Notice of Privacy Practices

• Your health information belongs to you. We're its caretaker.
• We use it to treat you, to get paid for your care, and to run the practice.
• We share it outside those purposes only when the law allows or you say yes.
• You can see your records, ask for corrections, and know who we've shared them with.
• You can raise a concern without it affecting your care.

This notice covers care provided by Stable Health Care Services, in the office and virtually.

To treat you

We use your record to provide your care and to coordinate with others involved in it — for example, sending a referral to a specialist, ordering labs or imaging, or sending a prescription to your pharmacy.

To get paid for your care

We share what's necessary with your insurance plan to check coverage, get prior authorization, and bill for your visit.

To run the practice

We use information for scheduling, appointment reminders, quality review, training, and keeping our records accurate and secure.

We may also contact you about your care, appointments, or health services that may interest you. Tell us your preferred phone number, email, or mailing address and we'll use it.

In certain situations, the law permits or requires us to share health information without your written permission. These include:

• Public health activities, such as reporting communicable diseases
• Reports of suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
• Health oversight activities, such as audits and licensing reviews
• Court orders, subpoenas, and other lawful legal processes
• Law enforcement requests permitted by law
• Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors
• Serious threats to health or safety
• Workers' compensation claims
• Specialized government functions, such as military or national security
• Research that has been reviewed and approved to protect your privacy

We share only the minimum amount of information needed for the purpose.

We do not sell your information.

We will always ask for your written permission before we:

• Use it for most marketing purposes
• Share most psychotherapy notes
• Share it with a family member or friend you name, outside of the situations above

You can change your mind and withdraw permission in writing at any time. That stops future sharing; it can't undo sharing that already happened.

Get a copy of your record

You can see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical and billing records. We'll respond within 30 days and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask us to correct something

If you think something in your record is wrong or incomplete, ask us to fix it. If we can't, we'll explain why in writing and you can add a statement of disagreement.

Ask for confidential communication

You can ask us to contact you a specific way — for example, only on your mobile phone or at a different address. We'll say yes to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we share

You can ask us not to use or share certain information. We aren't required to agree in every case. But if you pay in full out of pocket for a service, you can tell us not to share that information with your health plan, and we must agree unless the law requires the disclosure.

See who we've shared it with

You can request a list of disclosures we've made in the six years before your request, excluding treatment, payment, and operations. One list per year is free.

Choose someone to act for you

If you've given someone medical power of attorney or they're your legal guardian, that person can exercise these rights for you. We'll confirm their authority first.

Get a paper copy of this notice

You can ask for a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically. We'll give you one promptly.

• We are required by law to keep your health information private and secure.
• We must let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised your information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice.
• We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us in writing that we may.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, please tell us first — call our office at (773) 848-2006 or email info@stablehealthcareservice.org. We take every concern seriously and will look into it.

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, at 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20201, by calling 1-877-696-6775, or at hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints.

We will never retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

We can change this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we hold. The current version is always posted here and available in our office. See our Privacy policy for how our website handles information.