VALENCE PSYCHIATRY, PC

Notice of Privacy Practices 

This notice describes how your medical information may be used and disclosed, as well as how you may get access to this information. Please review this notice carefully. 

Valence Psychiatry, PC 

2521 Jena Street, Suite 205

New Orleans, LA 70015

valencepsychiatry.com

PRIVACY CONTACT:

Brendan J. Mauch, MD

504-355-9610

info@valencepsychiatry.com

Effective date: July 1, 2026

Purpose

Valence Psychiatry, PC (Valence or We) respect your privacy. We are also legally required to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other federal and state laws. We follow state privacy laws, including when they are stricter or more protective of your PHI than federal law.

As part of our commitment and legal compliance, we are providing you with this Notice of Privacy Practices (Notice). This Notice describes:

  • Our legal duties and privacy practices regarding your PHI, including our duty to notify you following a data breach of your unsecured PHI. 

  • Our permitted uses and disclosures of your PHI.

  • Your rights regarding your PHI. 

Contact

If you have any questions about this Notice, please contact Brendan J. Mauch, MD.

PHI Defined

Your PHI:

  • Is health information about you:

    • which someone may use to identify you; and

    • which we keep or transmit in electronic, oral, or written form. 

  • Includes information such as your:

    • name;

    • contact information;

    • past, present, or future physical or mental health or medical conditions; 

    • payment for healthcare products or services; or

    • prescriptions.

Scope

To provide your care and to comply with certain legal requirements, we create a record of the care and health services you receive. This Notice applies to all the PHI that we generate. 

We and those working on our behalf follow the duties and privacy practices that this Notice describes, as well as any changes once they take effect. 

Changes to this Notice 

We can change the terms of this Notice, and any changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available on our website, valencepsychiatry.com, and a paper copy may be obtained upon request. 

Data Breach Notification 

We will promptly notify you if a data breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your PHI. Most of the time, we will notify you in writing, by first-class mail, or we may email you if you have provided us with your current email address and you have previously agreed to receive notices electronically. 

Your Rights 

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights, in addition to some of our responsibilities to help you.

You have the right to:

  • Obtain a copy of your PHI. You may ask to see or obtain an electronic or paper copy of the PHI that we maintain about you (i.e. right to access). Below are some clarifications about your access rights: 

    • We require you to make access requests in writing or by submitting an electronically signed form;

    • We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for the costs of copying, mailing, and/or other supplies associated with your request; 

    • You may request that we provide a copy of your PHI to a family member, another person, or a designated entity; 

    • If you request a copy of your PHI, we will generally decide to provide or deny access within 30 days, however, if we cannot act within 30 days, we will give you a reason for the delay in writing and when you can expect us to act on your request; and

    • We may deny your request for access in certain limited circumstances; however, if we deny your access request, we will provide a written denial with the basis for our decision and explain your rights to appeal or file a complaint.  

  • Ask us to correct your medical record. You may ask us to correct or amend PHI that we maintain about you that you think is incorrect or inaccurate. If we deny your request, we will provide a written explanation and inform you of your right to submit a statement of disagreement.

  • Ask us to limit what we use or share. You have the right to ask us to limit what we use or share about your PHI (i.e. right to request restrictions). You can contact us and request that we not use or share certain PHI for treatment, payment, or operations or with certain persons involved in your care. We require that you submit this request in writing. For these requests:

    • We are not required to agree;

    • We may say "no" if it would affect your care; but

    • We will agree to not disclose information to a health plan for purposes of payment or healthcare operations if the requested restriction concerns a healthcare item or service for which you or another person, other than the health plan, paid in full out-of-pocket, unless it is otherwise required by law.

  • Get a list of those with whom we have shared your PHI. You have the right to request an accounting of certain PHI disclosures that we have made. For these requests:

    • We will include all disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, as well as certain other disclosures, such as any you asked us to make; and

    • We will provide one accounting per year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee should you request another one within 12 months. 

  • Choose someone to act for you. If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your PHI. 

  • Request confidential communications. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about health matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or at a specific address. For these requests: 

    • You must specify how and/or where you wish to be contacted; and

    • We will accommodate reasonable requests.

  • Make a complaint. You have the right to complain if you feel we have violated your rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint. You may either file a complaint:

    • Directly with us by contacting Brendan J. Mauch, MD; all complaints must be submitted in writing; or

    • With the Office for Civil Rights at the US Department of Health and Human Services. Send a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201; call 1-877-696-6775​; or visit www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.

Your Choices 

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, please contact us and we will make reasonable efforts to follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and the choice to tell us whether to:

  • Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care.

  • Share information in disaster relief.

If you are not able to tell us your preference (e.g. if you are unconscious), we may share your information if we believe it is in your best interests, according to our best judgment. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In the following cases, we will not share your information unless you give us your written permission:

  • Marketing purposes.

  • Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice. 

You may revoke your authorization at any time, but that will not affect information that we already used and disclosed.

Uses and Disclosures of Your PHI 

The law permits or requires us to use or disclose your PHI for various reasons, which we explain in this Notice. We have included some examples, but we have not listed every permissible use or disclosure. When using or disclosing PHI or requesting your PHI from another source, we will make reasonable efforts to limit our use, disclosure, or request about your PHI to the minimum we need to carry out our intended purpose. PHI that the law permits or requires us to disclose may be further shared by recipients and is no longer protected by law or the safeguards and restrictions in place when it is in our possession.

Uses and Disclosures for Treatment, Payment, or Health Care Operations

  • Treatment. We may use and disclose your PHI to other professionals who are treating you, including doctors, nurses, therapists, counselors, technicians, medical students, or hospital personnel involved in your care. For example, we may disclose information about your overall health to physicians who are treating you for a specific injury or condition.

  • Billing and payment. We may use and disclose your PHI to bill and receive payment from health plans or others. For example, we share your PHI with your health insurance plan so that it will pay for the services you receive.

  • Running our organization. We may use and disclose your PHI to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. For example, we may use your PHI to manage the services and treatment you receive or to monitor the quality of our healthcare services.

Other Uses and Disclosures 

We may share your information in other ways, usually for public health or research purposes or to contribute to the public good. For more information on permitted uses and disclosures, see www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html. For example, these other uses and disclosures may involve: 

  • Our business associates. We may use and disclose your PHI to outside persons or entities that perform services on our behalf, such as auditing, legal, or transcription (i.e. Business Associates). The law requires our business associates and their subcontractors to protect your PHI in the same way that we do. We also contractually require these parties to appropriately safeguard your PHI and to use and disclose your PHI only as permitted.

  • Complying with the law. For example, we will share your PHI if the Department of Health and Human Services requires it when investigating our compliance with privacy laws.

  • Helping with public health and safety issues. For example, we may share your PHI to:

    • report injuries, births, and deaths; 

    • prevent disease; 

    • report adverse reactions to medications or medical device product defects; 

    • report suspected child neglect or abuse, or domestic violence; or 

    • avert a serious threat to public health or safety.

  • Responding to legal actions. For example, we may share your PHI to respond to:

    • a court or administrative order or subpoena;

    • discovery request; or

    • another lawful process.

  • Research. For example, we may share your PHI for some types of health research that do not require your authorization, such as if an institutional review board (IRB) has waived the written authorization requirement.

  • Addressing workers' compensation, law enforcement, or other government requests. For example, we may use and disclose your PHI for:

    • workers' compensation claims; 

    • healthcare oversight activities by federal or state agencies;

    • law enforcement purposes; or

    • specialized government functions, such as military and veterans' activities, national security and intelligence, presidential protective services, or medical suitability. 

The privacy laws of a particular state or other federal laws might impose a more stringent privacy standard. If these more stringent laws apply and are not superseded by federal preemption rules, we will comply with the more stringent law.