Notice of privacy practices

When one of our licensed therapists evaluates you, the visit produces a record containing the health details you provide and the clinical decision that follows. In this notice we explain the ways that health information is used and disclosed, what we're obligated to do to keep it safe, and the rights you hold.

[to be completed: confirm with counsel the regulatory basis for this notice, including whether HIPAA applies, and adjust wording accordingly.]

• Maintain the privacy and security of your health information as the law requires
• Provide this notice to you and abide by whichever version is in effect
• Let you know without delay if a breach happens that might have put your information's privacy or security at risk
• Refrain from any use or disclosure beyond what this notice describes unless you give us written permission

Without asking for your written permission, we may use and disclose your health information for the purposes below.

• Treatment, meaning conducting your evaluation and preparing your letter, with review by the therapists taking part
• Payment, meaning collecting the fee once a letter is issued
• Operations, meaning running the service, for example quality checks, records and support
• When the law demands it, for instance in answering valid requests from a court or government agency
• To head off a serious threat to someone's health or safety
• To vendors that help us operate, whose contracts oblige them to keep your information protected

Your health information will never be sold or used to market to you. If we ever want to use or disclose it in a way this notice doesn't cover, we'll first ask you to agree in writing. You can take that permission back in writing whenever you like, except to the extent we've already acted on it.

Your letter and the details of your evaluation are never sent to your landlord or housing provider by us. Sharing your letter is your decision.

To exercise one of these rights, write to support@esalettertherapist.com and put "Privacy request" in the subject line. We'll confirm your identity before we act. [to be completed: response time frames and any reasonable, cost-based fees allowed by law.]

• Obtain a copy of your health record, your letter included
• Request a correction to anything you think is inaccurate or missing
• Tell us how you'd like to be contacted, for example at a certain email address
• Request that we restrict how we use or disclose information; we'll weigh the request but might not be obliged to accept it
• Receive an accounting of certain disclosures we've made
• Ask for this notice again whenever you want it
• Name a person, such as a legal guardian, to act on your behalf

If you think we've violated your privacy rights, tell us at support@esalettertherapist.com. You also have the option of complaining to the Office for Civil Rights, which sits within HHS, the federal department responsible for health and human services. Filing a complaint will never lead to retaliation from us.

This notice may be revised, and any revision will cover all the information we hold about you. We'll post the updated notice here, showing the date it takes effect.