Privacy Policy

This notice describes how medical/psychiatric information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully. 

Who Will Follow This Notice: This notice describes our facility’s practices and that of any programs associated with SFC&C. Any health/psychiatric care professionals authorized to enter information into your file or record and all employees, staff, and other personnel will follow the terms of this notice. In addition, these entities, sites, and locations may share medical information with each other for treatment, payment, or operation of business as described in this notice.
Our Pledge Regarding Medical/Psychiatric Information: We understand that medical/psychiatric information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical/psychiatric information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive in our facility and programs. We need this record to provide you with the best quality of care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records regarding your care.
This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical/psychiatric information about you and the purpose for this. It also describes your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical/psychiatric information.
Law requires us to: 

• Make sure that medical/psychiatric information that identifies you is kept private; 
• Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical/psychiatric information aboutyou; and 
• Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect. 

This Notice of Privacy Practices and Consumer Confidentiality describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information to carry out treatment, receive payment, or healthcare operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. “Protected Health Information” is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services.
Changes To This Notice: We reserve the right to change this notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for mental health information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. A copy of the current Notice will be posted in our facility and we will inform you when changes to this Notice have been changed and offer you a copy of the revised Notice.
Complaints Process: If you have reason to believe your right to privacy and confidentiality has been violated, you may file a complaint with our agency or the Virginia Board of Counseling. To file a complaint with our agency, please call SFC&C and ask for the mailing address to submit a written grievance or you may also choose to discuss the grievance with your therapist and/or their immediate supervisor before submitting the written grievance. 
How We May Use and Disclose Your Medical/Psychiatric Information: The following categories describe different ways that we may use and disclose medical/psychiatric information. Each category of uses or disclosures will be explained but not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of these categories.
For Treatment: We may use medical/psychiatric information about you to provide you with medical/psychiatric treatment or substance abuse services. We may disclose medical/psychiatric information about you to doctors, nurses, counselors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, admissions personnel, Billing Office staff, Medical Records personnel, auditing staff, or other staff involved with your care. We may also disclose medical/psychiatric information about you to people outside the facility who may be involved in your medical care and protection such as a designated family member in case of emergency, your family physician, or the Social Security Administration. When required to, we will obtain your authorization for release of such information in writing before disclosing any of your information. Only the minimally necessary information will be released during any disclosure of information about you.
For Payment: We may use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive may be billed to and payment collected from you, an insurance company, or third party. For example, we may need to give your treatment plan so that your insurance plan will pay us or reimburse you for services provided. We may also be required to tell your insurance plan about a treatment your are going to be receiving in order to obtain prior approval for services or determine whether such service will be covered by your insurance plan.

Appointment Reminders: We may also use and disclose minimally necessary medical/psychiatric information about you to contact you as a reminder for an appointment or a missed appointment for treatment in order to reschedule the missed appointment. 

Treatment Aftercare Alternatives: We may use and disclose minimally necessary medical/psychiatric information about you in order to inform you about or recommend possible aftercare treatment options available to you. 
Research: Under certain circumstances, we may be required to use and disclose minimally necessary medical information about you for research purposes. All research purposes, however, are subject to special approval. 

As Required By Law: At times we are required to disclose minimally necessary medical/psychiatric information about you by federal, state, or local law.
To Avert A Serious Threat to Health Or Safety: We may use and disclose minimally necessary medical/psychiatric information about you when necessary to prevent a serious treat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would be only to someone able to help prevent the threat. 

SPECIAL SITUATIONS: 

Workers’ Compensation: We may release minimally necessary medical/psychiatric information about you for workers’ compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work related to injuries or illness. State and/or federal law control the release of such information.
Public Health Risks: We may disclose minimally necessary medical/psychiatric information about you for public health activities. These activities generally include the following: 

• To prevent or control disease, injury or disability; 
• To report child abuse or neglect by making a telephone report to the Child Abuse Hotline and to follow this report with a written confirmation;
• To report reaction to medication or problems with products; 
• To notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition, or
• To notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a client has been the victim of domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

Health Oversight Activities: Minimally necessary medical information may be disclosed to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a lawsuit or dispute, we may disclose minimally necessary medical/psychiatric information about you in response to a proper court order or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
Law Enforcement: We may also release minimally necessary medical/psychiatric information about you if asked to do so by a law enforcement official: 

• In response to a proper court order or similar process; 
• In response to a proper subpoena, though an attempt will be made to obtain an authorization 
• About criminal conduct involving our facility; and 
• In emergency situations to report a crime; the location of a crime or victims; or the identity, description or location of persons who have committed a crime on the premises of our active partners or against any personnel of the agency. 

Medical Examiners: Medical/psychiatric information about you may be released to a medical examiner in order to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death.
National Security and Intelligence Agents: We may release minimally necessary medical/psychiatric information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law. 

Your Rights Regarding Medical/Psychiatric Information About You: 

You have the following rights regarding medical/psychiatric information we maintain about you:
Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and copy medical/psychiatric information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical/psychiatric and billing records.
To inspect and copy medical information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request to the Executive Director, Gretchen Wilhelm. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the cost of retrieving, copying, mailing, and any other supplies associated with your request.
Right to Amend: If you feel that any of the medical/psychiatric information we have about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information, though no information may be deleted from your record, an amendment can be attached. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by our facility.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request an “accounting of disclosures.” This is a list of the disclosures we have made of your medical information. We are not required to account for routine disclosures. To request this accounting of disclosure, you must submit your request in writing, to SFC&C. Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before January 1, 2007. A reasonable cost for processing will be involved.
Right to Request Confidential Communications: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail. To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to SFC&C. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or when you wish to be contacted.
Right to a Copy of This Notice: You have the right to a copy of this notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. To request a copy of this notice, after the initial receipt, you must make your request in writing to SFC&C.
Right to Request Restrictions: Even though all disclosures we already make are minimally necessary, you have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical/psychiatric information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical/psychiatric information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment of your care. Finally, you have the right to request a restriction on the people who are able to obtain information we disclose. However, we are not required by law to agree to your request. If we do agree we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment. 

To request a restriction of limitation, your request must be made in writing and submitted to SFC&C attn: Dr. Charles Shepard.