Notice of Privacy Practices

About This Notice

This Notice of Privacy Practices applies to Orchid Wellness, a primary care and integrative wellness practice operated by Chelsea Asante, APRN, FNP-C, located at 3620 N Josey Lane, Suite 117, Carrollton, TX 75007. We offer in-person appointments in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and telehealth services across Texas, New York, Virginia, and Washington DC.

"Protected health information" or "PHI" means information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI, to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI, and to notify you in the event of a breach of your unsecured PHI.

How We May Use Your Health Information

The following categories describe the ways we use and disclose your protected health information for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed, but all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

We may use or disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services. For example, we may share your health information with other providers who are treating you, such as specialists we refer you to or labs and pharmacies involved in your care. We may also share your information with a consulting provider or members of your care team.

We may use or disclose your PHI to obtain payment for the health care services we provide to you. For example, we may contact your health insurer to verify your coverage, submit claims for services rendered, or obtain prior authorization for a treatment or medication.

We may use and disclose your PHI for healthcare operations, which includes activities necessary to run our practice and ensure you receive quality care. Examples include:

• Quality assessment and improvement activities
• Staff training and performance evaluation
• Conducting audits, compliance reviews, and business planning
• Contacting you with appointment reminders, health reminders, or information about treatment options

We may use your contact information to send you reminders about upcoming appointments, follow-up care, or health information relevant to your treatment. This may be done by phone, text message, email, or through your patient portal. If you prefer a particular method of contact or wish to opt out of certain communications, please let us know.

Disclosures Without Your Authorization

In certain situations, we may use or disclose your PHI without your written authorization as permitted or required by law. These situations include:

We will disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law, such as when responding to a court order or subpoena.

We may disclose your PHI for public health activities, including reporting communicable diseases or conditions to public health authorities, reporting reactions to medications, or notifying persons who may have been exposed to a disease.

We may disclose your PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, or licensure activities.

We may disclose your PHI in response to a court or administrative order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.

We may release your PHI to a law enforcement official as required by law, such as to report certain types of wounds, to identify or locate a suspect, or to comply with a court order or administrative request.

We may use or disclose your PHI when necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of you or another person, or to the public. Disclosure would only be to someone able to help prevent or lessen the threat.

We may share information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director as authorized or required by law.

If you are an organ donor, we may release PHI to organizations that handle organ procurement or transplantation as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation.

We may disclose your PHI as authorized or required by law for workers' compensation or similar programs.

If you are or were a member of the armed forces, we may use or disclose your PHI as required by military command authorities or as authorized by law for national security or intelligence purposes.

We may use or disclose your PHI for research purposes, but only when the research has been approved through a proper review process that ensures the privacy of your health information, or when you have provided authorization.

Uses Requiring Your Authorization

Other uses and disclosures of your PHI not described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke your authorization at any time by submitting a written request to our office, except to the extent that we have already taken action in reliance on your authorization.

Uses and disclosures that require your written authorization include:

• Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes
• Uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes
• Disclosures that constitute a sale of your PHI
• Uses and disclosures of PHI to a third party not involved in your treatment or payment for purposes not described in this notice

Your Rights

You have the following rights with respect to your protected health information. To exercise any of these rights, please submit a written request to our Privacy Officer using the contact information in Section 9. We will respond within the timeframe required by law.

Our Responsibilities

Orchid Wellness is required to:

• Maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information
• Provide you with this notice of our privacy practices
• Follow the terms of the notice currently in effect
• Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction
• Accommodate reasonable requests to receive PHI through alternative means or at alternative locations
• Notify you following a breach of your unsecured PHI

We will not use or share your information other than as described in this notice unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time by letting us know in writing and we will honor your request going forward.

Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change this notice and to make the revised or changed notice effective for medical information we already have about you, as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post the current notice in our office and on our website. The effective date will appear at the top of the notice.

If we make a material change to this notice, we will post the updated notice on our website and make it available at our office. You may request a copy of any current or previous version at any time.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been 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 penalized or retaliated against for filing a complaint.

Contact Us

For questions about this notice, to exercise your rights, or to submit a complaint, please contact our Privacy Officer: