Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Dr. Ernest Okwuonu, MD ("we," "our," or "the practice") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through our website, telehealth platform, and during the course of providing psychiatric care. As a healthcare provider, we are also governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other applicable laws regarding protected health information (PHI).

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information:

• Contact information: Name, email address, phone number, and mailing address when you book an appointment, complete a contact form, or subscribe to communications.
• Health information: Medical history, psychiatric history, symptoms, medications, and other information you provide through intake forms, during appointments, or in communications with us.
• Payment information: Payment is processed through our booking system (Calendly). We do not store full credit card numbers on our servers. Payment processors may collect billing information necessary to complete transactions.
• Technical information: IP address, browser type, device information, and pages visited when you use our website. We may use cookies and similar technologies for analytics and site functionality.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Schedule, confirm, and manage your appointments
• Provide psychiatric evaluation and treatment, including telehealth consultations
• Process payments and maintain financial records
• Send appointment reminders and communications related to your care
• Respond to your inquiries and contact requests
• Improve our website and services
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to analyze site traffic and understand how visitors interact with our website. Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your web browser.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

We use Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to collect and analyze information about how visitors use our website. GA4 uses cookies and collects data such as:

• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation paths
• Device type, browser type, operating system, and screen resolution
• Approximate geographic location (city or region level, not precise location)
• Referral source (how you arrived at our website)
• Interactions with site features such as buttons, forms, and search

Google Analytics does not collect personally identifiable information such as your name, email address, or phone number. IP addresses are anonymized. Data collected by Google Analytics is processed by Google in accordance with the Google Privacy Policy.

Google Tag Manager (GTM)

We use Google Tag Manager to manage analytics and tracking scripts on our website. GTM itself does not collect personal data, but it facilitates the deployment of tags (such as Google Analytics) that may collect data as described above.

Opting Out of Analytics Tracking

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. You can also manage or delete cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect some website functionality.

Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" (DNT) setting. There is currently no industry-wide standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals. Our website does not currently alter its behavior in response to DNT signals. However, you can use the opt-out methods described above to limit tracking.

5. Third-Party Services

We use third-party services that may collect or process your information:

• Calendly: For appointment scheduling and payment processing. Calendly collects information you provide when booking (name, email, phone number) and processes payments through their platform. See Calendly's Privacy Policy.
• Telehealth platform: Secure video consultations are conducted through HIPAA-compliant platforms. Your video session data is encrypted and protected according to their security and privacy policies.
• Google Analytics / Google Tag Manager: For website analytics as described in Section 4 above.
• Email and hosting providers: For sending communications and hosting our website.

We select vendors that adhere to appropriate security and privacy standards. We do not sell your personal or health information to third parties.

6. HIPAA and Health Information

Protected health information (PHI) collected in the course of providing psychiatric care is subject to HIPAA. We maintain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect your PHI. You have rights under HIPAA to access, amend, and request restrictions on your health information. A separate Notice of Privacy Practices may be provided to you as a patient.

7. Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your information, including encryption in transit (HTTPS), secure access controls, and secure storage practices. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to protecting your information to the best of our ability.

8. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide services, comply with legal obligations (including medical record retention requirements), resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Health records are typically retained according to state and federal requirements, which may be several years after your last visit.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location and the type of information, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your information (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Opt out of marketing communications
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal data (we do not sell your data)
• Withdraw consent where consent is the basis for processing

To exercise these rights or ask questions about your data, please contact us using the information below.

10. State-Specific Privacy Rights

Washington State — My Health My Data Act

If you are a Washington state consumer, the Washington My Health My Data Act provides you with additional rights regarding your health data collected outside of HIPAA-covered interactions. This includes health data collected through our website (such as browsing behavior on health-related pages). Under this law, you have the right to:

• Know what consumer health data we collect and with whom it is shared
• Request access to your consumer health data
• Request deletion of your consumer health data
• Withdraw consent for the collection and sharing of your consumer health data

We do not sell consumer health data. To exercise your rights under this law, please contact us using the information in Section 13 below.

Nevada

Nevada residents may opt out of the sale of certain personal information. We do not sell your personal information. If you have questions, please contact us.

Minnesota

Minnesota residents have rights under the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act. You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data, and you may opt out of targeted advertising. We do not sell your personal data or use it for targeted advertising. To exercise your rights, please contact us.

11. Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed to individuals under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us so we can take appropriate steps to delete it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated policy on this page and update the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Material changes may be communicated via email or a notice on our website.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us: