Privacy Policy & HIPAA Notice

1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

At Origin of Healing, your privacy and the confidentiality of your health information are paramount. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, protect, utilize, and disclose Protected Health Information (PHI) and personal data collected through our clinical practice and our website in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Washington State healthcare privacy statutes, and relevant federal regulations.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information that allows us to provide safe, individualized acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine care, process insurance claims, and communicate with you:

3. How We Use and Disclose Health Information

Under HIPAA standards, we use your protected health information strictly for:

• Treatment: Developing personalized acupuncture protocols, monitoring treatment progression, and coordinating safe integrative care with your primary care physician, oncologist, or midwife upon request.
• Payment & Insurance Verification: Submitting claims to your health insurer (e.g., Regence, Premera Blue Cross, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna) and verifying acupuncture benefit coverage.
• Healthcare Operations: Quality improvement, clinical administration, appointment reminders via secure SMS or email, and regulatory compliance.

4. Your Individual Rights Under HIPAA

As a patient of Origin of Healing, you hold specific legal rights concerning your health records:

• Right to Inspect & Copy: You have the right to review and obtain a copy of your clinical treatment records.
• Right to Amend: You may request corrections to your clinical documentation if you believe information is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Right to Restrict Disclosures: You may request restrictions on how your health information is used or disclosed for payment or treatment.
• Right to Confidential Communications: You may request that we contact you only through specified phone numbers or email addresses.
• Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You may request a record of non-routine disclosures of your PHI.

5. Website Security & Data Safeguards

Our website utilizes Secure Sockets Layer (SSL/TLS) encryption to safeguard any information transmitted through our contact, appointment booking, or insurance verification portals. We never sell, rent, or trade your personal or health data to third-party advertisers or data brokers under any circumstances.