Confidentiality
University Health and Counseling Services are committed to providing confidential medical and mental health care to Northeastern University students.
UHCS will keep all records and communications confidential to the fullest extent of the law. Please be aware of the following exceptions that apply to all medical and mental health treatment.
- If a clinician has reason to believe that there is imminent danger of serious harm to yourself or others, they may share information and take appropriate steps to prevent harm.
- If a clinician has reason to believe that a child under the age of eighteen (18), an elderly person (60 or over), or a disabled person is being abused or neglected, they are obligated to report this situation to the appropriate state agency.
- A court may subpoena medical and mental health records.
Phone and Video Consultations
Northeastern students can schedule remote appointments by phone and/or online video calls with UHCS medical and mental health providers. To schedule a remote consultation, call UHCS at 617.373.2772. Once your appointment is confirmed, you will receive a link to a HIPAA-compliant video communication platform.
To maintain confidentiality and call quality, it is important that you:
- Locate a private space for the call with limited background noise and free of distractions.
- Use a secure internet connection rather than public/free WiFi.
- Make a plan with your provider in advance in case someone else enters your private location during the call.
- Prepare to share your location and the best phone number to reach you, in case the connection is lost or you need local emergency services.
- Do not record your session.
Your provider will review confidentiality at the beginning of your call. Please share any questions or concerns at that time.
Billing
While the majority of services at UHCS are covered by the student health fee, some services are billed to the student’s insurance such as blood work and lab testing. When billing, some information will be released to your insurance provider. Contact your insurance provider to learn more.
Title IX
UHCS staff provide confidential support and services to those affected by sexual violence. This means that they are NOT required to report to the University’s Title IX Coordinator any information disclosed about an incident of Prohibited Conduct. Confidential resources are also available through OPEN’s Sexual Violence Resource Center and spiritual advisors at the Center for Spirituality, Dialogue, and Service.
Please be aware that email communication is not considered confidential as it can be intercepted in transmission or misdirected. Please communicate any sensitive information by telephone. Also, please note that any email communication sent to a provider may become part of the student’s medical record.
Please do not email UHCS about matters needing urgent attention. The UHCS email mailbox is not consistently monitored.
Request a Release of Your Information
If you would like UHCS to share your health records or communicate any information about your care, you must first complete a Release of Medical Records form. This form acknowledges that you give UHCS permission to release your information to the identified party (i.e., another health care provider, a parent, a staff member at Northeastern).
It is important that all sections and questions on the form be completed in full.
How do I submit my form?
Email it to: UHCS@Northeastern.edu
Fax it to: 617.373.2601 (please include a cover sheet)
Please allow at least 2 weeks to process the request. Email is not considered a confidential form of communication. For this reason, faxing your form is the preferred method of submitting requests.
Ongoing Communication with an Identified Party
“Blanket authorizations” are not offered at UHCS, per federal law. A “blanket authorization” gives a provider the ongoing ability to speak with someone such as a parent or an advisor about a student’s treatment. UHCS providers can instead work directly with the student to complete a Release of Medical Records form that specifically identifies the type of information to be shared within a specific date of treatment.
Release of Medical Records form must contain the date or date range for which records are being requested. The requested date or date range may not extend past the date on which the request is signed.
Please note that UHCS provides two different release forms
- to release records from UHCS
- to release records to UHCS