North Country Communications

North Country Communications is a healthcare communications consultancy founded in 2025 by Rachel Klugman Seeger and Ryan Dutcher, former federal healthcare leaders with 45 years of combined experience. The firm specializes in HIPAA breach notification response, crisis communications, and compliance strategy for small to mid-sized healthcare organizations, providers, payers, and nonprofits.

The consultancy provides breach response services including rapid response messaging, plain-language patient notifications, call center scripting, timeline management for federal 60-day requirements, and coordination with legal counsel and forensic vendors. Additional capabilities include media relations, reputation management, risk assessments, scenario planning, and HIPAA training programs tailored for covered entities and business associates.

The founding team brings federal regulatory experience from CMS, HHS Office for Civil Rights, AHRQ, and the U.S. Department of State's PEPFAR program. The firm offers a white paper on navigating HIPAA's breach notification and media reporting requirements.

Choose North Country Communications when facing HIPAA breach notification requirements or healthcare compliance crises requiring former federal regulator expertise. The firm's specialized knowledge of OCR breach notification rules and CMS compliance frameworks provides strategic advantage for organizations without dedicated HIPAA communications staff.

Expect hands-on guidance through breach response timelines, plain-language notification development, media strategy, and coordination with legal teams. The consultancy's background in federal healthcare policy positions them to navigate regulatory requirements while managing reputational impact.

North Country Communications operates exclusively in healthcare, specializing in HIPAA-covered entities and business associates across provider, payer, and nonprofit sectors. The firm's services center on breach notification compliance, Medicare regulatory communications, and patient engagement during crisis events. Expertise areas include OCR breach notification rules, call center response protocols for healthcare incidents, and scenario planning aligned with healthcare emergency preparedness requirements.

Ideal clients are small to mid-sized healthcare providers, payers, nonprofit health organizations, and government health entities facing HIPAA breaches or compliance challenges. Organizations without specialized in-house communications staff for regulatory response, or those requiring strategic guidance during crisis moments involving patient data, federal reporting requirements, or media scrutiny benefit most from the consultancy's services.