TERMS & POLICIES
When working with Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC, you agree to the following policies. Please review these terms when making your initial consultation. If you have any questions, our staff will be happy to review them with you.
HIPAA COMPLIANCE POLICY:
At Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC we understand that your health is private. Please read our pledge regarding your health information:
We, Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC, understand that protected health information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting health information about you. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC, whether made by Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC personnel or your personal doctor. This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose protected health information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of protected health information. The law requires us to make sure that protected health information that identifies you is kept private, notify you about how we protect protected health information about you, explain how, when, and why we use and disclose protected health information, follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
We are required to follow the procedures in this notice. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make new notice provisions effective for all protected health information that we maintain by posting the revised notice in our office or on our website or making copies of the revised notice available upon request.
Please read the following notice regarding how we may use and disclose health information about you without your written authorization:
For treatment: We may use protected health information about you to provide you with, coordinate or manage your medical treatment or services. We may disclose protected health information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, or other Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC personnel who are involved in taking care of you. Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC staff may also share protected health information about you in order to coordinate the different things you need, such as prescriptions, lab work, or x-rays. We also may disclose protected health information about you to people outside Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC who may be involved in your medical care, such as clergy or others we use to provide services that are part of your care.
We may use and disclose protected health information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC. We may use and disclose protected health information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives or health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
For payment for services: We may use and disclose protected health information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC may be billed to and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company, or a third party. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about nutrition services you received at Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC so your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the service. We may also tell your health plan about the nutrition services you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.
For healthcare operations: We may use and disclose protected health information about you for Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC health care operations, such as our quality assessment and improvement activities, case management, coordination of care, business planning, customer services and other activities. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the facility, reduce health care costs, and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use protected health information to review our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of the dietitian who is providing your services. We may also combine protected health information about many Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC patients to decide what additional services Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments are effective. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students, and other Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC personnel for review and learning purposes. We may also combine the protected health information we have with protected health information from other health care facilities to compare how we are doing and see where we can make improvements in the care and services we offer. We may remove information that identifies you from this set of protected health information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without learning who the specific patients are. We may also contact you as part of a fundraising effort.
As required by law: Subject to applicable state law, in some limited situations the law allows or requires us to use or disclose your health information for purposes beyond treatment, payment, and operations. However, some of the disclosures set forth below may never occur at our facilities. As required by law, we will disclose protected health information about you when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
Research: We may disclose your PHI to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board or privacy board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your information
Health risks: We may disclose protected health information about you to a government authority if we reasonably believe you are a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. We will only disclose this type of information to the extent required by law, if you agree to the disclosure, or if the disclosure is allowed by law and we believe it is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to you or another person.
Judicial and administrative proceedings: If you are involved in a lawsuit or dispute, we may disclose your information in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose health information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made, either by us or the requesting party, to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
Business associates: We may disclose information to business associates who perform services on our behalf (such as billing companies); however, we require them to appropriately safeguard your information.
Public health: As required by law, we may disclose your protected health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability.
Health oversight activities: To avert a serious threat to health or safety: To avert a serious threat to health or safety, we may use and disclose protected health information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person.
We may disclose protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These activities include audits, investigations, and inspections, as necessary for licensure and for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
Law enforcement: We may release protected health information as required by law, or in response to an order or warrant of a court, a subpoena, or an administrative request. We may also disclose protected health information in response to a request related to identification or location of an individual, victims of crime, decedents, or a crime on the premises.
Organ and tissue donation: If you are an organ donor, we may release protected health information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.
Special government functions: If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release protected health information about you if it relates to military and veterans activities. We may also release your protected health information for national security and intelligence purposes, protective services for the President, and medical suitability or determinations of the Department of State.
Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors: We may release protected health information to a coroner or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also disclose protected health information to funeral directors consistent with applicable law to enable them to carry out their duties.
Correctional institutions or other law enforcement custodial situations: If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release protected health information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official as necessary for your or another person’s health and safety.
Worker's compensation: We may disclose information as necessary to comply with laws relating to worker’s compensation or other similar programs established by law.
The Food and Drug Administration: We may disclose to the FDA, or persons under the jurisdiction of the FDA, protected health information relative to adverse events with respect to drugs, foods, supplements, products and product defects, or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacement.
You may object to certain uses and disclosures. Unless you object, or request that only a limited amount or type of information be shared, we may use or disclose protected health information about you in the following circumstances:
We may share with a family member, relative, friend, or other person identified by you protected health information directly relevant to that person’s involvement in your care or payment for your care. We may also share information to notify these individuals of your location, general condition, or death.
We may share information with a public or private agency (such as the American Red Cross) for disaster relief purposes. Even if you object, we may still share this information if necessary for the emergency circumstances.
If you would like to object to use and disclosure of protected health information in these circumstances, please call or write to Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC or Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN, president and owner of Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC.
Your rights regard protected health information about you:
The right to amend: You have the right to inspect and copy protected health information that may be used to make decisions about your care. Usually, this includes medical and billing records. To inspect and copy protected health information that may be used to make decisions about you, you must submit your request in writing to Sasha Houseman, MSACN, DCNc. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing, or other supplies associated with your request, and we will respond to your request no later than 30 days after receiving it. There are certain situations in which we are not required to comply with your request. In these circumstances,we will respond to you in writing, stating why we will not grant your request and describe any rights you may have to request a review of our denial.
If you feel that protected health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend or supplement the information. To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCNc. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request. We will act on the/ your request for an amendment no later than 60 days after receiving the request. We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request, and will provide a written denial to you. In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that was not created by us (unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment), is not part of the protected health information kept by Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC, is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy, or we believe is accurate and complete.
Right to an accounting of disclosures: You have the right to request an "accounting of disclosures." This is a list of the disclosures we made of protected health information about you. To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to Sasha Houseman, MSACN, DCNc. You may ask for disclosures made up to six years before your request. The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We are required to provide a listing of all disclosures except the following: For your treatment, for billing and collection of payment for your treatment, for health care operations, made to or request by you, or that you authorized, occurring as a byproduct of permitted use and disclosures, for national security or intelligence purposes or to correctional institutions or law enforcement regarding inmates, or as part of a limited data set of information that does not contain information identifying you.
Right to request restriction: You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the protected health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations or to persons involved in your care. We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you emergency treatment, the disclosure is to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, or the disclosure is for one of the purposes described previously. To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing to Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN.
Right to request confidential communications: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or by mail. To request confidential communications, you must make your request in writing to Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCNc. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
You have the right to a paper copy of this notice at any time by contacting Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN.
We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your protected health information for purposes other than those provide for above (or as otherwise permitted or required by law). You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time. Upon receipt of the written revocation, we will stop using or disclosing your information, except to the extent that we have already taken action in reliance on the authorization.
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN or file a written complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. A complaint to the Secretary should be filed within180 days of the occurrence or action that is the subject of the complaint. If you file a complaint, we will not take any action against you or change our treatment of you in any way.
RESERVATION POLICIES:
The practitioners at Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC ensure that any client will be scheduled for an appointment within the earliest clinic availability and earliest convenience of the client. We are also a healing place for any and everyone - this means that no client will ever be denied healing based upon their sex, gender, age, race, health status, mental status, or any other condition. Once an appointment is made, you will have until 48 hours prior to the appointment to make any reservation changes. Payment information is required to be kept on file only for use in the case of distance or missed appointments. Payments can be made by cash, credit or debit card, check, or health savings accounts. Returned/bounced checks will be subject to an additional $40 charge. Any necessary refunds made to credit cards will be charged a 5% processing fee.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
At least 48 hours notice must be given to change or cancel an appointment with any practitioner at Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC. If less than 48 hours notice is given, the client will be charged for the full cost of the appointment. Please note that practitioners at Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC offer phone or internet-based distance consults. So, if you are concerned that you may miss your appointment, you may choose to change your session from in-person to distance-based at no additional fee.
SERVICE AGREEMENT POLICY:
This service agreement contains important information regarding the professional services and business policies of Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC. It also contains summary information about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a federal law that provides privacy protections and client rights regarding the use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations. When you sign this document, it will also represent an agreement between you, your practitioner, and Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC. Please do not hesitate to ask about any questions that you may have regarding this document or our policies before signing the agreement.
Clinical nutrition counseling is a relationship between clinical nutritionist and client that works in part because of clearly defined rights and responsibilities held by each person. As a client, you have certain rights and responsibilities that are important for you to understand. In turn, as your clinical nutritionists, we have corresponding responsibilities to you. These rights and responsibilities are described in the following sections. Nutrition counseling has been shown to have benefits for individuals who undertake it. It often leads to a significant improvement in dietary intake and overall eating habits and relationships with food. It promotes greater personal awareness and insight, increased skills for managing behavioral concerns relating to functional wellness, and resolutions to specific health problems where dietary intake and functional wellness plays a role. However, there are no guarantees about what will happen as a result of your management plan. Clinical nutrition counseling requires a very active effort on your part and, in order to be most successful, you will have to work outside of sessions on the management protocols we discuss.
Throughout the first few sessions, your clinical nutrition practitioner will work with you to develop a comprehensive evaluation of your needs along with discussion, clinical nutrition education, and suggestions for improving health through dietary means. Together, we will discuss your management goals and create an initial management plan. You should evaluate this information management plan and in order to make your own assessment about whether you are able to follow through with the advice given. There is no required minimum number of sessions; however, it may take up to 10 or more regular sessions for more long-term, sustainable changes to take shape. If you have any questions about our management or business procedures, please notify us when they arise so that we may work through those questions with you. If you so choose, we would be happy to help you set up a meeting with another health professional for a second opinion. We are also more than happy to work with your other healthcare and wellness professionals in order to create a united care plan.
It is important to note that you are required to check with your insurance company about whether or not your policy covers nutrition services. It is also important to determine whether or not authorization from your insurance company is required prior to meeting with your clinical nutritionist. Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition is not participating in or out of network with any insurance companies at this time; however, we would be happy to provide you with the insurance forms you need to fill out and submit for potential reimbursement of our services by your insurance company.
It is the patient's responsibility (or parent's or legal guardian's responsibility if the patient is a minor under the age of 18 years) to provide payment in full at or before the time of service and then request any potential reimbursement from the insurance company thereafter. If you have any questions regarding our pricing, please refer to our pricing and packages informational handout.
Appointment duration and frequency may vary. Appointments are typically between 30 and 60 minutes in duration once per week or every other week, although some sessions may be more or less frequent depending on your needs. The time scheduled for your appointment is assigned to you and you alone, but you are welcome to bring anyone from your personal support system to your appointment at no additional charge.
To schedule or change an appointment, please call our main phone line at (720) 899-0195. If you reach our confidential voicemail box, please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours. If you have a brief question or would simply like to provide your practitioner with an update, you may also email your practitioner’s direct email or the main email address at info@flatironsintegrative.com. If your query takes more than a few minutes to address, we will suggest that you make an appointment to discuss your questions. We require a valid credit card to be kept on file, which will ONLY be charged for missed appointments, late-cancellations, or for services rendered. Your card will not be charged without notice. Office hours vary over holidays and with practitioner availability. Please contact us for the most updated office hours and business information.
If you wish to cancel or reschedule your session with Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, we ask that you provide us with at least 24 hours notice from the time of your scheduled session. If you miss a session without canceling, or cancel with less than 48-hour notice, our business policy is to charge in full to your credit card on file. For your convenience, we are always able to offer phone consultations or HIPAA-compliant internet conference counseling if you are unable to attend a session in person. Tough, we are also always happy to reschedule your appointment.
You are responsible for paying all fees at the time of your session unless arrangements have been made in writing prior to your session. Payments must be made via check (please make checks payable to: Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition), cash, health savings account, debit card, credit card (we accept all major credit cards), or Apple Pay. We prefer payment by check or cash whenever possible. However, any bounced checks returned to our office are subject to an additional fee of up to $40.00. If there is any difficulty in making payment at the time of service, please discuss this with Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition before your appointment. Refunds are subject to a 5% non-refundable processing fee if you paid by credit card. Refunds on prepaid session packages will be only be refunded for the cost remaining of all future sessions minus all discounts previously applied. Regular pricing will be applied to services rendered and the remaining balance will then be eligible for refund. Please note that refunds are NOT issued after four months of inactivity on any pre-purchased session packages.
In addition to your scheduled appointments, it is our practice to charge at the hourly rate of $165.00 for other professional services that you may be required such as lab reviews that last longer than 15 minutes, report writing, telephone conversations with parents or guardians that last longer than 15 minutes, special research projects or meal planning, requested attendance at meetings or consultations, or the time required to perform any other service which you may request of Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC that is outside of our usual communication or practices. If you anticipate becoming involved in a court case, and it requires our participation, you will be expected to pay for the professional time required even if another party compels us to testify.
We are required to keep appropriate records of the nutritional services that we provide. Your records are maintained in a secure computer program or in a secure filing system. We keep records noting that you attended your sessions, your reasons for seeking wellness management, the goals and progress we set for management plan, your health condition, topics discussed, your health and social history, records received from other providers, copies of records we send to others, as well as your billing records. You have the right to request that a copy of your file be made available to any other of your health care providers at your written request.
Our policies about confidentiality, as well as other information about your privacy rights, are fully described in a separate document entitled “HIPAA NOTICE”. You have been provided with a copy of this document by email. If you have any questions regarding this notice, please let us know right away so that we may answer your queries.
If you would like us to contact any of your current or past healthcare providers to share health related information about you, please fill out the provided “Authorization to Release Information” form for your Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC practitioner. Include the names of any and all healthcare providers with whom you would like us to communicate. By law, we cannot disclose any personal or medical information to anyone (including your spouse or any other family members) unless this form is signed and includes all names and contact information of those individuals (this applies to anyone 18 years of age or older).
While privacy in clinical nutrition counseling is crucial to successful progress, parental involvement can also be essential. For children 10 and older, we request an agreement between the client and the parents, allowing us to share general information about treatment progress and attendance, as well as a management plan summary upon completion of therapy. All other communication will require the child’s agreement, unless we feel there is a safety concern, in which case we will make every effort to notify the child of our intention to disclose information ahead of time and make every effort to handle any objections that are raised. We may include an Adolescent Consent Form, to be signed by both adolescent and parent(s) when needed.
Your clinical nutritionist may not be immediately available by telephone. We do not answer calls while we are with other clients or are otherwise unavailable. At these times, you may send a message to your provider by text or email (please note neither of these are HIPAA-compliant forms of communication so please do NOT give out personal or identifying information. Use only your first name and last initial to identify yourself). We recommend you use your patient portal in our ChArm Electronic Health Records system in order to send email messages to your providers that are secure and HIPAA-compliant. You may also leave a message on your provider's confidential voice mail or you may also leave a message with our scheduling office, and your call will be returned as soon as possible, which may take 1 – 2 business days. Please note: if your message has not been responded to within 2 business days, please contact us again in the event that we did not actually receive your message. We will make every attempt to inform you in advance of planned absences, and provide you with the name and phone number of a clinical nutritionist who will be covering in your practitioner's place when continuity of care is necessary.
If you have any concerns with what is happening during your session, please make us aware of these concerns right away so that we can respond to your queries. Any comments on your care will be taken very seriously and handled with complete care and respect. You may also request that we refer you to another clinical nutritionist and are free to end treatment at any time. You have the right to considerate, safe and respectful care, without discrimination as to sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, race, color, nationality, country of origin, health status, mental status, or being in a protected class under State or Federal law. You have the right to ask questions about any aspects of your care and about our specific training and experience.
LIABILITY DISCLAIMER:
Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN is a Clinical Nutritionist, not a physician or psychologist, and the scope of her consultation services does not include treatment or diagnosis of specific illnesses or disorders. If you, the client, suspect you may have an ailment or illness that may require medical attention, then you are encouraged to consult with a licensed physician without delay. Only a licensed physician can prescribe drugs. Any mention of drugs in the course of consultation is only for the purpose of providing a complete history of drugs that the client is taking and not Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN impinging about the appropriateness of the medication. Any change in prescription or dosage is a decision the client makes with his or her physician.
Rather than dealing with treatment of disease, Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN focuses on wellness management and prevention of illness through the use of non-toxic, natural nutritional therapies to achieve optimal health. As a clinical nutritionist and functional wellness specialist, Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN primarily educates and motivates clients to assume more personal responsibility for their health by adopting a healthy attitude, lifestyle, and diet. While people generally experience greater health and wellness as a result of embracing a healthier attitude, lifestyle, and diet, Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN does not promise or guarantee protection from future illness.
By working with Flatirons Integrative Health & Nutrition, LLC, you acknowledge that you understand that Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN is a health consultant and not a physician, and that you should see a doctor if you think you have a medical condition and to confirm the appropriateness of the recommended interventions. Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN will not be held liable for failure to diagnose or treat an illness, nor will she be liable for failure to prevent future illness. Additionally, you promise to give Sasha Hope, MSACN, DCN a complete and accurate account of any medical conditions that you may have and any medications that you are taking.