Notice of Privacy Practices
Joy Mental Wealth Services PLLC, doing business as JoyPath Mental Health (“The Practice”)
Effective Date: 04/07/2026
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN ACCESS THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
SECTION 1: OUR LEGAL DUTIES
JoyPath Mental Health is required by federal and applicable state law to:
• Maintain the privacy and security of your Protected Health Information (PHI)
• Provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices describing our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI
• Follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect
• Notify you as required by law if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your unsecured PHI
We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice. Any revised Notice will apply to all PHI we maintain, as permitted by law.
The current Notice will be:
• Available upon request
• Posted prominently on our website: joypathmentalhealth.com
• Provided to patients as required by applicable law
SECTION 2: WHAT IS PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI)
Protected Health Information (PHI) is individually identifiable health information that relates to:
• Your past, present, future physical or mental health or condition
• The provision of healthcare services to you
• Payment for healthcare services
PHI may exist in written, electronic, or oral form.
SECTION 3: HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION
We may use and disclose your PHI without your written authorization for the following purposes:
A. Treatment
We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare.
Examples include:
Communication with other healthcare providers involved in your care
Consultation with specialists
Prescribing medications and communicating with pharmacies
B. Payment
We may use your PHI to obtain payment for services.
Examples include:
Billing insurance companies
Verifying insurance eligibility and coverage
Collecting outstanding balances
We may also disclose PHI to health plans or other entities as permitted by law to determine eligibility, obtain prior authorization, process claims, or otherwise obtain payment for healthcare services.
C. Healthcare Operations
We may use and disclose your PHI for healthcare operations and administrative purposes necessary to operate our practice and provide quality healthcare.
Examples include:
• Quality improvement and clinical review
• Staff training and supervision
• Compliance, auditing, and accreditation
• Administrative and business functions
D. Appointment Reminders and Health-Related Communications
We may contact you using the contact information you provide to us, including by:
• Phone
• Voicemail
• Text message
• Secure patient portal
We may contact you for purposes such as:
• Appointment reminders
• Follow-up instructions
• Information about your treatment
• Treatment alternatives
• Health-related services or information
• Care coordination
• Other communications permitted by law
You may request confidential communication or alternative methods of communication as described in Section 7 of this Notice.
SECTION 4: YOUR CHOICES
For certain uses and disclosures of your protected health information (PHI), you may have choices about how we share your information. This section describes circumstances in which you may agree to or object to certain disclosures.
A. People Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care
We may disclose relevant information about you to a family member, close friend, or another person you identify who is involved in your healthcare or who helps to pay for your healthcare, when permitted by law.
If you are present and able to agree or object, we will generally give you the opportunity to do so before making such a disclosure.
If you are not present or are unable to agree or object, we may use our professional judgment to determine whether disclosure is in your best interest, when permitted by law.
You may tell us that you do not want us to disclose your information to a particular person, subject to applicable law.
B. Disaster Relief
We may disclose your PHI to an organization assisting with disaster-relief efforts, when permitted by law, so that your family or other individuals involved in your care can be notified about your condition, location, or death.
When permitted and appropriate, we will provide you with an opportunity to agree or object to these disclosures.
C. Marketing and Health-Related Communications
We may communicate with you about treatment alternatives, health-related products, services, or information that may be of interest to you as permitted by law.
Certain communications about encourage you to purchase or use a product or service may constitute marketing under HIPAA. When your written authorization is required for marketing, we will obtain your authorization before making the communication.
You may revoke a marketing authorization in writing at any time, subject to actions already taken in reliance on the authorization.
D. Sale of Your Protected Health Information
We will obtain your written authorization before selling your PHI when authorization is required by law.
A sale of PHI generally means a disclosure of your PHI in exchange for direct or indirect payment, subject to exceptions under applicable law.
E. OUT OF POCKET PAYMENTS
If you pay for a health care service or item completely out of pocket and in full, you may ask us not to disclose information about that service or item to your health plan for purposes of payment or health care operations. We will agree to your request unless disclosure is required by law.
SECTION 5: USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRING AUTHORIZATION
Certain uses and disclosures of your PHI require your written authorization.
We will obtain your written authorization for uses and disclosures of your PHI when authorization is required by applicable federal or Washington State law.
Examples may include:
• Using or disclosing psychotherapy notes, except in limited circumstances permitted by law
• Using your PHI for marketing when authorization is required
• Selling your PHI when authorization is required
• Other uses or disclosures for which authorization is required by applicable law
You may revoke your authorization at any time in writing. Revocation will not apply to actions already taken in reliance on your authorization.
SECTION 6: SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR PSYCHIATRIC PRACTICES
Specially Protected Information
Certain types of health information may be subject to additional privacy protections under federal or Washington State law. These protections may apply to information concerning mental health services, substance use disorder treatment, HIV/AIDS or sexually transmitted infections, genetic information, reproductive or sexual health, minors, and other categories of specially protected information, as applicable.
Joy Mental Wealth Services PLLC d/b/a JoyPath Mental Health will comply with the additional privacy, consent, disclosure, and access requirements that apply to specially protected information.
Substance Use Disorder Records
Certain substance use disorder records may be protected by federal law, including 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2 and 42 CFR Part 2. When Part 2 applies to records maintained or received by JoyPath Mental Health, we will comply with applicable Part 2 requirements.
When applicable, a patient may provide a single consent for future uses and disclosures of Part 2 records for treatment, payment, and health care operations. Part 2 records generally may not be used or disclosed in a civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigation or proceeding against the patient without the patient's consent or a court order and subpoena, as required by applicable law.
Psychotherapy Notes
When maintained as separate psychotherapy notes as defined by HIPAA, psychotherapy notes receive additional protection. Certain uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes require the patient's written authorization, except as otherwise permitted by law.
JoyPath Mental Health will comply with applicable Washington requirements governing the confidentiality, use, disclosure, and access to mental health information and records. Where Washington law provides greater protection than federal law, JoyPath Mental Health will comply with the applicable legal requirements.
SECTION 7: DISCLOSURES WITHOUT YOUR AUTHORIZATION
We may use or disclose your PHI without your written authorization when permitted or required by applicable federal or Washington State law.
These circumstances may include:
A. Required by Law
We may disclose your PHI when required by federal, state, or local law.
B. Public Health Activities
We may disclose PHI for certain public health activities permitted or required by law, including activities related to preventing or controlling disease and reporting certain adverse events or reactions.
C. Abuse or Neglect Reporting
We may disclose information when required or permitted by law to report suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
This may include suspected child abuse or neglect and abuse or neglect of vulnerable adults, as applicable.
D. Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We may use or disclose PHI when permitted by law to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.
E. Health Oversight Activities
We may disclose PHI to governmental agencies authorized to conduct audits, investigations, inspections, licensing activities, or other health oversight activities.
F. Legal Proceedings
We may disclose PHI in connection with judicial or administrative proceedings when permitted or required by applicable law, including in response to qualifying court orders or other lawful processes.
G. Law Enforcement
We may disclose PHI to law enforcement officials when permitted or required by applicable federal or Washington State law.
H. Workers' Compensation
We may disclose PHI as authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers' compensation and similar programs.
Additional categories of permitted or required disclosures may apply under federal or Washington State law, including disclosures relating to:
• Coroners and medical examiners
• Organ and tissue donation
• Research
• Specialized government functions
• Military and veterans' activities
• Other activities permitted or required by law
SECTION 8: YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PHI
You have the following rights regarding your protected health information, subject to applicable federal and Washington State law.
1. Right of Access
You generally have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI maintained by or for JoyPath Mental Health, subject to applicable legal limitations.
Requests should be submitted in writing to the Privacy Contact listed in Section 12.
We will respond to your request within the time period required by applicable law.
Reasonable, cost-based fees may apply as permitted by law.
2. Right to Request Amendment
You may request that JoyPath Mental Health amend health information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
Your request must be submitted in writing and explain why you believe the information should be amended.
3. Right to Request Restrictions
You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your PHI.
We are not required to agree to every restriction requested, except where applicable law requires us to agree.
4. Right to Confidential Communications
You may request that we communicate with you about your health information in a particular way or at a particular location.
For example, you may request that we contact you:
• By telephone rather than mail
• At a particular telephone number
• At a particular mailing address
• By another reasonable method permitted by law
We will consider reasonable requests as required by law.
5. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You generally have the right to request an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI made by JoyPath Mental Health, subject to limitations under federal and state law.
6. Right to a Copy of This Notice
You have the right to request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the Notice electronically.
7. Right to Choose Someone to Act for You
You may designate a personal representative to act on your behalf regarding your health information when authorized by law.
JoyPath will verify the authority of the person acting on your behalf as required by law.
Right to File a Complaint
You may file a complaint with JoyPath Mental Health if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.
You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights.
You will not be retaliated against for filing a privacy complaint.
SECTION 9: ADOLESCENT AND MINOR PATIENT PRIVACY
JoyPath Mental Health provides mental health services to adolescent and adult patients.
Privacy, consent, and access rights for patients under 18 may vary depending on the patient's age, the type of healthcare service provided, who consented to the service, applicable federal and Washington State law, the patient's legal status, and other circumstances.
Washington law permits certain adolescents to consent independently to certain healthcare services, including outpatient mental health services. When a minor receives services that the minor is legally authorized to consent to independently, additional confidentiality and disclosure requirements may apply.
JoyPath Mental Health will comply with applicable federal and Washington State requirements concerning consent, confidentiality, access to records, disclosure of information, and legally authorized representatives for minor patients.
SECTION 10: TELEHEALTH AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
JoyPath Mental Health provides healthcare services through telehealth. This section of the Notice of Privacy practices explains how the Practice handles the privacy and security of PHI when providing telehealth and communicating electronically.
Telehealth services may involve electronic communication technologies supported or approved by JoyPath Mental Health. We maintain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards designed to protect the confidentiality and security of your PHI. Whenever possible, we encourage you to participate in telehealth appointments from a private location and use a private device and secure internet connection.
Electronic communications may carry privacy and security risks, including misdirected messages, unauthorized access, or unintended disclosure.
We may communicate with you by telephone, voicemail, text message, email, or secure patient portal using the contact information you provide to us, as permitted by law.
When available, we encourage you to use the secure patient portal for communications involving sensitive health information.
This Notice of Privacy Practice does not constitute a telehealth consent, telehealth services agreement, or emergency services policy. Separate telehealth consent and patient care policies may apply to your care.
SECTION 11: SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMATION
We maintain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards designed to protect the privacy and security of your PHI.
These safeguards are intended to protect PHI against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Our safeguards may may include appropriate policies and procedures, workforce training, access controls, physical safeguards, secure electronic systems, and other measures, appropriate to our operations and the information we maintain.
No method of transmitting or storing information can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Although we take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect your information, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted electronically or stored electronically. If a breach of unsecured PHI occurs that requires notification under applicable law, we will provide notification as required by law.
SECTION 12: CONTACT INFORMATION AND PRIVACY COMPLAINTS
If you have questions about this Notice, would like to exercise your privacy rights, or believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact:
Privacy Officer: Joy Uduehi, ARNP
Phone: 425-332-7341
Email: info@joypathmentalhealth.com
Mailing Address:
Joy Mental Wealth Services PLLC
DBA JoyPath Mental Health
707 S. Grady Way, Suite 600
Renton, WA 98057
You may also file a complaint with:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office for Civil Rights: https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/
You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.
JoyPath Mental Health provides health care services exclusively through telehealth. The mailing address above is provided for privacy-related correspondence and does not represent a location where in-person patient services are provided.
SECTION 13: CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
We reserve the right to modify this Notice.
Any revised Notice may apply to PHI that we already maintain as well as PHI we receive in the future, to the extent permitted by law.
The current version of this Notice will be:
• Available upon request
• Available at our office, when applicable
• Posted on our website: joypathmentalhealth.com
SECTION 14: EFFECTIVE DATE
This Notice of Privacy Practices is effective as of: April 7, 2026