Common use of PROFESSIONAL RECORDS Clause in Contracts

PROFESSIONAL RECORDS. The laws and standards of the profession require that this office keep Protected Health Information (PHI) about you in your Clinical Record. Release of records tends to interfere with the therapeutic relationship that our office strives to xxxxxx in counseling adolescents and their families. Our patient’s emotional health and need to know the sessions are confidential outweighs the need for records to be released other than to another mental health professional for further evaluation and treatment. If you provide this office with an appropriate written request, you (or your legal representative) have the right to examine and/or receive a copy of your records. These clinical records can be misinterpreted and/or be upsetting to an untrained reader. For this reason, it is recommended that you initially review these records in your Counselor’s presence, or have them forwarded to another mental health professional so you can discuss the contents. This office may charge an administrative copying fee to cover expenses associated with copying your file, in addition to a per page copy charge and may require a subpoena prior to releasing full records.