Notice of Privacy Practices

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

Family Wellness, P.C., doing business as PA Suboxone Doctor, is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your health information.

This Notice of Privacy Practices explains how we may use and disclose your protected health information, your rights regarding that information, and our responsibilities under applicable federal privacy laws.

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights.

Get a copy of your medical record

You may ask to see or obtain an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we maintain about you. We will provide access as required by law.

Ask us to correct your medical record

You may ask us to correct health information that you believe is incorrect or incomplete. If we deny the request, we will explain the reason when required by law.

Request confidential communications

You may ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a specific location. We will accommodate reasonable requests as required by law.

Ask us to limit what we use or share

You may ask us not to use or disclose certain health information for treatment, payment, or health care operations. We are not required to agree to every request, except where the law requires us to do so.

Receive an accounting of certain disclosures

You may request information about certain disclosures of your health information as provided by applicable law.

Get a copy of this notice

You may request a paper or electronic copy of this Notice at any time.

Choose someone to act for you

If you have given someone medical power of attorney or that person is otherwise legally authorized to act for you, that person may exercise your rights as permitted by law.

File a complaint

You may file a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

How We May Use and Disclose Your Information

HIPAA permits health care providers to use or disclose health information in certain circumstances. Depending on the information involved and other applicable privacy laws, these purposes may include:

• Providing and coordinating your treatment.
• Running our health care practice and improving patient care.
• Billing and payment activities.
• Complying with federal, state, or other applicable law.
• Public health and safety activities permitted or required by law.
• Health oversight activities authorized by law.
• Workers' compensation matters when legally authorized.
• Responding to lawful judicial, administrative, or government requests.
• Other uses or disclosures specifically permitted or required by law.

Additional restrictions may apply to substance use disorder records. A disclosure permitted under HIPAA is not necessarily permitted under 42 CFR Part 2 when Part 2 applies.

Uses That Require Your Authorization

We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your health information when authorization is required by HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, or other applicable law.

This may include certain uses or disclosures for marketing, the sale of protected health information, and other purposes not otherwise permitted by law.

When you provide an authorization, you may generally revoke it in writing. A revocation will not affect actions already taken in reliance on a valid authorization.

Telemedicine & Electronic Health Information

Telemedicine encounters are part of your medical care and medical record. We apply privacy and confidentiality protections to telemedicine services and electronic health information in accordance with applicable law.

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect health information. No method of electronic communication or information storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Our Responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of protected health information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in the Notice currently in effect.
• We will notify affected individuals when a breach occurs if notification is required by law.
• We will not use or disclose your information other than as described in this Notice unless you authorize us in writing or the law otherwise permits or requires the use or disclosure.
• When additional confidentiality requirements apply to substance use disorder records, we will follow those requirements.

Changes to This Notice

We may change the terms of this Notice, and changes may apply to health information we already maintain as well as information we receive in the future.

The current Notice will be available on our website, at our office, and upon request.