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PRIVACY POLICY

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Watts PT and Pilates is required, by law, to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of your protected health information and to provide our patients with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your protected health information

Disclosure of Your Health Care Information

TREATMENT

We may disclose your health care information to other healthcare professionals within our practice for the purpose of treatment, payment or healthcare operations. We are a teaching facility so there may be students observing treatments for their respective professional programs. On occasion, it may be necessary to seek consultation regarding your condition from other health care providers associated with Watts PT and Pilates.

“It is our policy to provide a substitute health care provider, authorized by Watts Pt and Pilates to provide assessment and/or treatment to our patients, without advanced notice, in the event of your primary health care provider’ s absence due to vacation, sickness, or other emergency situation.”

PAYMENT

We may disclose your health information to your insurance provider for the purpose of payment or health care operations.

“As a courtesy to our physical therapy patients, we may provide an itemized billing statement to you to submit to your insurance carrier for the purpose of reimbursement for qualifying health care services rendered. The billing statement contains medical information, including diagnosis and codes which describe the health care services received.”

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

Much of our communication is via electronic means, including online scheduling software. Your information is not shared with third parties as is used to facilitate communication between practitioners & clients/patients. Please be assured that every step is taken to ensure the confidentiality of your health information, included password protected computers and accounts in accordance with HIPAA requirements.

EMERGENCIES

We may disclose your health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, or another person responsible for your care about your medical condition or in the event of an emergency or of your death.

PUBLIC HEALTH

As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to: preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting domestic violence, reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications, and reporting disease or infection exposure.

JUDICIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS

We may disclose your health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

We may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order or subpoena, and other law enforcement purposes.

DECEASED PERSONS

We may disclose your health information to coroners or medical examiners.

ORGAN DONATION

We may disclose your health information to organizations involved in procuring, banking, or transplanting organs and tissues.

RESEARCH

We may disclose your health information to researchers conducting research that has been approved by an Institutional Review Board.

TEACHING FACILITY

We are a teaching facility so there periodically may be students observing your session or class. Please be assured that they are required to adhere to this published privacy policy.

PUBLIC SAFETY

It may be necessary to disclose your health information to appropriate persons in order to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or to the general public.

SPECIALIZED GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

We may disclose your health information for military, national security, prisoner and government benefits purposes.


  • You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. Please be advised, however, that Watts Pt and Pilates is not required to agree to the restriction that you requested.

  • You have the right to have your health information received or communicated through an alternative method or sent to an alternative location other than the usual method of communication or delivery, upon your request. Note that there may be administrative/records fees associated with acquisition/copying of records.

  • You have the right to inspect and copy your health information.

  • You have a right to request that Watts PT and Pilates amend your protected health information. Please be advised, however, that Watts PT and Pilates is not required to agree to amend your protected health information. If your request to amend your health information has been denied, you will be provided with an explanation of our denial reason(s) and information about how you can disagree with the denial.

  • You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your protected health information made by ProBalance, Inc.

  • You have a right to a paper copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time upon request.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Watts PT and Pilates reserves the right to amend this Notice of Privacy Practices at any time in the future, and will make the new provisions effective for all information that it maintains. Until such amendment is made, Watts PT and Pilates is required by law to comply with this Notice.

Watts PT and Pilates is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information. If you have questions about any part of this notice or if you want more information about your privacy rights, please contact: Stephanie Watts by calling this office at 925 456 4615.If Stephanie Watts is not available, you may make an appointment for a personal conference in person or by telephone within 2 working days.

COMPLAINTS

Complaints about your Privacy rights, or how Watts PT and Pilates has handled your health information should be directed to Stephanie Watts by calling this office at 925 456 4615 If Stephanie Watts is not available, you may make an appointment for a personal conference in person or by telephone within 2 working days.

If you are not satisfied with the manner in which this office handles your complaint, you may submit a formal complaint to:

DHHS, Office of Civil Rights

200 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Room 509F HHH Building

Washington, DC 20201


This notice is effective as of April 22nd 2020.

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