Your Privacy Is Protected

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Valley Spring Recovery Center ("Valley Spring," "we," "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your Protected Health Information (PHI) in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, and all applicable state and federal privacy laws.

This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed, and how you can access this information. We urge you to review it carefully. Your trust is the foundation of your healing journey, and we take that responsibility seriously.

As a CARF-accredited outpatient addiction and mental health treatment center located in Norwood, New Jersey, we adhere to the highest standards of patient privacy and confidentiality, including the additional protections afforded to substance use disorder treatment records under 42 CFR Part 2.

Protected Health Information We Collect

In the course of providing addiction and mental health treatment services, we may collect the following types of Protected Health Information:

• Personal identifiers such as your name, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, and Social Security Number
• Medical and psychiatric history, including diagnoses, treatment records, and medications
• Substance use history and treatment information, including assessment results and treatment plans
• Insurance and billing information, including policy numbers, claims data, and payment records
• Clinical notes, progress reports, and discharge summaries from your treatment team
• Laboratory and drug screening results
• Emergency contacts and family information relevant to treatment (e.g., family program participants)
• Referral information from other healthcare providers, courts, or employee assistance programs

How We Use and Disclose Your Information

We may use or disclose your PHI for the following purposes without your written authorization:

For Treatment: We may use and share your PHI with healthcare professionals involved in your care. This includes sharing information among your clinical team -- therapists, counselors, psychiatrists, and medical staff -- to coordinate your treatment plan across programs such as PHP, IOP, Virtual IOP, Outpatient, and our Mental Health Program.

For Payment: We may use or disclose your PHI to bill and collect payment for services. This includes submitting claims to your health insurance company, verifying coverage, obtaining prior authorization, and communicating with third-party payers.

For Healthcare Operations: We may use your PHI for operational activities including quality improvement, staff training and supervision, compliance audits, CARF accreditation reviews, and administrative functions necessary to run our facility.

As Required by Law: We will disclose your PHI when required by federal, state, or local law, including mandatory reporting obligations.

Public Health and Safety: We may disclose PHI to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety, or the health or safety of others.

With Your Written Authorization: For all other uses and disclosures, we will obtain your written authorization before sharing your PHI. You may revoke your authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.

Special Protections for Substance Use Disorder Records: Federal law (42 CFR Part 2) provides additional confidentiality protections for substance use disorder treatment records. These records generally may not be disclosed without your written consent, except in limited circumstances as permitted by law.

Our Responsibilities

Valley Spring Recovery Center is required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy and security of your Protected Health Information
• Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices
• Follow the terms of this Notice currently in effect
• Notify you promptly in the event of a breach of unsecured PHI that may affect you
• Ensure that all business associates and subcontractors who access your PHI agree to the same protections
• Abide by the additional protections of 42 CFR Part 2 for substance use disorder records

We reserve the right to change this Notice and make the revised provisions effective for all PHI we already maintain, as well as any information we receive in the future. The current notice will be posted in our facility at 830 Broadway, Norwood, NJ 07648 and on our website.