Akua Mind & Body Privacy Policy
Your privacy is very important to us. The following is information that we may collect from you, and how it is used. By using our website, www.akuamindbody.com, www.firstresponderstreatment.com and/or www.akuastrong.com, you are accepting the practices described in this policy.
Information Collection and Use
We collect information, such as a domain name and IP Address when you visit our website. This information does not include any personal information. We may also collect information about the type of Internet browser you are using, operating system, what path brought you to our website(s), and which of our web pages you have accessed.
We collect personal information from you when you fill out a form. When submitting a contact form or an insurance verification form on our website we will gather and store any information you provide.
We use the collected information primarily for our own internal purposes, such as providing, maintaining, evaluating, and improving our services and website(s), fulfilling requests for information, and providing customer support. We may also contact you in the future using the information provided on a form via email, text or phone call.
Security
We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you enter, submit, or access your personal information.
We offer the use of a secure server and we follow generally accepted industry standards to your data. If we collect sensitive information, it is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for “https” at the beginning of the URL address of the web page. This ensures a secure server connection.
While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. We are a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) compliant business and only employees who need the information to perform a specific job are granted access to personally identifiable data.
Cookies
We do use “cookies” on our website(s). Cookies are small files that a website transfers to your computer’s hard drive through your Web browser that enables the sites to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information.
We use cookies to compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can provide the best site experience for our users. We may contract with third-party service providers to assist us in better understanding our site visitors. These service providers are not permitted to use the information collected on our behalf except to help us conduct and improve our business.
Usage of a cookie is not linked to any personally identifiable information.
Sharing Data
We will not sell or otherwise provide the information we collect to outside third parties for direct or indirect marketing purposes.
We will disclose personal information and/or an IP address, when required by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to:
Cooperate with the investigations of purported unlawful activities and conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on our company, or Protect and defend the rights or property of our website(s) and related properties, or Identify persons who may be violating the law, the rights of third parties, or otherwise misusing our website(s) or its related properties.
AKUA keeps your data confidential to the best of our ability. Whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information online through e-mail, inquiries, discussion boards, etc. the information can be collected and used by others. If you post personal information online that is accessible to the public, you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties in return. Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your personal information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you are online.
Compliance
AKUA has taken all necessary steps to be in compliance with the California Online Privacy Protection Act. We therefore will not distribute your personal information to outside parties without your consent, except as set forth above in the Sharing Data section.
Links
This website may contain links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of any other site that collects personally identifiable information.
Consent
By using this Website, you consent to the collection and use of information as specified above. If we make changes to our Privacy Policy, we will post those changes on this page. Please review this page frequently to remain up-to-date with the information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it. You must review the new Privacy Policy carefully to make sure you understand our practices and procedures. This policy was last modified 9/26/2017
Contact US
If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy you may contact us using the information below.
AKUA Mind & Body: info@akuatreatmentprograms.com
20271 SW Birch St., Suite 200, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Your Information.
Your Rights.
Our Responsibilities.
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.
Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record
- Correct your paper or electronic medical record
- Request confidential communication
- Ask us to limit the information we share
- Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information
- Get a copy of this privacy notice
- Choose someone to act for you
- File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated
Your Choices
You have some choices in the way that we use and share information as we:
- Tell family and friends about your condition
- Provide disaster relief
- Include you in a hospital directory
- Provide mental health care
- Market our services and sell your information
- Raise funds
Our Uses and Disclosures
We may use and share your information as we:
Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights.
This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.
Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record
- 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.
Ask us to correct your medical record
- 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.
Request confidential communications
- You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
- We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.
Ask us to limit what we use or share
- 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.
- 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.
Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information
- Treat you
- Run our organization
- Bill for your services
- Help with public health and safety issues
- Do research
- Comply with the law
- Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
- Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
- Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
- Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
- 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). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, costbased fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.
Get a copy of this privacy notice
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.
Choose someone to act for you
- If you have given someone 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.
File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated
- You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information on page 1.
- 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/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
- We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Your Choices
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.
In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:
- Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
- Share information in a disaster relief situation
- Include your information in a hospital directory
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.
In these cases we never share your information unless you give us written permission:
- Marketing purposes
- Sale of your information
- Most sharing of psychotherapy notes In the case of fundraising
- We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.
Our Uses and Disclosures
How do we typically use or share your health information?
We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.
Treat you
We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.
Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.
Run our organization
We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.
Bill for your services
We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.
How else can we use or share your health information?
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: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.
Help with public health and safety issues
We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
- Preventing disease
- Helping with product recalls
- Reporting adverse reactions to medications
- Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
- Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
Do research
We can use or share your information for health research.
Comply with the law
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.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
We can use or share health information about you:
- For workers’ compensation claims
- For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
- With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
- For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
Our Responsibilities
- We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
- 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. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.
For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.
Changes to the Terms of this Notice
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.
Other Instructions for Notice
- Effective Date: 8/25/20
- Rebecca Palmer,Compliance Officer – rpalmer@akuamindbody.com
- We never market or sell personal information.
- We will never share any substance use disorder treatment records without your written permission as per the HIPAA legislation (45 CFR, Parts 160 & 164
