Tree House Recovery NC

Privacy Policy

Tree House Recovery has a legal and ethical responsibility to safeguard the privacy of all clients  and to protect the confidentiality and security of all health information.  

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree House Recovery collects, utilizes and protects your  personal information. 

General Privacy  

Protected Health Information (PHI) 

It i s the responsibility of Tree House and all of its employees to protect against the unauthorized  disclosure of confidential information. THR i s fully compliant with federal law and regulations  (HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2) and state regulations.  

Only staff who require access to client health information will be given access to client records  through the Electronic Medical Record. All EMR users have unique, secure logins and access  limited by the Compliance Department, based solely on what i s needed for a staff member to  perform their role. 

Except as permitted i n State and Federal law governing confidentiality of client records, Tree  House Recovery will only release client information with the express written, signed, and dated  consent of a client.  

However, THR i s permitted to disclose client information without client consent i n the following  circumstances:  

  • In cases of medical emergency 
  • In reporting crimes that occur on program premises or against staff 
  • In cases of suspected child abuse or neglect 
  • A valid court order 
  • When cause of death is being reported 
  • To entities having administrative control 
  • To qualified service organizations 
  • To outside auditors 
  • During a declared public health emergency to certain health officials 
  • For research purposes, if the research meets certain criteria subject to federal and state law

Confidentiality when answering phone calls 

Tree House cannot confirm or deny i f a participant i s i n our care or disclose any protected health  information of any kind unless i t has been verified that the participant has signed a release of  information or acknowledgement of presence i n treatment for the individual on the phone.  

Patient / Client Rights  

Confidentiality 

Every program participant has the right to confidentiality and privacy, and i s the only individual who can  relinquish that right. No program participant information can be disclosed to any individual or agency  without the consent of the program participant. In addition, the program participants’ enrollment and  participation i n the alcohol/drug treatment program i s confidential and protected under the Code of  Federal Regulation Title-42. Therefore, no employee i s permitted to release any information, including  the fact that the program participant i s participating i n our program, without the express written consent  of the program participant, clearly designating to whom any information can be released to.  

Access to Counseling Files and Company Privacy Policy 

Unless authorized i n writing by the program participant, no Tree-House Recovery representative will  have access to any program participant files. Staff whose duties require access to the medical record,  will only have access to the documents that are needed to perform their duties. Unauthorized access to  these files i s grounds for dismissal. Additionally, the program participant has the right to request his file  with the approval of the Tree-House Recovery Clinical Director and Compliance Director.  

The program participant may also contact the Program Director, Brent Botros at  [email protected], at any time for additional information about the  company’s privacy policy. 

Tree-House Recovery maintains the right to deny such request i n the event that:  

  • The file would constitute an immediate and grave detriment to the treatment of the program participant. 
  • The information relates to a program participant other than the participant seeking it. ● Disclosure of the information would constitute a danger to another individual. 

Any denial of a request by a program participant for his files will be recorded in the permanent  record of the participant and the reasons for the denial must be included.  

The program participant has the right to request an amendment to his file, including withdrawing  consents.  

Additionally, clients have the following rights in regards to privacy and confidentiality (excerpt  from Client Rights Policy):  

Tree House – Compliance Department, Privacy Policy – V1.2, Effective 10.30.23

  1. You have the right to privacy and security in the treatment environment 2. You have a right to access and amend your health information and obtain information on disclosures of this information. 
  2. You have a right to confidentiality. Your presence in substance abuse treatment, and the records of your treatment is protected under 42CFR, Part 2, Code of Federal Regulations. 
  3. You have the right to confidentiality and privacy of your protected healthcare information. Your protected healthcare information is protected under HIPAA legislation 45 CFR, Parts 160 & 164 
  4. You have the right to give informed consent in writing prior to the start of services, except in a medical emergency or as otherwise permitted in law 

Website  

What Information is Collected?  

In general, you can visit this website without telling us who you are or revealing any personal  information about yourself. When you visit, you anonymously disclose certain information, such  as your Internet Protocol (IP) address and the time of your visit. This anonymous internet traffic  data is automatically provided to us and may be archived and retained indefinitely. This website,  like many other websites, records this basic information. Please note that we are not able to tie  any of this data to specific individuals. Also, if you choose to contact us through the website, we  may require some basic personal information about yourself. We ask for this information so that  we are able to follow up on any questions or requests for information you may have.  

“Cookies” are pieces of information that are transferred to a computer from a web server. Most  browsers are set up to accept cookies, but you may change your settings to notify you when a  new cookie is requested or to refuse to accept cookies. A cookie allows us to recognize you  when you are re-accessing our website and track and log usage on the website.  

The only PHI that the website could capture would be through the “chat” function. The chat  function is through “Intercom”, a HIPAA compliant application. While records are stored  indefinitely, they are stored securely. PHI would only be collected if it was disclosed. Most  conversations occur over the phone, and the likelihood of PHI disclosure via chat is low. Our  staff are trained in HIPAA and security, privacy, and confidentiality.  

Utilization of Collected Information  

The information we collect is utilized to assist us in improving our business and the performance  and content of this website.  

Any PHI that may be collected through the chat function will only be used for treatment eligibility  purposes and may be used to inform treatment.  

Tree House – Compliance Department, Privacy Policy – V1.2, Effective 10.30.23

Protection of Collected Information  

The privacy and protection of your personal information is important to us. We will not make any  personal information available to third parties without your permission.  

Security measures are in place to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the  information collected that is under our control. In addition, our business practices are reviewed  periodically for compliance with policies and procedures governing the security and  confidentiality of the information.  

Links to Other Websites  

Our website contains links, for your convenience, to other websites. We are not responsible for  the privacy practices or content of these other websites. If you connect to another site through  our website, we cannot control what they do with your information. Inclusion of these links does  not mean we endorse the information or content on a linked website. These linked websites  may send their own cookies to your browser and may collect and utilize your data in a manner  inconsistent with the terms of this Privacy Policy. We highly suggest you review the privacy  policy that pertains to the organization of any site you link to from our website.  

Also, you may have the opportunity to share your information through social media or other  similar websites through a link on this website. Please note that we cannot control these other  websites or your posts and sharing.  

Changes to Privacy Policy  

If this Privacy Policy or procedures change, we will immediately post the changes on the  website. Any such changes will be effective immediately upon being posted, unless otherwise  stated.  

Consent  

By visiting our website, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.