Notice Of Privacy Practices

Last Updated & Effective Date: June 11, 2025

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

This Notice does not apply to personal information under BetterHelp's behavioral health subscription offering, unless it is considered Protected Health Information as defined under HIPAA. This Notice of Privacy Practices will not apply to non-PHI, but the BetterHelp Privacy Policy will apply here.

This Notice describes how Uplift Behavioral Health, P.C., and its associated provider groups, including Shine Medical Providers, P.C., Shine Medical, P.C., Shine Medical of CA, P.C., and Shine Medical of NJ, P.C. (each, a “BetterHelp Provider Entity” and collectively, the “BetterHelp Provider Group, “BPG”, ” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collect, use, and disclose your protected health information (“PHI”). Together with its contracted providers, each BetterHelp Provider Entity is part of an organized health care arrangement that jointly uses and discloses PHI to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. As an organized health care arrangement, BetterHelp Provider Group agrees to abide by the terms of this Notice. This Notice applies to BPG's therapy services that are provided by independent therapists on the BetterHelp platform in connection with its Insurance Offering (“Services”).

BetterHelp Provider Group is associated with BetterHelp, Inc. (“BetterHelp”), where BetterHelp provides certain management and administrative services to the BetterHelp Provider Group and functions as its Business Associate under HIPAA.

Effective Date

This Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) is effective as of the date listed above. It will remain in effect until BPG replaces it. BPG must abide by the terms of this Notice while it is in effect.

This Notice describes BPG's practices concerning Protected Health Information (“PHI”). PHI is information about you that may be used to identify you and that relates to your past, present for future physical or mental health condition; the provision of healthcare to you; or your past, present or future payment for the provision of health care.

In this Notice, we describe:

  • Information we collect about you
  • When we use and disclose your information
  • When we must disclose your information
  • When we need your authorization to use or disclose your information
  • Your rights regarding your information
  • Our duties regarding your PHI
  • Changes to the terms of this notice

Information We Collect About You

We collect PHI about you to provide you with the BetterHelp Services (as referenced in the Terms and Conditions).

We collect PHI from the following sources:

  • Directly from you, such as information you submit when signing up and paying for our Services.
  • Indirectly from you, such as through your actions on our website.
  • From third parties, such as health insurance companies.

When We Use and Disclose Your Information

To provide you with the Services, we use and disclose your PHI for the following purposes:

  • Treatment - To provide you with the Services. For example, we will disclose your PHI to your therapist for treatment purposes.
  • Payment - To collect payment and for other payment-related purposes. For example, we will submit a claim to your health insurer for payment.
  • Health Care Operations - To operate our business, for example, in order to provide the Services, contact you about the Services available to you, and to assess and improve the quality of the Services.

We may also use PHI to:

  • Participate in health information exchanges (HIEs) so that we can share, request, and receive electronic health information from other health care organizations for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations purposes as described above.
  • Engage third parties to assist with our payment and healthcare operations. If any such third party needs access to PHI to perform its services on our behalf, we will require that third party to enter a written agreement that protects the PHI. We provide only the minimal PHI to accomplish the intended purpose of the use and sharing of the PHI.
  • Communicate with family and friends who are involved in your care and payment for care to the extent they are legally authorized.
  • Create de-identified and aggregate information to be used for any legal purpose.

When We Must Disclose Your Information

In certain limited circumstances, we may be permitted or required by law to use your PHI without your authorization, including:

  • For public health activities such as reporting certain diseases
  • To protect victims of abuse or neglect, such as child abuse and elder neglect
  • For judicial and administrative proceedings such as responding to subpoenas
  • To prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat of harm to a person or the public
  • When required by law or for law enforcement purposes
  • For state and federal health oversight activities such as physician licensing and disciplinary action
  • To coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors in limited circumstances
  • For organ donation and transplantation
  • For research approved by an institutional review board
  • For specialized government functions such as national security
  • For workers compensation claims

When We Need Your Authorization to Use or Disclose PHI

Your written authorization is required prior to:

  • Use or disclosure of PHI for marketing
  • Sale of PHI

We will not use or disclose PHI for the purposes listed above, or for any other purpose not described in this Notice, without your written authorization. You have the right to revoke any authorization you previously provided. With regard to deceased individuals, we shall comply with the requirements about the uses and disclosures of PHI in accordance with § 164.502 of HIPAA Privacy Rule for a period of 50 years following the death of the individual.

Your Rights Regarding Your Information

Right to Access PHI

With certain exceptions, you have the right to review and obtain a copy of your PHI and may do so on a “self-service” basis by following the steps enumerated in the public Privacy Policy or by emailing hipaarequests@betterhelp.com. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee to fulfill such requests. In certain limited circumstances, we may deny your request to access your PHI. In that instance, we will inform you of the reason for the denial and whether you have the right to review. For certain grounds of denial, you have the right to have the denial reviewed by a designated licensed health care provider who did not participate in the original denial decision.

Right to Request Amendment

You have the right to request that we amend your PHI if you believe it is inaccurate or incomplete. To request amendment, email your request to hipaarequests@betterhelp.com. If we deny your request, we will allow you to submit a statement of disagreement for inclusion in your record.

Right to Request Confidential Communications

You may request that we communicate with you concerning PHI by alternative means or at an alternative location. To request confidential communications, email your request to hipaarequests@betterhelp.com. We will accommodate reasonable requests. We may condition such accommodation on you specifying an alternative address or method of contact and explaining how payment will be handled.

Right to Request an Accounting of Disclosures

You have the right to receive an accounting of we's disclosures of your PHI, except disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations and certain other purposes. To request an accounting of disclosures, email your request to hipaarequests@betterhelp.com. Your first accounting in any 12-month period will be provided without a charge. We may charge a reasonable fee for additional requests within the 12-month period.

Right to File a Complaint

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint with BetterHelp. You may file a complaint by emailing BetterHelp's Privacy Officer at hipaarequests@betterhelp.com. You also have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to

200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201
, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

You also have the right to request a paper copy of this Notice any time.

For additional information about BetterHelp Provider Group's or BetterHelp's privacy practices, you may contact our Privacy Officer:

Email: DPO@betterhelp.com

Our Duties Regarding Your PHI

BPG is required by law to maintain the privacy of PHI, to provide notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI, and notify affected individuals following any breach of unsecured PHI. We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice currently in effect.

Changes to This Notice

BPG reserves the right to change this Notice at any time. If we change this Notice, we will post the new version on our website and will make it available upon request. New terms will apply to all PHI maintained by BPG/BetterHelp.