Notice of Privacy Practices

Our commitment

PWS-TX PLLC is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information, to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.

How we may use and disclose your health information

For treatment

We use your health information to evaluate and treat you, and we disclose it to others involved in your care, including the pharmacy that dispenses a prescription written for you and any clinician you ask us to coordinate with.

For payment

We use your information to charge for the services we provide and to process refunds. We do not bill insurance.

For health care operations

We use your information to run the practice: quality review, clinician oversight and supervision, training, and compliance activities.

Business associates

Some functions are performed by outside vendors, such as our electronic health record and secure messaging providers. Each is bound by a written business associate agreement that requires them to protect your information.

As required or permitted by law

We may disclose your information without your authorization when the law requires it, including:

• Public health activities, including reporting adverse events related to medication.
• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
• Health oversight activities, including licensing board investigations and audits.
• Judicial and administrative proceedings, in response to a valid order or subpoena.
• Law enforcement purposes where the law authorizes disclosure.
• To avert a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of you or another person.
• Workers compensation, coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors, as authorized.

Uses that always require your written authorization

• Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes.
• Use or disclosure of your health information for marketing purposes.
• Any sale of your health information. We do not sell health information.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except where we have already acted on it.

Your rights

• Access. Inspect and receive a copy of your medical and billing records, generally within thirty days of your request. You may ask for an electronic copy.
• Amendment. Ask us to correct information you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request, and if we do we will explain why in writing.
• Accounting of disclosures. Receive a list of certain disclosures we made in the six years before your request.
• Restrictions. Ask us to limit how we use or disclose your information. We are not required to agree, except that we must honor a request to withhold information from a health plan when you have paid for the service in full out of pocket.
• Confidential communications. Ask us to contact you a specific way or at a specific address.
• Paper copy. Receive a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
• Breach notification. Be notified if a breach occurs that compromises the privacy or security of your information.

How to exercise a right or file a complaint

Contact us at support@pwsclinical.com, or write to PWS-TX PLLC, 5900 Balcones Dr, Austin, TX 78731.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, at hhs.gov/ocr/complaints. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Changes to this notice

We may change this notice and make the new terms effective for all health information we maintain. The current notice is always posted on this page with its effective date.