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General Website Browsing

The act of accessing and reading content hosted on altacenters.com is hereby referred to as “General Browsing”. This does not include the act of disclosing Protected Health Information (PHI) by utilizing on-page services such as contact forms and live chat features. For more information on PHI privacy and disclosure, please review the section below titled “PHI Privacy Notice”.

General Information Collection and Use

During general website browsing we collect different types of information for various purposes to provide and improve our website to you. This data may include:

  • Usage Data – We may also collect information how the Service is accessed and used (“Usage Data”). This Usage Data may include information such as your computer’s Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our website that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.
  • Tracking & Cookies Data – We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on our website and hold certain information. Cookies are ‘les with small amount of data which may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a website and stored on your device. Tracking technologies also used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze our website. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our website.

Security of General Browsing Data, Storage, and Connections

The security of your browsing data is important to us, but no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is known to be 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your general browsing data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security .

Service Providers Used During General Browsing

We may employ third party companies and individuals to facilitate our Service (“Service Providers”), to provide the Service on our behalf, to perform Service-related services or to assist us in analyzing how our Service is used. These third parties have access to your general browsing data only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

These Service Providers include:

  • Google Analytics.Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Service. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network. You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Service available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity. For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: 
  • https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en

 

PHI Privacy Notice

Alta Centers, Inc.  is committed to providing you with the highest quality addiction treatment services. We protect your health information according to applicable law. This notice (or “Privacy Policy”) describes your rights and our duties under Federal Law. Protected health information (also known as “PHI”) is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition; the provision of healthcare services; or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of healthcare services to you. Any personal information entered into our contact forms are considered PHI.

Our Responsibilities

As a healthcare provider, we are required by law to:

  • Maintain the privacy of your PHI
  • Provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI
  • Notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI related to you.
  • Abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective Date of PHI Notice

Our Privacy Policy is effective as of July 9th 2020 and will remain in effect until it is revised.

Changes to Our PHI Privacy Notice

We are required to modify this Notice of Privacy Practices when there are material changes to your rights, our duties, or other practices contained herein. We reserve the right to change our privacy policy, privacy practices, and the terms of this notice, consistent with applicable law, at any time. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will be effective for all PHI that we maintain at that time.

Notification of revisions to this Privacy Policy will be provided as follows:

  • Upon request by using any contact form on this website
  • Posted on this page
  • Posted in a visible location at our clinical office.

We have a responsibility to respond to any PHI related requests for information corresponding to your rights in a timely and appropriate manner. We value your privacy and are committed to maintaining reasonable and appropriate safeguards for your PHI.

Confidentiality of PHI

The confidentiality of substance abuse patient records maintained by us is protected by Federal law and regulations. Generally, we may not say to a person outside the treatment center that you are a patient of the treatment center, or disclose any information identifying you as an alcohol or drug abuser. Exceptions to this rule include:

  • You consent in writing to the disclosure of your PHI
  • Consent to disclosure is provided by a court order
  • The disclosure is made to medical personnel in a medical emergency, or to qualified personnel for research, audit, or program evaluation

Violation of the Federal law and regulations by our treatment center is a crime. Suspected violations may be reported to appropriate authorities in accordance with Federal regulations.

Federal law and regulations do not protect any information about a crime committed by you either at the treatment center or against any person who works for the treatment center or about any threat to commit such a crime.

Federal laws and regulations do not protect any information about suspected child abuse or neglect from being reported under State law to appropriate State or local authorities.

For more information, please see 42 U.S.C. 290dd-3, 42 U.S.C. 290ee-3 for Federal laws, and 42 CFR part 2 for Federal regulations

PHI Uses and Disclosures

Uses and disclosures of your PHI may be permitted, required, or authorized. The following categories describe various ways that we use and disclose PHI:

  • Disclosure to Alta Centers Personnel .We may use or disclose information between or among personnel having a need for the information in connection with their duties that arise out of the provision of diagnosis, treatment, or referral for treatment of alcohol or drug abuse. For example, our staff, including doctors, nurses, and clinicians, will use your PHI to provide your treatment care. Your PHI may be used in connection with billing statements we send you. Your PHI will be used to check your eligibility for insurance coverage and prepare claims for your insurance company if applicable. We may use and disclose your PHI in order to conduct our healthcare business and to perform functions associated with our business activities, including accreditation and licensing.
  • Disclosure to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.We are required to disclose PHI to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when the Secretary is investigating or determining our compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rules.
  • Disclosure to Business AssociatesWe may disclose your PHI to Business Associates that are contracted by us to perform services on our behalf which may involve receipt, use or disclose of your PHI. All of our Business Associates must agree to protect the privacy of your PHI, use and disclose the information only for the purposes for which the Business Associate was engaged.
  • Disclosure in the event a crime is committed on our premises. We may disclose to law enforcement officers information that is directly related to the commission of a crime on our premises, or against our personnel, or if a threat to commit a crime is made.
  • Disclosure while reporting suspected child abuse and neglectWe may disclose information required to report under state law incidents of suspected child abuse and neglect to the appropriate state or local authorities. However, we may not disclose the original patient records, including for civil or criminal proceedings which may arise out of the report of suspected child abuse and neglect, without consent.
  • Disclosure as ordered by court order. We may disclose information required by a court order, provided certain regulatory requirements are met.
  • Disclosure during emergency situations. We may disclose information to medical personnel for the purpose of treating you during a medical emergency.
  • Disclosure for research purposes (with approval). We may use and disclose your information for research if certain requirements are met, such as approval by an Institutional Review Board.
  • Disclosure during audit and evaluation activities. We may disclose your information to persons conducting certain audit and evaluation activities, provided the person agrees to certain restrictions on disclosure of information.
  • Disclosure in the event of death. We may disclose your information related to cause of death to a public health authority that is authorized to receive such information.
  • Other than as stated above, we will not use or disclose your PHI unless we obtain prior written authorization. If you or your representative authorize us to use or disclose your PHI, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time to stop future uses or disclosures. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosures permitted by your authorization while it was in effect.

Our Client’s PHI Rights

The following are the rights that you have regarding PHI that we maintain about you:

Right to Notice

You have the right to adequate notice of the uses and disclosures of your PHI, and our duties and responsibilities regarding same, as provided for herein. You have the right to request both a paper and electronic copy of this Notice. You may ask us to provide a copy of this Notice at any time. You may obtain this Notice on our website at our website located at altacenters.com or from facility staff.

Right of Access to Review a Copy of Your PHI

You have the right to access, inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI for as long as we maintain it as required by law. This right may be restricted only in certain limited circumstances as dictated by applicable law. All requests for access to your PHI must be made in writing. Under a limited set of circumstances, we may deny your request. Any denial of a request to access will be communicated to you in writing. If you are denied access to your PHI, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen by Alta Centers, Inc. will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your request. We will comply with the decision made by the designated professional. If you are further denied, you have a right to have a denial reviewed by a licensed third-party healthcare professional not affiliated with us. We will comply with the decision made by the designated professional.

We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for the copying and/or mailing process of your request. As to PHI which may be maintained in electronic form and format, you may request a copy to which you are otherwise entitled in that electronic form and format if it is readily producible, but if not, then in any readable form and format as we may agree (e.g. PDF). Your request may also include transmittal directions to another individual or entity.

Right to Amend Your PHI

If you believe the PHI we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to request that we amend your PHI for as long as it is maintained by us. The request must be made in writing and you must provide a reason to support the requested amendment. Under certain circumstances we may deny your request to amend, including but not limited to, when the PHI: 1. Was not created by us; 2. Is excluded from access and inspection under applicable law; or 3. Is accurate and complete. If we deny amendment, we will provide the rationale for denial to you in writing. You may write a statement of disagreement if your request is denied. This statement will be maintained as part of your PHI and will be included with any disclosure. If we accept the amendment, we will work with you to identify other healthcare stakeholders that require notification and provide the notification.

Right to Information About Disclosures

We are required to create and maintain an accounting (list) of certain disclosures we make of your PHI. You have the right to request a copy of such an accounting during a time period specified by applicable law prior to the date on which the accounting is requested (up to six years). You must make any request for an accounting in writing. We are not required by law to record certain types of disclosures (such as disclosures made pursuant to an authorization signed by you), and a listing of these disclosures will not be provided. If you request this accounting more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for responding to these additional requests. We will notify you of the fee to be charged (if any) at the time of the request.

Right to Request Restrictions

You have the right to request restrictions or limitations on how we use and disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, and operations. We are not required to agree to restrictions for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations except in limited circumstances as described below. This request must be in writing. If we do agree to the restriction, we will comply with restriction going forward, unless you take affirmative steps to revoke it or we believe, in our professional judgment, that an emergency warrants circumventing the restriction in order to provide the appropriate care or unless the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted by law. In rare circumstances, we reserve the right to terminate a restriction that we have previously agreed to, but only after providing you notice of termination.

Out of Pocket Expenses

If you have paid out-of-pocket in full for a specific item or service, you have the right to request that your PHI with respect to that item or service not be disclosed to a health plan for purposes of payment or healthcare operations, and we are required by law to honor that request unless affirmatively terminated by you in writing and when the disclosures are not required by law. This request must be made in writing.

Right to Confidential Communications

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your PHI and health matters by alternative means or alternative locations. Your request must be made in writing and must specify the alternative means or location. We will accommodate all reasonable requests consistent with our duty to ensure that your PHI is appropriately protected.

Right to Notification in the Event of a PHI Breach

You have the right to be notified if we, or one of our Business Associates, discover a breach involving unsecured PHI.

Right to Discuss Concerns

You have the right to file a complaint in writing with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if you believe we have violated your privacy rights. Any complaints to us should be made in writing and sent to the address listed below.

PHI Questions, Requests for Information, and Complaints

For questions, requests for information, more information about our privacy policy or concerns, please contact us.

Alta Centers, Inc.

dba Alta Centers Detox

6100 Rodgerton Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068
Phone: (818)616-7443
Email: [email protected]

We support your right to privacy of your Protected Health Information. You will not be retaliated against in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

If you believe your rights have been violated and would like to submit a complaint directly to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, then you may submit a formal written complaint to the following address:

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Office for Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201

Phone: (877) 696-6775
Email: [email protected]