HIPAA NOTICE
Notice of Privacy Practices
Progressing Minds, PLLC
Effective Date: September 2026
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
Progressing Minds, PLLC is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your health information. This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information (“PHI”), your rights regarding that information, and our responsibilities under federal and applicable state privacy laws.
YOUR RIGHTS
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights.
GET AN ELECTRONIC OR PAPER COPY OF YOUR MEDICAL RECORD
You may ask to see or obtain an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we maintain about you. We generally will provide a copy or summary within 30 days of your request and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
ASK US TO CORRECT YOUR MEDICAL RECORD
You may ask us to correct health information that you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny your request in certain circumstances, but we will explain the reason in writing within 60 days.
REQUEST CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS
You may ask us to contact you in a specific way, such as at a particular phone number, or to send mail to a different address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
ASK US TO LIMIT WHAT WE USE OR SHARE
You may ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or health care operations. We are not generally required to agree. If you pay for a service out of pocket in full, you may ask us not to share information about that service with your health insurer for payment or health care operations, and we will honor that request unless disclosure is required by law.
GET A LIST OF DISCLOSURES
You may request an accounting of certain disclosures of your health information made during the six years before your request. Certain disclosures—including many made for treatment, payment, or health care operations—are not included. We will provide one accounting during a 12-month period at no charge and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for additional requests.
GET A COPY OF THIS NOTICE
You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically.
CHOOSE SOMEONE TO ACT FOR YOU
If someone has legal authority to act on your behalf, such as a legal guardian or a person authorized under a medical power of attorney, that person may exercise your privacy rights as permitted by law. We will verify the person's authority before taking action.
FILE A COMPLAINT
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Progressing Minds, PLLC or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
YOUR CHOICES
You have choices about certain uses and disclosures of your information.
In certain situations, you may tell us your preferences about what health information we share. This may include sharing information with family members, close friends, or others involved in your care.
If you are unable to tell us your preference—for example, because of incapacity or an emergency—we may share information when permitted by law and when we determine that disclosure is in your best interest.
Because mental health records and communications may receive additional protections under Texas law, Progressing Minds follows applicable federal and Texas confidentiality requirements when determining whether information may be disclosed.
MARKETING & SALE OF INFORMATION
We do not sell your protected health information. We will not use or disclose your protected health information for marketing purposes when your written authorization is required by law.
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
How we may use or share your information.
TREATMENT
We may use your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your care and, when permitted by applicable law, share relevant information with other health care professionals involved in your treatment.
OTHER USES AND DISCLOSURES PERMITTED OR REQUIRED BY LAW
We may use or disclose health information without your written authorization when permitted or required by applicable federal or state law. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:
Reporting suspected abuse or neglect when required or permitted by law.
Preventing or reducing a serious threat to health or safety when disclosure is permitted by law.
Responding to lawful judicial or administrative proceedings.
Complying with certain law-enforcement requirements.
Complying with workers’ compensation and similar programs when applicable.
Making other disclosures required by law.
HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS
We may use and disclose health information as permitted by law to operate our practice and conduct administrative activities. This may include maintaining records, scheduling appointments, evaluating our services, and managing practice operations.
Any disclosure will be made only to the extent permitted or required by applicable law.
PAYMENT
We may use and disclose health information as permitted by law for payment-related activities. Progressing Minds is a private-pay practice and does not bill insurance directly. At your request, we may provide you with a superbill that you can submit to your health plan for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
USES REQUIRING YOUR AUTHORIZATION
Some uses and disclosures require your written permission.
We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your protected health information when authorization is required by law. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent that we have already acted in reliance on it.
PSYCHOTHERAPY NOTES
Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes require your written authorization. Limited exceptions apply as permitted or required by law.
MARKETING
We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your protected health information for marketing purposes when authorization is required by law.
To the extent that Progressing Minds maintains substance use disorder patient records that are protected by 42 CFR Part 2, additional federal confidentiality protections apply.
We will not use or disclose Part 2 records in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against you unless you provide written consent or the use or disclosure is authorized by a court order and subpoena as required by applicable law.
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER RECORDS
SALE OF INFORMATION
Progressing Minds does not sell your protected health information.
That psychotherapy-notes wording is intentionally different from your old document. HIPAA does have limited exceptions—for example, use by the psychologist who created the notes for treatment and certain legally specified circumstances—so your old “unless required by law and/or psychologist requirements set by licensing board” language was too vague.
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Our responsibility to protect your information.
Progressing Minds, PLLC is required by law to protect the privacy and security of your protected health information and to provide you with this Notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices.
PRIVACY & SECURITY
We are required to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
BREACH NOTIFICATION
We will notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
FOLLOWING THIS NOTICE
We are required to follow the privacy practices described in the Notice currently in effect.
YOUR AUTHORIZATION
We will not use or disclose your information other than as described in this Notice or as otherwise permitted or required by law. If you authorize us in writing to use or disclose your information, you may revoke that authorization in writing as permitted by law.
CHANGES, QUESTIONS & COMPLAINTS
Changes to this Notice
We may change the terms of this Notice and make the revised Notice effective for all health information we maintain, including information created or received before the change.
If we make a material change, the current Notice will be available upon request, at our office, and on our website.
Questions or complaints
If you have questions about this Notice, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact:
Progressing Minds, PLLC
14310 Northbrook Drive, Suite 260
San Antonio, TX 78232
(210) 239-1399
Info@ProgressingMindsTX.com
You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.
Progressing Minds will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.