HIPAA

HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Policy.


Our Legal Duties: State and Federal laws require that we keep your medical records private. Such laws require that we provide you with this notice informing you of our privacy of information, policies, your rights and our duties. We are required to abide by these policies until replaced or revised. We have the right to revise our privacy policies for all clinical records, including records kept before policy changes were made.

The contents of material disclosed to us in an evaluation, intake, or counseling session are covered by the law as Private Health Information PHI and is based on the observation of therapist only during therapy and not outside therapy session. We respect the privacy of the information you provide us, and we abide by ethical and legal requirements of confidentiality and privacy of records.

Use of Information: Information about you may be used by the personnel associated with this clinic for diagnosis, treatment planning, treatment, and continuity of care. We may disclose it to health care providers who provide you with treatment, such as doctors, nurses, mental health professionals and mental health students and/or business associates affiliated with this clinic such as billing, quality enhancement, training, audits, and accreditation.

Both verbal information and written records about a client cannot be shared with another party without the written consent of the client or the client’s legal guardian or personal representative. It is the policy of Sahaya Therapy, LLC not to release any information about a client without a signed release of information except in certain emergency situations or exceptions in which client information can be disclosed to others without written consent. Some of these situations are noted below, and there may be other provisions provided by legal requirements.

Duty to Warn and Protect: When a client discloses intentions or a plan to harm another person or persons, the health care professional is required to warn the intended victim and report this information to legal authorities. In cases in which the client discloses or implies a plan for suicide, the health care professional is required to notify legal authorities and make reasonable attempts to notify the family or significant other of the client.

Public Safety: Health records may be released for the public interest and safety for public health activities, judicial and Administrative proceedings, law enforcement purposes, serious threats to public safety, essential government Functions, military, and when complying with worker’s compensation laws.

Abuse: If a client states or suggests that he or she is abusing a child or vulnerable adult, or has recently abused a child or vulnerable adult, or a child (or vulnerable adult) is in danger of abuse, the health care professional is required to report this information to the appropriate social service and/or legal authorities. If a client is the victim of abuse, neglect, violence, or a crime victim, and their safety appears to be at risk, we are required to share this information with law enforcement officials to help prevent future occurrences and capture the perpetrator.

Prenatal Exposure to Controlled Substances: Health care professionals are required to report admitted prenatal exposure to controlled substances that are potentially harmful.

Unusual Emergencies: In the event of a client’s death, the spouse or parents of a deceased client have a right to access their child’s or spouse’s records.

Professional Misconduct: Professional misconduct by a health care professional must be reported to the President of Sahaya Therapy, LLC. In cases in which a professional or legal disciplinary meeting is being held regarding the health care professional’s actions, related records may be released in order to substantiate disciplinary concerns.

Judicial or Administrative Proceedings: Health care professionals are required to release records of clients when a court order has been placed.

Minors/Guardianship: Parents or legal guardians of non-emancipated minor clients have the right to access the client’s records.

Other Provisions: When payment for services are the responsibility of the client, or a person who has agreed to pay and payment has not been made in a timely manner, collection agencies may be utilized in collecting unpaid debts. The specific content of the services (e.g., diagnosis, treatment plan, progress notes, testing) are not disclosed. If a debt remains unpaid it will be reported to credit agencies, and the client’s credit report may state the amount owed, the timeframe, and the name of the provider or collection source.

Insurance companies, managed care, and other third-party payers are given information that they request regarding services to the client. Information which may be requested includes type of services, dates/times of services, diagnosis, treatment plan, description of impairment, progress of therapy and summaries.

Information about clients may be disclosed in consultations with other professionals in order to provide the best possible treatment without mention of the name or any identifying information. Only Clinical case information about the client is discussed. Clinical documentation is stored in a secure clinical software.

In the event in which Sahaya Therapy, LLC and its staffs must telephone the client for purposes such as appointment cancellations or reminders, or to give/receive other information, efforts are made to preserve confidentiality. Please notify us in writing where we may reach you by phone and how you would like us to identify ourselves. For example, you might request that when we phone you at home or work, we do not say the name of the clinic or the nature of the call, but rather the mental health professional’s first name only. If this information is not provided to us (below), we will adhere to the following procedure when making phone calls: First we will ask to speak to the client (or guardian) without identifying the name of the clinic. If the person answering the phone asks for more identifying information, we will say that it is a personal call. We will not identify with Sahaya Therapy, LLC (to protect confidentiality). If we reach an answering machine or voicemail, we will follow the same guidelines.

Client’s Rights:

  • The Client has the right to request a review or receive their PHI and session notes. The procedures for obtaining a copy of their PHI is as follows. The Client may request a copy of their records in writing with an original (not photocopied) signature. If the request is denied, they will receive a written explanation of the denial. The charge for this service is $50.00 per page, plus postage.
  • The Client has the right to cancel a release of information by providing us a written notice. If client desires to have information sent to a location different than our address on file, you must provide this information in writing.
  • The Client has the right to disagree with the medical records in our files. The Client has the right to make a statement of disagreement, which will be placed in your file.
  • The Client has the right to refuse to sign the HIPAA and Tele-Consent forms.
  • The Client has the right to know what information has been provided to whom.

Complaints: If you have any complaints or questions regarding these procedures, please first contact the President of the company. We will get back to you in a timely manner. Sahaya Therapy, LLC will take all complaints seriously to better serve its clientele. You may also submit a complaint to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services and/or the D.C. Dept of Health.


Request Your First Appointment