Notice of Privacy Practices & HIPAA Compliance.

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

TMS Waco, operated as a clinical service of Balance Psychiatry & Wellness, PLLC (hereafter, "the Practice"), is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of your protected health information ("PHI") in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") and its implementing regulations, as well as applicable state laws.

This Notice describes the privacy practices of the Practice and applies to all PHI we create, receive, maintain, or transmit in the course of providing TMS therapy, SPRAVATO® treatment, and related services.

How We May Use and Disclose Your PHI

For Treatment

We use your PHI to provide, coordinate, and manage your health care and any related services. This includes consulting with other providers involved in your care, sharing PHI with referring physicians regarding your progress, and coordinating with the clinical team supervising your treatment.

For Payment

We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for the services we provide, including verifying insurance benefits, submitting claims to your health plan, obtaining prior authorization, and responding to inquiries from your insurer about the medical necessity of your treatment.

For Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose your PHI to support our internal business operations, including quality assessment, clinical supervision, training, accreditation, and compliance activities.

Required by Law

We may disclose PHI when required by federal, state, or local law, including reporting of suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence; responses to lawful court orders; and reporting of certain communicable diseases.

Other Uses Requiring Your Authorization

Most uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes, sale of PHI, and most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes require your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization at any time in writing.

Your Rights Regarding Your PHI

• Right to Access: You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI maintained by the Practice.
• Right to Amend: You may request an amendment to your PHI if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete.
• Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You may request a list of certain disclosures of your PHI made by the Practice in the prior six years.
• Right to Request Restrictions: You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your PHI.
• Right to Confidential Communications: You may request that we communicate with you in a specific way or at a specific location.
• Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice: You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically.
• Right to File a Complaint: If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint with the Practice's Privacy Officer or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

Our Security Practices

The Practice maintains administrative, physical, and technical safeguards designed to protect your PHI from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. These safeguards include, but are not limited to, secure encrypted email, secure fax transmission, role-based access controls, employee privacy training, business associate agreements with all vendors that handle PHI, and physical security of paper records.

Website Privacy

This website (the "Site") collects only standard, non-identifying web analytics data (such as anonymized page views and referrer information) for the purpose of improving the Site. We do not place advertising trackers on this Site. We do not sell or rent any information collected through the Site to third parties.

The consultation and referral forms on this Site are hosted by Google Forms and submit directly to our intake team. Information submitted through those forms is treated as protected health information and stored in accordance with our HIPAA security practices.

Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the revised Notice effective for all PHI we maintain. The current Notice will always be available at this URL and posted in our office.

Contact for Privacy Concerns

If you have questions about this Notice, or wish to exercise any of the rights described above, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Privacy Officer, TMS Waco
Balance Psychiatry & Wellness, PLLC
215 South Second Street, Suite 303
Waco, TX 76701
Phone: 254-203-5033
Email: Info@katherinetharpmd.com