How your health information is protected

Your privacy matters

What you share in therapy is personal. When you receive care from the Relationship Health Collective, we keep a record of your sessions, the services provided, and related health information. This is called Protected Health Information (PHI). We are required by law to keep your PHI private and secure, and to give you this notice explaining how we handle it and what your rights are under HIPAA.

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have the right to:

• Get a copy of your records in paper or electronic form.
• Ask for corrections to information you believe is incorrect or incomplete.
• Request confidential communication, such as being contacted at a particular phone number or email address.
• Ask us to limit what we share. If you pay for a service in full out of pocket, you can ask that information about that service not be shared with your health insurer, and we will honor that request unless the law requires otherwise.
• Get a list of those with whom your information has been shared.
• Get a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you received it electronically.
• Choose someone to act for you, such as a legal guardian or someone with medical power of attorney.
• File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

To use any of these rights, contact us in writing at info@relationshiphealthcollective.com.

Your Choices

You can tell us whether to share your information with:

• Family, friends, or others involved in your care
• Disaster relief organizations

If you are unable to tell us your preference (for example, if you are unconscious), we may share your information if we believe it is in your best interest, or when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

We never share your information without your written permission for:

• Marketing purposes
• Sale of your information
• Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

How your information is used and shared

Typical uses

• Treatment: coordinating with other health professionals involved in your care.
• Practice operations: running the practice, improving care, and contacting you when necessary.
• Payment: billing and collecting payment for services, including providing documentation you request for out-of-network reimbursement.

Other uses permitted or required by law

In limited situations, the law allows or requires us to share information, such as:

• Preventing or reducing a serious threat to someone's health or safety
• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
• Public health and safety matters
• Health research
• Complying with the law, including requests from the Department of Health and Human Services
• Responding to organ and tissue donation requests
• Working with a medical examiner or funeral director
• Workers' compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
• Responding to court or administrative orders and subpoenas

Stronger state protections

Some states provide extra protection for certain kinds of health information, such as mental health, substance use, or HIV-related information. When state law is more protective of your privacy than HIPAA, we follow the stricter law.

Our responsibilities

• We keep your health information private and secure.
• We will notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised your information.
• We follow the practices described in this notice and will give you a copy of it.
• We will not use or share your information in ways not described here unless you give us permission in writing. You may change your mind at any time by letting us know in writing.

Changes to this notice

We may change the terms of this notice, and changes will apply to all information we have about you. The current notice will always be posted on this page and is available on request.

To learn more about your rights, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Notice of Privacy Practices (HHS.gov).

Questions & complaints

If you have questions about this notice, disagree with a decision about your information, or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact Katie Lenger, Ph.D., at info@relationshiphealthcollective.com or 910-367-5148.

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

Filing a complaint will never affect your care. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.