Privacy Policy

Overview

Northtide Health ("Northtide," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect information when you visit our website, submit an appointment request, or communicate with us by phone, email, or text message about our services.

Northtide Health is a healthcare provider. When we provide care to you, the health information we create and receive about you — including information shared during video visits, lab results, and billing records — is "protected health information" governed by the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Maryland law. How we use and disclose that information is described in our Notice of Privacy Practices. If this Privacy Policy and our Notice of Privacy Practices ever conflict regarding protected health information, the Notice of Privacy Practices controls.

Information we collect

Information you give us

When you request an appointment through our online form, we collect:

• Your first and last name, phone number, and email address
• Whether you are a new or returning patient
• The type of service you are interested in (for example, Primary Care or Behavioral Health)
• Whether you will be located in Maryland at the time of your visit
• Your preferred appointment time
• Any message you choose to include
• Your consent to be contacted about your request

We also collect information you provide when you call, email, or text us — for example, your name, contact details, insurance information, and the reason for your call.

Information collected automatically

Like most websites, when you visit our site, certain technical information is collected automatically by our website host and service providers, including:

• Your IP address and approximate location derived from it (such as city or region)
• Browser type, device type, and operating system
• Pages you visit, the date and time of your visit, and the website that referred you

Our website loads fonts from Google Fonts. When your browser requests these fonts, Google receives your IP address and basic browser information. We do not use Google Fonts to track you, and Google states that it does not use this data to build advertising profiles.

Information from others

We may receive information about you from your health plan (for example, to verify coverage), from other healthcare providers who refer you to us or with whom we coordinate your care, from laboratories, and from pharmacies. This information is protected health information and is handled under our Notice of Privacy Practices.

Please don't send detailed medical information through our website

How we use information

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to your appointment request and schedule your visit
• Verify your insurance coverage and eligibility for care
• Send appointment confirmations, reminders, secure video visit links, and follow-up messages
• Answer your questions and provide customer support
• Operate, maintain, secure, and improve our website and services
• Detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, spam, and security incidents
• Comply with legal, regulatory, and professional obligations

We do not use the information you submit through our website for third-party advertising, and we do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing.

Cookies, tracking, and advertising

We keep tracking on our website to a minimum, because visits to a healthcare website can reveal sensitive information about a person's health.

• No advertising pixels. We do not place third-party advertising or social media tracking tools (such as the Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel, or ad remarketing tags) on our website.
• No session recording. We do not use tools that record your mouse movements, clicks, or keystrokes.
• Essential technology only. Our website uses only the technology needed to load pages, keep the site secure, and process form submissions (including a hidden anti-spam field).
• Analytics. If we add website analytics in the future, we will use privacy-focused, aggregate tools that do not track you across other websites, and we will update this policy before doing so.

We honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as a request to opt out of any sale of personal data or targeted advertising, to the extent either would ever apply.

How we share information

We do not sell your personal information or health information, and we do not share it for targeted advertising. We share information only as follows:

• Service providers. We use trusted vendors to help run our practice — for example, website hosting and form processing, email and text-message delivery, appointment scheduling, our secure telehealth video platform, electronic health records, laboratory services, and billing. These vendors may access information only to perform services for us. Where a vendor handles protected health information, we require a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement.
• Your care team and other providers. To treat you and coordinate your care, as described in our Notice of Privacy Practices.
• Health plans. To verify coverage and obtain payment for your care.
• Legal and safety reasons. When required by law, subpoena, or court order; to protect the rights, safety, or property of patients, our staff, or others; or to investigate fraud or security issues.
• Business changes. If Northtide Health is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the same protections described here and as permitted by HIPAA.
• With your permission. In any other case where you have given us your consent or direction.

Text messages and phone calls

When you give us your phone number and agree to be contacted, you consent to receive calls and text messages from Northtide Health about your appointment request and your care — for example, scheduling, reminders, secure visit links, and follow-up. These may include automated messages.

• Message frequency varies based on your appointments and care.
• Message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile plan.
• Reply STOP to stop receiving text messages at any time. Reply HELP for help, or call (443) 399-3123.
• Consent to receive text messages is not a condition of receiving care.
• We do not sell or share your mobile number or text-messaging consent with third parties for their marketing purposes.
• Mobile carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

Because standard text messages and email are not fully secure, we limit the health details we send through them. You may ask us to communicate with you in a different way — see "Your choices and rights" below.

How we protect information

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information, including encrypted (HTTPS) connections to our website, access controls that limit who can view information, secure HIPAA-compliant platforms for video visits and health records, and staff training on privacy and security.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If we learn of a security incident that affects your information, we will notify you as required by law.

How long we keep information

We keep appointment request information for as long as needed to respond to you, schedule care, and meet our business and legal obligations. Medical records are kept for the periods required by Maryland law and other applicable rules — generally at least five years after the record is made, and for minors, at least until the patient reaches age 21 (and at least five years after the record is made), whichever is later. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or de-identify it.

Your choices and rights

You can:

• Access, correct, or delete personal information you submitted through our website by contacting us. (Requests about your medical record are handled under your HIPAA rights, described in our Notice of Privacy Practices.)
• Opt out of communications by replying STOP to text messages, using the unsubscribe link in non-essential emails, or calling us. We will still send messages required to provide your care or that are legally required.
• Ask us to contact you a certain way — for example, only by phone, or at a different number or address.
• Control cookies through your browser settings.

Maryland residents and other state privacy rights

Depending on where you live and how your information is used, state privacy laws — including the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act — may give you additional rights regarding personal data that is not protected health information. These can include the right to confirm whether we process your personal data, to access, correct, or delete it, to obtain a portable copy, and to opt out of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, and certain profiling. We do not sell personal data or use it for targeted advertising.

To make a request, contact us using the details below. We will verify your identity before acting on a request and respond within the time required by law. You may use an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. If we deny your request, you may appeal by replying to our decision or contacting our Privacy Officer, and we will explain the outcome of your appeal in writing. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

Children's privacy

We care for patients ages 1 to 99. Appointment requests and communications for patients under 18 should be made by a parent or legal guardian. Our website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information online directly from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted information to us, please contact us and we will delete it.

Third-party services and links

Our website may link to other websites and services — for example, our patient portal, our telehealth video platform, online bill payment, laboratories, or government resources. Those services are operated under their own terms and privacy policies. Where a vendor provides services to us that involve your health information, it is bound by a Business Associate Agreement and HIPAA. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any website you visit.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated version on this page and change the "Last updated" date. If we make material changes to how we handle your personal information, we will provide additional notice, such as a notice on our website, before the changes take effect.