Web Site Privacy Statement
Use and disclosure of health information includes using the information to provide
treatment to the individual, to make payments for such treatment, and to conduct
ongoing quality improvement activities. Our use and disclosure of an individual's
personal information (including health information) is limited as required by
state and federal law. We do not sell or rent personal information about visitors
to this site or customers who use the site.
This Web site has security measures in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information under our control. Despite these measures, the confidentiality of any communication or material transmitted to or from us via this site by email cannot be guaranteed. At your discretion, you may contact us at the mailing address listed in the "Questions, complaints, and contacts" section at the end of this Privacy Statement.
Revisions to the Privacy Statement
We may revise this Privacy Statement from time to time as we add new features
or as laws change that may affect our services. If we make material changes
to our Privacy Statement, we will post notice of this on our Web site. Any revised
Privacy Statement will apply both to information we already have about you at
the time of the change, and any personal information created or received after
the change takes effect. We include a version number on this Privacy Statement
consisting of the date (year, month, and day) it was last revised. We encourage
you to periodically reread this Privacy Statement, to see if there have been
any changes to our policies that may affect you.
Web site visitor data
The Physician Home Pages gather data on Web site activity, such as how many
people visit the site, the pages they visit and where they come from. The data
is collected on an aggregate, anonymous basis, which means that no personally
identifiable information is associated with the data. This data helps us improve
site content and overall usage. The information is not shared with other organizations
for their independent use.
Collecting and using personal information
Except as disclosed in this Privacy Statement, we do not collect any identifiable
information about visitors to this site or our customers who use this site.
The policies, sources, and uses of information are outlined in Sections 1 through
4 that follow:
1. Web logs
We maintain standard Web logs that record data about all visitors who use this
site and we store this information for a while. These logs may contain the Internet
domain from which you access the site (such as aol.com, abc.org, etc.); the
IP address which is automatically assigned to your computer when you get on
the Internet (a static IP address may be identifiable as being connected to
you, while a dynamic address is usually not identifiable); the type of browser
and operating system you use; the date and time you visited the site; the pages
you viewed on the site; the address of the Web site you linked from, if any.
2. Messages and
emails
Comments or questions sent to us using e-mail will be shared with Kaiser Permanente
staff and providers who are most able to address your concerns. After we respond
to your message, we will archive your message.
In some cases, physicians have listed their email addresses so that patients may communicate with them. If you click the link to send an email to your physician, you will see a screen explaining the email policies. To move past the screen to send the email you must indicate that you have read and accepted the terms of the email policies.
When you use email to communicate with Kaiser Permanente health care providers, some information you provide may be documented in your medical record, and available for use to guide your treatment as a patient.
3. Disclosures
We may disclose personal information when required to do so by a subpoena, court
order, or search warrant. We may disclose personal information as we deem it
appropriate to protect the safety of an individual or for an investigation related
to public safety or to report an activity that appears to be in violation of
law. We may disclose personal information to protect the security and reliability
of this site and to take precautions against liability.
4. Other requests
to limit use and disclosure of your personal information
State and federal laws may allow you to request that we limit our uses and disclosures
of your personal information for treatment, payment, and health care operations
purposes. However, by law, we do not have to agree to your request.
Questions,
complaints, and contacts
If you have any questions about this Privacy Statement, our policies and practices
concerning this site, your rights under this statement, and your dealings with
the TPMG Physician Home Page Web site, you can contact us by
U.S. mail at the address below:
TPMG Technology Group
Physician Home Page Project
1800 Harrison Street, 22nd Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Last updated:July 8, 2003