Notice of Privacy Practices

This Notice is effective October 11, 2024. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how Baby Steps Florida, LLC may use and disclose your protected health information. It also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information. “Protected health information” is information about you, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition and related health care services. This notice refers to practices followed by our therapists/staff, while you are a patient of Baby Steps Florida, LLC. This notice refers to services provided at our office, the patient’s home, or other natural environment. If we have been contracted to provide services on behalf of another entity or in another facility not owned or operated by Baby Steps Florida, LLC, other policies may apply.

Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

• Communication: Email communications are not inherently secure. The information provided through our email will remain private.
• Treatment: We will use and disclose your protected health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and any related services. This includes the coordination or management of your health care with a third party. For example, your protected health information may be provided to physicians or case managers involved in your care, etc. To ensure that the healthcare providers have the necessary information to diagnose or treat you.
• Payment: Your protected health information will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for your healthcare services. We may use your information to prepare a bill for you or the person who is responsible for your payment. Payment is accepted via Square, which is a secure form of payment
• Healthcare Operations: We may use or disclose, as needed, your protected health information in order to support business activities. These activities include but are not limited to, quality assessment, employee review and training. We may disclose your health information to contractors, agents and other business associates who need the information to assist us with obtaining payment or carrying out our business operations. We may use your health information to communicate with you about treatment-related benefits that could be of interest to you, to obtain payment for services, or to conduct our business operations. We do not receive financial benefit from any third party in exchange for making these communications. We may contact you by phone or email to schedule appointments or to follow up on our care. We may use and disclose your personal health information for the purposes of improving clinical treatment and patient care. With your permission, we may share your health information with those you tell us will be helping your child or family member with his or her therapy program. We may use or disclose your protected health information in the following situations with your authorization: as permitted by the HIPAA Privacy Rule, as required by law, emergencies, abuse or neglect, auditing purposes, research, criminal activity, workers compensation, and other required uses and disclosures. Baby Steps Florida, LLC may use or disclose your health information if we have removed information that might identify you. Baby Steps Florida, LLC will NOT sell or disclose your protected health information for external marketing or fundraising. Any use and disclosure other than those permitted by the HIPAA Privacy Rule will be made only with your written authorization. If you provide us with a written authorization to release your information for any reason, you may later revoke that authorization to stop future disclosures at any time. You may request that we transfer your records to another person or organization by completing a written authorization form.

Rights of the Individual

• You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this notice at any time. We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice at any time. When changes are made, a new Notice of Privacy Practices will be provided to you. You may also request a current copy of our notice at any time.
• You have the right to inspect and copy your protected health information (fees may apply), whether in paper or electronic format. All requests for copies must be made in writing and signed by you.
• You have the right to receive notice of a breach if your unsecured protected health information has been breached.
• You have the right to name a personal representative who may act on your behalf to control the privacy of your health information. Parents and guardians will generally have the right to control the privacy of health information of minors unless the minors are permitted by law to act on their own behalf.
• You have the right to request restrictions on the use and disclosure of your personal health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to your restrictions request but will attempt to accommodate reasonable requests when appropriate.

Concerns and Complaints
If you are concerned that your privacy rights may have been violated, if you disagree with any decisions we have made regarding the use or disclosure of your health information, or to file a complaint, please contact the person listed below. No one will retaliate or take action against you for filing a complaint. You may also send a written complaint to the US Department of Health and Human Services. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:

Cameran McWilliams, M.S., OTR/L – Owner of Baby Steps Florida, LLC.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 870-821-1571