If you believe that PHI we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we amend it. We are not required to agree to your request, but we will consider it and inform you of our decision.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request a list of disclosures we have made of your PHI for purposes other than treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, for the past six years.
Right to Request Restrictions
You have the right to request restrictions on how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to your request except in one circumstance: if you pay for a service out-of-pocket and ask us not to disclose information about that service to your health plan.
Right to Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your PHI by alternative means or at alternative locations (e.g., contacting you only by email or at a different address). We will accommodate reasonable requests.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically. Please contact us to request a copy.
Right to Be Notified of a Breach
You have the right to be notified in the event of a breach of unsecured PHI. We will notify you without unreasonable delay and within 60 days of discovering a breach, as required by the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule.
Our Privacy Safeguards
We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the privacy and security of your PHI, including:
Encrypted electronic health records and secure telehealth platforms
Password-protected systems with role-based access controls
Staff training on HIPAA privacy and security requirements
Secure disposal of physical records containing PHI
Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to change this Notice and to apply the new Notice to PHI we already hold, as well as PHI we receive in the future. If we make a material change, we will post the revised Notice on our website and make it available in our office.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. To file a complaint with us, contact:
Practice: Morning Star Mental Health
Email: info@morningstarmentalhealth.com
Website: morningstarmentalhealth.com
To file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201
Toll-free: 1-877-696-6775 | Website: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Contact Our Privacy Officer
For questions or to exercise any of your rights, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Practice: Morning Star Mental Health
Email: info@morningstarmentalhealth.com
Website: morningstarmentalhealth.com