Policy Statement:
Family Services of NW PA provides high quality, ethical, and professionally delivered services to clients seeking the assistance of the agency. Through their involvement with the agency, clients provide Protected Health Information to Family Services' employees such as phone numbers, addresses, family details, gender, ethnicity, race, language, income, religion, communication needs, other services received, insurance information, etc., as well as all service related information in the form of diagnoses, progress notes, treatment plans, crisis plans, signatures, etc.; this information is collected to be able to speak or meet with the client, to aid in service delivery, and to clients have a right to privacy and to feel confident that their information, regardless of the form (paper, electronic, telephonic, SMS messaging, etc.), will be protected by agency employees. Employees are trained and instructed on confidentiality, privacy, and security of client information and how that information can or cannot be shared according to law. They are equally informed that no personal information can be sent via SMS text messaging using personal phones; the expectation is to use the secure SMS site through Office@Hand. Additionally, Family Services, as a matter of policy, does not disclose 3rd party information to clients or providers, requesting that this information be obtained directly from the creator of the documentation. Similarly, no client data for which the client opted in will be sent to 3rd party vendors and SMS consent is not shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes.
Family Services of NW PA, therefore, maintains the highest standards of confidentiality and employees are expected to maintain the privacy of client information, and limit how it is used and provided to others as defined minimally by the Privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the CAN-SPAM Act, or more stringently when other regulation or requirement must be adhered to (e.g., Act 32 of 2022 of the PA Mental Health Procedures Act, Act 33 of 2022 [SUD Confidentiality Standards under DDAP]). As a result of the various Acts and standards, no client information can be shared by agency employees without written consent from the client.
Definitions:
Procedures including SMS Terms and Conditions:
Any action found in violation of this policy and established procedures shall be subject to the agency's established disciplinary process.