Notice of Privacy Practices

This Notice describes how medical and behavioral health information about you may be used and disclosed, and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Brighter Path Behavioral Health is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your health information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information, provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect, and notify you if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

For clients receiving mental health services in Illinois, state confidentiality laws may provide additional protections. Records and communications made or created in the course of providing mental health or developmental disabilities services are confidential and may not be disclosed except as permitted by law.

1. Information We Protect

This Notice applies to protected health information we create, receive, maintain, or transmit about you. This may include:

Your name, date of birth, contact information, insurance information, billing information, appointment history, diagnoses, treatment plans, progress notes, medication information, assessment information, communications with our practice, and other information related to your care.

Behavioral health information is sensitive. We limit access to your information to those who need it to provide care, coordinate services, bill for services, operate the practice, or comply with legal requirements.

2. How We May Use and Share Your Information

We use and share your protected health information to provide care, run our practice, and meet our legal obligations. The most common reasons we use and share your information are described in Sections 3 and 4. We will not use or share your information for any other reason without your written authorization, except as described in this Notice or as required or permitted by law.

3. Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations

Treatment

We may use and share your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your care. For example, your therapist, psychiatric provider, primary care provider, pharmacy, or another treating provider may need information to support your treatment.

Payment

We may use and share your information to bill and collect payment from you, your health plan, or another responsible party. For example, we may share information with your insurance company to confirm eligibility, obtain authorization, submit claims, or respond to payment questions.

Health Care Operations

We may use and share your information for activities necessary to operate the practice. These may include quality review, staff training, credentialing, compliance activities, case consultation, business planning, customer service, and administrative functions.

4. Other Uses and Disclosures Permitted or Required by Law

We may also use or disclose your information in the following situations when permitted or required by law:

Appointment Reminders and Care Communications

We may contact you about appointments, scheduling, treatment follow-up, forms, billing, insurance, or other practice-related matters.

Family Members, Caregivers, or Others Involved in Your Care

We may share relevant information with a family member, caregiver, personal representative, or another person involved in your care or payment for your care, when permitted by law and appropriate under the circumstances. You may tell us if there are people with whom you do or do not want us to communicate.

Required by Law

We may use or disclose your information when federal, state, or local law requires us to do so.

Public Health and Safety

We may share information for public health purposes, such as preventing disease, reporting certain conditions, or helping with product recalls. We may also disclose information when necessary to prevent or reduce a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of another person.

Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence

We may disclose information to appropriate authorities if we believe disclosure is required or permitted by law regarding abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or exploitation.

Health Oversight Activities

We may disclose information to health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, licensing, or disciplinary actions.

Legal Proceedings

We may disclose information in response to a court order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful legal process, when required or permitted by law.

Law Enforcement

We may disclose information for law enforcement purposes when required or permitted by law.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors

We may disclose information to coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors when permitted by law.

Workers' Compensation

We may disclose information as authorized by workers' compensation laws or similar programs.

Business Associates

We may share information with vendors and service providers who perform functions for us, such as electronic health record systems, billing services, secure messaging platforms, accounting services, IT support, or legal and compliance support. These vendors are required to protect your information through written agreements.

5. Behavioral Health and Psychotherapy Notes

Behavioral health information receives strong confidentiality protections. Psychotherapy notes, when maintained separately from the medical record, receive additional protections because they are especially sensitive and are typically not needed for treatment, payment, or health care operations by others.

We will not use or disclose psychotherapy notes without your written authorization except as permitted or required by law.

6. Substance Use Disorder Information, if applicable

If Brighter Path Behavioral Health maintains records protected by federal substance use disorder confidentiality rules, we will use and disclose those records only as permitted by applicable federal and state law.

7. Uses and Disclosures That Require Written Authorization

We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your information for purposes not otherwise permitted by law. This includes, when applicable:

• Marketing communications that require authorization.
• The sale of protected health information.
• Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes.
• Disclosures to third parties not otherwise allowed by law.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already relied on it.

8. Your Rights

You have rights regarding your health information, including access to your records, requesting corrections, requesting restrictions, requesting confidential communications, an accounting of certain disclosures, and the right to receive a copy of this Notice.

Right to Inspect and Receive a Copy

You may ask to inspect or receive a copy of your medical or billing records. We will respond as required by law. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee when permitted.

Right to Request an Amendment

You may ask us to correct information in your record that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. We may deny the request in certain circumstances, but we will explain the reason in writing if we do.

Right to Request Confidential Communications

You may ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a specific location. For example, you may ask that we call a particular phone number or send mail to a particular address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Right to Request Restrictions

You may ask us not to use or disclose certain health information for treatment, payment, or health care operations. We are not required to agree to every request, but we will consider all requests.

If you pay out of pocket in full for a specific service and ask us not to share information about that service with your health plan for payment or health care operations, we will honor that request unless disclosure is otherwise required by law.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures

You may ask for a list of certain disclosures we have made of your health information. This list will not include every type of disclosure, such as disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations, or disclosures you authorized.

Right to Receive a Copy of This Notice

You may ask for a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

Right to Choose Someone to Act for You

If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person may be able to exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We may verify the person's authority before taking action.

Rights of Minors and Parents/Guardians

Privacy rights involving minors, parents, guardians, and personal representatives are governed by federal and state law and may depend on the type of service, the client's age, consent requirements, and other circumstances. We will follow applicable law when handling requests for minor records or communications.

Your Choices

In certain situations, you may tell us your preferences about how we share your information — for example, whether we may share information with family members, caregivers, or others involved in your care. We may ask you to complete a written release or authorization before sharing information with another person or organization.

9. Website, Email, Texting, and Electronic Communications

Please do not use our website forms, email, text messages, or voicemail to send detailed clinical information or emergency information unless we have specifically instructed you to do so through a secure process.

Electronic communications may involve privacy and security risks. We use reasonable safeguards, but ordinary email and text messaging may not be fully secure. If you choose to communicate with us electronically, we may respond through the same method unless you request another method.

Our website contact and appointment forms are intended for general appointment requests and administrative communication. They are not for emergencies, crisis situations, or detailed clinical disclosures.

If you are experiencing a medical or mental health emergency, call 911. If you are in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

10. Our Responsibilities

We are required to:

• Maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
• Follow the duties and privacy practices described in this Notice.
• Provide you with a copy of this Notice.
• Notify you if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• Not retaliate against you for filing a complaint or exercising your privacy rights.

11. Changes to This Notice

We may change the terms of this Notice at any time. The revised Notice will apply to all health information we maintain, including information we created or received before the change. The current Notice will be posted on our website and available upon request.

12. Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact Brighter Path Behavioral Health using the contact information above. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. Brighter Path Behavioral Health will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.