Med Psych Services LLC

5163 W Woodmill Dr, Suite 13, Wilmington, DE 19808
Telephone (302) 660-7200 | Website https://www.mpsde.com
Privacy inquiries c/o Office Manager | Email office@mpsde.com

 

This document explains how we handle information collected through our website and communications, and how we use and protect patient health information during in-person care, telemedicine, and practice operations. The Notice of Privacy Practices on the following pages explains your health privacy rights. Special rules for protected substance use disorder records appear in the section on those records.

 

Website and Communications Privacy Policy

​

Information collected and its use

​

You may browse public pages without submitting your name. If you contact us or complete an intake, scheduling, consent, or payment form, we collect the information you provide, such as contact details, identity and insurance information, and information needed to evaluate or respond to your request. Our website host and connected services may process technical information such as IP addresses, browser details, access logs, and cookies needed to operate their services. Information that qualifies as protected health information is handled under the Notice of Privacy Practices, not merely as website data.

​

Service providers and website technologies

​

We use service providers, including Updox for supported patient communications and forms. Vendors may process information needed to provide services on our behalf, subject to applicable privacy requirements and business associate agreements when required. Use of a vendor does not remove our responsibility to protect patient information. Website cookies or similar technologies, where used, must not disclose PHI for advertising without a lawful basis and any required authorization. Browser settings may limit cookies, although some functions may be affected. Contact us for information about technologies used on our site.

​

Email and text messages

​

Use our patient portal or another approved secure channel for sensitive clinical information. Ordinary email and SMS may be accessible to others or carry transmission risks. You may request a different communication method by contacting our office. Reply STOP to stop optional SMS messages where supported, or call us to change your preferences. Opting out of optional messages does not prevent legally required notices. Mobile numbers, SMS consent, and opt-in information are not sold or shared with third parties for their own marketing. Messaging service providers may process this information solely to deliver communications on our behalf.

​

External links and medical information

External websites have their own privacy practices. Our public website provides general information, not individualized medical advice or a substitute for evaluation or treatment. Do not use website forms, email, or SMS for emergencies; call 911 for an emergency.

​

Notice of Privacy Practices

​

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.

​

This notice applies to health information maintained by Med Psych Services LLC and to the workforce acting on its behalf. It covers clinical records, billing information, electronic records, patient communications, and telemedicine information. It does not authorize disclosure simply because information is collected electronically. Independent providers or other organizations may issue their own privacy notices.

​

Your Health Information Rights

​

To exercise any right below, contact our office at (302) 660-7200 and ask for the Office Manager regarding privacy. We may verify your identity and ask you to submit a written request. We will explain any applicable limits, fees, or review procedures.

​

Access and copies. You may inspect or obtain paper or electronic copies of health information in the records used to make decisions about you, subject to legal exceptions. Ask our office for assistance or use available patient portal features. We generally respond within 30 days, with a permitted extension explained in writing. We may charge only fees allowed by law. If access is denied, we will explain the reason and any right to review. Separately maintained psychotherapy notes are generally excluded from HIPAA access rights; ordinary psychiatric progress notes are not automatically psychotherapy notes.

 

Corrections. You may request an amendment to information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. We generally respond within 60 days, subject to a permitted extension. We may deny an amendment when allowed by law, explain why in writing, and explain how to submit a statement of disagreement.

 

Confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at another address. We accommodate reasonable requests. Tell us, for example, if you do not want messages left at a shared telephone number.

Restrictions. You may request limits on information used or shared for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, or with people involved in your care. We are not required to agree to every request. However, if you pay for a healthcare item or service out of pocket in full and request that the information not be disclosed to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations, we must honor that restriction unless disclosure is required by law. Agreed restrictions may have emergency-treatment exceptions.

 

Accounting of disclosures. You may request an accounting of certain disclosures made during the preceding six years. HIPAA generally excludes treatment, payment, healthcare operations, disclosures you authorized, and certain other disclosures. One accounting in a 12-month period is free; we will explain any permitted fee for additional requests. Additional rights for Part 2 records apply when legally effective.

​

Copies and representatives. You may obtain a paper copy of this notice without charge even if you accepted it electronically. A legally authorized representative may exercise rights on your behalf after we verify their authority. For minors, parental or guardian access depends on applicable consent, confidentiality, and safety laws; it is not automatic in every situation.

​

Questions and complaints. You may discuss this notice with our privacy contact and complain to us or HHS. Contact information and instructions appear at the end of this notice. We will not retaliate against you.

​

How We Use and Share Health Information

​

The following describes uses and disclosures HIPAA permits or requires. Each disclosure must also satisfy applicable Delaware law and any more protective federal requirements. The next section explains additional limits on Part 2-protected substance use disorder records. A general HIPAA permission does not override those limits.

​

Treatment payment and healthcare operations

​

Treatment. We may use information to assess, diagnose, prescribe, coordinate care, and provide follow-up. For example, we may communicate with another treating clinician or pharmacy about medications or an adverse reaction. We obtain consent or authorization when required by law and follow our release-of-information process.

Payment. We may use or disclose information to obtain authorization, submit claims, determine coverage, collect permitted patient balances, or obtain payment. For example, we may provide your insurer with a diagnosis and treatment information supporting a claim.

​

Healthcare operations. We may use or disclose information to manage and improve care, assess quality, train authorized personnel, conduct compliance activities, and administer our practice. For example, authorized staff may review records for treatment quality or billing accuracy. Vendors supporting these functions are subject to legally required privacy agreements and restrictions.

​

Other legally permitted or required disclosures

​

People involved in your care. When allowed by law, we may share information relevant to care or payment with a person you identify if you agree or have an opportunity to object. If you cannot express a preference, limited disclosures may be made in your best interests where legally permitted. Additional consent rules apply to sensitive records. Disaster-relief disclosures may be made under applicable law.

​

Public health and safety. When authorized or required by law, disclosures may support disease prevention, medication safety and recalls, reporting abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, or reducing a serious and imminent threat to health or safety. Only information and recipients permitted by the applicable law are included.

​

Oversight and legal requirements. We may disclose information as required by law, to HHS for privacy compliance review, or for authorized licensing, regulatory, audit, or health oversight activities. We may respond to qualifying court orders, subpoenas, or other legal process only after applicable requirements are met. A request from law enforcement does not itself authorize every disclosure.

​

Other specific purposes. When applicable legal conditions are met, disclosures may be made for workers' compensation; specified law enforcement purposes; military, national security, or other authorized government functions; organ or tissue donation; and coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors. Health research requires authorization or another legally valid permission, such as an approved waiver. These permissions remain subject to more protective confidentiality rules.

Uses requiring your written permission

​

Most uses and disclosures of separately maintained psychotherapy notes, marketing uses requiring authorization, and sale of PHI require your written authorization. Other uses not described in this notice also require authorization unless permitted or required by law. You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we have already relied on it or another legal exception applies. We do not sell PHI or disclose it to third parties for their own marketing without the authorization required by law.

​

Information lawfully disclosed to a recipient may be redisclosed and may no longer be protected by HIPAA if the recipient is not subject to HIPAA. Other protections, including Part 2 restrictions where applicable, may continue to apply.

 

Special Protections for Substance Use Disorder Records

 

Federal law, including 42 U.S.C. 290dd-2 and 42 CFR Part 2, provides additional confidentiality protections for certain substance use disorder records. This section applies when we create, receive, or maintain records protected by Part 2. Not every reference to substance use in a general medical record is automatically a Part 2 record.

This section describes how protected substance use information may be used and disclosed, your rights concerning it, and how to complain about a violation of its privacy or security. You have the right to a paper or electronic copy and to discuss it with our privacy contact, c/o Office Manager, at (302) 660-7200 or office@mpsde.com.

​

Consent and your choices

​

When Part 2 requires consent, we obtain your written consent before sharing protected records. For example, sharing protected treatment information with another provider or your insurer generally requires consent unless a specific exception applies. You may give a single consent for future treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, or consent to a more limited disclosure. Other consent-based disclosures may include a recipient you name, permitted coordination to prevent duplicate treatment enrollment, reports concerning court-referred treatment, or prescription monitoring reporting where Part 2 requires consent.

You may revoke consent in writing, subject to actions already taken in reliance on it and any special legally applicable limits for criminal-justice referrals. For a consent covering treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, you may request restrictions. Required health-plan restrictions for items paid out of pocket in full also apply. Ask us about rights to an accounting of electronic-record disclosures and lists of recipients through intermediaries when available under applicable law and its implementation dates.

​

Limited disclosures without consent

​

Part 2 permits certain uses or disclosures without consent when its specific conditions are met. These may include necessary communications within a program and with qualified service organizations; bona fide medical emergencies; FDA notifications about unsafe products; qualifying research; authorized audits and evaluations; reporting suspected child abuse or neglect; limited reporting of crimes on program premises or against program personnel, or threats of those crimes; permitted cause-of-death inquiries; and disclosures authorized through qualifying court procedures. Public-health disclosures under Part 2 must be properly de-identified. An initial child-abuse report does not permit unrestricted release of the underlying treatment record.

​

Redisclosure and legal proceedings

​

A HIPAA-covered entity or business associate receiving Part 2 records under a valid treatment, payment, and healthcare operations consent may redisclose them as HIPAA permits, subject to continuing Part 2 restrictions on proceedings against you. Applicable Part 2 notices accompany disclosures as required.

​

Protected records, or testimony about their contents, may not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against you without the specific written consent required by Part 2 or a qualifying court order. When required, you or the record holder must first receive notice and an opportunity to be heard. A court order authorizing disclosure must also be accompanied by a subpoena or similar legal mandate compelling disclosure. Different procedures may apply to proceedings concerning a program; applicable rights to contest orders remain in effect.

​

We make uses and disclosures not described here only with your written consent unless otherwise permitted or required by applicable law. We must protect these records, follow the notice currently in effect, and provide required breach notices. If protected records would be used for fundraising, we must first provide a clear advance choice about receiving those communications. You may complain to us or HHS without retaliation using the contact details on the next page.

 

 

Our Responsibilities and How to Contact Us

 

Protecting your information

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of PHI, provide this notice of our legal duties and practices, follow the notice currently in effect, and notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured PHI as required by law. We use administrative, physical, and technical safeguards appropriate to our operations. These include controlling access to patient information, protecting electronic communications and records, workforce confidentiality practices, and appropriate agreements with service providers. No technology can guarantee absolute security.

Our privacy obligations apply to telemedicine as well as in-person care. Records are retained as required by applicable law and practice needs, then securely disposed of when eligible. We apply minimum-necessary limits where legally required; that standard has exceptions, including certain treatment disclosures. A patient portal is a communication tool, not a waiver of confidentiality.

​

Delaware and other more protective requirements

We comply with applicable federal and Delaware confidentiality requirements, including confidentiality of telemedicine records under 24 Del. C. § 6004(c). Where applicable law provides greater protection than HIPAA, we follow the more protective requirement. Mental health, separately maintained psychotherapy notes, substance use disorder records, HIV-related information, and care for which a minor may independently consent may have additional restrictions. We obtain the required consent or authorization and do not rely on a general HIPAA permission when another applicable law limits disclosure.

 

Privacy contact and complaints

​

To ask a question, obtain this notice, exercise your rights, or submit a privacy or security complaint, contact:
Privacy Contact c/o Office Manager
Med Psych Services LLC
5163 W Woodmill Dr, Suite 13, Wilmington, DE 19808
Telephone (302) 660-7200
Email office@mpsde.com
Website https://www.mpsde.com

 

Call our office to arrange a secure way to submit sensitive information. Please avoid including detailed clinical information in ordinary email. You may submit a written complaint by mail or through an approved secure channel. Describe the concern and how we may contact you; we will review it and respond as appropriate.

​

You may also complain directly to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Office for Civil Rights:
https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201
Telephone 1-877-696-6775
The HHS complaint process also accepts complaints concerning applicable Part 2 confidentiality requirements. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint or exercising a privacy right.

​

Changes and availability

​

We may revise this policy and notice as permitted by law and make revised terms apply to information already maintained as well as information received later. We will make the current notice available through the Privacy Policy link on our website, through our office, and on request. Material changes to practices described in this notice will not be implemented before the revised notice takes effect unless the law requires otherwise. Paper copies are available without charge. We provide the notice by the first service encounter, subject to emergency exceptions, and request acknowledgment of receipt as required. Acknowledgment of receiving this notice is not consent to treatment or authorization for disclosure.