Effective date: May 19, 2026. This Privacy Policy explains how The Stepwell Center, LLC ("The Stepwell Center," "we," "our," or "us") collects, uses, shares, and protects information through our website at stepwellcenter.com (the "Site") and the inquiry, intake, and admissions communications that begin there. It also describes how clinical records created once you become a patient are protected under separate federal and state laws.
The Stepwell Center provides outpatient mental health and substance use treatment in Lakeway, Texas. Because we treat substance use disorders, our clinical records receive heightened protection under 42 CFR Part 2 in addition to the protections that apply to all of our patient records under HIPAA and Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 611. The sections below explain how each set of rules works in plain language.
Scope of this policy
This policy covers two related but distinct categories of information.
Website information. Information you provide through this Site or in the early stages of an inquiry, before a clinical relationship is established. This includes contact form submissions, phone screening notes, email exchanges, and basic technical information collected automatically when you visit the Site.
Protected health information ("PHI"). Information created or maintained about you as a patient, including your comprehensive assessment results, treatment plan, session notes, medication records, and any communications related to your care. PHI is governed by our Notice of Privacy Practices ("NPP") and by the federal substance use disorder confidentiality rule at 42 CFR Part 2. Patients receive the NPP and the Part 2 Patient Notice in writing at admission. If you would like a copy before then, contact us at info@stepwellcenter.com and we will provide one.
Information we collect through the Site
Information you provide
When you reach out to us, you choose what to share. Typical fields collected through our inquiry channels include:
- Your name, phone number, and email address
- The reason you are reaching out, in the words you choose
- Insurance information you offer for benefits verification
- The name and relationship of anyone you ask us to involve in admissions communications
- Scheduling preferences for an assessment or call back
The contact form on our Site is the most common entry point. You may also call us at 512.743.9285 or email info@stepwellcenter.com directly. Information shared by phone or email is treated with the same care as information shared through the form.
Information collected automatically
When you visit the Site, our hosting and content delivery providers receive routine technical information that is generated by your browser. This includes your IP address, device and browser type, the pages you view, the time of your visit, and the referring page or search term that brought you to the Site. This information is used to operate the Site, to detect abuse, and to understand which pages are useful to visitors so that we can improve them. It is not used to build a marketing or advertising profile about you, and the Site does not run third-party advertising networks, social media trackers, or session-replay tools.
Cookies
The Site uses only the essential cookies needed to deliver pages and remember basic preferences such as your color theme. We do not use advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, or cross-site tracking technologies. You can disable cookies in your browser settings; the Site will continue to function without them.
Analytics
The Site uses Vercel Web Analytics, a privacy-focused analytics service provided by our hosting provider. Vercel Web Analytics records aggregated page views and basic visit data without using cookies, without tracking you across other websites, and without building a profile of your activity. IP addresses are hashed before storage, and the data we receive is summarized at the page level rather than tied to individuals. We use this information to understand which pages are useful so we can improve them.
How we use information
We use the information you provide to:
- Respond to your inquiry and answer your questions
- Schedule a comprehensive assessment or an initial conversation
- Verify insurance benefits and discuss financial arrangements
- Coordinate logistics with people you authorize us to involve
- Maintain a record of our communications with you for clinical and administrative continuity
- Comply with our legal, accreditation, and professional obligations
We use technical information about Site visits to operate, secure, and improve the Site. We do not sell or rent any of this information.
How we share information
We share information only in the limited circumstances described here.
Within our care team. Information you share is reviewed by the staff who need it to respond to you, schedule your assessment, and coordinate your care. This is the smallest set of people who can do the work.
With service providers. We use a small number of vendors to operate the Site and our business: a website host, an email and calendaring provider, a phone service, and an insurance benefits verification service. These vendors are contractually required to handle information only on our behalf and only for the purposes we direct.
With people you authorize. If you ask us to involve a spouse, a parent, a referring clinician, or another person, we will speak with that person in the way you direct. Authorization can be verbal in the inquiry phase and is captured in writing once you become a patient.
For legal compliance. We disclose information when we are required to do so by law, by a court order, or in response to a valid legal process. For information protected by 42 CFR Part 2, this includes specific limitations described below.
We do not sell information. We do not share information with data brokers. We do not use your information to train advertising or marketing models.
Special protections for substance use disorder records
Federal law at 42 CFR Part 2 gives substance use disorder records a layer of protection beyond HIPAA. The Stepwell Center is a Part 2 program, and information identifying you as a patient with a substance use disorder is treated under both Part 2 and HIPAA.
The most important practical consequence is this: SUD records created or received by a Part 2 program may not be used or disclosed in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceeding against you, except with your written consent or a court order entered after notice and an opportunity to be heard. This protection limits how your records can be subpoenaed and how they can be used against you in legal matters. It is one of the strongest confidentiality protections in U.S. health law.
Part 2 also requires us to obtain your written consent for most disclosures, with narrow exceptions for medical emergencies, internal communications among program staff, qualified service organization arrangements, audits, research conducted under specific safeguards, and reports of suspected child abuse or neglect as required by Texas law. You will receive our Part 2 Patient Notice and our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices in writing at admission. Both documents describe your rights in detail.
Texas law and mental health records
Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 611 provides additional confidentiality protections for communications between a patient and a mental health professional. These protections operate alongside HIPAA and, where applicable, Part 2. Where Texas law provides stricter confidentiality than federal law, we follow Texas law.
Your rights
You have the following rights with respect to information we hold about you. The procedures for exercising these rights are described in our Notice of Privacy Practices and the Part 2 Patient Notice; this section summarizes them.
- Access. You may request a copy of your records, including an electronic copy when we maintain them electronically.
- Amendment. You may request that we correct information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
- Accounting of disclosures. You may request a list of disclosures we have made of your records, including an accounting of electronic disclosures for the past three years.
- Restrictions. You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures, including a right to restrict disclosures to a health plan for services you pay for in full out of pocket.
- Confidential communications. You may request that we communicate with you by a specific method or at a specific location.
- Revocation of consent. You may revoke any written consent for disclosure at any time, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.
- Complaints. You may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
To exercise any of these rights, contact our Privacy Officer at info@stepwellcenter.com or by calling 512.743.9285 and asking for the Privacy Officer.
How long we keep information
We retain inquiry communications for as long as needed to respond to your request, to maintain a record of your interactions with us, and to meet our legal and accreditation obligations. Clinical records are retained according to Texas medical record retention requirements and our internal policies, which generally call for retention of adult records for at least seven years after the last date of service. Specific retention timelines vary by record type and are documented in our records management policy, which is available on request.
How we protect information
We use administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, and destruction. Safeguards include workforce training, role-based access controls, encryption of data in transit and at rest where appropriate, secure facility access, vendor due diligence, and incident response procedures. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we treat protection of your information as a clinical and operational priority.
Communications by email and text
Email and text are not inherently secure forms of communication. We may use them for general scheduling and logistics, but we will not include clinical details in unencrypted messages unless you have asked us to and acknowledged the risk. If you prefer secure communication, we can arrange an encrypted channel or use a phone call.
Children's privacy
This Site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through the Site. Patient care for minors is handled offline through our admissions team and is subject to applicable parental consent requirements.
Out-of-state and California visitors
The Stepwell Center operates in Texas, and our Site is intended for visitors located in the United States. If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act gives you the right to know what categories of personal information we collect, the right to request deletion of personal information, the right to correct inaccurate personal information, and the right to opt out of any sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise any California right described here, contact our Privacy Officer at info@stepwellcenter.com.
Changes to this policy
We update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of the policy and, where appropriate, provide additional notice on the Site. We encourage you to review the policy periodically.
Contact
For questions about this policy or about how we handle your information, contact our Privacy Officer:
The Stepwell Center, LLC
Attn: Privacy Officer
2901 Ranch Road 620 N
Austin, TX 78734
Phone: 512.743.9285
Email: info@stepwellcenter.com