Skip to content 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.
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.
You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
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.
You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.
You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home, office, or cell phone) or to send mail to a different address.
We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.
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. You have this same right with respect to your substance use disorder records protected by 42 C.F.R. part 2 (“Part 2”).
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.
You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
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). For substance use disorder records protected by 42 C.F.R. part 2, the accounting will also include disclosures made for treatment, payment, and health care operations pursuant to your written consent, for the three years prior to the date of your request. 42 C.F.R. § 2.25. We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
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.
If someone has authority to act as your personal representative, such as if someone has your 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.
You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting our Privacy Representative at 615-285-6926 or contact@tennesseebehavioralhealth.com. You may also contact that person with any question about this notice.
You can 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/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html.
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
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.
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.
To the extent records or information is subject to Part 2, we cannot share them with your family, close friends, or anyone else involved in your care without your written consent, and in an emergency we may share them only with medical personnel to the extent necessary to meet a bona fide medical emergency.
We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.
To the extent that we have your substance use disorder patient records, and to the extent those records are subject to 42 CFR part 2, we will give you clear and obvious notice in advance and a choice about whether to receive fundraising communications that use your Part 2 information.
We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.
We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. If that information consists of substance use disorder records protected by 42 C.F.R. part 2, we will do so only as permitted by your written consent or as otherwise allowed by Part 2, such as a medical emergency under 42 C.F.R. § 2.51.
Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.
We can use and share your health information to run our facility, improve your care, and contact you when necessary, as necessary and appropriate under these terms. If that information consists of substance use disorder records protected by 42 C.F.R. part 2, we will do so only as permitted by your written consent or as otherwise allowed by Part 2.
Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.
We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. If that information consists of substance use disorder records protected by 42 C.F.R. part 2, we will do so only as permitted by your written consent or as otherwise allowed by Part 2.
Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.
We are allowed or required to share your 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. For more information, see here.
In all cases, including those listed below, special rules apply to any substance use disorder patient records we have about you that are subject to 42 C.F.R. part 2. We will make the disclosures described below from those records only where Part 2 independently permits the disclosure — generally, only with your written consent, under a qualifying court order, or under one of the limited exceptions in Part 2. In addition, we cannot use or share information in those records in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigation or proceeding against you without (1) your consent or (2) a court order and a subpoena.
We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
We can use or share your information for health research. Disclosure of substance use disorder records for research is subject to the additional conditions in 42 C.F.R. § 2.52.
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’re complying with federal privacy law. A general state or federal reporting law does not by itself authorize disclosure of substance use disorder records protected by 42 C.F.R. part 2; those disclosures also require your written consent, a qualifying court order, or a specific Part 2 exception.
We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations. Part 2 contains no exception for these disclosures, so we will not disclose substance use disorder records to an organ procurement organization without your written consent or a court order.
We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies. Disclosure of substance use disorder records regarding a deceased patient is governed by 42 C.F.R. § 2.15(b) and is more limited.
We can use or share health information about you for the purposes below. We will not disclose substance use disorder records protected by 42 C.F.R. part 2 for any of these purposes without your written consent or a qualifying court order; Part 2 permits reporting to law enforcement only in connection with a crime on our premises or against our personnel, 42 C.F.R. § 2.12(c)(5). Subject to that limitation, we can use or share health information about you:
We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena. A subpoena alone is never sufficient to obtain substance use disorder records protected by 42 C.F.R. part 2. Those records may be disclosed in litigation only with your written consent or under a court order that meets the requirements of 42 C.F.R. §§ 2.61–2.67.
For more information, see here.
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 web site.
To the extent that we have your substance use disorder (SUD) patient records, and to the extent those records are subject to Part 2, we will not use or disclose that information in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigation or proceeding against you without (1) your written consent that expressly permits that use or disclosure or (2) a court order issued after notice and an opportunity to be heard, together with a subpoena or other lawful process. 42 C.F.R. §§ 2.12(a)(2), 2.64–2.67.
If you give us written consent to use or disclose your Part 2 records for treatment, payment, or health care operations, and we disclose those records to a person or entity covered by HIPAA, that recipient may redisclose them in accordance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The records still may not be used or disclosed in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceeding against you without your specific written consent or a court order. 42 C.F.R. § 2.33(b).
You may revoke any consent you give us to use or disclose your Part 2 records at any time, in writing, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on that consent. 42 C.F.R. § 2.31(a)(6).
Federal law prohibits the use of your Part 2 records to discriminate against you in admission to or treatment by a health care provider or health plan, in employment, in housing (including the rental or sale of real property), in access to the courts, and in access to social services and benefits funded in whole or in part by federal, state, or local government. 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2(i).
This notice is used in more than one state. If you receive services from us in California, the following additional protections apply. California law that is more protective of your health information is not preempted by HIPAA.
Effective Date of this Notice 8.28.26.
