Notice of Privacy Practices

1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Ocean Tide Therapy (Stefanie Irmen, OTR/L) is committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. We understand that the information collected and maintained about you and your care is personal, and we are required by federal law (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or "HIPAA") to maintain its privacy.

2. How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

The following describes the ways we may use and disclose your PHI without your written authorization:

For Treatment

We may use your PHI to provide occupational therapy services to you. We may also share information with other healthcare providers involved in your care — for example, your pediatrician, psychologist, or speech-language pathologist — when relevant to your treatment.

For Payment

We may use and disclose PHI to bill and collect payment for the occupational therapy services we provide. This may include sending information to your insurance carrier or other payer.

For Healthcare Operations

We may use PHI for activities that support our practice operations: scheduling, quality improvement, training, audits, and similar administrative work.

Other Permitted or Required Uses and Disclosures

• As required by law — including reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
• For public health activities
• For health oversight activities
• In response to a court order, subpoena, or other lawful process
• To avert a serious threat to health or safety
• For workers' compensation when applicable

3. Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Written Authorization

Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes (if any), marketing communications, and sale of PHI require your written authorization. You may revoke your authorization at any time in writing.

4. Your Rights Regarding Your PHI

You have the right to:

• Inspect and copy your health records, including in electronic form
• Request amendments to your record if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete
• Receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI
• Request restrictions on how we use or disclose your PHI (we will consider all requests but are not required to agree, except in limited circumstances)
• Request confidential communications — for example, asking us to contact you only by email rather than phone
• Receive a paper copy of this Notice, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically
• Be notified of a breach of unsecured PHI

To exercise any of these rights, please submit a written request to Ocean Tide Therapy at the address below.

5. Telehealth-Specific Considerations

Ocean Tide Therapy provides occupational therapy services via telehealth (video sessions) using HIPAA-compliant technology. Sessions are end-to-end encrypted and are not recorded unless you provide written authorization. We encourage clients to take their own steps to ensure privacy during sessions — including conducting sessions from a private space and using a private internet connection where possible.

6. Our Responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI
• We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this Notice and give you a copy of it
• We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing

7. Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make the new terms effective for all health information we maintain. We will post a copy of the current Notice on our website and provide it on request.

8. Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint:

With Ocean Tide Therapy:
Stefanie Irmen, OTR/L
Privacy Officer, Ocean Tide Therapy
Email: stefanie@oceantidetherapy.com
Phone: (773) 245-3880

With the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights: https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

9. Contact

Stefanie Irmen, OTR/L
Ocean Tide Therapy
Chicago, Illinois
Phone: (773) 245-3880
Email: stefanie@oceantidetherapy.com