Notice of Privacy Practices
The Crafted Path, LLC
(256)631-3650
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS NOTICE – 9/7/2026
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
I. THE CRAFTED PATH, LLC HAS A LEGAL DUTY TO SAFEGUARD YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI). THE CRAFTED PATH, LLC IS REQUIRED BY LAW TO:
Maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information (“PHI”).
Inform you if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy and security of your information.
Give you this notice of The Crafted Path, LLC’s legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information.
Provide you with adequate notice of your rights and The Crafted Path’s legal duties if I create or maintain records protected by 42 C.F.R. Part 2.
Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
With some exceptions, The Crafted Path, LLC may not use or disclose more of your PHI than is necessary to accomplish the purpose for which the use or disclosure is made; however, The Crafted Path is always legally required to follow the privacy practices described in this Notice. Please note that The Crafted Path, LLC reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and privacy policies at any time as permitted by law. Any changes will apply to PHI already on file with the practice. Before important changes are made to privacy policies, the practice will immediately change this Notice and post a new copy of it on the website. The new Notice will be available upon request and on the website at www.thecraftedpath.com.
II. HOW THE CRAFTED PATH, LLC MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU:
The Crafted Path, LLC will use and disclose your PHI for many different reasons. Some of the uses or disclosures will require your prior written authorization; others, however, will not. Below, you will find the different categories of uses and disclosures along with some examples.
A. Uses and disclosures related to treatment, payment, or healthcare operations do not require your prior written consent. The Crafted Path, LLC may use and disclose your PHI without your consent for the following reasons:
For Treatment – Federal privacy rules (regulations) allow health care providers who have direct treatment relationship with the patient/client to use or disclose the patient/client’s personal health information without the patient’s written authorization, to carry out the health care provider’s own treatment, payment or health care operations. The Crafted Path, LLC may also disclose your protected health information for the treatment activities of any health care provider. This too can be done without your written authorization. For example, if a clinician were to consult with another licensed health care provider about your condition, The Crafted Path, LLC would be permitted to use and disclose your personal health information, which is otherwise confidential, in order to assist the clinician in diagnosis and treatment of your mental health condition.
For Payment – The Crafted Path, LLC may use and disclose your PHI to bill and collect payment for the treatment and services provided to you. Example: The Crafted Path, LLC might send your PHI to your insurance company, EAP company, or health plan in order to get payment for the health care services provided to you. The Crafted Path, LLC could also provide your PHI to business associates, such as billing companies, claims processing companies, and others that process health care claims for the office.
For Health Care Operations – The Crafted Path, LLC may disclose your PHI to facilitate the efficient and correct operation of the therapy practice, such as quality control or to ensure compliance with applicable laws. For example, The Crafted Path, LLC may provide your PHI to its attorneys, accountants, consultants and others to ensure the quality of services provided or the practice’s compliance with applicable laws.
Other disclosures – Your consent is not required if you need emergency treatment. The Crafted Path, LLC may provide your PHI to a family member, friend, or other person that you indicate is involved in your care or the payment for your health care, unless you object in whole or in part. The opportunity to consent may be obtained retroactively in emergency situations.
If your records are protected under 42 C.F.R. Part 2, certain uses and disclosures permitted by HIPAA for treatment, payment, and health care operations are materially limited by the stricter standards of those regulations. Furthermore, information disclosed pursuant to these rules may be subject to re-disclosure by the recipient and may no longer be protected by federal privacy standards.
Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a lawsuit, The Crafted Path, LLC may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order. The Crafted Path, LLC may also disclose health information about your child in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested. However, for records protected by 42 C.F.R. Part 2, such records or testimony relaying their content shall not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against you unless you provide specific written consent or a court order is issued in accordance with 42 C.F.R. Part 2.
B. Disclosures for treatment purposes are not limited to the minimum necessary standard because clinicians and other health care providers need access to the full record and/or full and complete information in order to provide quality care. The word “treatment” includes, among other things, the coordination and management of health care providers with a third party, consultations between health care providers and referrals of a patient for health care from one health care provider to another.
III. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION:
- Psychotherapy Notes. “Psychotherapy notes”, as that term is defined in 45 CFR § 164.501, and any use or disclosure of such notes requires your Authorization unless the use or disclosure is:
Required by law and the use or disclosure is limited to the requirements of such law.
For use in treating you.
For use in training or supervising mental health practitioners to help them improve their skills in group, joint, family, or individual counseling or therapy.
For use in defending The Crafted Path, LLC and it’s clinicians in legal proceedings instituted by you.
For use by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate the practice’s compliance with HIPAA.
Required by law for certain health oversight activities pertaining to the originator of the psychotherapy notes.
Required by a coroner who is performing duties authorized by law.
Required to help avert a serious threat to the health and safety of others.
Marketing Purposes. The Crafted Path, LLC will not use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes.
Sale of PHI. The Crafted Path, LLC will not sell your PHI in the regular course of business.
Fundraising Purposes. The Crafted Path, LLC will not use or disclose your PHI for fundraising purposes, including records protected by 42 C.F.R. Part 2.
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Counseling Notes. The Crafted Path, LLC may maintain “SUD counseling notes,” which are notes recorded by a substance use disorder provider documenting the contents of a counseling session. Any use or disclosure of these notes requires your separate written authorization, which cannot be combined with a consent for other types of records. You can revoke your consent at any time except to the extent that The Crafted Path, LLC has already acted upon it to disclose these notes in accordance with your initial authorization.
IV. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION. Subject to certain limitations in the law, The Crafted Path, LLC can use and disclose your PHI without your Authorization for the following reasons:
When disclosure is required by state or federal law, and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant requirements of such law.
For public health activities, including reporting suspected child, elder, or dependent adult abuse, or preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety, including your own health and safety.
For health oversight activities including audits and investigations.
For judicial and administrative proceedings, including responding to a court or administrative order pursuant to its lawful authority.
For law enforcement purposes, including but not limited to reporting crimes occurring on the office premises and disclosures required by a search warrant lawfully issued to a governmental law enforcement agency.
To coroners or medical examiners, when such individuals are performing duties authorized by law.
For research purposes, including studying and comparing the mental health of patients who received one form of therapy versus those who received another form of therapy for the same condition.
Specialized government functions, including, ensuring the proper execution of military missions; protecting the President of the United States; conducting intelligence or counter-intelligence operations; or, helping to ensure the safety of those working within or housed in correctional institutions.
For workers’ compensation purposes. While an authorization from you is preferred, The Crafted Path, LLC may provide your PHI in order to comply with workers’ compensation laws.
Appointment reminders and health related benefits or services. The Crafted Path, LLC may use and disclose your PHI to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment. The Crafted Path, LLC may also use and disclose your PHI to tell you about treatment alternatives, or other health care services or benefits that the practice offers.
V. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT.
- Disclosures to family, friends, or others. The Crafted Path, LLC may provide your PHI to a family member, friend, or other person that you indicate is involved in your care or the payment for your health care, unless you object in whole or in part. The opportunity to consent may be obtained retroactively in emergency situations.
VI. YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR PHI:
The Right to Request Limits on Uses and Disclosures of Your PHI. You have the right to ask that the practice not use or disclose certain PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations purposes. The Crafted Path, LLC is not required to agree to your request. If The Crafted Path, LLC does agree with your request, those limits will be put in writing and abided by except in emergency situations. You do not have the right to limit the uses and disclosures that The Crafted Path, LLC is legally required or permitted to make.
The Right to Request Restrictions for Out-of-Pocket Expenses Paid In Full. You have the right to request restrictions on disclosures of your PHI to health plans for payment or health care operations purposes if the PHI pertains solely to a health care item or a health care service that you have paid for out-of-pocket in full.
The Right to Choose How The Crafted Path, LLC Sends PHI to You. You have the right to ask the practice to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address, and the practice will agree to all reasonable requests.
The Right to Inspect and Obtain Copies of Your PHI. Other than “psychotherapy notes” and “SUD counseling notes” you have the right to get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other information regarding your services. The Crafted Path, LLC will provide you with a copy of your record, or a summary of it, if you agree to receive a summary, within 30 days of receiving your written request. The practice may charge a reasonable, cost -based fee for doing so where legally allowed.
The Right to Get a List of the Disclosures The Crafted Path, LLC Has Made. You have the right to request a list of instances in which The Crafted Path, LLC disclosed your PHI. The list will not include uses or disclosures of your PHI for purposes of treatment, payment, health care operations, or for which you provided the practice with an Authorization. The Crafted Path, LLC will respond to your request for an accounting of disclosures within 60 days of receiving your request. The list will include disclosures made in the last six years unless you request a shorter time. You also have the right to request an accounting of disclosures specifically for your substance use disorder records protected under 42 C.F.R. Part 2.
The Right to Request an Amendment or Update Your PHI. If you believe that there is a mistake in your PHI, or that a piece of important information is missing from your PHI, you have the right to request that it be amended or add the missing information. Your request may be denied. If the request is denied, you will be provided with a written explanation of the denial within 60 days.
The Right to Get a Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice. You have the right to get a paper copy of this Notice, and you have the right to get a copy of this notice by e-mail. And, even if you have agreed to receive this Notice via e-mail, you also have the right to request a paper copy of it.
VII RE-DISCLOSURE ACCORDING TO HIPAA
When you consent to uses and disclosures for all future treatment and payment purposes and to run the business, The Crafted Path, LLC may share your information with other substance use disorder treatment programs, doctors’ offices, and health care businesses for those activities. If the person who receives it is subject to HIPAA, then they are allowed to use and share your information again without your consent for the purposes that HIPAA allows. Your information still cannot be used in legal proceedings against you unless (1) you consent or (2) based on a Part 2 court order and a subpoena (or similar legal requirement).
VIII. HOW TO MAKE A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE CRAFTED PATH, LLC’s PRIVACY PRACTICES. If, in your opinion, The Crafted Path, LLC may have violated your privacy rights, or if you object to a decision made about access to your PHI, you are entitled to file a complaint with the person listed in Section VIII below. You may also send a written complaint to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services at 200 Independence Avenue S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201. If you file a complaint about this office’s privacy practices, The Crafted Path, LLC will take no retaliatory action against you.
IX. PERSON TO CONTACT FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THIS NOTICE OR TO MAKE A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE PRIVACY PRACTICES. If you have any questions about this notice or would like to know how to file a complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, please contact: Hazel Hooven, MS, LMHC, LPC; (256)631-3650; [email protected]; 1190 Lime Quarry Road, Ste. 103, Madison, AL 3758.
Acknowledgement of Receipt of Privacy Notice required in the Client Portal.