Welcome to our Privacy Policy. We provide substance abuse and mental illness treatment to clients seeking healthier spiritual, mental, and physical lives.

The Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and secure information we obtain through the “Site.” The terms “Alter,” “we,” and “us” include Alter Health Group, LLC D/B/A Alter Behavioral Health and our partners, affiliates, and subsidiaries.

The “Site” means any website or Internet service under the control of Alter Health Group, LLC D/B/A Alter Behavioral Health, whether partial or otherwise, in connection with providing an online platform for Alter Behavioral Health services.

“Personal Information” means information that alone or when in combination with other information may be used to readily identify, contact, or locate you, such as name, address, email address, or phone number.

THE SITE COLLECTS YOUR INFORMATION

Registration Information. You may register with the Site. To register with the Site or request information from us about our services, you may need to provide information about yourself, such as your name, email address, and phone number.

Job Application Information. You may apply to work at Alter Behavioral Health through the Site. By submitting a job-related inquiry, you may provide application-related and professional information.

Using the Site. We collect information you provide through the Site. For example, when you contact us to schedule a tour, you may provide your contact details.

Communicate with Us. We collect information about you through your communications with us, including through social media. For example, if you contact us to inquire about our services and facilities, we may collect any information you provide in your communication to us. Communications with our Site do not constitute or create a doctor-patient relationship, and this Site does not provide medical advice. We do not respond to any questions concerning specific medical conditions through the Site. If you transmit such information, we cannot assure the privacy of such information. WE URGE YOU NOT TO SEND MEDICAL INFORMATION THROUGH THIS SITE.

From Other Sources. We may receive information about you from third parties. We may combine this information with other information about you that we received through the Site.

Location Information from Your Mobile Device with Your Permission. We collect and store your location information if your device settings are enabled to send it to us. We also infer your location from your IP address and other data. We use this information to provide and improve the Site.

Automatic Data Collection: Cookies and Related Technologies. When you visit our Site or open our emails, we, and our third-party partners, such as advertising networks and analytics providers, collect certain information by automated means, such as cookies, web beacons and web server logs. By using the Site, you consent to the placement of cookies, beacons, and other similar technology in your browser and on emails in accordance with this Privacy Policy. The information collected in this manner includes IP address, browser characteristics, device IDs and characteristics, operating system version, language preferences, referring URLs, and information about the usage of our Site. We may use this information, for example, to determine how many users have visited certain pages or opened messages or newsletters, or to prevent fraud. We may link this data to your profile. Our partners also may collect and combine information collected on our Site and emails with other information about your online activities over time, on other devices, and on other websites, if those websites also use the same partners. We currently use Google Analytics to collect and process certain website usage data. To learn more about Google Analytics and how to opt out, please visit www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/. You may be able to change browser settings to block and delete cookies when you access the Site through a web browser. However, if you do that, the Site may not work properly. The Site does not respond to browser do-not-track signals.

HOW ALTER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH USES YOUR INFORMATION

Internal and Service-Related Usage. We use the information for internal and service-related purposes. We may use and retain any data we collect to provide and improve any of our services.

Communications. We may send emails to the email address you provide to us, and text messages to any cellphone number you provided to us, to verify your account, help you sign up for our services, and for informational and operational purposes, such as account management, customer service, system maintenance, and other Site-related purposes.

Marketing. We may use information about you for marketing purposes, such as providing online advertising on the Site and sending you information we think may be useful or relevant to you. You may opt out of email marketing by using the unsubscribe link in a marketing email.

Aggregate Data. We anonymize or aggregate data collected through the Site and may use and disclose it for any purpose.

ALTER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH MAY DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION

We Use Vendors and Service Providers. We share information we receive with vendors and service providers that perform services for us. For example, we may share your information with service providers, such as web and database hosting services and email, map, and navigation services. We use the Google Maps service, and you agree to the Google privacy policy located at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Marketing and Advertising Partners. We do not rent, sell, or share personal information (as defined by California Civil Code §1798.83) about you that we collect on the Site with other people or unaffiliated companies for their direct marketing purposes, unless we have your permission. We allow access to your information to enable the delivery of online advertising to you and others on the Site and on other websites and online services from us and our third-party advertising partners, or to send you information we think may be useful or relevant to you.

Legal and Similar Disclosures. We may access, preserve, and disclose your information, if we believe doing so is required or appropriate to: comply with law enforcement requests and legal process, such as a court order or subpoena; respond to your requests; comply with the law; or protect your, our, or others’ rights, property, or safety.

Merger, Sale, or Other Asset Transfers. If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing due diligence, reorganization, bankruptcy, receivership, sale of company assets, or transition of service to another provider, your information may be disclosed in connection with the negotiation of such transaction, and/or sold or transferred as part of such a transaction as permitted by law and/or contract.

With Your Permission. We may also disclose your information with your permission.

INFORMATION SECURITY

We take steps to treat your information securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Unfortunately, the Internet cannot be guaranteed to be 100% secure, and we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you provide to us.

CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

We do not knowingly collect, maintain, or use personal information from children under 18 years of age, and no part of the Site is directed to children under the age of 18. If you learn that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, you may alert us at admissions@alterbehavioralhealth.com. If we learn that we have collected any personal information from children under 18, we will promptly take steps to delete such information and terminate the child’s account.

INTERNATIONAL USERS

If you are using the Site, you agree to the transfer of your information to the United States and processing globally. By providing your information you consent to any transfer and processing in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

LINKS TO THIRD PARTY WEBSITES

The Site may contain links to third party websites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of other websites, and we are not responsible for the actions and privacy policies of the third parties that operate or interact with those other websites.

UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION OR POSE A QUESTION OR SUGGESTION

If you would like to request that we update or correct any information that you have provided to us through your use of the Site or otherwise, or if you have questions about or suggestions for improving this Privacy Policy, please send an email to admissions@alterbehavioralhealth.com.

CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY AND PRACTICES

Posting of a Revised Privacy Policy. We may make changes to this Privacy Policy from time to time, and the revised version will be effective when it is posted. If we make any material changes, we will let you know through the Site, by email, or other communication. We encourage you to read this Privacy Policy periodically to stay up to date about our privacy practices. As long as you use the Site, you are agreeing to this Privacy Policy and any updates we make to it.

Contact Information: Alter Behavioral Health, 34270 Pacific Coast Hwy
3rd Floor Dana Point, CA 92629, Admissions@alterbehavioralhealth.com (866) 497-2736

ALTER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Purpose: THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU MAY ACCESS THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

All Alter Behavioral Health (“we” or “our” or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy and understands the importance of safeguarding your medical information. We are required by federal law to protect the confidentiality and maintain the privacy of health information that identifies you or that could be used to identify you, including information related to your alcohol, drug, or mental health treatment (known as “Protected Health Information” or “PHI”).

We also are required to provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices, which explains our legal duties and privacy practices, as well as your rights, with respect to PHI that we collect and maintain. We are required by federal law to abide by the terms of this Notice currently in effect. However, we reserve the right to change the privacy practices described in this Notice and make the new practices effective for all PHI that we maintain. Should we make such a change, you may obtain a revised Notice by calling our office and requesting a revised copy be sent in the mail, or accessing our website at https://AlterBehavioralHealth.com/.

Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Records

The confidentiality of your substance use disorder records maintained by us is protected by the 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) federal regulations, which serve to protect patient records created by federally-assisted substance use disorder treatment programs and held by lawful holders of those records. The Part 2 regulations impose restrictions upon the disclosure and use of substance use disorder patient records that we maintain. Generally, we may only disclose your substance use disorder records outside of Alter Behavioral Health when:

You consent in writing (as discussed below in “How We May Use and Disclose Protected Health Information”);

The disclosure is allowed by a court order (as discussed below in “Uses and Disclosures That May Be Made Without Your Authorization or Opportunity to Object”); or

The disclosure is made to medical personnel in a medical emergency or qualified personnel for research, audit, or evaluation (as discussed below in “Uses and Disclosures That May Be Made Without Your Authorization or Opportunity to Object”).

Any disclosure made under the Part 2 regulations must be limited to that information which is necessary to carry out the purpose of the disclosure.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

Routine Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

We are permitted under federal law to use and disclose PHI, without your written authorization, for certain routine uses and disclosures, such as those made for treatment, payment, and the operation of our business. The following are examples of the types of routine uses and disclosures of PHI that we are permitted to make. While this list is not exhaustive, it should give you an idea of the routine uses and disclosures we are permitted to make.

Treatment: We will use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your treatment. For example, we may use your PHI to contact you (i.e.: telephone calls, voicemails, e-mails, letters) as a reminder of an appointment at Alter Behavioral Health, or to check on you and your mental health status. Your PHI may be disclosed to any Alter Behavioral Health qualified staff members as needed to provide you with the best possible care, the most comprehensive treatment and to assure your physical health and safety. Your PHI will only be disclosed to those outside of Alter Behavioral Health when your express written consent or authorization has been obtained except as required by law.

Payment: Your PHI will be used, as needed, to obtain payment for the health care services we provide you. This is most common when payment is made by a third party such as an insurance company, workman’s compensation, another family member or your personal financial officer. Your PHI will only be disclosed with your express written consent or authorization. It is important to know, however, that your refusal to give such permission may lead to non-payment by that third party as without your written consent or authorization, we will be unable to discuss payment for your treatment services with any third party.

Healthcare Operations: We may use or disclose your PHI in order to support the business activities of Alter Behavioral Health. These activities may include, but are not limited to: staff training and evaluation, auditing, medical reviews, compliance Alter Behavioral Health, business planning, licensing, quality assurance, accreditation, certification and credentialing activities. We may also use your PHI to contact you (i.e.: telephone calls, voicemails, e-mails, letters) regarding alumni events and associations. You have the right to request not to be contacted for such purposes.

Uses and Disclosures That May Be Made Without Your Authorization or Opportunity to Object

We may use or disclose your PHI in the following situations without your authorization or providing you the opportunity to object.

Required by the Secretary of Health and Human Services: We may be required to disclose your PHI to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with the requirements of the final rule on Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information.

Required By Law: We may use or disclose your PHI to the extent that the use or disclosure is otherwise required by federal, state or local law.

Public Health: We may disclose your PHI for public health activities, such as disclosures to a public health authority or other government agency that is permitted by law to collect or receive the information (e.g., the Food and Drug Administration).

Health Oversight: We may disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, and inspections. Oversight agencies include government agencies that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, other government regulatory programs and civil rights laws.

Abuse or Neglect: If you have been a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, we may disclose your PHI to a government agency authorized to receive such information. In addition, we may disclose your PHI to a public health authority that is authorized by law to receive reports of child abuse or neglect.

Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: We may disclose your PHI in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal (to the extent such disclosure is expressly authorized), and, in certain conditions, in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process.

Law Enforcement: We may disclose your PHI, so long as applicable legal requirements are met, for law enforcement purposes, such as providing information to the police about the victim of a crime.

Coroners and Funeral Directors: We may disclose your PHI to a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director if it is needed to perform their legally authorized duties.

Organ Donation: If you are an organ donor, we may disclose your PHI to organ procurement organizations as necessary to facilitate organ donation or transplantation.

Research: Under certain circumstances, we may disclose your PHI to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your PHI.

Serious Threat to Health or Safety: We may disclose your PHI if we believe it is necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to the public health or safety and it is to someone we reasonably believe is able to prevent or lessen the threat.

Specialized Government Functions: When the appropriate conditions apply, may disclose PHI for purposes related to military or national security concerns, such as for the purpose of a determination by the Department of Veterans Affairs of your eligibility for benefits.

National Security and Intelligence Activities: We may disclose your PHI to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, protection of the President, other authorized persons, or foreign heads of state, for purpose of determining your own security clearance and other national security activities authorized by law.

Workers’ Compensation: We may disclose your PHI as necessary to comply with workers’ compensation laws and other similar programs.

Inmates: We may use or disclose your PHI if you are an inmate of a correctional facility and we created or received your PHI in the course of providing care to you.

Business Associates: We may disclose your PHI to persons who perform functions, activities or services to us or on our behalf that require the use or disclosure of PHI. To protect your health information, we require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your information.

Uses and Disclosures That May Be Made Either With Your Agreement or the Opportunity to Object

Disclosure to Family and Friends: Only the PHI that you have specified will be disclosed and only to those for which you have provided written consent or authorization. Alter Behavioral Health will not confirm or deny your presence at Alter Behavioral Health to any individual that you have not signed a consent or authorization for except in the case of an emergency or as required by law. In the event of your incapacity or under emergency circumstances, we will disclose your PHI to the person you had previously designated as your “Emergency Contact Person(s)”.

Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information Based Upon Your Written Authorization

Psychotherapy Notes: We must obtain your written authorization for most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes.

Marketing: We must obtain your written authorization to use and disclose your PHI for most marketing purposes.

Sale of PHI: We must obtain your written authorization for any disclosure of your PHI which constitutes a sale of PHI.

Other Uses: Other uses and disclosures of your PHI, not described above, will be made only with your written authorization (unless otherwise permitted or required by law). You may revoke your authorization, at any time, in writing, except to the extent that we have taken action in reliance on the authorization.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION

You have certain rights regarding your PHI, which are explained below. You may exercise these rights by submitting a request in writing to our Privacy Officer.

You have the right to inspect and copy your PHI. If you would like to see or get an electronic or paper copy your PHI that is contained in a designated record set (e.g., medical and billing records), we are required to provide you access to such PHI for inspection and copying within 30 days after receipt of your request (with up to a 30-day extension if needed). We may charge you a reasonable fee to cover duplication, mailing and other costs incurred by us in complying with your request. In addition, there are situations where we may deny your request for access to your PHI. For example, we may deny your request if we believe the disclosure will endanger your life or that of another person. Depending on the circumstances of the denial, you may have a right to have this decision reviewed.

You have the right to request a restriction of your PHI. This means you may ask us not to use or disclose any part of your PHI for purposes of treatment, payment or health care operations. You may also request 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. Your request must state the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply. We are not required to agree to a restriction that you may request, except we must agree not to disclose your PHI to your health plan if the disclosure (1) is for payment or health care operations and is not otherwise required by law, and (2) relates to a health care item or service which you paid for in full out of pocket. If we 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.

You have the right to request receive confidential communications from us by alternative means or at an alternative location. You have the right to request that we communicate with you in a certain way or at a certain location. We will accommodate reasonable requests. We may also condition this accommodation by asking you for information as to how payment will be handled or specification of an alternative address or other method of contact.

You have the right to amend your PHI. This means you may request an amendment of your PHI in our records that is contained in a designated record set (e.g., medical and billing records) for as long as we maintain the PHI. We will respond to your request within 60 days (with up to a 30-day extension if needed). We may deny your request if, for example, we determine that your PHI is accurate and complete. If we deny your request, we will send you a written explanation and allow you to submit a written statement of disagreement.

You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures that we have made of your PHI. You have the right to receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made, if any, of your PHI. This right only applies to disclosures for purposes other than treatment, payment or health care operations as described in this Notice. It also excludes disclosures we may have made to you, your family members or friends involved in your care. The right to receive this information is subject to certain exceptions, restrictions and limitations. You must specify a time period, which may not be longer than 6 years. You may request a shorter timeframe. You have the right to one free request within any 12-month period, but we may charge you for any additional requests in the same 12-month period. We will notify you about any such charges, and you are free to withdraw or modify your request in writing before any charges are incurred. We will respond to your request within 60 days (with up to a 30-day extension if needed).

You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this notice from us.

You have the right to be notified if you are affected by a breach of unsecured PHI.

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have questions, would like further information, or believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact Alter Behavioral Health Compliance Director in writing at the following address:

Attn: Whitney Buss, Alter Behavioral Health, Director of Compliance

34270 Pacific Coast Hwy
3rd Floor
Dana Point, CA 92629

(866) 497-2736

compliance@AlterBehavioralHealth.com

We will not retaliate against you in any way for filing a complaint. You may also submit your complaint to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

This notice is effective on June 1st, 2021.