Notice of Privacy Practices

01 About This Notice

Michigan Healthcare Institute PLLC (MHI) serves patients at two locations — Sterling Heights and Bingham Farms. We create and maintain medical records to provide care, obtain payment for services, and fulfill our professional and legal obligations. This Notice applies to all protected health information we create, receive, maintain, or transmit in connection with your care, including information received from other healthcare providers.

We limit uses and disclosures of your health information to the minimum necessary to accomplish the intended purpose, as required by law. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time. Any revised Notice will be available in our offices and on this website.

02 Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. The following summarizes those rights and our responsibilities in supporting them.

03 How We Use & Disclose Your Information

Without Your Authorization

We may use and share your health information without your written authorization for the following purposes:

• Treatment — to provide, coordinate, or manage your health care and related services
• Payment — to bill and obtain payment from your health plan or other payers
• Health Care Operations — to run our practice, improve care quality, and fulfill administrative functions
• As required by law — including mandatory Michigan reporting obligations (communicable diseases, child abuse, gunshot wounds, HIV/AIDS and cancer registries, immunizations)
• Public health and safety activities
• Health oversight activities — audits, inspections, licensing investigations
• Judicial and administrative proceedings — pursuant to lawful court orders or subpoenas
• Law enforcement purposes — under specific legal conditions
• Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors
• Organ and tissue donation organizations
• Research — subject to applicable oversight and privacy protections
• Workers’ compensation and government programs
• Serious threats to health or safety

With Your Written Authorization

All other uses and disclosures of your health information — including psychotherapy notes, marketing, sale of your information, and SUD counseling notes — require your written authorization. You may revoke any authorization at any time in writing.

Redisclosure Notice

Health information disclosed by MHI to another party may be subject to redisclosure by the recipient and may no longer be protected by HIPAA. However, when other laws provide more stringent protections — such as 42 CFR Part 2 for substance use disorder records — those requirements continue to apply.

Your Choices

You have the right to tell us your preferences regarding:

• Sharing information with family, close friends, or others involved in your care
• Sharing information in a disaster relief situation

We will never use or share your information for marketing purposes, sale of your information, or fundraising without your written permission. If you are contacted for fundraising purposes, you may opt out at any time.

04 Substance Use Disorder Records

How We May Use SUD Records

If you provide a general written consent to a Part 2 Program authorizing disclosure of your records for Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations (TPO), MHI may use and disclose those records for TPO purposes consistent with HIPAA. If MHI receives your records through a specific written consent, we will use and disclose them only as expressly permitted by that consent.

Each disclosure of your SUD records made with your consent will be accompanied by a copy of your consent or a written explanation of its scope, along with the required federal notice under 42 CFR § 2.32.

SUD Counseling Notes

SUD counseling notes are a separately protected category under federal law. A specific, standalone written consent is required for any use or disclosure of SUD counseling notes. This consent cannot be combined with any other authorization.

Prohibition on Use in Legal Proceedings

Fundraising & SUD Records

If MHI intends to use your SUD records in connection with fundraising activities, we will provide you with a clear and conspicuous opportunity to opt out before any such use or disclosure occurs.

05 Our Responsibilities

• Maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information
• Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices
• Notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information
• Abide by the terms of this Notice while it is in effect
• Comply with all applicable requirements of 42 CFR Part 2 with respect to SUD records we receive
• Not use or share your information other than as described in this Notice unless you authorize it in writing

We retain medical records for a minimum of seven (7) years after the last date of service. Records of minors are retained for the period required by law following the age of majority.

06 Contact Us & File a Complaint

If you have questions about this Notice, wish to exercise any of your rights, or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact our Privacy Officer. You may also file a complaint directly with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — we will never retaliate against you for doing so.