Privacy Policy

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Effective: April 1, 2019

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

The privacy of individuals served at National Capital Treatment & Recovery is protected by Federal and state laws and regulations, as well as our own commitment to maintaining confidentiality.

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed by National Capital Treatment & Recovery and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

The terms of this Notice apply to National Capital Treatment & Recovery programs and the workforce members treating individuals.

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 can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your National Capital Treatment & Recovery medical information we have about you. Ask us how to do this. 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 can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this. We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications – You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address. We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

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. We are not required to agree to your request, and 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 will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information – You have the right to request an accounting of disclosures we make of your health information by submitting a written request to National Capital Treatment & Recovery. Your request must state a time period for the accounting, which may not go back further than six (6) years. Please note that certain disclosures are not required to be included in the accounting we provide to you, including most disclosures we make pursuant to your written consent. We’ll provide one accounting per year 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 make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated – We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting the Privacy Officer at 703-841-0703 ext. 3005 to request a complaint form, or contact the Privacy Officer at:

National Capital Treatment and Recovery

200 N. Glebe Road, Suite 104

Arlington, Virginia 22203.

Attention: Privacy Officer

You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by calling 1-877-696-6775, visiting https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/smartscreen/main.jsf to complete the process, or by sending a letter to:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Room 509F HHH Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20201

Suspected violations of this notice may be reported to your State Attorney General at:

Office of the Attorney General of Virginia

Consumer Protection Section

202 North Ninth Street. Richmond, Virginia 23219

YOUR CHOICES

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share.

In these cases, 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

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example, if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information, subject to applicable state and Federal law, if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

Marketing purposes

Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

In the case of fundraising: We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

OUR USES AND DISCLOSURES

HOW DO WE TYPICALLY USE OR SHARE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION? WE TYPICALLY USE OR SHARE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS.

Treat you – We can use your health information and share it with other professionals within National Capital Treatment & Recovery who are treating you.

Example: A provider treating you asks another provider about your health condition.

Run our organization – We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.

Bill for your services – We can use and share your health information with your written consent to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan for payment purposes.

Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records and HIV-Related Information – The confidentiality of substance use disorder (alcohol and drug dependency) treatment records, as well as HIV-related information maintained by us is specifically protected by state and/or Federal law and regulations. Generally, we may not disclose such information unless you consent in writing, the disclosure is allowed by a court order, or in limited and other regulated circumstances, as required by Federal law and regulations codified at 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2 and 42 C.F.R Part 2 (“Part 2”). Violations of Part 2 by a Part 2 program may be a crime, and suspected violations may be reported to the appropriate authorities listed above. We are required to adhere to the most stringent Federal or state law.

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 CONTRIBUTE TO THE PUBLIC GOOD, SUCH AS PUBLIC HEALTH. WE HAVE TO MEET MANY CONDITIONS IN THE LAW BEFORE WE CAN SHARE YOUR INFORMATION FOR THESE PURPOSES. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE: WWW.HHS.GOV/OCR/PRIVACY/HIPAA/UNDERSTANDING/CONSUMERS/INDEX.HTML.

Help with public health and safety issues – We can share your health information for certain situations such as:

  • Preventing disease

  • Helping with product recalls

  • Reporting adverse reactions to medications

  • Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence under applicable state law

  • Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety

Do research – In certain circumstances, we can use or share your information for health research.

Comply with the law – We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests – We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director – We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.

Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests – We can use or share health information about you:

  • For workers’ compensation claims

  • For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official specifically related to a patient’s commission of a crime on our premises or against our staff

  • With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law

  • For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions – We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena accompanied by a court order or a written consent.

Other uses and disclosures with your specific written consent

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information (“PHI”).

We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice, as necessary, and to make the new notice effective for all PHI maintained by us.

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 this notice, if requested

We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us in writing, that we can If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

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

You may receive a copy of this notice at National Capital Treatment & Recovery.

For Additional Information – If you have questions or need further assistance regarding this Notice, you may contact the National Capital Treatment & Recovery’s Privacy Officer by telephone at 703-841-0703 ext. 3005.