Sharma Psychology PLLC
Effective Date: August 27, 2025
Last Updated: August 27, 2025
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.
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI), to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices regarding your PHI, and to follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
This Notice applies to all records of your care created or maintained by Dr. Sharma’s mental health and therapy practice, whether in person or via telehealth.
The following describes the ways we may use and disclose your health information. Not every use or disclosure will be listed, but all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of these categories.
We may use your health information to provide you with mental health treatment and services. We may share your information with other healthcare providers involved in your care, such as your primary care physician, psychiatrist, or other treating clinicians, when necessary for your treatment.
We may use and disclose your health information so that we can bill for the services we provide and receive payment. For example, we may share information with your health insurance company to obtain payment for your therapy sessions.
We may use and disclose your health information for our practice operations. This includes activities such as quality assessment, training, licensing, and administrative functions necessary to run our practice.
We will disclose your health information when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
We may disclose your health information when necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety, or to the health or safety of the public or another person.
We are required by law to report suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence to appropriate government authorities as required by applicable state law.
We may disclose your health information for public health activities such as reporting diseases or injuries to public health authorities.
We may disclose your health information to health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, and inspections.
We may disclose your health information in response to a court order, subpoena, or other lawful legal process.
We may disclose your health information to law enforcement officials for limited law enforcement purposes as permitted or required by law.
If you receive or have received services for substance use disorders (SUD) from this practice, those records are subject to additional federal protections under 42 CFR Part 2. Such records may not be disclosed without your written consent except in limited circumstances permitted by law, including medical emergencies, court orders, and audits. These protections apply in addition to, and are in some cases stricter than, the general HIPAA privacy protections described in this Notice.
The following uses and disclosures will only be made with your written authorization:
You may revoke any authorization you have given us at any time, in writing. Your revocation will not affect any actions we took before receiving your written revocation.
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your health information that we maintain. To request access, please submit a written request to Dr. Sharma. We may charge a reasonable fee for copying and mailing. We will respond to your request within 30 days.
If you believe that health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we amend it. Your request must be in writing and must explain why the information should be amended. We may deny your request under certain circumstances.
You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your health information. This right applies to disclosures made for purposes other than treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.
You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to your request in most cases, but we will consider it carefully.
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your health information in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you may ask that we only contact you at a specific phone number or email address.
You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice at any time. You may also download this Notice from our website. To request a paper copy, please contact our office.
We are required by law to notify you if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI that compromises its privacy or security.
We are required by law to:
We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time, as permitted by law. Changes will apply to all health information we maintain, including information created or received before the change. When we make a material change to our privacy practices, we will update this Notice and make it available upon request.
To exercise any of your rights described in this Notice, or if you have questions about your privacy rights, please contact our Privacy Officer:
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, Office for Civil Rights. You will not be penalized or retaliated against for filing a complaint.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights:
This Notice of Privacy Practices is effective as of August 27, 2025. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all PHI we maintain.
