Overview
This Privacy Policy explains how North Star Psychiatry & Wellness, LLC ("North Star," "we," "our") collects, uses, and protects information when you visit our website or register as a new patient. It does not replace our Notice of Privacy Practices, which governs your protected health information (PHI) under HIPAA and is provided separately at the start of care.
Information We Collect
- Information you provide: name, contact details, date of birth, insurance information, and any notes you choose to share when you register as a new patient through our patient registration system.
- Telephone and text message information: your mobile and other telephone numbers; the content, date, time, and delivery status of text messages and calls with our office; and records of your consent to, and any opt-out from, text messaging.
- Automatically collected information: basic technical data such as browser type and general usage patterns, used only to keep the site functioning correctly.
We do not use this website to collect detailed clinical information. Sensitive health history is gathered securely once you are an active patient, through your intake paperwork and electronic health record.
How We Use Your Information
- To respond to appointment and registration requests
- To verify insurance benefits before your first visit
- To communicate with you about scheduling, billing, and your care
- To meet our legal and regulatory obligations as a healthcare provider
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.
How We Protect Information
New patient registration and the patient portal are provided through athenahealth, our electronic health record vendor, rather than on this website. Information you enter there is handled by our office staff, who are bound by confidentiality obligations. Once you become a patient, your protected health information is stored and secured in accordance with HIPAA, in our electronic health record system.
Telephone Calls, Text Messages, and RingCentral
North Star uses RingCentral, a cloud-based telephone and messaging platform, to place and receive calls and to send and receive text messages. When you call or text our office, RingCentral processes call and message information on our behalf. The terms that govern our text messages, including how to opt out, are in the Text Messaging (SMS) Program Terms in our Terms of Use.
How we use text and call information
- To send appointment reminders and confirmations, telepsychiatry visit links, registration and portal notices, and administrative, insurance, and billing notices
- To respond to calls and messages you send to us
- To record and honor your consent and opt-out choices
- To maintain records of our communications with you as required by law
Protected health information
Communications that relate to your care may be protected health information under HIPAA and are handled in accordance with our Notice of Privacy Practices. We keep text messages brief and generic and do not include diagnoses, medication names, test results, or other clinical details in them. We ask that you not send us that kind of information by text, and that you use the patient portal or telephone instead.
Service providers and no sale of mobile information
We use RingCentral as a service provider acting on our behalf, and we enter into the agreements that HIPAA requires for vendors that handle protected health information. We do not sell, rent, or share your mobile phone number or your text-messaging consent with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. We disclose this information only to service providers that help us communicate with you, and as otherwise required or permitted by law.
Your choices and your rights
- Stop text messages at any time by replying STOP to any text from us, or by telling our office or emailing customerservice@northstarpsychiatrysc.com. Reply HELP for help. Opting out does not affect your eligibility for care.
- You may ask that we contact you only by certain means or at certain locations, such as by telephone rather than by text, and we will accommodate reasonable requests.
- You may ask our office which numbers and consents we have on file for you and ask us to correct them.
Limits of text messaging, minors, and retention
Text messages are not encrypted and may be seen by others who have access to your phone or account. Please consider this before agreeing to receive texts. For patients under 18, texts go to the authorized parent or guardian's number. Text messages that become part of your medical record are kept for the period required by law and by our record-retention practices. Records of your consent and opt-outs are kept for as long as needed to document your choices and to meet legal requirements.
Your Choices
You may contact our office or our Privacy Officer at privacyofficer@northstarpsychiatrysc.com at any time to ask what information we hold about you, to correct inaccurate information, or to ask questions about how your information is used. Patients also have specific rights regarding their medical record under HIPAA, described in our Notice of Privacy Practices, provided at intake.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practice or in the law. The effective date at the top of this page reflects the most recent update.
Contact Us
Questions about this policy can be directed to our office. We prefer to be reached by text or email where possible.
- Privacy Officer: privacyofficer@northstarpsychiatrysc.com. Use this address for privacy questions, requests about your information, and privacy complaints.
- General questions: customerservice@northstarpsychiatrysc.com or (803) 956-9508
- Mail: North Star Psychiatry & Wellness, LLC, Attn: Privacy Officer, 949 E Main Street, Suite B, Lexington, SC 29072
Please do not send sensitive health information by regular email. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
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