Liahona Treatment Center – Notice of Privacy Practices

Liahona Treatment Center is committed to maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of our patient’s medical information.  Most importantly, this is part of our ethical commitment, but it is also required by law. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, also known as HIPAA, sets federal standards for how medical information about our patients may be used and disclosed by Liahona, and also provides a process for how to receive copies of the information.  As part of our commitment to respect for privacy and compliance with the law, we provide this notice of our privacy practices. THIS NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. Note:  Because most of our patients are minors, the term “you” here refers to the parents or guardians of the minor patient with respect to any provision governing rights and responsibilities.

Liahona Uses and Disclosures

The difference in uses and disclosures is that uses are sharing information among our staff here at Liahona, and disclosures are providing that information to some other entity such as a hospital, any outside medical or dental provider, or an insurance company.

How do we typically use or share your health information?

Providing treatment services. We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. Example: A therapist facilitating group therapy asks our doctor about your medications or your overall health condition. Example: You need to be taken to the hospital for an injury or illness, and the hospital needs your medical records to properly care for you. Managing our center and improving your care. We can use and share your health information to manage our Treatment Center, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.  Coordinating the services provided at Liahona is very important, and we want everyone involved in your care to know everything that could help us provide better care. Billing for the services you receive. We can use and share your health information to send bills and get payment from health plans or other entities. Example:  For example, when we bill for therapy sessions, your insurance plan may ask for a summary of dates and times services are provided, and in some cases may ask to see portions of the record.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways, usually in ways that are for the public good, such as public health and safety.   We must meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these other purposes. For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html. Help with public health and safety issues. We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:

• Preventing disease
• Helping with product recalls
• Reporting adverse reactions to medications
• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
• Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety

Research. We can use or share your information for health research.  Please note that under no circumstances will Liahona use your information for any research purpose with first obtaining your permission. Comply with the law. We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it requests access to see that we are complying with federal privacy law. Work with a medical examiner or funeral director. We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director in the very unlikely event of a patient death.   Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests. We can use or share health information about you for workers’ compensation claims, law enforcement purposes, with health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law, and for special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services. Each of these disclosures is required by some other state or federal law, and Liahona is required to comply with those laws. Respond to lawsuits and legal actions. Liahona may be required to share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or a subpoena.   We ask our legal counsel to review any court order or subpoena before responding, unless circumstances do not permit that. Other Uses or Disclosures Uses or disclosures not described in this Notice will only be made if we receive your written authorization.  If you give Liahona a written authorization, you may revoke that authorization at any time by notifying our Privacy Officer. Our Responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
• We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.

For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you. Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record. You may ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and most other health information we have about you.  We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee. Ask us to correct your medical record. You may ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete.  If we say “no” to your request, we will tell you why in writing within 60 days. Request confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a specific confidential way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.  We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests and will give special consideration where you tell us that normal communications could endanger the lives of patients or families. Ask us to limit what we use or share. You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations.  While we will consider the reasons for your request, we may say “no” if it would affect your care. If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer.   We must agree unless a law requires us to share that information. Get a list of those with whom we have shared information. You can ask for a list of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.  We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one list for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months. Get a copy of this privacy notice. You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly. Choose someone to act for you. If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.  We will confirm that the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action. Your Right to Complain We welcome and encourage your concerns or complaints, they can help us improve our services.  If you feel that we have violated any of your rights regarding the privacy of your records, or your access to those records, or have any other concerns about your privacy, please let us know immediately.  While sharing your concerns with members of our treatment team is always appropriate, we ask that you contact our Privacy Officer to share any concern or complaint you might have: Privacy Officer: Todd Vowell Address: 491 North Bluff Street, Suite 200 St. George, Utah 84770 Email: todd@liahonaacademy.com If you feel your rights have been violated, you may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.   The easiest way to do that is visiting  www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/. You may also send a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, or telephone 1-877-696-6775. We will never criticize or in any way retaliate against our patients or their families for expressing concerns or filing complaints.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us.  Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions unless they are unreasonable or not permitted by law. You have both the right and choice to tell us to:

• Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care.
• Share information in a disaster relief situation.
• Include patient information in our directory.

We may always share patient information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety. In the following cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

• Marketing purposes.
• Fundraising.  We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

Changes to the Terms of this Notice

We may change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you.  The new notice will be available upon request in our office and on our web site. If we make major changes, you will be notified and invited to request a copy of the new Notice.

Effective date:  January 1, 2019