Privacy Policy & HIPAA Privacy Practices

Notice of HIPAA Privacy Practices

Positive Recovery Centers is required by law to protect the privacy of health information that may reveal a patient's identity, commonly referred to as "protected health information," or "PHI." It includes information that we have created or received about your past, present, or future health or condition, the provision of health care to you, or the payment of that health care. We must provide you with this notice about our privacy practices that explains how, when, and why we use and disclose your protected health information.

With few exceptions, we may not use or disclose any more of your PHI than is necessary to accomplish the purpose of the use or disclosure. We are legally required to follow the privacy practices described in this notice. Please note, however, that special privacy protections apply to HIV/AIDS-related information, alcohol and substance abuse treatment information, mental health information, and genetic information, which are not set forth in this notice. These protections are described in separate notices. To request copies of those notices, please contact us using the information at the bottom of this page.

We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and our privacy policies at any time. Any changes will apply to the PHI we already have. Before we make an important change to our policies, we will promptly change this notice and post a new notice. You can also request a copy of this notice at any time by calling our office at 713-904-4699.

Your Protected Health Information

We use and disclose health information for many different reasons. For some of these uses or disclosures, we need your prior consent or specific authorization. Below we describe the different categories of our uses and disclosures with examples of each. During your intake, prior to receiving any health care services, you will be asked to sign a statement permitting Positive Recovery Centers and its medical staff to release your health information for purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations.

A. Uses and Disclosures Relating to Treatment, Payment, or Health Care Operations

For treatment. We may disclose your PHI to physicians, nurses, medical students, and other health care personnel who provide you with health care services or are involved in your care.
To obtain payment for treatment. We may use and disclose your PHI in order to bill and collect payment for the treatment and services provided to you. For example, we may provide portions of your PHI to our billing department and your health plan to get paid for the health care services we provided to you. We may also provide your PHI to our business associates, such as billing companies, claims processing companies, and others that process our health care claims or provide services on our behalf.
For health care operations. We may disclose your PHI in order to operate our health care delivery system, such as evaluating the quality of the health care services you received or the performance of the professionals who provided them. We may also provide your PHI to our accountants, attorneys, consultants, and others in order to make sure we are complying with the laws that affect us. When we are required to disclose your PHI to contractors, agents, and other business associates, we will have a written contract to ensure that our business associate also protects the privacy of your PHI.

B. Other Uses and Disclosures That Do Not Require Your Consent

We may use and disclose your PHI without your consent or authorization for the following reasons:

When a disclosure is required by law, judicial or administrative proceedings, or law enforcement. For example, we make disclosures when a law requires that we report information to government agencies and law enforcement personnel about victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence; when dealing with gunshot and other wounds; or when ordered in a judicial or administrative proceeding.
For public health activities. For example, we report information about births, deaths, and various diseases to the government officials in charge of collecting that information.
Victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. We may release your PHI to a public health authority that is authorized to receive reports of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. We will make every effort to obtain your permission before releasing this information, but in some cases we may be required or authorized to act without it.
For health oversight activities. For example, we will provide information to assist the government when it conducts an investigation or inspection of a health care provider or organization.
Emergency situations. We may use or disclose your PHI if you need emergency treatment but we are unable to obtain your consent. If this happens, we will try to obtain your consent as soon as we reasonably can after we treat you.
Communication barriers. We may use or disclose your PHI if we are unable to obtain your consent because of substantial communication barriers and we believe you would want us to treat you if we could communicate with you.
Product monitoring, repair, and recall. We may disclose your information to a person or company that is required by the Food and Drug Administration to report or track product defects or problems, repair, replace, or recall defective or dangerous products, or monitor the performance of a product after it has been approved for public use.
Lawsuits and disputes. We may disclose your PHI if we are ordered to do so by a court or administrative tribunal that is handling a lawsuit or other dispute.
Law enforcement. We may disclose your PHI to law enforcement officials to comply with court orders or laws we are required to follow; to assist with identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, witness, or missing person; if you have been the victim of a crime under limited circumstances; if we suspect a patient's death resulted from criminal conduct; if necessary to report a crime that occurred on our property; or if necessary to report a crime discovered during an off-site medical emergency.
Military and veterans. If you are in the Armed Forces, we may disclose your PHI to appropriate military command authorities for activities they deem necessary to carry out their military mission. We may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.
Inmates and correctional institutions. If you are an inmate or detained by a law enforcement officer, we may disclose your PHI to prison officers or law enforcement officers if necessary to provide you with health care or to maintain safety, security, and good order at the place where you are confined.
Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors. In the unfortunate event of your death, we may disclose your PHI to a coroner or medical examiner, for example to determine the cause of death, and to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.
For purposes of organ donation. We may notify organ procurement organizations to assist them in organ, eye, or tissue donation and transplants.
For research purposes. In most cases, we will ask for your written authorization before using your PHI for research. In certain limited circumstances, we may use and disclose your PHI without authorization if we obtain approval through a special process that ensures the research poses little risk to your privacy. We would never allow researchers to use your name or identity publicly.
To avoid harm. In order to avoid a serious threat to the health or safety of a person or the public, we may provide PHI to law enforcement personnel or persons able to prevent or lessen such harm.
For specific government functions. We may disclose PHI of military personnel and veterans in certain situations, and we may disclose PHI for national security purposes.
For workers' compensation purposes. We may provide PHI in order to comply with workers' compensation laws.
Appointment reminders and health-related benefits or services. We may use PHI to provide appointment reminders or to give you information about treatment alternatives or other health care services or benefits we offer.
De-identified information. We may disclose your PHI if it has been de-identified so that no one can connect it back to you.
Incidental disclosures. While we take reasonable steps to safeguard the privacy of your PHI, certain disclosures may occur as an unavoidable result of otherwise permissible uses, such as another patient overhearing a discussion during a treatment session.

C. Uses and Disclosures Where You Have the Opportunity to Object

Patient directories. We may include your name, location in our facility, general condition, and religious affiliation in our patient directory for use by clergy and visitors who ask for you by name, unless you object in whole or in part.
Disclosures to family, friends, or others. We may provide your PHI to a family member, friend, or other person you indicate is involved in your care or the payment for your care, unless you object in whole or in part. The opportunity to consent may be obtained retroactively in emergency situations.

All other uses and disclosures require your prior written authorization. In any situation not described above, we will ask for your written authorization before using or disclosing your PHI. If you sign an authorization, you can later revoke it in writing to stop future uses and disclosures, to the extent we have not already acted in reliance on it.

Your Rights Regarding Your PHI

The right to request limits on uses and disclosures of your PHI. We will consider your request, but we are not legally required to accept it. If we accept it, we will put the limits in writing and abide by them except in emergency situations.
The right to choose how we send PHI to you. You may ask that we send information to an alternate address or by alternate means, and we must agree so long as we can reasonably do so.
The right to see and get copies of your PHI. In most cases, you may look at or get copies of your PHI by making a written request. We will respond within 30 days. If we deny your request, we will explain our reasons in writing and your right to have the denial reviewed.
The right to get a list of the disclosures we have made. Your request must state a time period. We will respond within 60 days and the list will cover up to the last six years. The first list in a calendar year is free.
The right to correct or update your PHI. If you believe there is a mistake or missing information in your PHI, you may request a correction in writing with your reason. We will respond within 60 days. If we deny the request, you may file a written statement of disagreement.
The right to get this notice by email. Even if you agree to receive this notice by email, you also have the right to request a paper copy.

If you have any questions about this notice or any complaints about our privacy practices, or would like to know how to file a complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, please contact us in writing at the address listed at the bottom of this page.

Website Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to us. This section explains our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used. This website is owned and operated by Positive Recovery Centers. By using the website, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described in this policy.

Security

We take precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information through this website, your information is protected both online and offline and shared on a minimum basis. Whenever we collect sensitive information, it is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for the lock icon in your browser or "https" at the beginning of the page address.

We also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job, such as billing or customer service, are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers and servers on which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment. We use cookies on this site to improve your access and to track how users reach the website so we can improve the experience. Cookies are not linked to any personally identifiable information.

Though we make every effort to maintain the security of your personally identifiable information, it is important to remember that the internet is not a completely secure environment. We recommend that whenever you send sensitive information, you use an encrypted email and a secure, private connection, or provide the information by fax or telephone.

Minor Age Website Use

This website is intended for a general audience and for use by individuals 18 years of age and older. We do not intend to collect information on anyone under 13 years old, and anyone under 13 cannot use this website without the approval of a parent or guardian. If you are a parent or authorized representative who consents to a child sharing personal information on this website, you agree that your child's use is consistent with this privacy policy.

Collection, Use, and Sharing of Personal Information

When visiting positiverecovery.com, the IP address used to access the site will be logged along with the dates and times of access. This information is used purely to analyze trends, administer the site, track user movement, and gather broad demographic information for internal use. Recorded IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information.

Any information you provide through this website, especially personally identifiable information such as your name, address, phone number, or insurance information, is used solely to respond to your inquiries or to verify your insurance coverage with your insurer. Your information is only shared with need-to-know members of our team in order to process your inquiry and, if you opt to have your insurance coverage verified, with your insurer to the extent needed to accurately verify your current benefits. No personal information you provide on our website is ever rented, shared, sold, or transferred to any third party for their benefit.

SMS/Text Messaging Terms

By providing your mobile phone number and checking the SMS opt-in box on our contact form, you give Positive Recovery Centers your express written consent to send you recurring text messages related to treatment, admissions, appointment scheduling, follow-up care, and account or service updates. Message frequency varies based on your interaction with us. Message and data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help or STOP at any time to cancel. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

Your consent to receive text messages is not a condition of receiving treatment, evaluation, or any service from Positive Recovery Centers. You may decline SMS communication and continue to use any other contact method without penalty.

Positive Recovery Centers will not sell, rent, or share your mobile phone number, SMS opt-in status, or message content with any third party or affiliate for their own marketing purposes. Mobile information is used solely to communicate with you about your inquiry, your care, and related services. Information may be shared only with vetted service providers, such as our SMS platform, electronic health record, or compliance vendors, acting on our behalf and bound by confidentiality and data protection obligations consistent with HIPAA, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and the CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices.

To exercise any rights regarding your information or to revoke consent in writing, contact us at support@positiverecovery.com or call 713-904-4699.

Your Rights

When it comes to your protected health information, you have certain rights. These include the right to know which information we have, to review and correct information so it is accurate and current, to request how we communicate with you, to know how your information is used, to request that your information is limited or deleted, to receive a copy of this privacy notice, and to file a complaint without concern for retaliation.

Our Responsibility

It is our responsibility and a legal duty to protect the privacy and security of your protected health information. Should the confidentiality or security of your protected health information be compromised, we will inform you of the incident.

Third Parties

We have included links on this site for your use and reference. We are not responsible for the privacy policies on those websites, and you should be aware that their privacy policies may differ from our own. Additionally, Positive Recovery Centers may use third parties to provide services on our behalf.

California Privacy Rights

Pursuant to California Civil Code Section 1798.83, California residents have the right to request from a business any personal information that the business may have shared with a third party for direct marketing purposes. We do not share personal information with any third party for direct marketing purposes. Positive Recovery Centers does not respond to "do not track" (DNT) signals.

This website is not intended to provide medical advice. Any medical or health information on the website is intended for informational purposes only and should never be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always talk to your health care provider regarding your specific medical needs and for any diagnosis or treatment.

Changes to This Privacy Statement

The contents of this statement may be altered at any time, at our discretion. Changes will apply to all information we have and will be available upon request, in our office, and through our website.

Contact

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our privacy policy, you may contact us at 713-904-4699, or in writing at:

Positive Recovery Centers
902 West Alabama Street
Houston, Texas 77006

Notice of HIPAA Privacy Practices & Website Privacy Policy