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.

California Recovery Center (“CRC”) is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (“PHI”), to provide you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect. Because CRC provides substance use disorder treatment, your records are also protected by the federal confidentiality regulations at 42 C.F.R. Part 2 and by California law, which in several respects provide stronger protection than HIPAA (see “Special Protections for Substance Use Disorder Records” below).

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 a 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.
We will provide a copy or summary, 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 you believe is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how.
We may say “no,” but we will tell you why in writing, usually 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, and may say “no” if it would affect your care.
If you pay out-of-pocket in full for a service, you can ask us not to share that information with your health insurer for payment or operations. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share it.

Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information

You can ask for an accounting of the times we shared your health information for the six years prior to your request, who we shared it with, and why, with certain exceptions. We provide one accounting a year for free.

Get a copy of this notice

You can ask for a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically. We will provide 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 verify their authority before acting.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

You can complain by contacting our Privacy Officer using the information at the end of this Notice.
You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights: 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201; 1-877-696-6775; www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
You can report concerns about safety or quality of care to The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org/report_a_complaint.aspx.
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, talk to us. 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.

If you are not able to tell us your preference (for example, if you are unconscious), we may share your information if we believe it is in your best interest or 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;
Fundraising: we may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

Special Protections for Substance Use Disorder Records (42 C.F.R. Part 2)

As a substance use disorder treatment program, CRC is subject to federal law (42 C.F.R. Part 2) that specially protects the confidentiality of your SUD treatment records. In general:

We may not tell a person outside the program that you attend, or disclose any information identifying you as having a substance use disorder, except as permitted by Part 2.
With limited exceptions, we will not disclose your Part 2 records without your written consent, and a general authorization for release of medical information is not sufficient.
Federal law and regulations do not protect any information about a crime committed by you at the program or against program personnel, or any threat to commit such a crime.
Federal law and regulations do not protect information about suspected child abuse or neglect from being reported under state law to appropriate authorities.

Violation of Part 2 is a crime. Suspected violations may be reported to the appropriate authorities in accordance with federal regulations. [Confirm current Part 2 notice language and consent forms with counsel, reflecting the 2024 Part 2 final rule.]

Our Uses and Disclosures

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

To treat you — we can use your health information and share it with professionals who are treating you.
To run our organization — we can use and share your information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.
To bill for your services — we can use and share your information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities, consistent with Part 2 protections.

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 safety — subject to Part 2 and California law. These include: helping with public health and safety issues; doing research; complying with the law; responding to organ and tissue donation requests; working with a medical examiner or funeral director; addressing workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests; and responding to lawsuits and legal actions. We will only share information for these purposes when permitted by law.

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 by notifying us in writing.

Changes to 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, on our website, and in our facilities. The effective date is shown at the top of this Notice.

Contact Us

California Recovery Center
920 Reserve Drive, Suite 180, Roseville, CA 95678
Email: info@calrecoverycenter.com | Phone: (866) 864-1986