coTenacious Therapy

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES CoTenacious Therapy Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities. This notice describes how personal health information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can access this information. Please review it carefully. Effective Date: March 11, 2026 Summary of Your Rights You have the right to: Get a copy of your paper or electronic health record Request corrections to your health record Request confidential communications Ask us to limit the information we share Receive a list of disclosures of your information Get a copy of this privacy notice Choose someone to act for you File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated Your Rights Get an Electronic or Paper Copy of Your Health Record You may ask to see or receive a copy of your health record and other information we maintain about you. We will usually provide a copy within 30 days of your request. A reasonable cost-based fee may apply. Limitations on Access: In rare circumstances, access to certain portions of your record may be restricted if a licensed professional determines that releasing the information could reasonably endanger the life or physical safety of you or another person. If access is denied, you may have the right to request a review of that decision by another licensed professional. Psychotherapy notes maintained separately from the medical record may also have additional protections under federal law. Ask Us to Correct Your Record You may ask us to correct information that you believe is incorrect or incomplete. If we deny your request, we will provide a written explanation within 60 days. Request Confidential Communications You may request that we contact you in a specific way, such as by phone, email, or mail at a different address. We will accommodate reasonable requests. Ask Us to Limit What We Share You may request that we limit how we use or disclose your information for treatment, payment, or health care operations. We are not required to agree to every request but will consider them carefully. If you pay for services out of pocket in full, you may request that we not disclose information about that service to your health insurer. We will honor this request unless a law requires disclosure. Receive a List of Disclosures You may request an accounting of disclosures of your health information for the six years prior to your request. This list will not include disclosures related to treatment, payment, health care operations, disclosures you authorized You are entitled to one accounting per year free of charge. Choose Someone to Act for You If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person may exercise your rights and make decisions about your health information. We will verify that the person has this authority before acting. File a Complaint If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us using the contact information listed below. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint. You may also file a complaint with: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights 200 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC 20201 1-877-696-6775 https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints Your Choices For certain health information, you may tell us your preferences about what we share. You may request that we: Share information with family members, close friends, or others involved in your care Share information in emergency or disaster situations. If you are unable to communicate your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may share information if we believe it is in your best interest. We will not use or disclose your information for the following purposes without your written authorization - marketing, sale of your health information, most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes How We Use and Disclose Your Health Information Treat You We may use and share your health information to provide therapy and coordinate your care. Examples include: Communicating with other healthcare providers involved in your care, Consulting with other licensed professionals about treatment options, Providing clinical supervision Professional Consultation Therapists may consult with other licensed professionals to improve the quality of care they provide. During these consultations we make reasonable efforts to avoid sharing identifying information whenever possible. All professionals involved in consultation are legally and ethically required to maintain confidentiality. Run Our Practice We may use health information to operate our practice and improve services. Examples include: Quality improvement activities, Practice administration, Scheduling and communication Bill for Services We may use and disclose your health information to bill and obtain payment. Examples include: Submitting information to your insurance company, Providing limited identifying information to a collection service if an account remains unpaid Uses and Disclosures Required or Allowed by Law Public Health and Safety We may disclose health information when required to: Report suspected child abuse or neglect Report abuse or neglect of vulnerable adults Prevent a serious and imminent threat to someone's safety Comply With the Law We may disclose information when required by federal or state law, including compliance reviews by the Department of Health and Human Services. We may consult with our professional liability insurance providers to ensure our compliance. Legal Proceedings If we receive a subpoena, court order, or other legal request for your records, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you or your legal representative before responding unless the law prohibits us from doing so, and we will consult with our professional liability insurance providers for further guidance. Psychotherapy communications are often protected by psychotherapist–patient privilege under Maryland law. When appropriate, we may assert this privilege on your behalf unless you instruct us otherwise or a court orders disclosure. We will disclose information only when legally required or when you provide written authorization. Maryland Confidentiality Laws Psychotherapist–Patient Privilege Under Maryland law, communications between you and your therapist are generally privileged and confidential. In most legal proceedings you have the right to prevent disclosure of therapy communications. This privilege may not apply in certain circumstances, such as court-ordered evaluations or when mental health status becomes part of a legal claim. Duty to Warn or Protect Maryland law requires therapists to take reasonable steps to protect identifiable individuals if a client communicates a serious threat of harm toward another person. These steps may include warning the potential victim, notifying law enforcement, or arranging hospitalization. Mandatory Reporting Maryland law requires therapists to report suspected abuse or neglect involving: Children Elderly individuals Vulnerable adults This obligation applies even if the information arises during a confidential therapy session. Substance Use Disorder Treatment Records This practice is a general mental health practice and is not a federally assisted substance use disorder treatment program as defined by 42 CFR Part 2. Because of this, the additional federal confidentiality protections that apply to specialized substance use disorder treatment programs generally do not apply to services provided by this practice. All health information maintained by this practice is protected by HIPAA and applicable Maryland confidentiality laws. Electronic Communication You may choose to communicate with us using phone, email, text messaging, or telehealth platforms. While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, electronic communication carries some privacy risks. By choosing to communicate electronically, you acknowledge and accept these risks. Our Responsibilities We are required by law to Maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information Provide you with this notice of our privacy practices Follow the terms of this notice Notify you if a breach occurs that may compromise your information We will not use or disclose your information in ways not described in this notice unless you provide written authorization. You may revoke authorization at any time in writing. More information about HIPAA privacy protections is available at: https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html Changes to This Notice We may change the terms of this notice. Any changes will apply to all information we maintain about you. Updated versions will be available on our website, in your client portal, and upon request. Privacy Contact If you have questions about this notice or about your privacy rights, please contact: Privacy Officer, Owner, Founder Lexa Grobicki, Lexa.Grobicki@CoTenacious.com 443-305-9074