What’s New
Every feature, improvement, and fix added to the Northwest Psychiatry portal and website since the official launch on May 1, 2026.
Release v1.1 · May 2–22, 2026
Portal Settings, AI Improvements & More
30 changes — 4 bug fixes, 5 improvements, 21 new
Settings Reorganized into 10 Sections
The Account → Settings tab was a single flat form. It's now a proper sidebar-navigated panel with 10 organized sections, each focused on a specific part of your portal experience. Finding and changing any setting takes seconds.
Open in portalNotification Preferences
Control exactly which emails you receive from Northwest Psychiatry — toggle on/off: portal messages, appointment reminders, new assessments, medication updates, profile/allergy changes, wellness check-in reminders, and mental health resource newsletters.
Open in portalDisplay Settings
Set your preferred time zone so appointment times always display correctly. Choose which tab opens first when you sign in (Home, Messages, Appointments, etc.), and toggle compact layout mode for a denser view.
Open in portalPortal Color Themes
Choose a portal color theme that suits you — options include the original Northwest palette, a calmer Ocean Blue, a warm Warm Dusk, and a full Dark Mode for low-light environments. The choice is saved to your account.
Open in portalAccessibility Settings
Adjust the portal to fit your needs: increase font size (Small / Medium / Large), enable reduced motion for animations, turn on high contrast mode, or switch to a dyslexia-friendly font.
Open in portalHealth Records Section
A new Settings → Health Records section explains exactly what information Northwest Psychiatry keeps on file for you (evaluations, progress notes, labs, billing, etc.) and includes a formal records request form.
Open in portalAppointments Settings
Embedded telehealth setup guide in Settings → Appointments. Review your preferred appointment type, check your device and internet connection, and confirm how you like to receive session reminders.
Open in portalBilling & Insurance Settings
New Settings → Billing & Insurance section surfaces your insurance on file, links to your Headway billing portal, and explains how to update your insurance or ask billing questions.
Open in portalPrivacy & Consents
Manage your AI Assistant consent, review what data is collected and how it's used, and access your full HIPAA rights in one place. AI-powered features in the portal are opt-in and clearly disclosed.
Open in portalCommunication Preferences
Tell your care team your preferred contact method, best time to reach you, and any specific communication notes — all editable in Settings → Communication.
Open in portalCrisis Resources Surface Automatically
The AI assistant now detects distress language and automatically surfaces 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) and Crisis Text Line links during that conversation. You don't need to search for help — it appears when it's needed.
AI Disclaimer Shown by Default
Every AI chat session now opens with a clear disclaimer: the assistant provides general information only and is not a substitute for clinical care. The disclaimer is prominent and plain-language — no fine print.
AI Consent — Opt-In Control
AI-powered features in the portal are now fully opt-in. Your consent is managed in Settings → Privacy & Consents. You can enable or withdraw consent at any time, and opting out disables all AI features without affecting your other portal access.
Open in portalClinical Intelligence Tab Added to My Care
A new Clinical Intelligence tab is now visible in your portal under My Care. It synthesizes your assessment history, mood trends, symptom logs, and treatment data into an AI-assisted overview — giving you meaningful context about your own mental health trajectory between appointments.
Open in portalAssessment Trend Analysis
Clinical Intelligence reads your full PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, ASRS, and other screening histories and identifies trends over time — whether scores are improving, plateauing, or showing concern — with plain-language explanations for each finding.
Open in portalMood & Symptom Data Integration
Your mood tracker and symptom log data feed directly into Clinical Intelligence. The tool surfaces patterns (e.g., worsening mood on certain days, clusters of anxiety symptoms) that may be useful to discuss at your next appointment.
Open in portalAI-Powered — Fully Opt-In
Clinical Intelligence is powered by AI and requires explicit consent. You control it: enable or withdraw access at any time in Settings → Privacy & Consents. Opting out disables the tool without affecting any other part of your portal.
Open in portalClinical Intelligence Card on Portal Home
A quick-access Clinical Intelligence button now appears on the portal Home tab alongside Messages, Appointments, Medications, and other core features — one tap to reach your AI-assisted health overview.
Open in portalPre-Session Check-In Review Queue
Nicholas can now review all submitted pre-session check-ins from a dedicated queue in the admin panel — sorted by upcoming appointment date. Patient responses are organized and ready before each session, no searching required.
Wellness Check-In Configuration
The admin panel now includes a Wellness Check-ins configuration card. Nicholas can adjust the mood scale type (5-point vs. 10-point), set daily reminder timing, control journal entry privacy, and configure automatic alerts for significant mood declines.
AI Chatbot Settings Panel
Separate configuration controls for the portal AI assistant and the public website chatbot — each with independent message limits, safety disclaimer toggles, crisis resource auto-linking, and conversation logging preferences.
Secure Messages — Direct Thread Link
The "View →" shortcut inside your profile card now opens your exact conversation with your provider, rather than landing on a blank inbox.
Open in portalMessage Formatting Fixed
Some messages displayed raw code (" ") where a simple space should appear. Text now renders cleanly in all messages.
Treatment Tracker & Progress Notes Toggles Work
Admin switches that turn these portal tabs on or off were silently ignored. They now apply immediately — if your provider enables or disables a feature, your portal reflects that in real time.
Sitemap Duplicate Entries Removed
Several URLs were appearing twice in the site's XML sitemap, which can confuse search engines. Duplicate entries are now filtered out, and all canonical URLs are unique.
New FAQ: Conditions We Treat
A new FAQ section answers common questions about depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, bipolar disorder, insomnia, and what conditions Nicholas works with.
Open in portalNew FAQ: Crisis & Safety
Five new answers cover what to do in a mental health emergency, how to reach 24/7 crisis support, and how safety planning works.
Open in portalTelehealth FAQ Expanded
The telehealth section grew from 3 to 7 questions — now covering recommended browsers, mobile device tips, minimum internet speed, and how to test your camera and mic before a session.
Open in portalWhat's New Page
This page! A running changelog for the Northwest Psychiatry website and patient portal, organized by release. Every patient- and provider-facing improvement, bug fix, and new feature is documented here.
Open in portalFaster Portal Dashboard Load
Four separate server requests on every portal load were merged into one, making the dashboard noticeably faster to become interactive.
Ready to get started?
Set up your patient portal account — no invite code needed.
Create Portal AccountNorthwest Psychiatry LLC · Nicholas Eddy, PMHNP · (360) 342-6445
Questions? Nicholas.Eddy@northwestpsychiatry.org