HIPAA -   

Or why your Alchemy therapist might not greet you first at the market.

As licensed massage therapists (LMTs) in Maryland, all of our Alchemy Massage Therapists are healthcare providers and must adhere to the privacy standards set out in HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). A primary tenant of HIPAA is privacy, something we take seriously here. 

Therefore, unless we have a previously established, non-therapeutic relationship outside of the office, we won't make the first move to say hello if we see you at Whole Foods or the farmer's market.  "Why?" you ask. Because if we did that, we could be identifying you as a client, which is something that is private and only yours to disclose.

It is also why we won't talk about what you share during a session, either outside of a session or with anyone else. Your privacy, with certain mandatory reporting exceptions, is safe here. We always want you to feel absolutely safe and secure in your therapeutic relationship with us. HIPAA or not, these are ways that we can maintain your comfort and privacy and that is the most important part of the equation for us.

So please, if you see one of us out and about - feel free to say "hi!" If you don't feel like it, or don't notice one of us, don't worry. We won't take it personally either.