Notice of Privacy Practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Our commitment to your privacy:

Our practice is dedicated to maintaining the privacy of your personal health information as part of providing professional care. We are also required by law to keep your information private. These laws are complicated, but we must give you this important information.  We will use the information which we get from you or from others to provide you with educational and therapeutic consulting services, recommendations for treatment, school options, to arrange payment for our services, and for some other business activities that are called, in the law, health care operations.  If you or we want to use or disclose (send, share, release) your information for any other purposes we will discuss this with you and ask you to sign an Authorization form to allow this.  We will keep your health information private but there are some times when the laws require us to use or share it.

For example:

1. When there is a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of other individuals or the public. We will only share information with a person or organization that is able to help prevent or reduce the threat.

2. Some lawsuits and legal or court proceedings.

3. If a court requires us to do so.

4. For Workers Compensation and similar benefit programs.

Your rights regarding your health information:

You can ask us to communicate with you about your health and related issues in a particular way or at a certain place that is more private for you. For example, you can ask us to call you at home and not at work to schedule or cancel an appointment. We will try our best to do as you ask.

1. You have the right to look at the health information that we have about you in the routine case notes and billing records. You can get a copy of these records but we may charge you for this service.

2. If you believe the information in your records is incorrect or missing important information, you can ask us to make some kind of changes (called amending) to your health information. You have to make this request in writing and send it to us. You must explain the reasons you want to make the changes.

3. You have the right to a copy of this notice. If we change this NPP, we will post the new version in our office and you can always get a copy of the NPP.

4. You have the right to file a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You can file a complaint with Bodin and with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. All complaints must be in writing. Filing a complaint will not change the health care we provide to you in any way.

5. You have the right to file a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You can file a complaint with Bodin and with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. All complaints must be in writing. Filing a complaint will not change the health care we provide to you in any way.

If you have any questions regarding this notice or our health information privacy policies, please contact Douglas Bodin at (650) 937-1111.

The effective date of this notice is January 1, 2007.