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Privacy Policy & HIPAA Notice
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.
Effective date: April 1, 2026 · Northwest Psychiatry LLC
Notice of Privacy Practices (HIPAA)
Northwest Psychiatry LLC is required by law to maintain the privacy of Protected Health Information (PHI) and to provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices. We are required to abide by the terms of this notice as currently in effect.
“Protected Health Information” (PHI) means individually identifiable health information — including demographic information, your medical history, mental health records, test results, insurance information, and other information about you — that is created, received, or maintained by this practice.
This practice is a covered entity under HIPAA.
As a psychiatric practice, we are bound by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the HITECH Act, which impose strict requirements on how we handle your health information.
How We Use & Disclose Your Health Information
We use and disclose your PHI only as permitted or required by law. Common uses and disclosures include:
Treatment
We use your PHI to provide psychiatric services — including diagnosis, medication management, therapy, and coordination of care with other providers (such as your primary care physician or specialists). We may share your information with other treating providers when clinically appropriate.
Payment
We may share your PHI with your health insurer, billing service (including Headway), or other payers to obtain payment for services rendered. This may include sharing diagnosis codes, treatment notes, and other clinical information required by your insurance plan.
Healthcare Operations
We may use your PHI for administrative purposes such as quality improvement, compliance audits, and practice management. These uses are limited to what is necessary to operate the practice responsibly.
As Required by Law
We may disclose PHI when required by federal, state, or local law — including mandatory reporting of suspected abuse or neglect, responses to court orders or subpoenas, and public health reporting obligations.
Safety & Emergency Situations
When necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety, or the health or safety of the public or another person, we may disclose PHI to those reasonably able to prevent or lessen such threat — including emergency personnel.
Mental Health Confidentiality (42 CFR Part 2)
Records related to substance use disorder treatment are protected under additional federal confidentiality regulations (42 CFR Part 2), which are more restrictive than HIPAA. Such records will not be disclosed without your express written consent except in limited emergency circumstances.
All other uses and disclosures of your PHI — including marketing, research, and sharing with family members — require your written authorization, which you may revoke at any time.
Your Rights Under HIPAA
You have the following rights regarding your Protected Health Information. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us in writing at Nicholas.Eddy@northwestpsychiatry.org.
Right to Access Your Records
You have the right to inspect and request a copy of your medical records. We will respond within 30 days. We may charge a reasonable cost-based fee for copies. Psychiatric notes (psychotherapy notes) maintained separately may have additional restrictions.
Right to Request an Amendment
If you believe your health information is inaccurate or incomplete, you may request an amendment. We may deny the request if the record is accurate or not created by this practice.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures
You may request a list of certain disclosures of your PHI made by this practice over the past six years (excluding disclosures for treatment, payment, and operations).
Right to Request Restrictions
You may request restrictions on how we use or disclose your PHI. We are not required to agree to all restrictions, but we must agree to not disclose your PHI to your health plan if you pay for the service in full out of pocket.
Right to Confidential Communications
You may request that we communicate with you in a specific way or at a specific location (e.g., only contact you by email, or only at a certain phone number). We will accommodate reasonable requests.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice
You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time. To request a copy, email us at the address above.
Website & Online Privacy
This section describes how Northwest Psychiatry LLC collects and uses information when you visit northwestpsychiatry.org.
Information We Collect Automatically
When you visit our website, we may automatically collect technical data such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and pages visited. This data is used solely for website security, performance monitoring, and analytics. It is not linked to your medical records.
Forms & Contact Submissions
If you submit a contact form, waitlist request, or pre-appointment check-in through this website, the information you provide is stored securely and used only to respond to your inquiry or prepare for your appointment. We do not sell or share form submissions with third parties for marketing purposes.
Cookies & Tracking
Our website may use essential cookies to maintain functionality (such as session state). We do not use third-party advertising cookies or tracking pixels. Analytics data, if collected, is used in aggregate and is not tied to your identity.
Third-Party Links
This site contains links to third-party platforms including Headway (scheduling and billing), Doxy.me (telehealth), Psychology Today, and others. Once you leave our website, this Privacy Policy no longer applies. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you use.
Telehealth & Platform Security
All telehealth appointments are conducted via Doxy.me, a HIPAA-compliant, encrypted video platform. No appointment recordings are made or retained.
Scheduling and insurance billing are handled through Headway, a HIPAA-compliant platform. By scheduling through Headway, you agree to Headway’s own Privacy Policy.
Electronic prescriptions are transmitted through HIPAA-compliant e-prescribing systems directly to your pharmacy. Prescription data is never transmitted via unencrypted channels.
Security practices
- ✓HTTPS/TLS encryption on all web traffic
- ✓Access controls limiting PHI to authorized personnel only
- ✓Regular security reviews and compliance monitoring
- ✓Incident response procedures in place per HIPAA Breach Notification Rule
Minor Patients
Northwest Psychiatry LLC provides services to adolescent patients. For minor patients, a parent or legal guardian generally has the right to access the minor’s medical records. However, certain confidential services — as defined by Maine state law — may be accessed by a minor without parental consent, and the records for those services may be treated as confidential even from parents or guardians.
Specific questions about minor patient privacy rights should be directed to our office.
Changes to This Notice
Northwest Psychiatry LLC reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy and Notice of Privacy Practices at any time. Changes will be effective upon posting to this page. The effective date at the top of this notice will be updated accordingly.
Material changes affecting your rights or how we use your PHI will be communicated to active patients by email or through the patient portal.
Contact & Complaints
If you have questions about this notice or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact us:
Northwest Psychiatry LLC
Nicholas Eddy, PMHNP-BC, Privacy Contact
Right to File a Complaint
If you believe your privacy rights under HIPAA have been violated and are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.
Questions? We’re happy to help.