The Importance of Confidentiality

One dictionary defines confidentiality as the “nondisclosure of certain information except to another authorized person.”

The interpretation of this is multi-faceted. If you have mental health services which are covered by a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Point-of-Service Plans (POS) or another similar plan and they are billed for therapeutic services, you may be concerned that your employer or others may be privy to what occurs in your therapy session or worried that this information could have other unknown impacts. By law a therapist and an insurance company must maintain confidentiality. However as we have seen over the past few years, nothing that is sent electronically is entirely impervious to hackers. And it is required that, at minimum, medical professionals forward a diagnosis and cost to an insurance company for billing purposes. If you feel uncomfortable about using your mental health benefits, you can opt to pay out of pocket by by requesting a Self-Pay Agreement from me.