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Legal pages your practice website should have

A checklist of the legal and compliance pages a psychiatric practice website commonly needs, and the current caveats that make some of them tricky.

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What it is

A checklist of the legal and compliance pages a psychiatric practice website commonly needs, and the current caveats that make some of them tricky.

Who it's for

Practice owners and whoever builds or maintains the website.

When to use it

When launching or reviewing a practice website.

The checklist

Core legal pages

  • Privacy policy that describes what the website itself collects, such as form data and analytics, and how it's used.
  • Terms of use for the website.
  • A medical disclaimer stating the site is educational and doesn't create a clinician-patient relationship, with a prominent emergency notice to call 988 or 911.
  • An accessibility statement, and a real effort to meet recognized accessibility guidelines.

HIPAA-related items

  • Your HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, if you're a covered entity, made available as HIPAA requires. This is separate from a website privacy policy.
  • Care with any patient portal, intake form, or booking tool that collects health information, and a business associate agreement with vendors that handle it.

Tracking and marketing

  • Review third-party tracking, such as analytics and advertising pixels, especially on pages tied to specific conditions or providers.
  • A cookie or tracking notice and, where required, a consent mechanism.
  • Truthful marketing claims and clear handling of any testimonials, consistent with professional advertising rules.

Important limitations

The rules here come from several directions at once: HIPAA, state privacy and telehealth law, the ADA, and advertising rules. The application of HIPAA to website tracking is genuinely unsettled: in June 2024 a federal court vacated part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidance on online tracking technologies, so treat that area cautiously and get current advice. Have counsel review your pages for your state and setup.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Use of Online Tracking Technologies by HIPAA Covered Entities. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/hipaa-online-tracking/index.html

Reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, a board-certified psychiatrist. Last reviewed July 29, 2026.

Educational only, not legal adviceThis is an educational checklist, not legal, medical, or compliance advice, and it isn't a ready-to-use legal document. Requirements vary by state, payer, and setting, and they change. Adapt anything here to your own situation and have it reviewed by qualified legal and compliance counsel licensed in your jurisdiction before you rely on it. You're responsible for compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, including HIPAA.

Link to this resource

You're welcome to link to this free resource from your site. It's educational, dated, and free to share. It's not legal advice or an endorsement.

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Educational and professional commentary only. shrinkiatry explains the profession of psychiatry. It doesn't provide medical advice, isn't a substitute for evaluation or treatment by a licensed clinician, and reading it doesn't create a doctor-patient relationship.