Disclosures for treatment purposes are not limited to the minimum necessary standard. Because therapists and other health care providers need access to the full record and/or full and complete information in order to provide quality care. The word “treatment” includes, among other things, the coordination and management of health care providers with a third party, consultations between health care providers and referrals of a patient for health care from one health care provider to another.

Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a lawsuit, I may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order. I may also disclose health information about you or your minor child(ren) in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

III. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION:

  1. Psychotherapy Notes. I do keep “psychotherapy notes” as that term is defined in 45 CFR § 164.501, and any use or disclosure of such notes requires your Authorization unless the use or disclosure is:

    • For my use in treating you.

    • For my use in training or supervising mental health practitioners to help them improve their skills in group, 

      joint, family, or individual counseling or therapy.

    • For my use in defending myself in legal proceedings instituted by you.

    • For use by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to investigate my 

      compliance with HIPAA.

    • Required by law and the use or disclosure is limited to the requirements of such law.

    • Required by law for certain health oversight activities pertaining to the originator of the psychotherapy 

      notes.

      Required by a coroner who is performing duties authorized by law.

    • Required to help avert a serious threat to the health and safety of others.

  2. Marketing Purposes. I will not use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes

    without your prior written consent. For example, if I request a review from you and plan to share the review publically online or elsewhere to advertise my services or my practice, I will provide you with a release form and HIPAA authorization. The HIPAA authorization is required in the instance that your review contains PHI (i.e., your name, the date of the service you received, the kind of treatment you are seeking or other personal health details). Because you may not realize which information you provide is considered “PHI,” I will send you a HIPAA authorization and request your signature regardless of the content of your review. Once you complete the HIPAA authorization, I will have the legal right to use your review for advertising and marketing purposes, even

•

if it contains PHI. You may withdraw this consent at any time by submitting a written request to me via the email address I keep on file or via certified mail to my address. Once I have received your written withdrawal of consent, I will remove your review from my website and from any other places where I have posted it. I cannot guarantee that others who may have copied your review from my website or from other locations will also remove the review. This is a risk that I want you to be aware of, should you give me permission to post your review.

3. Sale of PHI. I will not sell your PHI.
IV. USES AND DISCLOSURES THAT DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION.

Subject to certain limitations in the law, I can use and disclose your PHI without your Authorization for the following reasons. I have to meet certain legal conditions before I can share your information for these purposes:

  1. Appointment reminders and health related benefits or services. I may use and disclose your PHI to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment with me. I may also use and disclose your PHI to tell you about treatment alternatives, or other health care services or benefits that I offer.

  2. When disclosure is required by state or federal law, and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant requirements of such law. 


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