HIPAA and Privacy

My practice uses Simple Practice EHR (electronic health record), which is compliant with all three parts of HIPAA: security, privacy, and breach of notification rules. My practice paperwork, billing, and scheduling are completed and transmitted through the secure portal. There is also a secure messaging area where you can safely email personal health information (PHI) safely.

Communication

My preferred method of communication is by text or email.  While I try to return those messages in a timely manner, I cannot guarantee immediate response. For this reason, I request that you do not discuss therapeutic content and/or request assistance for emergencies. If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911, go to any local emergency room, or call the Multnomah County Crisis Line at (503) 988-4888.

Cancellations

As a courtesy, appointment reminders are send out by text 48 hours in advance. It is your responsibility, however, to keep track of your appointments. 

Please do not reply to the automated reminder text as they come from a non-monitored phone number. Responses to the reminder texts will not constitute a valid cancellation and you will be charged for the missed appointment.

Please text my phone number (503) 516-0573 directly or email at jami@catalystcounseling.org to make any scheduling adjustments.

Please remember to cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours in advance, as this appointment time is made for you and held exclusively for you.  You will be responsible for the entire fee if cancellation is less than 24 hours.  If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time.

Confidentiality

You have the right to confidentiality and I am committed to protecting your information.  It is for this reason that I do not approach past or current in public, outside of the therapy space.  

Federal privacy rules (regulations) allow health care providers who have direct treatment relationship with the client to use or disclose the client’s personal health information without the patient’s written authorization, to carry out the health care provider’s own treatment, payment or health care operations.  However, before I contact any of your healthcare providers about your care, I request that you sign a medical release of information so that you can fully consent to the contact with an understanding of the purpose of the contact and the type of information that may be shared.

Exceptions to confidentiality are limited to extreme circumstances—threat of serious harm to you or others; suspected child or elderly abuse or neglect; a medical emergency; or a court order.

Social Media

Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, I do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, Twitter, etc).

I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy, while blurring the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship.

If you have questions about this, please bring them up when we meet and we can talk more about it.