HIPAA NPP (Notice of Privacy Practices)

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Shepherding Hope, LLC (the “Practice”) is committed to protecting your privacy while providing transformative counseling services for mental health and addiction recovery. The Practice is required by federal law to maintain the privacy of Protected Health Information (“PHI”), which is information that identifies or could be used to identify you. The Practice is required to provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices (this “Notice”), which explains the Practice’s legal duties and privacy practices and your rights regarding PHI that we collect and maintain.

Your Rights regarding your PHI

To exercise any of the rights explained below, please submit a written request to the Practice at the contact address provided in this Notice.

To Inspect and Copy PHI

  • You can ask for an electronic or paper copy of your PHI. The Practice may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee.
  • The Practice may deny your request if it believes the disclosure will endanger your life or another person’s life. You may have a right to have this decision reviewed.

To Amend PHI

  • You can ask to correct PHI you believe is incorrect or incomplete. The Practice may require you to make your request in writing and provide a valid reason for the request.
  • The Practice may deny your request but will provide a written explanation for the denial within 60 days and allow you to submit a written statement of disagreement.

To Request Confidential Communications

  • You can ask the Practice to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address. The Practice will accommodate all reasonable requests.

To Limit What Is Used or Shared

  • You can ask the Practice not to use or share PHI for treatment, payment, or business operations. The Practice is not required to agree if it would affect your care.
  • If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask the Practice not to share PHI with your health insurer for the purpose of payment or our operations.
  • You can ask the Practice not to share your PHI with family members or friends by stating the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply.

To Obtain a List of Disclosures

  • You can ask for a list (an “accounting”) of the times your health information has been shared for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
  • We will include all disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). You can receive one accounting every 12 months at no charge, but you may be charged a reasonable fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

To Receive a Copy of This Notice

  • You can ask for a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive the Notice electronically.

To Choose Someone to Act for You

  • If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.

To File a Complaint

  • If you feel your rights are violated, you can file a complaint by contacting the Practice directly using the information below.
  • You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
  • The Practice will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

To Opt Out of Receiving Fundraising Communications

  • The Practice may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can ask not to be contacted again.

Contact Information

To file a complaint or exercise your rights, please contact the Practice:

Shepherding Hope, LLC
Attention: Billy R. Gilbert
Delivery Method: Online – Telehealth Only
Phone: 256-361-9515
Website: shepherdinghope.com

Our Uses and Disclosures

1. Routine Uses and Disclosures of PHI

The Practice is permitted under federal law to use and disclose PHI, without your written authorization, for treatment, payment, and health care operations:

  • To Treat You: The Practice can use and share PHI with other professionals who are treating you. Example: A specialist treating you for a physical condition asks the Practice about the medications you are taking.
  • To Run Health Care Operations: The Practice can use and share PHI to run the business, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. Example: The Practice uses PHI to send you appointment reminders.
  • To Bill for Your Services: The Practice can use and share PHI to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. Example: The Practice gives PHI to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

2. Uses and Disclosures of PHI That May Be Made Without Your Authorization or Opportunity to Object

The Practice may use or disclose PHI without your authorization or an opportunity for you to object, including:

  • To help with public health and safety issues
    • Public health: To prevent the spread of disease, assist in product recalls, and report adverse reactions to medication.
    • Required by the Secretary of Health and Human Services: We may be required to disclose your PHI to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with the requirements of the final rule on Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information.
    • Health oversight: For audits, investigations, and inspections by government agencies that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, other government regulatory programs, and civil rights laws.
    • Serious threat to health or safety: To prevent a serious and imminent threat.
    • Abuse or Neglect: To report abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
  • To comply with law, law enforcement, or other government requests
    • Required by law: If required by federal, state or local law.
    • Judicial and administrative proceedings: To respond to a court order, subpoena, or discovery request.
    • Law enforcement: For law locate and identify you or disclose information about a victim of a crime.
    • Specialized Government Functions: For military or national security concerns, including intelligence, protective services for heads of state, or your security clearance.
    • National security and intelligence activities: For intelligence, counterintelligence, protection of the President, other authorized persons or foreign heads of state, for purpose of determining your own security clearance and other national security activities authorized by law.
    • Workers’ Compensation: To comply with workers’ compensation laws or support claims.
  • To comply with other requests
    • Coroners and Funeral Directors: To perform their legally authorized duties.
    • Organ Donation: For organ donation or transplantation.
    • Research: For research that has been approved by an institutional review board.
    • Inmates: The Practice created or received your PHI in the course of providing care.
    • Business Associates: To organizations that perform functions, activities or services on our behalf.

3. Disclosures Based on Your Opportunity to Object

Unless you object, the Practice may disclose PHI to your family, friends, or others involved in your care. If you are unable to state your preference (such as in an emergency), the Practice may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest.

4. Disclosures Requiring Your Written Authorization

The Practice must obtain your written authorization for:

  • Marketing purposes.
  • The sale of your PHI.
  • Most sharing of psychotherapy notes.

5. Substance Use Disorder Records (42 CFR Part 2)

If applicable, your substance use disorder (“SUD”) records are protected by federal law under 42 C.F.R. Part 2. This law provides extra confidentiality protections.

A. Consent Requirements:
SUD records require a separate patient consent for use and disclosure. Each disclosure made with patient consent must include a copy of the consent or a clear explanation of the scope of the consent. It must also be accompanied by a written notice containing the language in 42 CFR Part 2.32(a). Disclosure of these records requires your explicit written consent, except in limited circumstances such as:

  • Medical Emergencies: to the extent necessary to treat you,
  • Reporting Crimes on Program Premises,
  • Child Abuse Reporting: In connection with incidents of suspected child abuse or neglect to appropriate state or local authorities, and
  • Fundraising: We will provide you with an opportunity to decline to receive any fundraising communications prior to making such communications.
    You may revoke this consent at any time.

B. Prohibitions on Use and Disclosure of Part 2 Records:
SUD records received from programs subject to Part 2, or testimony relaying the content of such records, shall not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against you unless based on your written consent, or a court order after notice and an opportunity to be heard is provided to you or the holder of the record, as provided in Part 2. A court order authorizing use or disclosure must be accompanied by a subpoena or other legal requirement compelling disclosure before the requested SUD record is used or disclosed. If SUD records are disclosed to us or our business associates pursuant to your written consent for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, we or our business associates may further use and disclose such health information without your written consent to the extent that the HIPAA regulations permit such uses and disclosures, consistent with the other provisions in this Notice regarding PHI.

Our Responsibilities

  • The Practice is required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your PHI.
  • The Practice will inform you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
  • The Practice must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this Notice and give you a copy of it.
  • The Practice will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

Changes to the Terms of This Notice
The Practice reserves the right to change the terms of this Notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new Notice will be available upon request, in our office (if applicable), and on our website at https://shepherdinghope.com/HIPAA-NPP.

Effective Date: 06 January 2026

Billy R. Gilbert is an Associate Licensed Counselor (ALC) under the supervision of Erica Player, LPC-S.

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