Who this notice covers
BSI Group is a psychiatry and behavioral health practice. This Notice of Privacy Practices explains how we may use and share protected health information (PHI) about you, and your rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and applicable state law. When state law is stricter than HIPAA, we follow the stricter rule.
This notice covers health information created or received in the course of evaluation, treatment, testing, billing, and practice operations, including telehealth visits serving clients in New York and Ohio.
Our responsibilities
We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI, to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to notify you if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your unsecured PHI. We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice while it is in effect. We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you give written authorization. You may revoke that authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already relied on it.
How we may use and share your information
Treatment
We may use and share PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your care. This includes psychiatric evaluations, medication management, psychotherapy, testing, follow-up visits, and communicating with other clinicians you have authorized when coordination is part of your care.
Payment
We may use and share PHI to bill and collect payment, to verify coverage at booking, and to obtain authorization from a health plan. This may include Aetna, Anthem, The Empire Plan, Cigna Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, NYSHIP, other payers, or out-of-network claims when you ask us to bill.
Health care operations
We may use and share PHI for quality review, training, licensing, business planning, customer service, and other activities needed to run the practice. The client portal used for booking and messages is a business tool for these operations.
Appointment reminders and practice communications
We may contact you about visits, portal messages, billing, or care-related information using the phone number or email you provide.
Other uses and disclosures that do not require authorization
We may use or share PHI without your written authorization when the law allows or requires it, including:
- Public health activities, such as reports required by law
- Reports of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence when required or permitted
- Health oversight activities, including audits, investigations, and licensure
- Judicial and administrative proceedings, or in response to a valid court order, warrant, or subpoena as allowed by law
- Law enforcement purposes in limited circumstances defined by law
- Coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors as required
- Research under privacy-rule conditions, if applicable
- To prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety
- Workers' compensation and similar programs
- Specialized government functions, such as military or national security, when the law applies
We will limit these disclosures to the information reasonably necessary for the purpose, unless a law requires more.
Psychotherapy notes
If we maintain psychotherapy notes as defined by HIPAA (notes by a mental health professional documenting or analyzing the contents of conversation in a private counseling session, kept separate from the rest of the record), we will not use or disclose those notes except as HIPAA allows: for our own treatment use, for training, in defense of a legal action you bring, as required by law, to avert a serious threat, for health oversight of the originator, to a coroner or medical examiner, or as otherwise specifically permitted. Other uses of psychotherapy notes generally require your written authorization.
Uses that require your written authorization
Most uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing, the sale of PHI, and most uses of psychotherapy notes require your written authorization. Other uses and disclosures not described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing, and we will stop uses and disclosures going forward, except where we have already acted in reliance on it.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- Get an electronic or paper copy of this notice at any time, including from this website or by asking the practice.
- Inspect and get a copy of your PHI in the designated record set, with limited exceptions. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee as allowed by law. If we deny access, we will explain why and how you may appeal when an appeal is available.
- Ask us to correct PHI you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request in certain cases and will tell you why in writing.
- Request confidential communications, such as asking us to contact you at a different address, phone number, or email. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
- Ask us to limit what we use or share for treatment, payment, or operations. We are not required to agree, except that if you pay in full out of pocket for an item or service, you may ask us not to share that information with your health plan for payment or operations, and we will agree unless a law requires the disclosure.
- Get a list of certain disclosures (an accounting) we have made, with exceptions for treatment, payment, operations, and certain other disclosures. The first accounting in a 12-month period is free; we may charge for additional requests.
- Choose someone to act for you, such as a legal guardian or a person with a medical power of attorney, who may exercise your rights and make choices about your PHI when they have the legal authority to do so.
- File a complaint if you believe we have violated your privacy rights. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.
Minors and families
This practice serves children, adolescents, young adults, and families. Parents or legal guardians generally have rights to a minor's PHI, with exceptions required by New York, Ohio, or federal law (for example, certain services that a minor may consent to on their own). We will explain those limits when they apply.
Telehealth
Visits are provided by telehealth. Audio, video, and related technical information needed to deliver the visit may be processed by the secure systems we use to see you. Those systems are expected to protect PHI under our agreements with them. No telehealth session is completely risk-free. Please join from a private location when you can.
Changes to this notice
We may change this notice. The new notice will be effective for all PHI we maintain at that time. The current notice will be posted on this website and available on request. The effective date appears at the top of this page.
Complaints
If you have questions about this notice or believe your privacy rights have been violated, contact BSI Group using the information below. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, at hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints, or by mail or phone as listed on that site.
How to reach us
BSI Group
Dr. Stephanie Tiell, DNP, PMHNP-C, FNP-C
136 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10016-6711
Call or text: (201) 903-1617
Email: hello@bsigrouponline.com
This address is the mailing and office address for a virtual practice. It is not a walk-in clinic.