MALUHANA PSYCHIATRY PLLC
Notice of Privacy Practices and Policies (HIPAA)
Effective date 11/1/25
This Notice describes how your protected health information (PHI) may be used and disclosed, your rights under federal and state law, and how you can access this information. Please review the Notice carefully. Your privacy is important to us.
1. Maluhana Psychiatry PLLC is required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI, provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices and Policies, and abide by the terms of this notice.
2. Your rights regarding your health information include a right to:
a. Get a copy of your records
You can ask to see or get a copy of your health record. Requests must be submitted in writing. We will provide a copy or summary within 15 business days of your request. Clerical and associated copying fees may apply.
Access to records may be denied in specific circumstances, including psychotherapy notes, and information that, in your provider’s professional judgment, may endanger the life or physical safety of, or cause substantial harm to you or another person.
b. Request corrections
You may request that we correct your records that are kept by our practice if it is inaccurate or incomplete. Requests must be submitted in writing with the reason supporting the request. Requests will be addressed within 10 business days.
c. Request confidential communication
You may ask us to contact you in a certain way or at a certain location (e.g., at home, not at work). Requests must be submitted in writing. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
d. Ask us to limit what we share
You may request restrictions on how we use or disclose your information. Requests must be submitted in writing. We are not required to agree but will do so when feasible and consistent with the law.
e. Get a list of disclosures
You may request an accounting of disclosures of confidential information made about you (excluding those for treatment, payment, or operations). The request must be submitted in writing and must state the time period for which the disclosures are requested. Please note the time period may not be longer than six years. Fees may apply if more than one list is requested and we will notify you of the estimated cost involved if applicable.
f. Receive a copy of this Notice
You may request a paper or electronic copy of this Notice at any time.
g. File a complaint
You may file a complaint with our Maluhana Psychiatry PLLC office or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. All complaints must be submitted or verified in writing. You have specific rights under the Privacy Rule. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.
3. Your PHI may be used or shared without written authorization for the following purposes:
a. Treatment
To provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and related services. An example of treatment is when we consult with another health care provider, such as your primary care physician.
b. Payment
To bill and collect payment from you.
c. Health care operations
For practice management, quality improvement, compliance, or administrative activities.
d. Business associates
To coordinate services necessary to run our practice, such as electronic health record vendors, cloud storage providers, or administrative support services. All business associates are required by contract to safeguard your PHI.
e. Required by law
We may disclose information to comply with federal and state laws including mandatory reporting (e.g., child, dependent adult, or elder abuse, or notifiable conditions), for public health and law enforcement activities as permitted by law, to the Department of Health for oversight and licensing purposes, as required by court order, subpoena, or other legal process (with proper authorization), to avert a serious threat to the health or safety of a person or the public, and for involuntary treatment or evaluation. We may also disclose PHI to comply with laws concerning serious and foreseeable threats to health or safety.
4. Psychotherapy notes receive additional protection. We will not release these records without your written consent, except as required by law.
5. Other uses of your PHI not covered by this notice will be made only with your written permission. If you provide permission to use or disclose information about you, you may revoke that permission in writing at any time. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures that have already been made with your permission and that we are required to retain records of the care provided to you.
6. Electronic communications and telehealth
Maluhana Psychiatry PLLC is a telepsychiatry practice, therefore all services are delivered remotely through secure, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant technology. This information applies to all records kept by Maluhana Psychiatry PLLC.
a. We use HIPAA compliant, encrypted platforms, including Google Workspace (with a Business Associate Agreement), Zoom for Healthcare, and Elation Health, Inc.
b. Audio-only telehealth (telephone sessions) may be offered for follow-up appointments if clinically appropriate and with your consent.
c. We maintain backup procedures in case of technical failure (e.g., switching to audio-only format if audio-visual format fails, when clinically appropriate).
d. You may choose to use your personal phone, email, or device for communication and acknowledge that these may not be fully secure.
e. Do not send clinical information to your Maluhana Psychiatry PLLC provider by text, email, or phone. These modes of communication are used for scheduling and/or administrative purposes only.
f. By using these methods, you acknowledge and accept these privacy risks.
7. Your health information and technology
We use secure, password-protected systems with encryption in transit and at rest. All electronic PHI is stored within HIPAA-compliant systems with secure, role-based access controls.
8. Changes to this Notice
We may update this Notice at any time as privacy laws or our practices change. The revised Notice will apply to all information we maintain and will be posted on our website and available upon request. The effective date is listed at the top of the Notice.