policies - Website Policy
Effective Date: This policy was last modified on September 15, 2020
East Tennessee Health Information Network (etHIN) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Website Policy (“Policy”) provides information about how we collect and use your Personal Information, Anonymous Information, and Health Information (defined below), and about choices you have concerning our use of that information.
By using the website, you agree to this Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of the Policy, you should exit the website now.
We may occasionally update this Website Policy to reflect changes to our website, services or to reflect feedback we receive. All changes will be posted on this page, and we encourage you to review this page periodically to see if there have been any revisions. Your continued use of the website means that you accept the terms of this Policy.
If you have any questions about our privacy policies, please contact us at info@ethin.org.
Scope of the Policy
This Policy explains how etHIN collects and uses information gathered through the use of www.ethin.org (the “Site”). The privacy practices of third-party websites are not covered by this Policy. Once you leave the etHIN website though a link or otherwise, this Policy does not apply, and etHIN is not and cannot be responsible for how data and information obtained from you on other websites is used by the operators of those websites. etHIN disclaims any liability for any third party’s use of your Personal Information, Anonymous Information, or Health Information obtained through using the third party’s website.
Types of Information Collected by etHIN
You may be asked to voluntarily provide your name, title, address, email address, telephone number, password, credentials and affiliation, as well as other personally identifiable information (“Personal Information”) to access and use some features of the Site. By using the Site and providing us with your Personal Information, you consent to our use of your information as described in this Policy. You may always refuse to provide your Personal Information, which may lead to our inability to provide you with certain products or services.
We or our business partners may also collect information that is anonymous, including, but not limited to, your IP number (a number used to identify your computer on the Internet) or the type of browser you are using (“Anonymous Information”), through the use of cookies or by other means. Our intention in collecting this information is so we can update our website to make it more useful to you and other users. We reserve the right to maintain, update, disclose or otherwise use Anonymous Information, without limitation.
In connection with providing services to our participating physicians, hospitals, health care providers, health care agencies, and users (“Clients”), etHIN may also obtain nonpublic health information from our Clients about their patients and members, including, but not limited to, information about eligibility for health care benefits, claims history, medical history, protected health information as defined under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and other information relating to health care benefits and information (“Health Information”).
Use of Information
We use and disclose your Personal Information for the following purposes: to administer your account; to administer and improve our website and related services; to allow use of, or participation in, our website and our services; to notify you of, deliver or provide our products, services, promotional events or special offers that maybe of interest to you; to provide Internet security; to maintain, administer and share with third parties a directory of healthcare providers, payors and service providers; and to meet legal requirements. If you identify yourself to us by sending us an email with questions or comments, we may use your Personal Information to respond to your questions or comments. We may also file your comments for future reference.
We use and disclose Health Information only as permitted under applicable services agreements with our Clients, as amended from time to time (“Client Agreements”) and applicable law. Consistent with Client Agreements and applicable law, we may use and disclose Health Information to provide services to our Clients; to administer and improve the Site and related services; to allow use of, or participation in, our website and our services; to analyze or report health care quality and other statistical information; to provide Internet security; and to meet legal requirements.
We may provide Personal Information and Health Information that we collect to affiliated or nonaffiliated parties involved in providing our services. We may provide Personal Information and Health Information to our business partners who perform certain functions on our behalf, such as sending email messages and postal mail, managing data or providing customer service. For example, Personal Information and Health Information may be collected on servers owned and maintained by a third party and leased to us. These business partners have access to Personal Information and Health Information only to the extent necessary to perform these specific functions and may not use the information for any other purpose. If etHIN is involved in the sale of a substantial portion of its business assets, Personal Information or Health Information, to the extent permitted under applicable law and Client Agreements, may be among the transferred assets.
Except as expressly stated in this Policy or Client Agreements, etHIN does not sell Personal Information or Health Information collected through our website to any third party without your permission. We reserve the right to release specific information about you or your account to comply with any valid legal process such as a search warrant, subpoena, statute or court order. We will also disclose specific information in special cases, such as if there is an attempted breach of the security of our website, or a physical threat to you or others.
Cookies
When you visit the Site, we may store or recognize some information on your computer in the form of a “cookie” or similar file that can help us in many ways. For example, cookies allow us to tailor the Site to better match your interests and preferences. With most Internet browsers or other software, you can erase cookies from your computer hard drive, block all cookies or receive a warning before a cookie is stored. Please refer to your browser instructions to learn more about these functions. If you reject cookies, functionality of the Site may be limited, and you may not be able to take advantage of many of the Site’s features
Privacy of Children
We are committed to protecting the privacy of children. The Site is not intended to or designed to attract children under the age of 13. We do not collect Personal Information from any person we actually know is a child under the age of 13.
Email Communications
When you send an email to us, you are communicating with us electronically. You thereby consent to receive communications from us electronically. We will communicate with you by email or by posting notices on the Site. All agreements, notices, disclosures and other communications that we provide to you electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing.
Security
We have policies and procedures in place to protect the privacy and security of Personal Information and Health Information that we collect and maintain. Access to Personal Information and Health Information is limited to etHIN employees or other authorized individuals or entities, and identities are verified by internal network access rules and application username/password pairs. All Personal Information and Health Information is stored on secured servers leased or owned by us, behind a firewall at a data center with access to data strictly controlled.
Email Policy and Opt-Out
You can unsubscribe from receiving marketing emails by following the instructions on marketing emails that you receive from etHIN.