Acceptance of Terms
By using this website, you agree to these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, please do not use the site. North Star Psychiatry & Wellness, LLC may update these terms periodically, and continued use of the site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.
Purpose of This Website
This website is provided for general informational purposes about North Star Psychiatry & Wellness and to allow prospective patients to begin the registration process. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
No Provider-Patient Relationship
Registering as a new patient through this website does not, by itself, create a provider-patient relationship. That relationship begins once your appointment is confirmed and your first visit takes place.
Text Messaging (SMS) Program Terms
These terms govern text messages that North Star Psychiatry & Wellness, LLC ("North Star") sends to patients and prospective patients through RingCentral, the telephone and business messaging platform we use. They form part of these Terms of Use and should be read together with our Privacy Policy and our Notice of Privacy Practices. We send text messages in accordance with applicable federal and state law, including HIPAA and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
Program description and what we send
Our program is called North Star Patient Messaging. If you have consented, we may send text messages to your mobile number that are limited to:
- Appointment reminders, confirmations, cancellations, and rescheduling notices, including telepsychiatry visit links
- Requests to complete registration or intake, or notices that a message or document is waiting for you in the patient portal (we notify you that something is available; we do not place its contents in the text)
- Administrative notices, such as office closures or weather delays, insurance or billing notices, and requests to update a payment method
- Replies to text messages you send to us
We do not send marketing or promotional text messages, and we will not do so without a separate written consent from you. We keep text messages brief and generic. We do not include diagnoses, medication names, test results, or other clinical details in text messages.
Your consent
By providing your mobile number to North Star and agreeing to receive text messages, whether on a registration or intake form, in the patient portal, verbally to our staff, or by texting us first, you consent to receive the types of text messages described above at that number. We may send a text to confirm your consent. You confirm that you are the subscriber or customary user of the number, or that the subscriber has authorized you to give this consent.
Consent to text messaging is not a condition of receiving care at North Star. You may decline text messages at any time, and we will contact you by telephone, the patient portal, or another method you choose.
How to stop text messages (opt out)
You may withdraw your consent at any time, for any reason, using any reasonable method:
- Reply STOP to any text message from us. You may also reply STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, or QUIT.
- Tell our office by telephone or in person, send a message through the patient portal, or email customerservice@northstarpsychiatrysc.com.
After you opt out, we will send you one text confirming that you have been unsubscribed, and we will not send further text messages to that number except as permitted by law. We will process your request promptly and in any event within the time required by law. If you want to resume text messages later, reply START or contact our office.
Opting out does not affect your eligibility for care or the quality of care you receive. Opting out of text reminders does not cancel an appointment and does not change your responsibilities under our scheduling, cancellation, and missed-appointment terms in our Financial Responsibility policy. Text reminders are a courtesy only, and you remain responsible for knowing the date and time of your appointments.
Help
For help, reply HELP to any text message from us, email customerservice@northstarpsychiatrysc.com, or call (803) 956-9508 during office hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, closed on major holidays).
Message frequency, cost, and delivery
Message frequency varies with your appointment schedule and activity on your account. Message and data rates may apply under your wireless plan; North Star does not charge a fee for text messages. Wireless carriers and RingCentral are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages, and delivery is not guaranteed.
Confidentiality and risks of text messaging
Text messaging is not a secure or encrypted way to communicate. Messages pass through your wireless carrier and other systems, may be stored on your device and others, and may be seen by anyone with access to your phone, including through lock-screen previews, shared plans, or shared devices. Because the name of our practice may itself indicate that you receive mental health services, please consider who may see your phone before you agree to receive texts. You may decline text messages, or ask us to use a different method of contact, at any time, and we will accommodate reasonable requests.
Please do not text us your symptoms, diagnoses, medication questions, or other sensitive information. Use the patient portal or call our office instead. Text messages sent to us are handled during our regular office hours and are not reviewed for clinical urgency.
Not for emergencies
Do not use text messaging to reach us in an emergency or crisis. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. You can also call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at any hour.
Minors, shared numbers, and changed numbers
For patients under 18, we send text messages to the mobile number of the parent or guardian who is authorized to receive information about the patient's care, and we rely on that person's consent. Please tell us right away if you change or give up your mobile number so that messages are not delivered to someone else. If you receive a text from us that was not intended for you, reply STOP and let our office know. Please do not forward or share the contents of any message.
Your mobile information is not sold or shared for marketing
We do not sell, rent, or share your mobile phone number or your text-messaging consent with third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes. We share mobile information only with service providers, such as RingCentral, that help us send and receive messages on our behalf, and when required by law. See our Privacy Policy for more information.
Changes to the program
We may change, suspend, or end the text messaging program, or these program terms, at any time. If a change materially affects you, we will let you know. Your right to opt out will not change.
Intellectual Property
The content on this site, including text, graphics, and the North Star Psychiatry & Wellness name and logo, is the property of North Star Psychiatry & Wellness, LLC and may not be copied, reproduced, or used without permission.
Third-Party Links
This site may link to external resources, such as insurance carriers or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of external websites.
Limitation of Liability
North Star Psychiatry & Wellness, LLC makes no warranties about the completeness or accuracy of information on this site and is not liable for any damages arising from its use, to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Governing Law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of South Carolina.
Contact Us
For general questions about these terms, contact our office at (803) 956-9508 or customerservice@northstarpsychiatrysc.com. For privacy questions, contact our Privacy Officer at privacyofficer@northstarpsychiatrysc.com. To request an accommodation or report an accessibility barrier, contact ADA@northstarpsychiatrysc.com.
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