Notice of Privacy Practices
This Notice describes how medical and health information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.
Journey to Wellness respects the privacy and confidentiality of your personal and health information. This Notice describes how we may use and disclose your health information, your rights regarding that information, and our responsibilities for protecting it.
YOUR RIGHTS
You have rights regarding the health information we maintain about you.
Access Your Health Records
You may ask to see or obtain an electronic or paper copy of your health and treatment records and other health information we maintain about you. We will provide access or copies as required by applicable law. A reasonable, cost-based fee may apply when permitted by law.
Request a Correction
If you believe information in your health record is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to correct or amend it. We may deny a request in certain circumstances, but if we do, we will explain the reason as required by law.
Request Confidential Communications
You may ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a particular telephone number, email address, or mailing address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
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 always required to agree to these requests.
If Journey to Wellness bills a health plan in the future and you instead pay for a service in full out of pocket, you may ask us not to disclose information about that service to your health plan for payment or health care operations. We will honor such a request when required by law.
Receive a List of Certain Disclosures
You may request a list of certain disclosures of your health information made during the six years before your request. This list does not include certain disclosures, such as most disclosures for treatment, payment, or health care operations or disclosures you specifically authorized.
Obtain 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 another person has legal authority to make health care decisions or exercise privacy rights on your behalf, that person may exercise your rights as permitted by law. We may verify that person's authority before taking action.
File a Privacy Complaint
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Journey to Wellness or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.
YOUR CHOICES
You may tell us whether and how you would like relevant information shared with family members, friends, caregivers, or others involved in your care.
If you are unable to communicate your preference, such as during an emergency, we may disclose relevant information when permitted by law and when we believe doing so is in your best interest. We may also disclose information when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your health information when authorization is required by law. If you give us written authorization, you may generally revoke it in writing at any time. Revocation will not affect actions already taken in reliance on your authorization.
Journey to Wellness does not sell your protected health information.
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
Treatment and Coordination of Care
We may use your health information to provide, coordinate, and manage your acupuncture, massage therapy, bodywork, or other services provided within our scope of practice.
When appropriate and permitted by law, relevant information may also be shared with another health care provider involved in your care or when coordinating a referral.
Payment and Practice Operations
We may use and disclose health information as necessary to process payment for services, maintain treatment and business records, manage our practice, and carry out other health care operations permitted by law.
If Journey to Wellness bills a health plan or other third-party payer on your behalf in the future, relevant health information may be used or disclosed as necessary to obtain payment.
Appointment and Care Communications
We may use the contact information you provide to communicate with you regarding appointment confirmations and reminders, scheduling, treatment follow-up, referrals or information you have requested, and other communications related to your care or our practice.
Depending on the contact information and preferences you provide, communications may occur by telephone, voicemail, text message, email, patient portal, or postal mail.
Please let us know if you have specific communication preferences.
We may also periodically contact you about Journey to Wellness services, practice updates, or special offers. You may ask us to stop receiving promotional communications at any time.
Service Providers
We use outside companies or service providers to assist with functions such as electronic health records and practice management, scheduling, communications, payment processing, information technology, and other administrative services.
When applicable, these organizations are required to appropriately safeguard protected health information.
Uses and Disclosures Permitted or Required by Law
We may use or disclose health information without your written authorization when permitted or required by federal or Illinois law. Depending on the circumstances, this may include disclosures:
For public health and safety purposes;
To report suspected abuse, neglect, or other matters when reporting is required by law;
For health oversight or professional regulatory activities;
In response to certain court orders, subpoenas, or other lawful legal processes;
For certain law-enforcement purposes;
For workers' compensation or similar programs;
To prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety; or
When otherwise permitted or required by applicable law.
Some types of health information may receive additional protection under federal or Illinois law. When another applicable law provides greater privacy protection, we will follow the more protective requirement.
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER RECORDS
Certain records related to substance use disorder diagnosis, treatment, or referral for treatment may receive additional confidentiality protections under federal law.
If Journey to Wellness receives, creates, or maintains records protected by these federal requirements, we will use and disclose those records only as permitted by applicable law. Such records may also be subject to additional restrictions on their use or disclosure in legal proceedings against you.
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Journey to Wellness is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your health information.
We will:
Maintain the privacy and security of your health information as required by applicable law;
Use reasonable administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect electronic and paper records;
Notify you as required by law if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information;
Follow the duties and privacy practices described in the Notice currently in effect; and
Provide you with a copy of this Notice upon request.
We will not use or disclose your health information other than as described in this Notice, as authorized by you, or as otherwise permitted or required by law.
PROTECTING YOUR INFORMATION
Patient health records, appointment information, and other personal information are maintained using electronic and/or paper systems appropriate to our practice.
Electronic patient information is maintained through secure systems, including our practice-management platform. Devices used to access patient information are password protected, and access to patient information is limited as appropriate.
Paper records containing personal or health information are maintained in secure or restricted areas and are securely destroyed when no longer required.
We take reasonable administrative, physical, and technical measures designed to protect health information from unauthorized access, use, loss, or disclosure.
RECORD RETENTION
Journey to Wellness generally retains patient health and treatment records for a minimum of ten years following the patient's last date of service, or longer when required by applicable law or professional requirements.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
We may change the terms of this Notice and make the revised Notice effective for health information we already maintain as well as information we receive in the future.
The current Notice will be available upon request and through our office, website, patient portal, or other electronic means as applicable.
QUESTIONS, PRIVACY REQUESTS, OR COMPLAINTS
If you have questions about this Notice, would like to exercise one of your privacy rights, or have a concern or complaint about how your information has been handled, please contact:
Journey to Wellness, Inc.
Privacy Officer
Phone: 847-750-4325
Email: jen@gojourneytowellness.com
You may also file a privacy complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. Information about filing a complaint is available through the HHS Office for Civil Rights.