Privacy Policy

This section covers information collected through our public website and online forms. Your protected health information as a patient is covered by the HIPAA section further below.

We collect information in a few ways:

• Information you give us. When you submit a new-patient or contact form, you may provide your name, date of birth, contact details, insurance information, and a brief reason for reaching out.
• Information collected automatically. Like most websites, we may collect limited technical data such as your IP address, browser type, and pages visited, through cookies or similar technologies, to keep the site secure and understand how it is used.

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to your inquiry and begin the intake and scheduling process;
• Verify your insurance and contact you about your request;
• Operate, secure, maintain, and improve our website;
• Comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use information submitted through our intake forms for advertising.

We share information only as needed to provide care and run our practice:

• Service providers. Vendors who host our website or process intake on our behalf, under agreements that require them to protect your information. Vendors that handle health information sign Business Associate Agreements.
• Within our care system. Information you submit is routed into our scheduling system and electronic health record (EHR) so we can follow up.
• Legal requirements. When required by law, subpoena, or to protect the safety of a person or the public.

We keep website inquiry information only as long as needed to respond to you and to meet our legal and operational obligations. Information that becomes part of your medical record is retained according to Maryland record-retention requirements. You can choose not to submit a form and contact us by phone instead, ask what information we have about you, request corrections or deletion of website inquiry information (subject to legal limits), and control cookies through your browser settings.

Our website is intended for use by adults, including the parents and guardians of our teen patients. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13 through the website. Care for patients under 18 is arranged directly with a parent or legal guardian.

This section describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Paraview Behavioral Health is required by law to protect the privacy of your protected health information ("PHI") and to follow the terms of this policy while it is in effect.

We use and disclose PHI for treatment, payment, and health care operations, as permitted under HIPAA. Examples:

• Treatment. Sharing your records with another clinician you have asked us to coordinate with.
• Payment. Submitting claims to your insurance for the visits you receive.
• Health care operations. Internal quality review and management of our clinic.

We may also use or disclose PHI as required by law (for example, mandated reporting or in response to a subpoena), to public health authorities for legally required reporting, in cases involving abuse or neglect, or to avert a serious threat to health or safety. Other uses and disclosures will be made only with your written authorization, which you can revoke at any time.

• Access. You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your medical record.
• Amend. You may request amendments to your record if you believe it is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Accounting. You have the right to an accounting of certain disclosures we have made.
• Restrictions. You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures.
• Confidential communications. You may ask us to communicate with you in a specific way (for example, by mail rather than phone).
• Paper copy. You may request a paper copy of this notice at any time.

We follow administrative, physical, and technical safeguards consistent with the HIPAA Security Rule, including:

• Encryption of PHI in transit and at rest in our systems.
• Role-based access, so staff see only the information necessary for their role.
• Signed Business Associate Agreements with every vendor that handles PHI on our behalf.
• Annual staff HIPAA training.
• A documented breach notification process consistent with HIPAA's Breach Notification Rule.

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

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "last updated" date above reflects the current version, which applies to information we already have as well as information we receive in the future. The current version is always posted on this page.

To exercise any of your rights, ask a question, or raise a concern, contact us at (301) 524-4659 or privacy@paraviewhealth.com.