FAMILY COUNSELING ASSOCIATES (FCA) has entered into a partnership with Reading Pediatric Associates to provide Psychological Services on site, alongside, and in coordination with the Pediatricians who care for your child. Because we are a separate practice, we must ask you to review and complete these materials now, in order that you be informed about the nature and conditions of the care our clinicians provide. Please direct any questions to your clinician directly.
Confidentiality & Protected Health Information (PHI)
• Communication between a patient and his or her psychologist, psychiatrist or counselor is confidential, and we are bound by law and ethics to safeguard your information. We will obtain your authorization before disclosing PHI other than as described in this notice and if there is ever a breach of your child’s PHI you will be notified.
• Because FCA has joined Reading Pediatric Associates as part of your child’s regular pediatric care, our clinicians’ documentation of services provided will be an integrated part of the Pediatric record.
• Professionals involved in your care may seek consultation without further authorization to do so.
• FCA will use and disclose the minimum information necessary for treatment, billing, and healthcare operations involving your child’s care at Reading Pediatric Associates.
• If you use health insurance to pay for your care, you have already given your permission to the insurance company to access information necessary to process claims, oversee services provided, and perform quality assurance functions.
• If you are paying for care entirely out-of-pocket, you have the right to restrict disclosure of PHI to your health plan, though this does not apply to out-of-pocket payment of health insurance copayments or deductibles.
• Confidentiality as it applies to minors: Though you will be asked to be involved in and informed about your child’s progress, release of specific communications often can jeopardize a child or adolescent’s willingness to be forthcoming. Though the law may allow parents the right to examine treatment records, in order to both respect the confidential nature of your child’s information and facilitate the building of trust, our professional staff will ask you to agree to certain limits on the information that will be shared with you. If there is ever a concern about dangerousness, you will be notified.
• Mental health professionals are required by law to break confidentiality under certain circumstances, including:
If an individual intends to take harmful or dangerous action against another individual, we must warn the person and/or family of the person who is likely to suffer the results of the harmful behavior, as well as the local authorities, in order to protect the individual and any potential victim(s).
If an individual poses a danger to himself or herself, we must disclose information necessary to keep the individual safe and to facilitate appropriate treatment.
Suspicion of child abuse or neglect and court investigations into child abuse, neglect, custody or adoption.
Information regarding sexual contact between children under the age of 16.
Suspicion of the abuse of elders or handicapped persons.
In response to a court order by a judge.
If a patient introduces his/her mental condition as an element of claim or defense in a legal or administrative proceeding.