Notice of Privacy Practices

Aelia Health PLLC is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information ("PHI"), to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI, and to notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI.

We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice currently in effect. We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the revised Notice effective for all PHI we maintain.

We may use and disclose your PHI, without your written authorization, for the following purposes:

• Treatment. To provide, coordinate, and manage your medical care, including MAT (medication-assisted treatment) and primary care, and to share information with other providers involved in your care, such as your therapist or pharmacy.
• Payment. To bill and obtain payment from you, your health plan, Washington Apple Health (Medicaid), or another payer, including verifying coverage and eligibility.
• Health Care Operations. To support quality improvement, care coordination, credentialing, training, compliance, and general business operations of the practice.

We may also use or disclose your PHI without authorization when permitted or required by law, including:

• As required by federal, state, or local law;
• For public health and safety activities;
• To report abuse, neglect, or domestic violence;
• For health oversight activities and government functions;
• In connection with judicial and administrative proceedings;
• To law enforcement as permitted by law;
• To avert a serious and imminent threat to health or safety;
• For workers' compensation as authorized by law.

Records relating to substance use disorder treatment may receive additional protection under federal law (42 C.F.R. Part 2). In general, we may not disclose information identifying you as having a substance use disorder unless you consent in writing or another specific legal exception applies. These protections are in addition to those provided under HIPAA.

Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing, and any sale of PHI require your written authorization. Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.

You have the following rights with respect to your PHI:

• Right to access. You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your medical and billing records, in paper or electronic form, subject to limited exceptions. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
• Right to amend. You may request that we amend PHI you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request under certain circumstances.
• Right to an accounting of disclosures. You may request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI.
• Right to request restrictions. You may request restrictions on how we use or disclose your PHI. We are not required to agree except where the disclosure is to a health plan for a service you paid for in full out of pocket.
• Right to confidential communications. You may request that we communicate with you in a specific way or at a specific location.
• Right to a paper copy of this Notice. You may request a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
• Right to breach notification. You have the right to be notified if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI.

To exercise any of the rights described above, including requesting access to your records, please submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer using the contact information below. We will respond within the timeframes required by law.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights — www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints.

For questions about this Notice or to exercise your rights, contact the Aelia Health PLLC Privacy Officer at privacy@aeliahealthpllc.com or through our contact page.