THIS NOTICE OF HEALTH INFORMATION PRACTICES DESCRIBES HOW CERTAIN PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE COLLECTED, USED, AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. 

This Notice is separate from, and is not part of, the Website Privacy Policy above.

1)Understanding Your Health Record / Information

Your client / patient medical record contains information about your health history, symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment, and a plan for future care or treatment. This information serves as a:

• basis for planning your care and treatment
• means of communication among the many health professionals who contribute to your care
• legal document describing the care you received
• means by which you or a third party payer can verify that services billed were actually provided
• a tool in educating health professionals;
• a source of data for medical research;
• a source of information for public health officials charged with improving the health of the nation;
• a source of data for facility planning and marketing and
• a tool with which we can assess and continually work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve

2)Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used helps you to:

• ensure its accuracy
• better understand who, what, when, where and why others may access your health information
• make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others

3)Your Health Information Rights:

Although your health record is the physical property of the healthcare practitioner or facility that compiled it, the information belongs to you. You have the right to:

• request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information as provided by 45 CFR 164.522 and 42 CFR, Chapter 1, Part 2
• obtain a paper copy of the notice of information practices upon request
• inspect and obtain a paper or electronic copy your health record as provided for in 45 CFR 164.524
• amend your health record as provided in 45 CFR 164.528
• obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information as provided in 45 CFR 164.528
• request  communications  of  your  health  information  by  alternative  means  or  at  alternative locations
• revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken

4)Our Responsibilities: This organization is required to:

• maintain the privacy of your health information
• provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you
• abide by the terms of this notice
• notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction
• accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate personal health information by alternative means or at alternative locations
• notify you and the Dept. of Health and Human Services if it is determined through a risk analysis that a breach of your health information occurred

We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain. Should our information practices change, we are required to distribute the modified version to new client / patients on or after the date of modification.

We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice.

5)For More Information or to Report a Problem

If you have questions and would like additional information, you may contact the Compliance Officer at: Absolute Awakenings Treatment Center, 3000 NJ-10, Morris Plains, NJ 07950; by email at admissions@absoluteawakenings.com; or by phone at (866) 768-0528.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with the Dept. of Health and Human Services / Office for Civil Rights by email at ocrcomplaint@hhs.gov or by calling the national Office at 202-205-8725 and asking for the OCR Health Information Privacy Complaint Form and / or for the appropriate Regional OCR Office. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint.

6)Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Operations

We will use your health information for treatment. For example: Information obtained by a counselor, physician, nurse or other member of your treatment care team will be recorded in your record and used to determine the course of treatment that should work best for you.

With your consent, we also provide an individual such as a physician or an entity such as a subsequent healthcare provider with copies of your diagnosis, various reports, assessments, and summaries, including psychotherapy notes where appropriate, that should assist him / her or the entity treating you once you are discharged from this program. Without your consent, we will not use or disclose your health information for marketing purposes, and we will not sell your health information. Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice of Health Information Practices will only be made with your consent.

With your consent, we will use your health information for payment.  For example: A bill may be sent to you or a third party payer.   The information on or accompanying the bill may include information that identifies you, as well as your diagnosis and descriptions of treatment methods and procedures used. You have the right to restrict certain disclosures of health information to a health plan when you pay out of pocket in full for the healthcare item or services.

We will use your health information for regular, internal health operations. For example: members of the treatment staff, the utilization review coordinator, the quality improvement manager, or members of the quality improvement team may use information in your health record to assess the care and outcomes in your case and others like it.  This information will then be used in an effort to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the treatment and service we provide.

7)Other Uses or Disclosures

Business Associates: There are some services provided in our organization through contacts with business associates.  Examples include care by external physicians (in the event urgent or emergency care is needed), pharmacy services (filling prescriptions), and laboratory tests.  When these services are contracted, we may disclose your health information to our business associate so that they can perform the job we’ve asked them to do and bill for services rendered.   So that your health information is protected, however, both we and the Dept. of Health and Human Services require business associates and their subcontractors to appropriately safeguard your information.
Notification: With your prior consent, in the event of an emergency or crisis, we may use or disclose your personal information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, personal representative, or another persons that you designate as responsible for your continued care, your location, and general condition.
Communication with Family: With your consent, this program’s treatment personnel, using their best judgment, may disclose to a family member, other relative, close personal friend or other significant person that you identify, your personal health information that is relevant to that person’s involvement in your care – or for payment needs related to your care. Un-emancipated Minor: if, and to the extent, permitted or required by an applicable provision of State or other law, including applicable case law, this organization’s treatment representative may disclose and provide access to protected health information about the un-emancipated minor to the parent or legal guardian, or other person acting in loco parentis.
Research: With your consent, we may disclose information to researchers when their research has been approved by an Institutional Review Board, which has reviewed the research proposal and has established specific protocols to ensure the confidentiality of your health information.
Continuing Care and/or Marketing: With your prior consent, we may contact you to provide appointment reminders or information about continuing care or other related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA): We may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects or other information to enable the FDA to notify patients and physicians about emerging dangers.
Disability Insurance and Workers Compensation: With your consent, we may disclose the minimum health information needed to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to disability and workers compensation or other similar programs established by law.
Public Health: With your consent and if required by law, we may disclose the minimum necessary health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability.
Law Enforcement: We may disclose health information for law enforcement per 42 CFR: Chapter 1, Part 2 (see Notice of “Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records”)

Federal law makes provision for your health information to be released to an appropriate health oversight agency, public health authority or attorney, provided that a workforce member or business associate believes in good faith that we have engaged in unlawful conduct or have otherwise violated professional or clinical standards and are potentially endangering you or patients, workers or the public. In this case, a court order is required per 42 CFR, Chapter 1, Part 2.

This organization reserves the right to change the terms of its notice and to make the new notice provisions effective for all protected health information that it maintains.  Revisions of this notice will be posted at this location and on the organization’s web site.

8)CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have questions or concerns regarding our Privacy Policy or our Notice of Health Information Practices, or if you wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at:
Absolute Awakenings Treatment Center
3000 NJ-10, Morris Plains, NJ 07950
Website: https://absoluteawakenings.com
Email: admissions@absoluteawakenings.com
Phone number: (866) 768-0528