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.
Healing Arts & Wellness is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your health information. This Notice of Privacy Practices ("Notice") explains how we collect, use, and share your Protected Health Information (PHI) in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule (45 CFR Parts 160 and 164) and applicable Florida state law.
This Notice applies to all services provided by Healing Arts & Wellness, including in-person therapy sessions, telehealth sessions, psychological evaluations, wellness programs, and all related clinical and administrative activities conducted by our licensed clinicians and staff at 4300 Miller Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33405, and via telehealth statewide in Florida.
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI, provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI. We are required to abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
What Protected Health Information We Collect
Protected Health Information (PHI) is any individually identifiable health information we create, receive, maintain, or transmit in connection with providing healthcare services. The following categories of PHI may be collected:
Identifying Information
- Full legal name, date of birth, and gender
- Home address, phone number, and email address
- Social Security Number (when required for insurance billing)
- Emergency contact information
Health and Clinical Information
- Presenting concerns, symptoms, and mental health history
- Diagnoses, treatment plans, clinical notes, and progress records
- Medication history and medical conditions relevant to your mental health care
- Psychological evaluation results and assessment scores
- Family, social, and developmental history obtained during intake and treatment
Insurance and Financial Information
- Health insurance plan information, member ID, and group number
- Claims data submitted to insurance carriers on your behalf
- Billing records, payment information, and explanation of benefits
Communication Records
- Intake forms, consent forms, and questionnaires you complete
- Appointment scheduling information
- Messages sent through our HIPAA-secure patient portal or email system
How We Use and Share Your PHI
HIPAA permits us to use and disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations without your specific written authorization. We will obtain your written authorization for uses and disclosures not covered by this Notice.
Treatment
We use and share your PHI to provide you with mental health services. For example, your clinician may share relevant clinical information with a supervising psychologist, a consulting psychiatrist, or another treatment team member to coordinate your care. If you are referred to an outside provider, we may share your clinical summary with that provider to ensure continuity of care.
Payment
We use and share your PHI to bill your insurance carrier and collect payment for services rendered. This includes submitting claims to Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Devoted Health, or other insurers; responding to insurance audits; and collecting co-pays or self-pay balances. We may share PHI with your insurer to verify eligibility and obtain prior authorization when required by your plan.
Healthcare Operations
We use PHI to support the internal operations of our practice, including quality assurance reviews, staff training and supervision, case consultation, compliance activities, and business planning. These uses are limited to the minimum necessary information to accomplish the operational purpose.
Required by Law
We may disclose PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law. Examples include reporting to public health authorities (e.g., communicable disease reporting), mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect under Florida Statute § 39.201, reporting of elder abuse, and responding to valid court orders or subpoenas.
Serious Threats to Health or Safety
We may share PHI to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a specific person or the public, consistent with applicable law and our ethical obligations as licensed mental health professionals. This is consistent with Florida's duty-to-warn provisions.
Disclosures Requiring Your Authorization
We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your PHI for the following purposes:
- Psychotherapy notes (clinical notes beyond basic session records)
- Marketing communications from our practice or third parties
- Sale of your PHI
- Most disclosures of PHI that are not described in this Notice
You may revoke a previously given authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already taken action in reliance on it.
Your HIPAA Rights
As our patient, you have the following rights regarding your PHI. To exercise any of these rights, submit a written request to our Privacy Officer at the contact information below.
📋 Right to Access Your Records
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your medical records and billing records. We will provide access within 30 days of your request. A reasonable fee may apply for copies.
✏️ Right to Amend Your Records
If you believe information in your records is incorrect or incomplete, you may request an amendment. We may deny the request under certain circumstances and will notify you in writing of our decision.
📊 Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You may request a list of disclosures we have made of your PHI for purposes other than treatment, payment, operations, and certain other permitted uses, for up to 6 years prior to your request.
🔒 Right to Request Restrictions
You may request that we limit how we use or share your PHI. We are not required to agree to all restrictions, but we will comply with any restriction to which we agree in writing.
📬 Right to Confidential Communications
You may request that we communicate with you by alternative means or at an alternative location (e.g., contact you at a different phone number or mailing address). We will accommodate reasonable requests.
📄 Right to a Copy of This Notice
You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice at any time. You may also access this Notice on our website at healingarts.health/privacy-policy/.
⚠️ Right to Notification of Breaches
You have the right to be notified following a breach of your unsecured PHI. We will notify you without unreasonable delay and no later than 60 days after discovery of the breach.
📢 Right to File a Complaint
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer or with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights at hhs.gov/ocr. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Our Duties to Protect Your Information
Healing Arts & Wellness is required by law to:
- Maintain the privacy of your PHI as required by federal and Florida state law
- Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices
- Follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect
- Notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI
- Not use or disclose your psychotherapy notes without your written authorization (except as required by law)
- Not use or disclose your PHI for marketing without your written authorization
- Not sell your PHI without your written authorization
We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time. Changes will apply to PHI we already have about you as well as PHI we create or receive in the future. We will post the new Notice on our website and make paper copies available at our office. You may also request a copy of the current Notice at any time.
Telehealth Privacy Practices
All telehealth sessions at Healing Arts & Wellness are conducted using a HIPAA-compliant, end-to-end encrypted video platform. The following practices govern our telehealth services:
Technology Standards
- We use a Business Associate Agreement (BAA)-covered telehealth platform that complies with the HIPAA Security Rule.
- Video sessions are encrypted in transit and at rest. No session recordings are retained without your explicit written consent.
- Session links are unique and time-limited. We do not use general-purpose video platforms (e.g., standard consumer video apps) for clinical sessions.
Your Responsibilities During Telehealth
- Participate from a private location where you cannot be overheard by others.
- Do not use public Wi-Fi networks for telehealth sessions unless connected through a VPN.
- Ensure your device's screen cannot be viewed by others during the session.
- Do not record your telehealth session without informing your therapist and obtaining their consent.
Florida Telehealth Law
Our telehealth services comply with the Florida Telehealth Act (§ 456.47, Florida Statutes) and applicable mental health licensing regulations. Telehealth services are provided only to individuals physically located within the state of Florida at the time of service.
Website Privacy Policy
This section applies to information collected through our website at healingarts.health and any subdomains.
Information We Collect Automatically
When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain technical information including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, and time on site. This information is collected through standard server logs and analytics tools and is used solely to improve our website's functionality and user experience.
Analytics
We use privacy-conscious analytics tools to understand aggregate patterns of website usage. Analytics data does not contain PHI and is not linked to individual patient records. We do not share raw analytics data with third parties for commercial purposes.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to remember your preferences, maintain session state for our intake forms, and analyze site traffic. We do not use cookies to track you across other websites or to deliver targeted advertising. You may disable cookies in your browser settings; however, some features of our website may not function correctly without them.
Contact Forms and Intake Forms
Information submitted through our contact forms and the New Patient Intake Form is transmitted using TLS encryption and stored in a HIPAA-secure system. Form submissions that contain or may constitute PHI are treated as PHI under this Privacy Policy and the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
We Do Not Sell Your Data
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information or PHI to any third party for commercial purposes. Period. We share information only as described in this Notice and as required to provide you with clinical services and process your insurance.
Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any site you visit.
Contact Our Privacy Officer
For questions about this Notice, to exercise your HIPAA rights, or to file a privacy complaint, contact our Privacy Officer:
Privacy Officer — Healing Arts & Wellness
📧 Email: info@healingarts.health
📞 Phone: (561) 787-9494
📍 Mail: 4300 Miller Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
We will respond to all written privacy requests within 30 days. If you believe your rights have been violated, you may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services:
