Notice of Privacy Practices

 

Information about our patients remains confidential whenever possible. This is essential to develop the trust and openness needed for mental health treatment. When we believe that release of information would be beneficial to treatment, we will request written consent by an Authorization for Release of Information.  It is your choice whether to permit such contact or not, and you may revoke (in writing) any permission given at any time. 

Under federal law you have certain rights regarding the personal health information McAllister Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LLC collects and maintains about you:

  1. Request that we restrict certain uses and disclosures of your personal health information; however, we are not required to agree to a requested restriction.

  2. Request that we communicate with you by alternate means, such as making records available to be picked up or mailed to an alternate address.

  3. Request that we amend your personal health information record if you feel that the record is incorrect.

  4. Request a description of requests for your personal health information, including date of request and requested name and mailing address.

  5. Request an additional copy of this information.

If we are not able to satisfy your request, we will contact you in writing stating the reason for denial of any request.

There are rare circumstances in which the law may require a health professional to release information about you without your authorization, such as: 

  1.  If we have reason to believe that you pose a direct threat of imminent harm to any individual (including yourself).

  2. If we have reason to believe that abuse or neglect of a child, elder, dependent, or disabled person is taking place.

  3. Although patient / therapist communications are generally protected as confidential under the law, we may be required to use or disclose information about you in the course of a judicial or legal proceeding if we are ordered by a court to do so. We also reserve the right to use and disclose information about you if doing so is necessary to defend myself in legal action brought against McAllister Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LLC. in relation to your care.

When information needs to be released, we will strive to protect your privacy and share only that information which it is legally necessary to disclose.