How your health information may be used and shared.

Vera Counseling Collective, PLLC is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI), provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and follow the terms currently in effect.

We may use or share your PHI without your specific authorization for:

• Treatment — coordinating care with other providers involved in your treatment.
• Payment — billing insurance or other payers for services provided.
• Health care operations — quality improvement, training, and administrative activities.
• As required by law — including mandated reporting of abuse, neglect, or serious threats of harm.

Other uses and disclosures generally require your written authorization, which you may revoke in writing at any time, except to the extent that we have already acted in reliance on it.

Other uses and disclosures permitted or required by law

In limited circumstances, we may use or disclose your protected health information without your written authorization when permitted or required by law. These situations may include:

• Public-health and safety activities, such as reporting suspected abuse, neglect, domestic violence, certain diseases, or a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
• Health-care oversight activities, including audits, inspections, licensing-board matters, compliance reviews, and legally authorized investigations.
• Workers’ compensation claims and similar programs authorized by law.
• Court orders, administrative proceedings, subpoenas, lawsuits, and other lawful legal processes when applicable legal requirements have been met.
• Requests from coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors when necessary to carry out their lawful duties.
• Law-enforcement or government requests when disclosure is specifically permitted or required by law.
• Business associates that help us operate the practice, including electronic health-record systems, billing services, scheduling platforms, payment processors, secure communication services, and technology providers. These vendors are required to safeguard your information and may only use it for the services they provide to Vera Counseling Collective.

• Request access to and a copy of your record.
• Request an amendment to your record.
• Request an accounting of certain disclosures.
• Request restrictions on certain uses or disclosures of your information.
• Request that we communicate with you in a particular way or at a particular location.
• Request confidential communication, such as asking to be contacted only at a certain phone number, email, or address.
• Ask Vera to limit certain uses or disclosures of your information.
• Ask Vera not to disclose information about services you paid for fully out of pocket to your health insurance plan, unless the disclosure is required by law.
• Choose someone legally authorized to act on your behalf.
• Receive notice if a breach may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• Receive a paper copy of this notice on request.
• File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights were violated.

You may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

To exercise any of these rights or ask questions about this notice, contact us at hello@veracounselingcollective.com or (623) 252-6140.