Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective Date: September 1, 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.
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
Mealer Family Therapy, APC is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information ("PHI"), to provide you with this notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect. PHI includes information about your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition, the care you receive from us, and payment for that care.
This notice applies to all records of care generated by Mealer Family Therapy, APC and any clinician employed by the practice. It does not cover information you provide through our website before becoming a client, which is addressed in our separate Website Privacy Policy.
How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information
For treatment. We may use or disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your care, including consulting with another treating provider about your case when appropriate.
For payment. We may use or disclose your PHI to bill and collect payment for services, including submitting claims to your insurance company, verifying coverage, and processing payments made to the credit or debit card on file.
For health care operations. We may use or disclose your PHI for activities like quality improvement, training, licensing or accreditation, and business planning.
Other uses and disclosures that do not require your authorization, to the extent permitted or required by law, include:
As required by law — when federal, state, or local law requires disclosure.
To avert a serious threat to health or safety — if we believe disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety, or that of another identifiable person (sometimes called a "duty to warn"). Your therapist will explain the specifics of this duty, which varies somewhat by state, during your first session.
Abuse, neglect, or domestic violence — we are legally required to report suspected abuse or neglect of a child, elder, or dependent adult to the appropriate state agency.
Public health and health oversight activities — for purposes such as disease reporting or oversight of the health care system.
Judicial and administrative proceedings — in response to a court order, subpoena, or other lawful process, under the conditions required by law.
Law enforcement purposes — in limited circumstances required or permitted by law.
Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors — as necessary to carry out their duties.
Workers' compensation — as authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with workers' compensation laws.
Research, and specialized government functions — in narrow circumstances permitted by law, subject to privacy safeguards.
Psychotherapy notes. If your therapist keeps separate psychotherapy process notes (personal notes kept apart from the rest of your record), these receive extra protection under HIPAA. We will not disclose psychotherapy notes without your specific written authorization, except in the limited circumstances the law allows without authorization, such as our own use in your treatment, certain oversight of the therapist who created the notes, or to avert a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
Substance use disorder records (42 CFR Part 2). If any portion of your record includes information that identifies you as having sought or received treatment for a substance use disorder, that information receives additional federal protection under 42 CFR Part 2, separate from and in some ways stronger than general HIPAA protections. We will not use or disclose such records except as permitted under Part 2, and any written authorization you give for their disclosure will describe how that information may and may not be redisclosed. Part 2 records may not be used against you in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceeding without your written consent or a qualifying court order, and, if disclosed, the recipient is prohibited from redisclosing them further without your separate authorization.
All other uses and disclosures not described above require your written authorization. This includes, for example, sale of your PHI, use of your PHI for marketing purposes, and, in most cases, disclosure of psychotherapy notes. You may revoke a written authorization at any time, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.
Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
You have the right to:
Request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your PHI. We are not required to agree, except that we must agree to a restriction on disclosure to a health plan for payment or operations purposes if you paid out of pocket in full for the specific service.
Request confidential communications — for example, asking us to contact you only at a certain phone number or address.
Inspect and copy your health record, with limited exceptions (including psychotherapy notes, which are generally not subject to this right).
Request an amendment to your record if you believe information is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request in certain circumstances, and will explain the reason in writing if we do.
Receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI, other than disclosures for treatment, payment, operations, and a few other categories excluded by law.
Receive a paper copy of this notice upon request, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.
Be notified in the event of a breach of your unsecured PHI.
Choose someone to act on your behalf — a personal representative, such as a parent or legal guardian, may exercise these rights for you in certain circumstances, subject to the limits described below for minors.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information at the end of this notice. We will respond within the timeframe required by law.
Minors, Parents, and Confidentiality
Because Mealer Family Therapy, APC serves clients in both California and Idaho, and because state law governing a minor's ability to consent to and keep confidential their own mental health treatment differs significantly between the two states (and continues to change), the specific rules that apply depend on the state where you or your child is receiving care.
In general:
In some circumstances, a minor may be able to consent to their own outpatient mental health treatment without parental consent, and to have some or all of that treatment kept confidential from a parent or guardian.
In other circumstances, parental consent is required before treatment can begin, and a parent or guardian may have a right to access some or all of the minor's treatment records.
Your therapist will explain, at the outset of treatment, how these rules apply to your specific situation based on your state, your child's age, and the nature of care being provided, and will document that discussion in the record.
Because this is an area where the law in both California and Idaho has changed in recent years and continues to evolve, please ask your therapist directly if you have questions about how confidentiality works for a minor client, rather than relying solely on this notice.
Our Responsibilities
We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI, notify you if a breach occurs that may compromise the privacy or security of your information, follow the terms of the notice currently in effect, and not use or share your information other than as described here, except with your written permission. If you give us permission to use or disclose your PHI for a purpose not described in this notice, you may revoke that permission in writing at any time.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.
With us: Contact our Privacy Officer using the information below.
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 Online: https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf
Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to change this notice and to make the revised notice effective for PHI we already have, as well as any information we receive in the future. The current notice will be available at our office and on our website, and provided to you at your request.
Effective Date and Contact Information
This notice is effective as of September 1, 2026.
Privacy Officer: Mealer Family Therapy, APC