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Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP)

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.

1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Building Bridges Through Communication (BBTC) is dedicated to maintaining the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI). PHI is information that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and related healthcare services. This Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) describes how we may use and disclose your PHI to carry out treatment, payment, or healthcare operations and for other purposes as permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your PHI. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI and to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices. We are committed to following the terms of this notice.

2. How We May Use and Disclose Your Protected Health Information (PHI)

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose PHI. 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 and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your healthcare with a third party. For example, we may disclose PHI to other healthcare providers who are involved in your care, such as your primary care physician or a psychiatrist, if you have authorized such a disclosure.
  • For Payment: We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for the services we provide to you. For example, we may need to give your health insurance plan information about the services you received so your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the services. We may also tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.
  • For Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose your PHI for our healthcare operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run our practice and make sure that all of our clients receive quality care. For example, we may use PHI for quality assessment and improvement activities, training of students, licensing, and other business activities.
  • Appointment Reminders, Treatment Alternatives, and Health-Related Benefits and Services: We may use and disclose your PHI to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at our office. We may also use and disclose your PHI to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives or health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
  • Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care: Unless you object, we may disclose to a member of your family, a relative, a close friend, or any other person you identify, your PHI that directly relates to that person’s involvement in your healthcare or payment related to your healthcare. If you are unable to agree or object to such a disclosure, we may disclose such information as necessary if we determine that it is in your best interest based on our professional judgment.
  • As Required By Law: We will disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law. This includes, but is not limited to:
    • Public Health Activities: We may disclose your PHI for public health activities, such as to a public health authority authorized to collect or receive PHI for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability.
    • Health Oversight Activities: We may disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the healthcare system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
    • Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose PHI in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose PHI in response to a subpoena, discovery request, 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 release PHI if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:
      • In response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons, or similar process;
      • To identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
      • About the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person’s agreement;
      • About a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
      • About criminal conduct at our facility; and
      • In emergency circumstances to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description, or location of the person who committed the crime.
    • Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your PHI to a public health authority or other appropriate governmental authority authorized by law to receive reports of child abuse or neglect, or adult abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
    • Serious Threat to Health or Safety: We may use and disclose your PHI when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.
    • Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors: We may release PHI to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also release PHI about clients to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.
    • National Security and Intelligence Activities: We may release PHI to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counter-intelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.
    • Workers’ Compensation: We may disclose your PHI as authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers’ compensation or other similar programs.
3. Uses and Disclosures of PHI Requiring Your Written Authorization

Other uses and disclosures of PHI not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written authorization. Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes, and disclosures that constitute a sale of PHI require your authorization. If you provide us with authorization to use or disclose PHI about you, you may revoke that authorization, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose PHI about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your authorization and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.

4. Your Rights Regarding Your Protected Health Information (PHI)

You have the following rights regarding PHI we maintain about you:

  • Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and copy PHI that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes. To inspect and copy PHI, you must submit your request in writing to BBTC using the Contact Information mentioned below. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing, or other supplies associated with your request. We may deny your request to inspect and copy in certain very limited circumstances. If you are denied access to PHI, you may request that the denial be reviewed.
  • Right to Amend: If you feel that PHI we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for Building Bridges Through Communication. To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to BBTC using the Contact Information mentioned below, and you must provide a reason that supports your request. We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
    • Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
    • Is not part of the PHI kept by or for Arrow House Counseling;
    • Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
    • Is accurate and complete.
  • Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request an “accounting of disclosures.” This is a list of the disclosures we made of PHI about you for purposes other than treatment, payment, and healthcare operations as described above. To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to BBTC at the Contact Information mentioned below. Your request must state a time period, which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before April 14, 2003. The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.
  • Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the PHI we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the PHI we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had. We are not required to agree to your request, except where the disclosure is to a health plan for purposes of carrying out payment or healthcare operations, and the PHI pertains solely to a healthcare item or service for which you, or a person on your behalf (other than the health plan), has paid our practice in full. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment. To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to BBTC at the Contact Information mentioned below. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure, or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosures to your spouse.
  • 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 BBTC at the Contact Information mentioned below. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.
  • Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You have the right to a paper copy of this notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this notice. You may obtain a copy of this notice at our website www.buildingbridgestherapy.org or by requesting a copy at your next appointment or by using the Contact Information mentioned below.
  • Right to Be Notified of a Breach: You have the right to be notified following a breach of your unsecured PHI.
5. Special Protections for Psychotherapy Notes

Psychotherapy notes are notes recorded by your therapist documenting or analyzing the contents of conversation during a private counseling session or a group, joint, or family counseling session. These notes are kept separate from the rest of your medical record. We must obtain your specific written authorization to use or disclose your psychotherapy notes, except in the following limited circumstances:

  • To carry out certain treatment, payment, or healthcare operations (e.g., for use by the originator of the psychotherapy notes for treatment, for our own training programs, or to defend ourselves in a legal action or other proceeding brought by you).
  • For use or disclosure that is required by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with HIPAA.
  • For use or disclosure that is required by law.
  • For use or disclosure to a health oversight agency for oversight of the originator of the psychotherapy notes.
  • For use or disclosure to a coroner or medical examiner for purposes of identifying a deceased person, determining a cause of death, or other duties as authorized by law.
  • For use or disclosure to avert a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.
6. Texas Law

Texas law may provide more stringent protection for your PHI in certain circumstances. We will comply with all applicable Texas laws regarding the privacy of your health information. For example, Texas law may require your specific consent for the disclosure of mental health records in situations where HIPAA might not. If a use or disclosure of PHI is prohibited or materially limited by Texas law, it is our intent to meet the requirements of the more stringent law.

7. Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change this notice and our privacy practices. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed notice effective for PHI we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice in our office and on our website www.buildingbridgestherapy.org.

8. Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Building Bridges Through Communication or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with BBTC, please use the Contact Information mentioned below. All complaints must be submitted in writing.

You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

9. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about this Notice of Privacy Practices, please contact us at admin@buildingbridgestherapy.org or 469-634-6272.

Last Updated Date: June 9, 2025