HIPAA Notices | Journey Therapy

JOURNEY PHYSICAL THERAPY, LLC

Notice of Privacy Practices (HIPAA)

1171 Spartanburg Hwy • Hendersonville, NC 28792
Phone / Text: (828) 674-3416 • Email: journeypt828@gmail.com
Websites: journeypt828.com • journey828.com

HIPAA

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.

Effective Date: September 17, 2026

1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Journey Physical Therapy, LLC (“the Practice,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and applicable North Carolina and federal law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (“PHI”) and to give you this Notice of Privacy Practices.

PHI is information that identifies you (or reasonably could identify you) and relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition, the health care we provide to you, or payment for that care. This includes evaluation findings, treatment notes, billing records, insurance information, and related communications.

This Notice applies to PHI maintained by Journey Physical Therapy, LLC, including records created by David Gerrer, PT, COMT, and any employees, contractors, students, or business associates who work with the Practice. This Notice is separate from the website privacy policy posted on journey828.com and journeypt828.com, which covers ordinary website visitor information.

2. How We May Use and Disclose Your PHI

The categories below describe how we may use and disclose your PHI without your written authorization, as permitted or required by law. Examples are included. Not every possible use or disclosure is listed.

Treatment

We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your physical therapy care. For example, we may:

Use your health history, evaluation findings, and progress notes to plan and provide your care.
Discuss your condition with other health care providers involved in your care, such as your physician, surgeon, or specialist.
Share information with a referring provider so your care can be coordinated.
Contact you with appointment reminders by phone, text, or email using the information you give us.

Payment

We may use and disclose your PHI to bill and collect payment for services. For example, we may:

Submit claims to Medicare, Medicaid, workers’ compensation, or your health insurer.
Determine eligibility, coverage, copayments, deductibles, and coinsurance.
Send statements to you or to a person you designate as financially responsible.
Discuss an unpaid balance with a collection vendor, only as permitted by law.

Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose your PHI to operate the Practice. For example, we may:

Conduct quality review, training, licensing, accreditation, and compliance activities.
Handle complaints, audits, legal matters, and general administration.
Contact you about treatment options, appointment availability, or related services that may help you.
Use de-identified or limited information when full identifiers are not needed.

3. Other Uses and Disclosures Permitted or Required by Law

We may also use or disclose your PHI without authorization in these situations, when they apply and as limited by law:

As required by law. We will disclose PHI when federal, state, or local law requires it.
Public health activities. We may disclose PHI to a public health authority for purposes such as reporting certain diseases, injuries, or vital events, or reporting problems with products regulated by the FDA.
Health oversight. We may disclose PHI to agencies that oversee the health care system, government programs, or civil rights laws, including audits, investigations, and licensure.
Legal proceedings. We may disclose PHI in response to a court or administrative order, or, in some cases, a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.
Law enforcement. We may disclose PHI for certain law-enforcement purposes, such as identifying a suspect or reporting a crime on the premises, as permitted by law.
Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors. We may disclose PHI as needed to carry out their duties.
Organ and tissue donation. We may disclose PHI to organizations involved in organ, eye, or tissue procurement, banking, or transplantation.
Research. We may use or disclose PHI for research if an Institutional Review Board or privacy board has approved a waiver, or under other HIPAA research rules.
To avert a serious threat. We may use or disclose PHI if we believe in good faith it is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to a person or the public.
Specialized government functions. We may disclose PHI for certain military, national security, protective-service, or correctional-institution purposes.
Workers’ compensation. We may disclose PHI as authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with workers’ compensation or similar programs.
Business associates. We may share PHI with vendors who perform services for us, such as billing, electronic health records, IT support, or transcription. They must sign a Business Associate Agreement and safeguard PHI.
Inmates. If you are an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose PHI to the institution as permitted by HIPAA.

4. Uses and Disclosures That Require Your Written Authorization

Most uses and disclosures of PHI not described above require your written authorization. In particular, we will obtain your written authorization before we:

Use or disclose your PHI for marketing that is paid for by a third party.
Sell your PHI.
Use or disclose psychotherapy notes, if we ever maintain them. This Practice does not typically create psychotherapy notes.
Use or disclose PHI for purposes not otherwise permitted or required by law.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already relied on it. Send revocation requests to the Privacy Officer at the address below.

5. Incidental Disclosures and Facility Directory

Certain limited disclosures may occur incidentally despite reasonable safeguards. For example, another patient might overhear a first name at the front desk. We take reasonable steps to limit these situations.

We do not maintain a public facility directory. We will not confirm to callers or visitors that you are a patient unless you have told us we may do so, or another legal permission applies.

6. Persons Involved in Your Care

Unless you object, we may disclose limited PHI to a family member, close friend, or other person you identify if that person is involved in your care or payment for your care. We may also notify such a person of your location, general condition, or death, as permitted by HIPAA.

If you are present and able to make decisions, we will give you a chance to object. If you are not present or an emergency exists, we will use professional judgment about whether a disclosure is in your best interest, and we will disclose only information that is directly relevant.

After your death, we may disclose PHI to family members or others involved in your care or payment before death, unless doing so would be inconsistent with a preference you expressed to us.

7. Your Rights Regarding Your PHI

You have the following rights. To exercise them, contact the Privacy Officer in writing unless a different method is noted.

Right to inspect and copy

You may ask to inspect or obtain a copy of PHI we maintain in a designated record set, including evaluation and treatment records and billing records. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies, postage, and staff time as allowed by law. If we maintain the record electronically, you may request an electronic copy. We may deny your request in limited circumstances. If we deny access, you may request a review of that denial as provided by HIPAA.

Right to request an amendment

You may ask us to amend PHI you believe is incorrect or incomplete. Your request must be in writing and must explain why the amendment is needed. We may deny the request if, for example, we did not create the information, it is not part of our designated record set, or we determine it is already accurate and complete. If we deny the request, you may submit a written statement of disagreement that we will keep with the record.

Right to an accounting of disclosures

You may request a list of certain disclosures of your PHI we made in the six years before the date of your request. This accounting does not include disclosures for treatment, payment, or health care operations; disclosures you authorized; and certain other disclosures excluded by law. The first accounting in any 12-month period is free. We may charge a reasonable fee for additional accountings.

Right to request restrictions

You may ask us to limit how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations, or to persons involved in your care. We are not required to agree to every restriction. We must agree, however, if you pay in full out of pocket for an item or service and ask us not to disclose PHI about that item or service to a health plan for payment or health care operations, unless the disclosure is required by law.

Right to request confidential communications

You may ask us to contact you in a specific way, such as only at a certain phone number or address, or only by mail. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Right to a paper copy of this Notice

You may ask for a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically. Copies are available at the clinic and on journeypt828.com and journey828.com.

Right to be notified of a breach

You have the right to be notified if a breach of your unsecured PHI occurs, as required by HIPAA.

Right 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 may exercise your rights and make choices about your PHI. We will verify that person’s authority before we take action.

8. Our Duties

We are required by law to:

Maintain the privacy and security of your PHI.
Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices.
Abide by the terms of the Notice that is currently in effect.
Notify you if a breach of your unsecured PHI occurs.
Not use or disclose your PHI except as described in this Notice or as otherwise authorized or required by law.

We will not use or disclose your genetic information for underwriting purposes.

9. Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the revised Notice effective for PHI we already have as well as PHI we receive in the future. The new Notice will be available at the clinic, posted in a clear and prominent location, and posted on journeypt828.com and journey828.com. The effective date appears at the top of the Notice.

10. Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

To file a complaint with the Practice, contact the Privacy Officer using the information below.

To file a complaint with the federal government, contact:

Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone: 1-877-696-6775
Website: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/

11. Privacy Officer and Contact Information

Questions about this Notice, requests to exercise your rights, or privacy complaints should be directed to:

Privacy Officer: David Gerrer, PT, COMT
Journey Physical Therapy, LLC
1171 Spartanburg Hwy
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Phone: (828) 674-3416
Email: journeypt828@gmail.com