NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL AND DRUG AND ALCOHOL RELATED INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.

PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

General Information regarding your health care, including payment for health care, is protected by two federal laws: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), 42 U.S.C. § 1320d et seq., 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 & 164, and the Confidentiality Law, 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2, 42 C.F.R., Part 2 Final Rule. Under these laws, TCCADA may not say to a person outside of TCCADA that you attend the program, nor may TCCADA disclose any information identifying you as an alcohol or drug abuser, or disclose any other protected information except as permitted by federal law.

TCCADA must obtain your written consent before it can disclose information about you for payment purposes. For example, TCCADA must obtain your written consent before it can disclose information to your health insurer in order to be paid for services. Generally, you must also sign a written consent before TCCADA can share information for treatment purposes or for health care operations. However, federal law permits TCCADA to disclose information without your written permission:

1. Pursuant to an agreement with a business associate;
2. For research, audit or evaluations;
3. To report a crime committed on TCCADA’s premises or against TCCADA’s personnel;
4. To medical personnel in a medical emergency;
5. To appropriate authorities to report suspected child abuse or neglect;
6. As allowed by a court order.

For example, TCCADA can disclose information without your consent to obtain legal or financial services, or to another medical facility to provide health care to you, as long as there is a business associate agreement in place.

Before TCCADA can use or disclose any information about your health in a manner that is not described above, it must first obtain your specific written consent allowing it to make the disclosure. Any such written consent may be revoked by you in writing.

Your Rights

Under HIPAA you have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. TCCADA is not required to agree to any restrictions you request, but if it does agree then it is bound by that agreement and may not use or disclose any information which you have restricted except as necessary in a medical emergency. You have the right to request that we communicate with you by alternative means or at an alternative location. TCCADA will accommodate such requests that are reasonable and will not request an explanation from you. Under HIPAA, you also have the right to inspect and copy your own health information maintained by TCCADA, except to the extent that the information contains psychotherapy notes or information compiled for use in a civil, criminal or administrative proceeding or in other limited circumstances. Under HIPAA you also have the right, with some exceptions, to amend health care information maintained in TCCADA’s records, and to request and receive an accounting of disclosures of your health-related information made by TCCADA during the six years prior to your request. You also have the right to receive a paper copy of this notice.

TCCADA’s Duties

TCCADA is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information. TCCADA is required by law to abide by the terms of this notice. TCCADA reserves the right to change the terms of this notice and to make new notice provisions effective for all protected health information it maintains. You will receive a copy of this notice at intake or upon request.

Website

TCCADA, accessible at www.tccada.com, collects and records online activities of our visitors. By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms. The personal information that you are asked to provide, and the reasons why you are asked to provide it, will be made clear to you at the point we ask you to provide your personal information. If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you such as your name, email address, phone number, the contents of the message and/or attachments you may send us, and any other information you may choose to provide.

We use the information we collect in various ways, including to: provide, operate and maintain our website; improve, personalize and expand our website; understand and analyze how you use our website; develop new programs, services, features and functionality; communicate with you, either directly or through one of our partners, including for customer service or to initiate services; send you emails; find and prevent fraud.

Complaints and Reporting Violations

You may complain to TCCADA and the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services if you believe that your privacy rights have been violated under HIPAA. Your complaint must be in writing and sent to the Privacy Officer, TCCADA, P.O. Box 1166 Orangeburg, SC 29116. You will not be retaliated against for filing such a complaint.

Violation of the Confidentiality Law by a program is a crime. Suspected violations of the Confidentiality Law may be reported to the United States Attorney in the district where the violation occurs (Beth Drake, interim U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, (803) 929-3000).

Contact

For further information, contact TCCADA at (803) 536-4900 and request to speak with the Privacy Officer.

Effective Date: March 1, 2003
Revised: November 1, 2022