HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Q Porschatis LCSW, LLC, doing business as Salty Counseling
2120 E 3900 S, Suite 101
Holladay, UT 84124

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.

If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact Q Porschatis LCSW, through our website.

1. Definitions

Protected Health Information (PHI) refers to information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services. This Privacy Notice outlines how we may use and disclose your PHI to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law.

Demographic Information includes your name, address, telephone number, date of birth (age), social security number, insurance identification number, place of employment, and contact numbers.

Clinical Summary refers to a listing of your diagnosis, functional status, treatment plan, symptoms, prognosis, and progress in treatment.

Health Care Provider, Clinician, Psychotherapist, and Social Worker are different terms that refer to the person providing services.

SALTY COUNSELING PLEDGE REGARDING PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI): Salty Counseling understands that your health information and health care are personal and private. As licensed clinicians, we are committed to protecting this information about you. We create records of services you receive as we need this documentation to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of your records generated by this mental health practice. This notice explains the use and disclosure of your PHI, describes your rights, and defines certain obligations Salty Counseling has regarding the use and disclosure of your PHI.

We are required by law to:

• Make sure that protected health information (“PHI”) that identifies you is kept private.

• Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information.

• Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.

• We can change the terms of this Notice, and such changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new Notice will be available upon request.
• Notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured protected health information.

2. Uses and Disclosures of PHI

Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations

Federal privacy rules allow Salty Counseling and your provider to use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, and health care operations.

Treatment includes providing, coordinating, or managing your care; consulting with other health care providers; and making referrals when permitted by law.

Payment includes billing for services, processing payments, communicating about an account balance, and, when applicable, disclosing the minimum necessary information to a collection agency to collect payment.

Health Care Operations include activities necessary to operate and improve Salty Counseling, such as quality review, clinical supervision or consultation, staff training, compliance activities, audits, and business planning. When PHI is used or disclosed for these purposes, Salty Counseling will limit the information to the minimum necessary when required by law.

3. Other Uses and Disclosures

Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, uses and disclosures for marketing purposes, and disclosures that constitute a sale of protected health information require your written authorization.

Other uses and disclosures of your PHI will be made only with your written authorization unless otherwise permitted or required by law as described below. With the exception of the items below, any other authorization you provide may be revoked at any time, in writing, except to the extent that your healthcare provider or the provider’s practice has taken action in reliance on the use or disclosure indicated in the authorization.

CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION. Subject to certain limitations in the law, your provider and Salty Counseling can use and disclose your PHI without your Authorization for the following reasons:

Serious Threats, Abuse, or Neglect
Your provider may disclose PHI when they believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of you, another person, or the public. Information may be disclosed to individuals or authorities reasonably able to prevent or lessen the threat, including emergency responders, law enforcement, an identifiable potential victim, or an appropriate support person.

Salty Counseling will report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child or vulnerable adult when required by law. Salty Counseling may also disclose PHI to law enforcement when it believes in good faith that the information constitutes evidence of criminal conduct occurring on Salty Counseling’s premises.

Legal Proceedings
Salty Counseling may disclose PHI in connection with a judicial or administrative proceeding when permitted or required by law. This may include responding to a court or administrative order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process after all applicable legal requirements have been satisfied. Any disclosure will be limited to the information authorized or required by law.

Salty Counseling and your provider may also use or disclose PHI as permitted by law to defend themselves in a legal, administrative, licensing, or disciplinary proceeding initiated by you.

Public Health Activities
Salty Counseling may disclose your PHI to public health authorities authorized by law to collect or receive such information for preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability, or for other public health activities permitted or required by law.

Workers’ Compensation Purposes

Salty Counseling may disclose your PHI as authorized by, and to the extent necessary to comply with, workers’ compensation laws or similar programs established by law. When practicable, we may request your written authorization, although authorization is not required when the disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

Health Oversight Activities

Salty Counseling may disclose your PHI to authorized health oversight agencies for activities permitted or required by law, including audits, investigations, inspections, licensure matters, disciplinary proceedings, and other regulatory or enforcement activities.

To the extent that we have your substance use disorder patient records, subject to 42 CFR Part 2, we will not share that information for investigations or legal proceedings against you without (1) your written consent or (2) a court order and a subpoena. 

4. Your Rights. You Have the Right to:

Inspect and Copy Your PHI

Treatment records are kept per HIPAA standards and laws. Clients may view their records unless specific circumstances arise. Because these are professional records, they could be misinterpreted and/or upsetting to untrained readers. If a request is made to review records, the recommended procedure is that they are reviewed with the therapist present so that the contents may be discussed.

You may inspect and obtain a copy of the PHI about you that is contained in a designated record set for as long as we maintain the PHI. A “designated record set” contains your billing information, Demographic Information, and Clinical Summary. If kept, psychotherapy notes are protected under law, are maintained separately from your designated record set, and are not included in your right to inspect or obtain copies of the designated record set.

Request Confidential Communications

You have the right to request that we communicate with you about PHI in a particular way or at a particular location, such as by phone, email, mail, or another reasonable method. To request confidential communications, contact your provider or Q Porschatis, LCSW.

Request an Amendment

You have the right to request an amendment to PHI maintained in your designated record set if you believe the information is incorrect or incomplete. To request an amendment, submit a written request to Q Porschatis, LCSW that identifies the information you would like amended and explains the reason for your request.

Receive an Accounting of Disclosures

You have the right to request an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI made by Salty Counseling. To request an accounting, submit a written request to Q Porschatis, LCSW specifying the time period for which you are requesting the accounting.

Receive a Copy of This Notice

You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Notice upon request, even if you agreed to receive this Notice electronically. To request a paper copy, contact your provider or Q Porschatis, LCSW.

Request a Restriction of Your PHI

You may ask us not to use or disclose any part of your protected health information for the purposes of treatment, payment, or health care operations. You may also request (after giving permission) that any part of your PHI not be disclosed to family members or friends who may be involved in your care or for notification purposes as described in this Notice of Privacy Practices. Your request must state the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply.

Your provider is not required to agree to a restriction that you may request. If the provider believes it is in your best interest to permit the use and disclosure of your PHI, your PHI will not be restricted. If your provider does agree to the requested restriction, we may not use or disclose your PHI in violation of that restriction unless it is needed to provide emergency treatment. With this in mind, please discuss any restrictions you wish to request with your provider. You may request a restriction by submitting a written request clearly detailing the targeted PHI and individuals, as well as your provider.

If you pay for a service in full out of pocket, you may ask us not to disclose information about that service to your health plan for payment or health care operations. We must honor that request unless disclosure is required by law.

5. Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint with Salty Counseling by contacting Q Porschatis, LCSW, through our website or at 801-203-0329. You may also contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. You will not be retaliated against for filing a privacy complaint. Acknowledgment of Receipt of Privacy Notice Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA): You have certain rights regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information.

Effective Date: 08/27/2026