Your privacy deserves the same care and respect.

1. Scope of this policy

This Privacy Policy explains how EMPATH Medicine may collect, use, disclose, and protect information obtained through this website, online inquiry features, appointment-related links, email communications initiated through the site, and similar digital interactions.

This policy does not replace any consent form, telehealth consent, financial policy, patient portal notice, or Notice of Privacy Practices that may apply once you become a patient or provide protected health information in the course of care.

2. Information we may collect

Depending on how you use the website, EMPATH Medicine or service providers supporting the website may collect the following categories of information:

• Contact information such as your name, email address, telephone number, and information you choose to include in a message.
• Appointment or scheduling information submitted through a scheduling platform or booking link.
• Insurance-related information submitted to a third-party insurance or scheduling service when you choose to use that service.
• Technical information such as IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, referring pages, date and time of visits, and similar website usage information.
• Cookie, analytics, or similar information that may be collected by the website or embedded third-party services.
• Any other information you voluntarily provide when contacting EMPATH Medicine.

Please avoid sending highly sensitive medical, psychiatric, financial, or identifying information through a general website contact form unless the form is specifically designed and identified for that purpose.

3. How information may be used

Information collected through the website may be used for legitimate practice and website purposes, including to:

• Respond to questions, consultation requests, and general inquiries.
• Help facilitate scheduling, appointment coordination, and patient communication.
• Operate, maintain, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the website.
• Understand how visitors use the website and which pages or resources are most useful.
• Prevent fraud, abuse, misuse, or security incidents.
• Comply with legal, regulatory, professional, or contractual obligations.
• Protect the rights, safety, and property of EMPATH Medicine, its patients, visitors, and others.

EMPATH Medicine does not intend to sell personal medical information. Uses and disclosures of protected health information, when applicable, are governed separately by applicable health privacy law and the practice's Notice of Privacy Practices.

4. When information may be shared

EMPATH Medicine may disclose website-related information when reasonably necessary to operate the practice or website, or when required or permitted by law. This may include disclosure to:

• Service providers that support website hosting, scheduling, communications, security, analytics, mapping, or related operations.
• Professional advisers, insurers, auditors, or legal counsel when reasonably necessary.
• Government authorities, regulators, courts, law enforcement, or other parties when disclosure is required or permitted by applicable law.
• A successor entity in connection with a permitted business reorganization, merger, transfer, or similar transaction, subject to applicable privacy requirements.

Where a service provider handles protected health information on behalf of the practice, additional contractual and legal requirements may apply.

5. Third-party services and links

The EMPATH Medicine website may link to or use third-party platforms for scheduling, insurance-related booking, maps, communications, website hosting, or other functions. Current booking options on the site may include services such as Tebra and Headway.

When you leave the EMPATH Medicine website or submit information directly to a third-party platform, that platform's own privacy policy and terms may apply. EMPATH Medicine does not control all privacy or security practices of independent third parties.

You should review the privacy terms presented by any third-party service before submitting sensitive information through that service.

6. Cookies and website technologies

The website may use cookies, pixels, local storage, analytics tools, or similar technologies to support functionality, remember preferences, understand website performance, and help protect the site from misuse.

Some third-party content embedded on the website may also use its own technologies. Your browser may allow you to block or delete certain cookies. Disabling cookies may affect how portions of the website function.

7. Security and data retention

EMPATH Medicine takes reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures intended to protect information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. No website, email system, or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Information may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, to support practice operations, to resolve disputes, to maintain appropriate records, or to satisfy legal and regulatory obligations.

If you believe information you provided through the website may have been compromised, please contact EMPATH Medicine using the information below.

8. Your privacy choices and rights

Depending on where you live, the type of information involved, and the law that applies, you may have certain privacy rights. These may include the ability to request access to certain personal information, ask that inaccurate information be corrected, request deletion in circumstances where deletion is legally available, or ask questions about how information is used or disclosed.

Rights involving your clinical record or protected health information may be different from rights involving ordinary website data. Requests involving patient records should be handled through the appropriate patient or privacy process.

EMPATH Medicine will evaluate privacy requests in accordance with applicable law and may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

9. Children and adolescents

EMPATH Medicine provides psychiatric services to children and adolescents, but this website is not intended to encourage a minor to independently submit sensitive personal or medical information without appropriate parent, guardian, or legally authorized involvement when such involvement is required.

Consent, confidentiality, parental access, and adolescent privacy in clinical care are governed by applicable professional standards and federal and state law, which may differ based on age, type of care, location, and other circumstances.

10. HIPAA and patient information

If EMPATH Medicine is acting as a HIPAA-covered health care provider with respect to your information, protected health information is handled in accordance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule and other applicable law.

A separate Notice of Privacy Practices describes how medical information may be used and disclosed, your rights concerning that information, and the practice's responsibilities. The Notice of Privacy Practices governs where it applies and should be reviewed separately from this website Privacy Policy.

Patients may have rights concerning their medical records, including rights to request copies or corrections, request certain confidential communications, ask for certain restrictions, request an accounting of certain disclosures, and raise privacy complaints, subject to applicable law and exceptions.

11. Changes to this policy

EMPATH Medicine may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the website, services, technology, legal requirements, or privacy practices.

When the policy is revised, the effective date at the top of the page will be updated. Material changes may also be communicated in another appropriate manner when required.

12. Contact EMPATH Medicine about privacy

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, believe information submitted through the website has been handled incorrectly, or would like to make a privacy-related request, you may contact EMPATH Medicine using the details below.

If your concern involves protected health information or patient-record privacy, please identify that in your communication so the request can be routed appropriately.