Notice of Privacy Practices

Who we are

Seattle Therapeutic Services is a psychiatric practice providing evaluation and medication management by secure video to patients located in Washington State. We are required by law to keep your health information private, to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.

"Protected health information" (PHI) means information that identifies you and relates to your past, present, or future health, the care you receive, or payment for that care.

How we may use and share your health information

For treatment. We use your information to evaluate, diagnose, and treat you. We may share it with other providers involved in your care, such as your therapist, primary care provider, pharmacy, or laboratory.

For payment. We use and share your information to bill and collect payment from your insurance plan, including verifying eligibility, submitting claims, and responding to plan requests for information about the care you received.

For health care operations. We use your information to run the practice: quality review, training, licensing, credentialing, audits, and business planning.

Appointment reminders and care information. We may contact you by phone, text, patient portal, or email to remind you of appointments or share information about treatment options. You can ask us to use a specific method or number.

Business associates. We share information with companies that provide services to the practice, such as our electronic health record, secure messaging platform, telehealth software, billing service, and laboratory. Each is required by contract to protect your information.

Family and others involved in your care. With your agreement, or if you are unable to agree and we believe it is in your best interest, we may share information relevant to their involvement with a family member, friend, or caregiver.

Uses and disclosures that do not require your permission

We may use or share your information without your written authorization when the law requires or permits it, including:

• As required by federal, state, or local law
• For public health activities, such as reporting communicable disease or adverse drug reactions
• To report suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence as required by Washington law
• For health oversight activities such as audits, investigations, and licensing
• In response to a court order, subpoena, or other lawful process, subject to legal protections for mental health records
• To law enforcement in limited circumstances defined by law
• To prevent a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of you or others
• To a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director
• For workers' compensation claims
• For specialized government functions such as military or national security activities
• For research, under conditions that protect your privacy

Uses and disclosures that require your written authorization

We will get your written permission before we:

• Use or share psychotherapy notes, if any are kept
• Use or share your information for marketing purposes
• Sell your health information (we do not do this)
• Use or share your information for any purpose not described in this notice

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. Revoking it does not affect uses or disclosures already made under it.

Special protections under Washington law

Washington law provides additional protection for mental health treatment records, substance use disorder treatment records, HIV/STD-related information, and reproductive and gender-affirming care records. Where Washington law is more protective than federal law, we follow Washington law. In most cases this means we will not release mental health records without your specific written consent, except where the law requires disclosure.

Minors. In Washington, a person age 13 or older may consent to outpatient mental health treatment on their own. When a minor consents to their own care, we will not share treatment information with a parent or guardian without the minor's permission, except as the law allows or requires.

Your rights

See and get a copy of your records. You may ask to inspect or receive a copy of your health record, including an electronic copy. We may charge a reasonable fee for copies. In limited situations, we may deny access, and you may ask for that denial to be reviewed.

Ask us to correct your record. If you believe information in your record is wrong or incomplete, you may ask us to amend it. We may deny the request in certain cases, and we will tell you why in writing.

Get a list of disclosures. You may ask for an accounting of the times we have shared your information for reasons other than treatment, payment, operations, or disclosures you authorized, covering up to six years.

Ask for restrictions. You may ask us to limit how we use or share your information. We are not required to agree, except in one case: if you pay in full out of pocket for a service, you may ask us not to share information about that service with your health plan, and we must honor that request.

Ask for confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a specific location, for example only by phone at a certain number. We will honor reasonable requests.

Get a paper copy of this notice. You may ask for a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

Choose someone to act for you. A legal guardian or someone holding a medical power of attorney may exercise your rights on your behalf.

Be notified of a breach. We will tell you if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us using the contact information at the top of this notice, or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights:

200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201

1-800-368-1019 · www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints

You may also file a complaint with the Washington State Department of Health. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Changes to this notice

We may change this notice and the changes will apply to all information we already hold as well as information we receive in the future. The current notice is posted on our website and available on request.

Contact

Privacy questions or requests: Dr. Alison DeMiero, (206) 672-2122, [email protected]