Privacy Practices
Notice of Privacy Practices
Last updated: August, 1 2024​
​​THIS NOTICE INVOLVES YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS AND DESCRIBES HOW INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE DISCLOSED, AND HOW YOU CAN OBTAIN ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.​​
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HOW YOUR INFORMATION IS USED
We may use and disclose your health information to deliver services and ensure quality care. This includes providing treatment services, collecting payment, and performing healthcare operations, all of which are essential for maintaining high-quality care. State and federal laws permit us to use and disclose your health information for these purposes.​
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LIMITS OF CONFIDENTIALITY
The following categories describe different ways your therapist may use and disclose health information about you. There are some important exceptions to this rule of confidentiality – some exceptions created voluntarily by Enrich Therapy Group, LLC, and some required by law. For Treatment Payment, or Health Care Operations: Federal privacy rules (regulations) allow health care providers who have direct treatment relationship with the patient/client to use or disclose the patient/client’s personal health information without the patient’s written authorization, to carry out the health care provider’s own treatment, payment, or health care operations.
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Health Oversight: Georgia law requires that licensed psychologists [social workers; counselors] report misconduct by a health care provider of their own profession. By policy, your therapist also reserves the right to report misconduct by health care providers of other professions. By law, if you describe unprofessional conduct by another mental health provider of any profession, your therapist is required to explain to you how to make such a report. If you are yourself a health care provider, your therapist is required by law to report to your licensing board that you are in treatment with me if I believe your condition places the public at risk. Georgia licensing Boards have the power, when necessary, to subpoena relevant records in investigating a complaint of provider incompetence or misconduct.
Court Proceedings: If you are involved in a court proceeding and a request is made for information about your diagnosis and treatment and the records thereof, such information is privileged under state law, and we will not release information unless you provide written authorization or a judge issues a court order. If we receive a subpoena for records or testimony, we will notify you so you can file a motion to quash (block) the subpoena. However, while awaiting the judge’s decision, we are required to place said records in a sealed envelope and provide them to the Clerk of Court. In Georgia therapy information is not protected by patient-therapist privilege in child abuse cases, in cases in which your mental health is an issue, or in any case in which the judge deems the information to be “necessary for the proper administration of justice.” In criminal cases, Georgia has no statute granting therapist-patient privilege, although records can sometimes be protected on another basis. Protections of privilege may not apply if we do an evaluation for a third party or where the evaluation is court-ordered. You will be informed in advance if this is the case.
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Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a lawsuit, we may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose health information about your child in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
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Serious Threat to Health or Safety: Under Georgia law, if you communicate to your therapist a specific and immediate threat to cause serious bodily injury or death, to an identified or to an identifiable person, and your therapist believes you have the intent and ability to carry out that threat immediately or imminently, he/she is legally required to take steps to protect third parties. These precautions may include 1) warning the potential victim(s), or the parent or guardian of the potential victim(s), if under 18, 2) notifying a law enforcement officer, or 3) seeking your hospitalization. Enrich Therapy Group’s policy may also use and disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent an immediate, serious threat to your own health and safety. If you become a party in a civil commitment hearing, your therapist can be required to provide your records to the magistrate, your attorney or guardian ad litem, or a law enforcement officer, whether you are a minor or an adult.
Emergency: If you are involved in a life-threatening emergency and your therapist cannot ask your permission, he/she will share information if he/she believes you would have wanted to do so, or if your therapist believes it will be helpful to you.
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Child Abuse Reporting: If your therapist has reason to suspect that a child is abused or neglected, your therapist is required by Georgia law to report the matter immediately to the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services.
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Adult Abuse Reporting: We may disclose health information about you related to suspicion of elder or incapacitated abuse of an adult. Your therapist is required by Georgia law to immediately make a report and provide relevant information to the Georgia Department of Adult Services.
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Workers Compensation: If you file a worker’s compensation claim, your therapist is required by law, upon request, to submit your relevant mental health information to you, your employer, the insurer, or a certified rehabilitation provider.
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Records of Minors: Georgia has a number of laws that limit the confidentiality of the records of minors. For example, parents, regardless of custody, may not be denied access to their child’s records; and CSB evaluators in civil commitment cases have legal access to therapy records without notification or consent of parents or child.
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EMAIL AND TEXT MESSAGES
Some of our patients prefer to communicate with their provider via email or text message. However, these methods have inherent privacy and security risks that you should be aware of before using them. Errors in transmission or interception of messages can occur, making email and text messages an insecure means of communication with your provider. At the discretion of your healthcare provider, your email or text message, along with any responses, may become part of your medical record. Additionally, for urgent or emergency situations, you should not rely on email communication with providers affiliated with our practice. In such cases, please call 911.