EVERLASTING HEALTH, LLC'S HIPAA Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 31, 2024

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed. It also describes how you can get access to this information. Please review it with care.

Everlasting Health, LLC understands the importance of privacy and is committed to protecting the confidentiality and security of our patients’ protected health information (PHI) in accordance with the Health Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its implementing regulations.

This notice describes how we will use and share your information collected through our website www.everlastinghealth.com and how we are required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI. PHI is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your health or condition and related health care services. We will notify you if your PHI has been breached. We are required to abide by the terms of the notice currently in effect. If you have questions about any part of this notice or if you want more information about our privacy practices, contact our Privacy Department at (813) 280-4909.

How We (And Our Affiliated Entities) May Use or Share Your Health Information

We are committed to protecting your health information. Current laws allow us to use or share your health information for the following purposes:

Treatment: We may use or share your PHI with physicians and other health care personnel to provide you treatment or services. For example, your PHI may be provided to a physician to whom you have been referred to ensure that the physician has the necessary information to diagnose and treat you.

Payment: We may use or share your PHI to obtain payment for your health care services, including with a collection agency or credit bureau. We may also share your PHI with other providers so they may obtain payment for services. We may also use or share your PHI so that we may locate you for collection purposes, including using services with change of address information to ensure your statements are mailed to the most current address on file with the postal service. For example, obtaining approval for payment of services from your health plan may require that your PHI be shared with your health plan. We may also provide your PHI to our business associates or other providers’ business associates, such as billing companies, transcriptionists, collection agencies, and vendors who mail billing statements.

Health Care Operations: We may use or share your PHI or a limited data set to operate our facilities. For example, we may use your PHI to evaluate the quality of health care services that you received, to evaluate the performance of the health care professionals who provided health care services to you, for medical review purposes or auditing. We may also provide your PHI to accountants, attorneys, consultants, accrediting agencies, outside funding sources and others to make sure we are complying with the laws that affect us.

Notification and Communication with Family: Unless you object, we may release to a relative, close friend or any other person you identify, information that directly relates to that person’s involvement in your health care or who helps pay for your care.

Required by Law, Court or Law Enforcement: We may release PHI when a law requires that we report information to government agencies and law enforcement personnel about victims of abuse, neglect or domestic violence, when dealing with crime or when ordered by a court.

Public Health: As required or permitted by law, we may release PHI or a limited data set to public health authorities for purposes related to preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications and reporting disease or infection exposure.

Health Oversight Activities: We may release PHI to health agencies for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include audits, investigations and inspections, as necessary for our licensure and for the government to monitor our compliance requirements, government programs and compliance with civil rights laws. For example, we may release PHI to the Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services so they can determine our compliance with privacy laws.

Deceased Person Information: We may release your health information to coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors.

Public Safety: We may release your health information to appropriate persons to prevent or lessen a serious and near threat to the health or safety of a particular person or the general public.

Specific Government Functions: We may share your health information for military or national security purposes or in certain cases if you are in law enforcement custody.

Appointment Reminders and Health-Related Benefits: We may use your PHI to contact you to provide appointment reminders or to give information about other treatments or health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

Florida State-Specific Requirements: When Florida’s laws are stricter than federal privacy laws, we are required to follow the state law.

Treatment of Sensitive Information: Psychotherapy notes and diagnostic and therapeutic information regarding mental health, drug/alcohol abuse or sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV status) will not be disclosed without your specific permission, unless required or permitted by law.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

When it comes to your Protected Health Information (PHI), you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

1. Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record
   You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health 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.
2. 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 30 days.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information
   You can ask for a list (accounting) 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’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated
   You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information on page 1.
   You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
9. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint
   We will always provide you with excellent care regardless of a complaint being filed.

Choices Regarding you Health Information

For certain health information, you can communicate your choice about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, please let us know. Explain what you would like us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

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
• Include your information in a hospital directory
  If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information 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
• Sale of your information
• 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 Responsibilities and Commitment to Protect Your PHI

1. We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
2. We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
3. We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
4. We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.
5. If you would like more information to understand your rights and our responsibilities visit www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.

Changes to the Terms of this Notice

We can 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.

Who to Contact

The person you can contact for further information concerning our privacy practices is:

Vice President of Operations
Everlasting Health, LLC
888 S. Parsons Avenue
Brandon, FL 33511
813-556-7426