FRONTIER PSYCHIATRY
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
Effective Date: September 1, 2025
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN ACCESS THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW CAREFULLY.
A. PURPOSE OF THIS NOTICE
Frontier Psychiatry (“Frontier,” “we,” “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your health information. We are required by federal and state law—including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the 42 CFR Part 2 Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Records rule, and state behavioral health privacy laws—to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”).
This Notice applies to all services provided by Frontier Psychiatry, including telepsychiatry, therapy, care management, and substance use disorder (SUD) services across all states in which we operate. It describes how we may use and disclose your information, your rights regarding your information, and our legal duties.
This Notice applies to:
- All Frontier employees, contractors, clinicians, residents, students, volunteers, care managers, and business associates.
- Any individual authorized to access or enter information into your Frontier electronic health record (EHR).
The most current version of this Notice will always be available at:
https://www.frontier.care/privacypractices
B. HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION WITHOUT YOUR WRITTEN PERMISSION
We may use or disclose your health information for the following purposes, as permitted by law. Whenever possible, we follow the minimum necessary principle, meaning we limit the information shared to what is needed for the purpose of the disclosure.
1. Treatment
We may use and disclose your information to provide, coordinate, or manage your care. This includes communication among your treating clinicians, such as psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, therapists, care managers, and other healthcare professionals involved in your treatment.
Because Frontier provides care through telehealth, your information may be shared electronically to support secure virtual care.
We may also involve trainees or supervised students involved in your care with your knowledge and permission.
2. Payment
We may use or disclose your information to bill for our services and to obtain payment from you, your insurance plan, Medicaid, Medicare, or another payer. This includes:
- Prior authorizations
- Determining eligibility
- Claims processing
- Appeals and utilization review
3. Health Care Operations
We may use or disclose your information for routine business operations necessary to run our practice and improve quality of care. Examples include:
- Quality assessment and improvement
- Training and supervision
- Customer service and patient engagement
- Care coordination and care management programs
- Data analytics and reporting (using de-identified or limited data sets when possible)
- Credentialing and auditing
Frontier uses technology partners—including electronic health record vendors, secure communication tools, AI-supported transcription services, and care management platforms—that may access information under Business Associate Agreements that require high privacy and security standards.
4. Telehealth Operations
Because Frontier operates through telehealth, we may use and disclose your information to:
- Verify your location and eligibility before each session
- Provide technical support related to telehealth platforms
- Ensure secure electronic transmission of video, audio, or messaging
- Support remote workforce access using secure, encrypted systems
- Frontier providers may access your information remotely from secure environments while delivering telepsychiatry services.
5. Health Information Exchange (HIE), e-Prescribing, and Care Coordination Networks
We may share information with:
- State Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs)
- Health Information Exchanges (if active in your state)
- e-prescribing networks such as Surescripts
- Laboratories, pharmacies, hospitals, or primary care providers
Only the minimum necessary information will be shared.
6. Family, Friends, and Support Persons
If you agree—or do not object—we may disclose information to people involved in your care or who help pay for your care.
If you are unable to communicate (due to emergency, crisis, impairment), we may disclose information based on our best professional judgment.
C. USES AND DISCLOSURES PERMITTED OR REQUIRED BY LAW
We may use or disclose your information without your written authorization for the following purposes, when permitted by law:
- Public health activities (e.g., reporting communicable diseases)
- Reporting abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
- Health oversight audits or investigations
- Legal proceedings, court orders, or subpoenas (with required safeguards)
- Law enforcement purposes
- Coroners, medical examiners, or funeral director
- Organ and tissue donation
- Research under approved protocols
- Serious threats to health or safety
- Disaster relief
- Military or national security activities
- Workers’ compensation programs
D. SPECIAL PROTECTIONS FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER INFORMATION (42 CFR PART 2)
If you receive Substance Use Disorder (SUD) evaluation or treatment at Frontier, your SUD records are protected by 42 CFR Part 2, which provides stricter confidentiality than HIPAA.
Under Part 2:
- We cannot disclose your SUD information to anyone—including other healthcare providers, law enforcement, or insurers—unless you sign a specific written authorization or another narrow legal exception applies.
- Redisclosure is prohibited. Anyone receiving Part 2 information from Frontier is legally notified that they may not share it again without your permission.
- Electronic SUD records are specially tagged and protected in our systems.
- You may revoke authorization at any time, unless we have already acted based on it.
- Federal or state law may require reporting of certain incidents such as suspected child abuse or medical emergencies—but only limited information will be disclosed.
E. WHEN WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION IS REQUIRED
We will not use or disclose your information for the following purposes unless you provide written authorization:
- Most uses of psychotherapy notes
- Marketing that involves financial compensation
- Sale of health information
- Substance Use Disorder information protected by 42 CFR Part 2
- Sharing your information with employers
- Other non-routine uses not covered in this Notice
You may revoke your authorization at any time in writing.
F. YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
You have the following rights:
1. Right to Inspect and Receive Copies
Including electronic copies of records stored in our EHR.
2. Right to Request Amendments
If you believe any information is incorrect or incomplete.
3. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
A list of certain disclosures we have made.
4. Right to Request Restrictions
Including limiting disclosures to your health plan for services paid out of pocket in full.
5. Right to Request Confidential Communications
You may request communication by email, phone, text message, secure portal, or at specific addresses.
6. Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
7. Right to Breach Notification
You will be notified of any breach of your unsecured information.
G. GOOD FAITH ESTIMATE NOTICE (NO SURPRISES ACT)
If you are uninsured or choose not to use insurance, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges before services are provided.
You may request a Good Faith Estimate at any time.
H. FRONTIER’S RESPONSIBILITIES
We are required to:
- Maintain the privacy and security of your health information
- Notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI or Part 2 information
- Abide by the terms of this Notice
- Notify you of material changes to this Notice
- Only use or disclose your information as described in this Notice
I. CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
We may change this Notice at any time as permitted by law. Changes apply to all existing and future health information. Updated versions will be posted on our website and available upon request.
J. QUESTIONS OR COMPLAINTS
If you have questions or believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact:
Frontier Psychiatry Privacy Officer
1601 Lewis Avenue, Suite 102
Billings, MT 59102
Phone: (406) 200-8471
You may also file a complaint with:
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsfPhone: 1-800-368-1019
You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT
I acknowledge that I received a copy of Frontier Psychiatry’s Notice of Privacy Practices.