Privacy Policy and Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective Date: April 25, 2026 | Reviewed By: Dorcas Abimaje, PMHNP-BC, Privacy Officer
Your mental health information is some of the most personal information about you. At Beaconview Psychiatry, we take that seriously. This document explains how we collect, use, and protect your information, both as a clinical practice and as a website. It also explains your rights and how to exercise them.
Please read it carefully. If you have questions at any point, contact us directly. We are always happy to walk through anything here in plain language.
1. Two Types of Information We Handle
We want to be upfront about what kind of information this document covers. There are two separate categories.
Clinical Information (Protected Health Information)
This is information created and stored during your care, including your psychiatric history, diagnoses, treatment plans, medications, lab results, and billing records. This information is stored exclusively in our secure, HIPAA-compliant electronic health records system, Optimantra. It is never collected through the public website.
Website Information
This is limited data collected when you visit beaconviewpsychiatry.com, such as your IP address, browser type, and contact form submissions. This data helps us understand how visitors use our site and respond to appointment inquiries.
The sections below address both categories.
2. HIPAA and Our Legal Obligations
Beaconview Psychiatry operates as a Covered Entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This means we are legally required to:
- Maintain the privacy and security of your Protected Health Information.
- Provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices.
- Follow the terms described in this notice.
- Notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised your information.
- Do not use or share your information beyond what is described here without your written consent.
In addition to federal HIPAA requirements, Beaconview Psychiatry complies with Massachusetts state law, which provides additional protections for patients, particularly regarding mental health records. This includes Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 123, Section 36, which governs the confidentiality of psychiatric records and sets stricter standards than federal law in certain situations.
Where Massachusetts law is more protective than HIPAA, we follow Massachusetts law.
3. How We Use Your Clinical Information
Your health information is primarily used for three purposes, referred to under HIPAA as Treatment, Payment, and Healthcare Operations.
Treatment
We use and share your information with other healthcare professionals directly involved in your care. For example, if your primary care physician needs to be aware of a medication you have been prescribed, we may share that information to ensure your care is coordinated safely.
Payment
We share necessary information with your insurance plan to process claims and receive payment for services. This includes your diagnosis, treatment codes, and other clinically relevant details your insurer requires. We accept Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Fallon Health, UnitedHealthcare, Carelon, and other major plans.
If you choose to pay entirely out-of-pocket for a service, you have the right to ask us not to share that information with your health insurer. We will honor that request.
Healthcare Operations
We may use your information internally to improve the quality of care we provide, train staff, conduct quality reviews, or make decisions about how the practice operates. In these cases, only the minimum necessary information is used.
4. Other Permitted Disclosures
Beyond the three standard purposes above, there are specific situations where we may be permitted or required to share your information without your consent. These are governed by federal and Massachusetts state law and are limited to the following:
- Mandatory reporting of suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence involving a minor, elderly person, or person with a disability.
- Preventing a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety, or to the safety of another person. Under Massachusetts law, this includes situations where a clinician has a duty to warn an identifiable third party of a credible threat.
- Complying with a valid court order or administrative order. Note: as an unlicensed private practice under Massachusetts law, Beaconview Psychiatry may not produce records in response to a subpoena alone without a court order or your written authorization.
- Workers' compensation claims, to the extent required by law.
- Public health reporting, such as reporting adverse drug reactions or communicable disease.
- Health oversight activities, including audits or investigations by regulatory bodies such as the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing.
- Research purposes, subject to appropriate ethical and legal safeguards.
- Upon your death, with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director, as required by law.
We will never use or share your information for marketing purposes. We will never sell your information. Any use beyond what is described in this notice requires your explicit written authorization.
5. Psychotherapy Notes: Special Protections
This section matters more than most people realize. Please read it carefully.
Psychotherapy notes are the private notes a clinician keeps for their own use during or after a session. They contain impressions, observations, and clinical reflections that are separate from your official medical record.
These notes receive stronger protections than general medical records under both federal law (HIPAA, 45 CFR Section 164.501) and Massachusetts law. They are not shared with insurers as part of routine billing. In most cases, disclosing psychotherapy notes to anyone outside the practice requires your explicit written authorization.
There are narrow exceptions where disclosure may occur without your authorization:
- Use by your provider in treating you.
- Your provider defending themselves in legal proceedings you initiated.
- Investigation by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
- Situations required by law, limited strictly to what the law requires.
- Averting a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of others.
Your psychotherapy notes are among the most protected categories of health information. We treat them accordingly.
6. Your Rights
As a patient of Beaconview Psychiatry, you have significant rights under HIPAA and Massachusetts law. The table below summarizes them.
| Your Right | What It Means |
|---|---|
|
Access Your Records |
ContentYou can request a copy of your medical record, usually within 30 days. A reasonable fee may apply.
|
|
Request Corrections |
You can ask us to correct information in your record that you believe is wrong or incomplete. We will respond in writing within 60 days. |
|
Request Restrictions |
You can ask us to limit how we use or share certain information. If you pay entirely out-of-pocket for a service, we will honor a request not to share that information with your health insurer.
|
|
Confidential Communications |
You can ask us to contact you in a specific way, for example by email instead of phone. We will say yes to all reasonable requests.
|
|
Accounting of Disclosures |
You can ask for a list of every time we shared your information over the past six years, with whom, and why. One free accounting per year. |
|
Paper Copy of This Notice |
You can request a physical copy of this document at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically.
|
|
Designate a Representative |
If someone holds your medical power of attorney or is your legal guardian, they can exercise these rights on your behalf. |
|
File a Complaint |
You can file a complaint with us directly or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. You will never be penalized for filing a complaint. |
To exercise any of these rights, contact our Privacy Officer at info@beaconviewpsychiatry.com or by phone at (413) 242-6010.
7. Our Business Associates
Some vendors and service providers have access to your Protected Health Information in order to perform services on our behalf. Under HIPAA, these are called Business Associates. We enter into legally binding Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with every vendor who may access your information. They are contractually required to protect your data to the same standard we do.
Our current Business Associates include:
- Optimantra, our Electronic Health Record and secure patient portal.
- Telehealth platforms used to conduct secure, encrypted video appointments.
- Third-party billing and insurance clearinghouses used strictly to process claims.
We do not share your information with any other third party unless required by law or you have given written authorization.
8. Website Privacy and Cookies
This section applies to visitors of beaconviewpsychiatry.com, including people who have not yet become patients.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain technical information is collected automatically. This includes your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on the site. We use Google Analytics and Rank Math to understand how visitors use our website. This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally.
Cookies are small files stored in your browser that help us understand website usage. You can disable cookies in your browser settings at any time without affecting your ability to use the site.
Contact Form Submissions
If you submit an inquiry through our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and phone number solely to respond to your request. This information is not added to a clinical record unless you become a patient.
Scheduling Portal
Our online scheduling is handled through Optimantra. When you click Schedule an Appointment, you are redirected to Optimantra's platform, which has its own privacy policy and security infrastructure. Optimantra is HIPAA-compliant and operates under a Business Associate Agreement with Beaconview Psychiatry.
9. Electronic Communications and Email
Important: Standard email is not a HIPAA-secure channel.
Sending sensitive clinical or personal health information to info@beaconviewpsychiatry.com carries privacy risks we cannot fully control. Please use your Optimantra patient portal for any communication involving your health history, medications, symptoms, or treatment details.
We use standard email for general appointment scheduling, administrative inquiries, and non-clinical communications. Electronic messages may occasionally be delayed or lost due to technical issues. If you need to confirm a scheduling matter, calling us directly at (413) 242-6010 is the most reliable option.
We do not monitor email or other electronic messages outside of business hours, including weekends and holidays. For medical or psychiatric emergencies, do not use email. Contact your primary care physician, call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room.
10. Telehealth Privacy
Beaconview Psychiatry offers telehealth services to patients anywhere in Massachusetts. All telehealth sessions are conducted through HIPAA-compliant video platforms that use end-to-end encryption.
Under Massachusetts General Laws (the 2020 Act Promoting a Resilient Health Care System), telehealth includes audio-video, telephone, and online communications used to evaluate, diagnose, treat, and monitor health conditions. We comply fully with this law.
You should be aware that the security of a telehealth session also depends on your environment. We recommend using a private space where you cannot be overheard, and a secure internet connection, whenever possible.
11. Social Media
Beaconview Psychiatry may use social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram to share general information about mental health, practice updates, and educational content. We will never use social media to communicate with individual patients about their care, and we will never reference or identify any patient on social media in any form.
If you send us a private message through a social media platform, please do not include any health information in that message. Those platforms do not meet HIPAA security standards. We will respond by directing you to contact us through our official channels.
If our practice inadvertently follows or connects with a patient on social media, that connection will be removed immediately to protect confidentiality and maintain professional boundaries.
12. Data Security
Our technical and administrative safeguards include:
- SSL encryption on all data transmitted to and from our website.
- Access controls that limit clinical data to authorized personnel only.
- Multi-factor authentication for all systems that hold patient information.
- A Written Information Security Program (WISP) that meets the requirements of Massachusetts 201 CMR 17.00, the state's data security regulation.
- Periodic security reviews to ensure our systems meet current standards.
Massachusetts law requires us to notify you of a data breach faster than the federal 60-day window. If a breach occurs that may affect your information, we will notify you promptly and in accordance with both HIPAA and Massachusetts breach notification law.
13. Changes to This Policy
We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy and Notice of Privacy Practices at any time. Any changes will be effective immediately upon being posted to this page and will apply to all information we currently hold about you. An updated copy will always be available on our website and upon request.
If we make a material change, we will update the effective date at the top of this document.
14. Contact Our Privacy Officer
If you have questions about this policy, believe your privacy rights have been violated, or want to exercise any of the rights described here, please contact us directly.
Privacy Officer: Dorcas Abimaje, PMHNP-BC
Practice: Beaconview Psychiatry
Address: 167 Dwight Road, Longmeadow, MA
Phone: (413) 242-6010
Email: info@beaconviewpsychiatry.com
You also have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, at 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, or by calling 1-877-696-6775, or online at www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints.
You will never be penalized or have your care affected in any way for filing a complaint.