We typically use or share information in the following ways: 

• • Treatment: We may use your health information and share it with our employees and other professionals who are treating you. We may use or disclose your health information to another health care provider.
  • Payment: We may use and share your health information to bill and receive payment from health plans or other entities unless you request that we restrict such disclosure to your health plan when you have paid out-of-pocket and in full for services rendered. Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose your health information about our healthcare operations. Healthcare operations include activities related to running our practice, improving your care, and contacting you, when necessary.
  • Healthcare operations also include using health information about you to manage your treatment and services. Some examples include, but are not limited to, engaging in quality assessment and improvement activities; reviewing the competence or qualifications of healthcare professionals; evaluating practitioner and provider performance; conducting training programs, accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities. 
  • Public Health: We may, and are sometimes legally obligated to, disclose your health information to public health agencies for purposes related to preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability; reporting abuse or neglect; reporting domestic violence; reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications; and reporting disease or infection exposure.

• Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your health information to the appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that you are a possible victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence or the possible victim of other crimes. We may disclose your health information to the extent necessary to avert a serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of others.

• • National Security: We may disclose health information about you for specialized government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services. We may disclose to authorized federal officials health information required for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities. We may disclose to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials having lawful custody of protected health information of inmates or patients under certain circumstances.
  • To Comply with the Law: We will share information about you if a state or federal law requires it. This includes disclosures to courts upon a court order, to law enforcement with search warrants, or to other government entities with orders pursuant to their respective legal authority and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we are complying with federal privacy law.
  • Appointment Reminders: We may contact you to provide you with appointment reminders via email, text messages, voicemail, postcards, or letters. We may also leave a message with the person answering the phone if you are not available.

• Sign-In Sheet and Announcement: Upon arriving at our office, we may use your name when we are ready to see you, on our scheduling board, and when in the barn.

• • To Your Family and Friends: We must disclose your health information to you, as described in the Patient Rights section of this Notice. You have the right to request restrictions on disclosure to family members, other relatives, close personal friends, or any other person identified by you.

• Persons Involved in Care: We may use or disclose your health information to notify, or assist in the notification of (including identifying or locating) a family member, your personal representative or another person responsible for your care, of your location, your general condition, or death. If you are present, then prior to use or disclosure of your health information, we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such uses or disclosures. In the event of your incapacity or emergency circumstances, we will disclose health information based on a determination using our professional judgment disclosing only health information that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement in your healthcare.

1. Other Uses and Disclosures of Your Health Information: Your authorization is required, with a few exceptions, for disclosure of psychotherapy notes, use or disclosure of your health information for marketing, and for the sale of your PHI. We will also obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your health information for purposes other than those provided for in this Notice (or as otherwise permitted or required by law). You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. Upon receipt of the written revocation, we will stop using or disclosing your health information, except to the extent that we have already taken action in reliance on the authorization.

• Your Authorization: In addition to our use of your health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations and otherwise as described in this Notice, you may give us written authorization to use your health information or to disclose it to anyone for any purpose. If you give us an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosures permitted by your authorization while it is in effect. Unless you give us a written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health information for any reason except those described in this Notice.

Patient Rights

• • Access: You have the right to see or obtain electronic or paper copies of your Equine Assisted Services records and other health information, with limited exceptions. You may request that we provide copies in a format other than photocopies. We will use the format you request unless we cannot practicably do so. You may contact our office to request a copy of your Equine Assisted Services record or for a full explanation of our fee structure.
  • Disclosure Accounting: You have a right to receive a list of instances in which we disclosed your health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations and certain other activities for the last six years. If you request this accounting more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable cost-based fee for responding to these additional requests. You may contact our office to request a disclosure accounting.
  • Additional Restrictions: You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your health information. We are not required to agree to additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement (except in an emergency). For example, if you pay out-of-pocket and in full for services rendered, you may request that we not share your health information with your health plan. We must agree to this request. You may contact our office to request additional restrictions.
  • Alternative Communication: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information by alternative means or to alternative locations. You must make your request in writing. Your request must specify the alternative means or location and provide a satisfactory explanation of how payments will be handled under the alternative means or location you request. 

• Breach Notification In the event your unsecured protected health information is breached, we will notify you as required by law. In some situations, you may be notified by our business associates.