Notice of
Privacy Practices.

Newport Psychiatry is committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. This Notice describes how we may use and share the health information we create or receive about you, and how you can obtain access to that information.

01.Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Newport Psychiatry, Inc. ("Newport Psychiatry," "we," "our," or "us") is required by federal and California law to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI), to provide you with this Notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.

This Notice applies to all records of your care generated by Newport Psychiatry and its workforce, including our psychiatrists, employees, contractors, and business associates.

02.How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information

The following categories describe the ways we may use and disclose your health information without your specific written authorization. For each category, we have provided examples — but not every possible use or disclosure is listed.

Treatment

We use and disclose your health information to provide, coordinate, and manage your care. For example, we may share information with the consulting psychiatrist who covers our practice on weekends, with your primary care physician when we coordinate medication with your other providers, or with the TMS technician performing your treatment course.

Payment

We use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for the services we provide. For example, we may share information with your insurance carrier to obtain prior authorization for TMS therapy, to verify benefits, or to process claims.

Healthcare Operations

We may use and disclose your health information to support the business activities of the practice — including quality assessment, staff training and credentialing review, legal and auditing services, and general administration.

Business Associates

Some services are provided through contracts with outside vendors — for example, our electronic health record system, billing service, or secure messaging platform. These parties, known as Business Associates, are required by federal law to safeguard your information with the same standards that apply to us.

Appointment Reminders & Related Communications

We may contact you to remind you about appointments, to provide information about treatment alternatives, or to share other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. You may ask us to stop these communications at any time.

03.Uses and Disclosures That Require Your Written Authorization

Most uses and disclosures of your health information outside of treatment, payment, and operations require your written authorization. This includes:

• Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes, which receive heightened protection under federal law
• Uses and disclosures of PHI for marketing purposes
• Disclosures that constitute a sale of your health information
• Most disclosures of substance use disorder treatment records covered by 42 CFR Part 2

You may revoke any authorization you give us, in writing, at any time — except to the extent we have already taken action in reliance on it.

04.Uses and Disclosures That Require an Opportunity to Object

In some circumstances, we may use or disclose limited information unless you tell us otherwise. You have the right to object to these disclosures.

Family & Friends Involved in Your Care

We may share information directly relevant to a person's involvement in your care with family members, close friends, or others you identify — unless you instruct us not to do so.

Emergency Circumstances

If you are incapacitated or in a serious mental health emergency and are unable to express a preference, we may share information if doing so is in your best interest, based on our professional judgment.

05.Uses and Disclosures Permitted or Required by Law

We may use or disclose your health information without your authorization in the following circumstances:

• As Required by Law — when required by federal, state, or local law
• Public Health Activities — to authorities tracking diseases, reporting vital events, or monitoring drug safety
• Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence — to appropriate government authorities, consistent with California reporting requirements
• Health Oversight — to agencies for audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure
• Judicial & Administrative Proceedings — in response to a court order, subpoena, or similar lawful process
• Law Enforcement — in limited circumstances, such as to identify a suspect or victim, or to report a crime on the premises
• Coroners, Medical Examiners, & Funeral Directors — to identify a deceased person or determine cause of death
• Research — with appropriate approvals from an Institutional Review Board (none currently performed)
• Serious Threat to Health or Safety — to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat, including a Tarasoff-type duty to warn a reasonably identifiable victim
• Military & Veterans — as required by military command authorities
• National Security & Intelligence Activities — to authorized federal officials
• Workers' Compensation — as required by California workers' compensation laws

06.Special Protections for Mental Health Information

California law provides additional protections to the confidentiality of mental health records beyond what federal HIPAA requires. Newport Psychiatry complies with both.

Psychotherapy Notes

Psychotherapy notes — notes recorded by a mental health professional documenting a counseling session and kept separate from the rest of your medical record — receive special protection under HIPAA. We will not use or disclose psychotherapy notes without your specific written authorization, except in very limited circumstances permitted by law (for example, to defend against a legal action you have brought against us).

Minors

California law provides certain minors the right to consent to their own mental health treatment and to limit disclosure of those records to parents or guardians. Where state law provides greater protection than federal law, we follow state law.

HIV, Substance Use, and Reproductive Health Information

Certain categories of information — including HIV/AIDS status, substance use disorder treatment records, and reproductive health information — are protected under additional state and federal laws. We will not disclose this information without your written authorization except as specifically permitted by those laws.

07.Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information

You have the following rights regarding your health information. To exercise any of these rights, please submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer (contact details at the end of this Notice).

08.Our Responsibilities

Newport Psychiatry is required to:

• Maintain the privacy and security of your health information
• Provide you with this Notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices
• Follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect
• Notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information
• Not use or share your information other than as described here, unless you authorize us in writing (with the right to revoke)

09.Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change this Notice, and to make the revised Notice effective for health information we already have as well as any information we receive in the future. The current Notice will always be posted at our office and on our website. Upon request, we will provide you with a revised copy.

10.Complaints and Questions

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Newport Psychiatry's Privacy Officer or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.