Notice of Privacy Practices

Our commitment

NPDirect Telehealth is required by law to protect the privacy of your protected health information ("PHI"), to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect. PHI is information that identifies you and relates to your health, your care, or payment for that care.

How we may use and disclose your health information

We may use and disclose your PHI without your written authorisation for the following purposes.

Treatment

To provide, coordinate, and manage your care. For example, we may send your prescription to your pharmacy, order laboratory work and receive the results, or share relevant history with a specialist we refer you to.

Payment

To bill and collect for the care we provide. For example, we may verify your eligibility with your insurer, submit claims containing your diagnosis and the services rendered, or provide information needed for prior authorisation.

Health care operations

To run the practice and maintain quality. For example, quality review, evaluating the performance of clinicians, training, licensing, business planning, and administrative activities.

Other uses and disclosures permitted or required by law

• As required by law — when federal, state, or local law compels disclosure.
• Public health activities — reporting disease, injury, vital events, and adverse reactions to medications or products.
• Abuse, neglect, or domestic violence — reporting to authorities authorised to receive such reports.
• Health oversight — audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure actions by oversight agencies.
• Judicial and administrative proceedings — when required by a court order, or when otherwise permitted by law in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process. We may take reasonable steps to notify you, or to seek appropriate protections, when required by law.
• Law enforcement — in the limited circumstances the law permits.
• Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors — as necessary for them to carry out their duties.
• Organ and tissue donation — to facilitate donation and transplantation.
• Serious threat to health or safety — to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to you or the public.
• Military, veterans, national security, and correctional institutions — in the specific circumstances the law permits.
• Workers' compensation — as authorised by workers' compensation laws.
• Research — where an institutional review board has approved a waiver of authorisation.

Vendors who work on our behalf

We may disclose PHI to vendors and service providers that perform functions on our behalf, such as practice management, scheduling, telehealth, records management, billing, and technology support. These business associates are required by contract and by law to appropriately safeguard your PHI. Our practice management, scheduling, video visit, and billing platform operates under a signed Business Associate Agreement.

Reminders, and people involved in your care

• Appointment reminders and health-related communications — to remind you of appointments or tell you about treatment alternatives and health-related benefits or services.
• Individuals involved in your care — to a family member, friend, or other person you identify, limited to information relevant to their involvement, unless you object.

Uses that always require your written authorisation

The following require your written authorisation, which you may revoke at any time in writing (a revocation does not undo disclosures already made in reliance on it):

• Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes.
• Uses and disclosures for marketing purposes.
• Any sale of your protected health information.
• Any other use or disclosure not described in this notice.

Your rights

• Inspect and get a copy. You may inspect and obtain a copy of your medical and billing records. Because we maintain records electronically, you may request an electronic copy and ask us to send it to a person or entity you designate. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
• Request an amendment. If you believe information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend it. We may deny the request in certain circumstances, and will explain why in writing.
• Receive an accounting of disclosures. You may request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI, other than those for treatment, payment, or health care operations and certain others excluded by law.
• Request restrictions. You may ask us to restrict how we use or disclose your PHI. We are not generally required to agree — except that we must agree to withhold information from your health plan when the disclosure is for payment or health care operations, is not otherwise required by law, and you have paid for that item or service in full out of pocket.
• Request confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you a particular way or at a particular address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
• Get a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
• Be notified of a breach of your unsecured protected health information.
• Choose someone to act for you. If a person has legal authority to act for you — such as a legal guardian or an individual holding a valid health care power of attorney — that person may exercise your privacy rights and make choices about your health information. We will verify that person's authority before complying with the request.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details at the bottom of this notice. Most requests must be made in writing.

Our duties

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI.
• We must notify you 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 in writing that we may.

Changes to this notice

We reserve the right to change this notice and to make the revised notice effective for information we already have as well as information we receive in the future. The current notice will always be posted on this website with its effective date, and a copy is available on request.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us at npdirecttelehealth@gmail.com or (813) 358-6231.

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights:

• 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20201
• 1-877-696-6775
• hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints

You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

Contact

Privacy questions and requests: Peta Watkins, MSN, APRN — NPDirect Telehealth.
Email npdirecttelehealth@gmail.com · Phone (813) 358-6231

Please do not include medical details or other sensitive information in an email request. Tell us what you need and we will arrange a secure way to handle it.