Updated Privacy Policies
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Initial effective date: May 1, 2020 Updated effective date: Feb 15, 2026
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.
Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), you have certain rights regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information (“PHI”; medical information). At Atlas Behavioral Health (ABH), we will maintain a record of the care and services you receive, which is essential to providing quality care and meeting legal requirements. This notice applies to all health records created by ABH regarding your care.
ABH’s responsibilities:
➔ We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI.
➔ We will inform you promptly if a breach occurs that may compromise the privacy or security of your information. ➔ We must adhere to the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy. ➔ We will not use or share your information other than as described in this notice unless you give us permission. ➔ If you decide to share your information, you can revoke it at any time. To revoke, submit a written request to the administrative team or to your clinician directly.
For more information, see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html
Your rights:
➔ You have the right to get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record.
If you request a copy of the information, ABH may charge a fee to cover the costs of copying and mailing. ABH may deny your request to inspect and copy under certain circumstances. In addition, ABH may refuse to grant you access to specific information that was compiled in reasonable anticipation of or use in a civil, criminal, or administrative proceeding.
➔ You have the right to ask for your record to be amended.
To request an amendment, you must submit your request in writing and provide a supporting reason. ABH may deny your request if you seek to amend information that:
1. was not created by ABH;
2. is not part of the medical information maintained by ABH;
3. is not part of the information you would be allowed to inspect and copy;
4. is accurate and complete.
➔ You have the right to request specific methods of confidential communications.
You can request that ABH contact you in a specific manner or send mail to an alternate address.
➔ You have the right to request restrictions for a service or health care item paid out-of-pocket in full. If paying out-of-pocket in full, you have the right to request restrictions on the disclosure of your PHI to health plans for payment or our health care operations.
➔ You have the right to ask ABH to limit what we share.
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,” for example, if it could affect your care. If we agree to your request, we may still share this information in the event that you need emergency treatment.
➔ You have the right to obtain a list of those with whom ABH has shared your information.
You can request a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for the six years prior to your request, with whom we shared it, and the reason. We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one list per year at no charge, but we will charge a fee for any additional requests within 12 months.
➔ You have the right to obtain a copy of this privacy notice.
You have the right to a paper copy and/or an electronic copy of this notice; you can ask your clinician for a copy at any time.
➔ You have the right to choose someone to act for you.
If you have granted someone the authority to act as your personal representative, such as medical power of attorney, or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights (act on your behalf) and make decisions regarding your health information.
➔ You have the right to submit a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You may file a complaint with ABH’s Privacy Officer by calling us at 773-270-3795 or emailing admin@atlasbehavioral.com. You may 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 877-696-6775, or visiting
https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Your Choices:
For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a preference for how ABH shares your information in the situations below, talk to your clinician about completing an authorization to release information. Please note that in emergency situations, consent may be obtained retroactively.***
In these instances, you have the right to ask ABH to:
➔ Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care, including payment for your care. ➔ Share information in a disaster relief situation.
***If you are not able to tell us your preference (e.g., if you are unconscious), we may 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.
Legally Required Disclosures (when PHI may be disclosed without consent):
➔ Serious Threat to Health or Safety
If ABH believes disclosure of PHI is necessary to protect you or another individual from a substantial risk of imminent and serious physical injury. For example, if you communicate a specific and immediate threat to cause serious bodily injury or death to an identified or identifiable person, and ABH believes you have the intent and ability to carry out that threat immediately or imminently, ABH may be legally required to take steps to protect third parties. These precautions may include: 1. warning potential victim(s), or parent or guardian of potential victim(s) if under 18
2. notifying a law enforcement officer, or
3. seeking your hospitalization.
ABH may also use and disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent an immediate, serious threat to your own health and safety.
➔ Child Abuse and Neglect
If ABH has reasonable cause to suspect that a child known to you has been or is in immediate danger of being mentally/emotionally or physically abused or neglected, ABH must report information to the appropriate authority.
➔ Adult/Elder/Dependent Abuse
If your ABH has reasonable cause to suspect that an elderly adult or an adult with limited capacity or independence is in danger of being abused, neglected, or exploited, ABH must report information to the appropriate authority.
➔ Health Oversight
If the Illinois Clinical Psychologist Licensing or Disciplinary Board is investigating ABH as a practice, we may be required to disclose PHI to the Board.
➔ Records of Minors
Disclosure of information for an individual who is under 18, but over the age of 12, requires authorization by both the patient and their parent or legal guardian
➔ Business associates
There are some jobs that ABH may hire outside companies to support our operations. In the law, they are referred to as business associates. Examples include software vendors and billing agencies. These business associates may need to access some of your PHI to perform their duties effectively. To protect your privacy, they will either sign a contract with ABH or provide specific business agreements that demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding your information.
Other Uses & Disclosures of PHI:
➔ Treatment
Share health information with other professionals on your treatment team, for example, with your primary care physician or psychiatrist.
➔ ABH Operations
Run our organization, including for the purposes of our business operations. For example, reviewing the quality of our treatment and services, and evaluating the clinicians who provide your treatment.
➔ Billing and Payment
Sharing your health information to request payment for services, for example, disclosing information to your insurance provider to coordinate payment for services you received.
➔ Appointment Reminders
For example, you can choose to receive reminders for upcoming appointments via email, phone, or text.
➔ Public Health and Safety
For example, in certain situations, such as preventing disease, assisting with product recalls, reporting adverse reactions to medications, reporting suspected abuse/neglect/domestic violence, and preventing/reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.
➔ Research
For example, comparing the progress of patients who received one form of therapy versus those who received another form of therapy for the same condition.
➔ As Required by Law
For example, sharing information when state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to verify our compliance with federal privacy law. This also includes providing information to law enforcement (as needed/appropriate) related to crimes that occur on ABH premises or involving property of ABH.
➔ Respond to organ and tissue donation requests.
For example, disclosing information to organizations that facilitate organ or tissue procurement, banking, or transplantation.
➔ Work with a medical examiner, coroner, or funeral director.
For example, sharing information upon an individual's death that is necessary for identification.
➔ Workers’ compensation
For example, to comply with state laws regulating workers' compensation or similar programs providing benefits for work-related injuries. 3
➔ Health Oversight Activities
For example, to federal or state agencies that may conduct audits, investigations, oversight activities, and inspect government health benefit programs.
➔ Lawsuits and legal actions.
For example, in response to a court or administrative order, certain subpoenas, or other legal processes.
Regarding Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 2 (45 CFR Part 2)
Federal Law (Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 2) protects the confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) records. While ABH is not an SUD treatment program and we do not create SUD records, we may receive information from a SUD program about your treatment.
To the extent that we have your substance use disorder patient records, subject to 42 CFR part 2, we will not share that information for investigations or legal proceedings against you without:
1. your written consent
2. a court order and a subpoena
Additional Confidentiality Protections Under Illinois State Law
Some information, such as HIV-related information, genetic information, alcohol and/or substance use disorder treatment records, and mental health records, may be entitled to special confidentiality protections under applicable state or federal law. We will abide by these special protections as they pertain to applicable cases involving these types of records.
For example, Illinois state law allows you to restrict the disclosure of certain types of information. When seeking your authorization to release your information, we will give you the opportunity to restrict the following types of disclosures: 1. HIV/AIDS status, testing, and treatment
2. substance use diagnoses and treatment
3. mental health diagnoses and treatment
4. developmental disability diagnoses and treatment
Special Notes
➔ Marketing
ABH does not market or sell personal information.
➔ Fundraising
ABH does not engage in fundraising activities and does not disclose your protected health information to any foundations or third parties for fundraising purposes.
➔ Directory
ABH does not create or manage a practice directory.
Redisclosure According to HIPAA
HIPAA privacy protections apply only to covered entities and their business associates. PHI disclosed to a third party (including SUD/Part 2 records) may be redisclosed and, in that case, would no longer be protected under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. For example, if the person receiving it is subject to HIPAA, they may use and share your information again without your consent for purposes permitted under HIPAA. However, your information cannot be used in legal proceedings against you unless you consent, or unless it is based on a SUD/Part 2 court order and a subpoena or similar legal requirement. 4
Changes to the Terms of This Notice
ABH reserves the right to change the terms of this notice, and any such changes will apply to all information we have already collected from/regarding you, as well as all future information. Revisions of this notice will contain the effective date, and the new notice will be available upon request.