HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.
Effective: July 17, 2026. This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed, and how you can access this information. Please review it carefully.
Privacy update pending clinic confirmation
The proposed additions below require the practice's confirmation before adoption. The existing notice's effective date has not changed.
Questions about privacy?
Contact the Privacy Officer using the information below if you have questions about this notice or your health information rights.
Our commitment to your privacy
Abhaya Behavioral Health is committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. This notice describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information (PHI) to carry out treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, and for other purposes as permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights regarding your PHI and how you can exercise those rights.
We are required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and applicable Missouri law to:
- Maintain the privacy of your PHI;
- Provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI;
- Notify you following a breach of your unsecured PHI; and
- Follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.
How we may use and disclose your health information
For treatment
We may use and disclose your PHI to provide you with psychiatric, psychological, or related healthcare services. For example, your clinician may share information with another provider involved in your care, or consult with a colleague about your treatment.
For payment
We may use and disclose your PHI to obtain payment for your care. For example, we may submit claims to your health insurance plan that contain information about the services you received.
For healthcare operations
We may use and disclose your PHI for our practice's operations. For example, we may use your information for quality improvement, training, or business planning.
With your authorization
For most other uses and disclosures of your PHI not described in this notice, we will obtain your written authorization. You may revoke any authorization at any time by submitting a written request to us. Revocation does not undo actions already taken in reliance on your authorization.
Most disclosures of psychotherapy notes, marketing uses, and sales of health information require your written authorization, subject to legal exceptions.
Without your authorization (as permitted or required by law)
- To you or your personal representative
- For required public health activities
- To report suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
- To avert a serious threat to health or safety
- For health oversight activities authorized by law
- For judicial and administrative proceedings
- For law enforcement purposes, as required by law
- To coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors
- For organ and tissue donation
- For research under specific conditions
- To specialized government functions (military, veterans, national security)
- For workers' compensation, as required by law
Additional protections for substance use disorder records
If we hold substance use disorder records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, those protections apply in addition to HIPAA. Such records cannot be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against you without your written consent or a qualifying court order accompanied by a subpoena or similar legal mandate.
If Part 2 information is used for fundraising, you will receive advance notice and an opportunity to decline those communications.
Recipients may redisclose information, and HIPAA may not protect it afterward. Part 2 restrictions on use in proceedings against you continue to apply to protected Part 2 records.
Your rights regarding your health information
Right to access and inspect
You have the right to inspect and receive a copy of your PHI that is maintained in your designated record set, with certain limited exceptions. To request access, submit a written request to our Privacy Officer.
You may request an electronic or paper copy. We generally act on requests within 30 days. If an allowed extension is needed, we will explain the delay and the completion date in writing. Any copying fee must be reasonable and cost-based.
Right to amend
You have the right to request that we amend your PHI if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete. Your request must be made in writing and state the reason for the amendment.
If we deny your request, we will explain the reason in writing. You may submit a statement of disagreement to be included with the record.
Right to an accounting of disclosures
You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI, other than those made for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, or pursuant to your written authorization.
The accounting may cover up to the preceding six years. The first accounting in a 12-month period is free; we will explain any fee for additional requests before charging it.
Right to request restrictions
You have the right to request that we restrict the use or disclosure of your PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, or disclosures to persons involved in your care. We are not required to agree to every request. If a service is paid for in full by you or someone other than your health plan, we must honor your request not to disclose information solely about that service to the plan for payment or healthcare operations, unless disclosure is required by law.
Right to confidential communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your PHI in a particular way or at a particular location. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
Right to choose a representative
A person legally authorized to act for you may exercise your health information rights. We will verify their authority, subject to exceptions permitted by law.
Right to a paper copy of this notice
You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive this notice electronically.
Right to be notified of a breach
You have the right to be notified in the event that we (or one of our business associates) discover a breach of your unsecured PHI.
Our duties
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI and to provide you with this notice of our privacy practices. We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and to make the new provisions effective for all PHI that we maintain, including PHI created or received before the changes were made. When we make a material change, we will update this notice and post it in our offices and on our website.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with us, contact our Privacy Officer at the address below. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.
You may also file a complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights, including concerns about Part 2 records. Complaints generally must be filed within 180 days of learning about the issue; OCR may extend this period for good cause. You do not have to complain to the practice first.
Contact our Privacy Officer
For questions about this notice, to request access to or amendment of your records, or to file a complaint, please contact:
Privacy OfficerAbhaya Behavioral Health
2011 Chapel Plaza Ct Ste 9
Columbia, MO 65203
Phone: (573) 303-3544
Email: contactus@abhayabh.com
Changes to this notice
We reserve the right to change this notice at any time. Any changes will apply to all PHI we already have about you, as well as any PHI we may create or receive in the future. A revised notice will be posted in our offices and on this website.
Proposed revision prepared: October 4, 2026. Clinic confirmation and an approved effective date are required before adoption.