Privacy Policy & Notice of Privacy Practices
St. Paul Chiropractic & Natural Medicine Center
464 Hamline Ave South, St. Paul, MN 55105
Phone: (651) 644-7207 | Email: drchris@stpaulnaturalhealth.com
PART I: WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY
This section governs how we handle information collected specifically through your use of our website (stpaulnaturalhealth.com).
1. Information We Collect
We only collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you fill out a contact form, request an appointment, or subscribe to communications. This may include your name, email address, phone number, and any basic details you choose to share regarding your inquiry.
2. How We Use Your Information
The information you provide is used strictly to:
- Answer your questions and respond to your inquiries.
- Schedule or manage appointments.
- Send you requested information regarding our services, pricing, and products.
- Send relevant appointment reminders or announcements via email or text message (if you have opted in).
3. No Third-Party Sharing or Selling
We deeply respect your privacy. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. Mobile phone information, email addresses, and other personal data will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Your data is used exclusively by St. Paul Chiropractic & Natural Medicine Center for the purposes you consented to when sharing it.
4. Protected Health Information (HIPAA)
While this section applies to general interactions with our website, the collection, use, and protection of your Protected Health Information (PHI) is governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). For detailed information on how your medical records and health information are handled, please review Part II: Notice of Privacy Practices below.
Please note: Standard website contact forms and emails are not always securely encrypted. We advise against submitting sensitive medical details or PHI through our basic website contact forms.
5. Data Security
We implement appropriate and standard security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure.
PART II: NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
Your health information is personal. We are committed to protecting it. This notice tells you about the ways we may use and share your health information. It also describes your rights and certain duties we have regarding the use and disclosure of your health information.
Effective Date: [INSERT EFFECTIVE DATE]
This Notice was last revised on: [INSERT REVISION DATE]
Section 1: Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.
- Right to Access Your Health Records: You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your health record and other health information we have about you. We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for providing copies.
- Right to Request Correction: You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. We may say no to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.
- Right to Request Confidential Communications: You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address. We will say yes to all reasonable requests.
- Right to Request Restrictions: You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say no if it would affect your care. If you pay for a service or health care item out of pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say yes unless a law requires us to share that information.
- Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we have shared your health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, and health care operations, and for certain other activities for the six years prior to the date you ask. We will provide one accounting per year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
- Right to Revoke Authorization: If you have given us written authorization to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke (take back) that authorization at any time, except where we have already taken action based on your authorization.
- Right to Appoint a Representative: If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.
- Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.
- Right to File a Complaint: If you feel your rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our office by contacting our Privacy Officer (see contact information below). You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Section 2: Your Choices
For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.
In These Cases, You Have the Right to Tell Us To:
- Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
- Share information in a disaster relief situation
- Include your information in a practice directory (if applicable)
If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
Section 3: How We Use or Disclose Your Health Information
We typically use or share your health information in the following ways:
- Treat You: We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. For example, a doctor treating you for a back injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition, or we may share information with a specialist to whom we refer you.
- Run Our Organization (Health Care Operations): We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. For example, we use health information about you to manage your treatment and services, or for quality assessment and improvement activities.
- Bill for Your Services: We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. For example, we give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.
Section 4: Other Ways We May Use or Disclose Your Health Information
We are allowed or required to share your health information in other ways, usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.
- As Required by Law: We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we are complying with federal privacy law.
- Public Health and Safety Activities: We can share health information about you for certain situations such as: preventing disease; helping with product recalls; reporting adverse reactions to medications; reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence; and preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.
- Health Oversight Activities: We can share health information with health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure actions.
- Lawsuits and Disputes: We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
- Law Enforcement: We can use or share health information with law enforcement officials in limited circumstances, including in response to a court order, warrant, subpoena, or summons issued by a judicial officer; to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person; or about a crime victim in certain limited circumstances.
- Workers’ Compensation: We can use or share health information about you for workers’ compensation claims. This is especially relevant given our practice’s treatment of work-related injuries.
- Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors: We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
- Research: We can use or share your information for health research under certain conditions.
- Military and Veterans: If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release health information about you as required by military command authorities.
- Specialized Government Functions: We can share health information for national security and intelligence activities, protective services for the President, and certain other specialized government functions.
- Organ and Tissue Donation: If you are an organ donor, we can share health information with organ procurement organizations.
Section 5: Protection of Substance Use Disorder Records
IMPORTANT: Enhanced Protections for Substance Use Disorder Information. Federal law (42 CFR Part 2) provides additional protections for health information related to substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis, treatment, or referral for treatment. These protections apply in addition to the HIPAA Privacy Rule protections described elsewhere in this notice.
Our practice may receive health records from other healthcare providers that contain information about substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis, treatment, or referral for treatment. When we receive such records, they are subject to enhanced federal confidentiality protections under 42 CFR Part 2, which may limit how we can use and disclose this information.
- How SUD Records May Be Used and Disclosed: SUD records may be used or disclosed for treatment, payment, and health care operations purposes with your written consent. You may provide a single consent for all future uses and disclosures for treatment, payment, and health care operations purposes. You have the right to revoke your consent at any time, except to the extent that action has already been taken in reliance on it.
- Restrictions on Use of SUD Records: SUD records may not be used in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings conducted by any federal, state, or local authority against you, except in very limited circumstances as defined by federal law. This protection applies even if you have consented to the disclosure of your SUD records.
- Redisclosure: Recipients of your SUD records may further disclose those records only as permitted by 42 CFR Part 2. When we share SUD records as allowed, we include a notice prohibiting further unauthorized redisclosure.
Section 6: Other Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Written Authorization
Other uses and disclosures of your health information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written authorization. These include:
- Marketing purposes
- Sale of your health information
- Most uses of psychotherapy notes (if applicable)
If you provide us written authorization to use or disclose your health information for purposes not described in this notice, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose your health information for the purposes covered by that authorization, except where we have already taken action in reliance on it.
Section 7: Our Responsibilities
We are required by law to:
- Maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
- Provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information.
- Notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
- Follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
- Not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.
Section 8: Changes to the Terms of This Notice
We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website at www.stpaulnaturalhealth.com. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.
Section 9: Privacy Officer and Contact Information
Privacy Officer: [Dr. Christopher Lilja / Designated Staff Member]
Practice Name: St. Paul Chiropractic & Natural Medicine Center
Address: 464 Hamline Ave South, St. Paul, MN 55105
Phone: (651) 644-7207
Email: drchris@stpaulnaturalhealth.com
Website: www.stpaulnaturalhealth.com
To file a complaint with HHS:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office for Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone: 1-877-696-6775 | www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints