Introduction
Holston Medical Group (HMG) is committed to protecting your privacy and developing technology that gives you the most powerful and safe online experience. This Statement of Privacy applies to the HMG website and governs data collection and usage. By using the HMG website, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.
Collection of Your Personal Information
HMG collects personally identifiable information, such as your email address, name, home or work address, or telephone number. HMG also collects anonymous demographic information, which is not unique to you, such as your ZIP code, age, gender, preferences, interests, and favorites.
There is also information about your computer hardware and software that is automatically collected by HMG. This information can include your IP address, browser type, domain names, access times, and referring website addresses. This information is used by HMG for the operation of the service, to maintain the quality of the service, and to provide general statistics regarding the use of the HMG website.
Use of Your Personal Information
HMG collects and uses your personal information to operate the HMG website and deliver the services you have requested. HMG also uses your personally identifiable information to inform you of other products or services available from HMG and its affiliates. HMG may also contact you via surveys to conduct research about your opinion of current services or of potential new services that may be offered.
HMG keeps track of the websites and pages our customers visit within HMG, to determine what HMG services are the most popular. This data is used to deliver customized content and advertising within HMG to customers whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a particular subject area.
HMG websites will disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on HMG or the site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of HMG; and, (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of HMG, or the public.
Third-Party Services and Plugins
HMG uses various third-party services and plugins on our website to enhance functionality and user experience. These services may collect and process personal data. Below are the details of the third-party services and plugins we use:
WordPress Plugins
- Yoast SEO: Enhances website SEO by collecting data such as page views and keywords.
- Formidable Forms: Manages contact form submissions and stores data securely.
- Relevanssi: Improves search functionality by collecting and indexing search queries.
- Search Meter: Tracks and logs search queries on our website.
- WooCommerce: Manages e-commerce transactions and collects customer information.
- WooCommerce Stripe Gateway: Processes payment transactions securely.
- Wordfence Security: Provides security measures and collects data such as IP addresses for protection against threats.
- YITH WooCommerce Gift Cards Premium: Manages the issuance and redemption of gift cards.
Analytics and Reporting Tools
- Google Analytics 4: Collects website traffic data for analysis.
- Google Looker Studio: Provides data visualization and reporting.
- Google Tag Manager: Manages various tracking tags used on the website.
Advertising and Ad Management
- Google Ads: Collects data for targeted advertising campaigns.
- Bing Ads: Collects data for targeted advertising campaigns.
- WordStream: Manages and optimizes our ad campaigns.
Google APIs
- Google Places API
- Google Distance Matrix API
- Google Maps Static API
- Google Geocoding API
Payment Gateway
- Stripe: We use Stripe for processing e-commerce transactions. Customer purchase data and transaction information are managed through Stripe’s secure platform.
Contest Management
- ShortStack: Manages and collects data for contests.
Social Media Sharing Features
- X (formerly Twitter)
Cookies
The HMG website uses “cookies” to help you personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.
One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. For example, cookies may be used in the “Find a Doctor” and “Find a Location” features, where Google APIs are utilized for distance calculations and place information.
You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the HMG services or websites you visit.
Security of Your Personal Information
HMG secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. HMG secures the personally identifiable information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. When personal information (such as a credit card number) is transmitted to other websites, it is protected through encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.
Links to Other Sites
holstonmedicalgroup.com may link to other websites. We link to other websites solely for your convenience and education. When you follow a link to an external site, you are leaving holstonmedicalgroup.com and are subject to the external site’s privacy and security policies.
Use of Social Media Sites
HMG uses social media sites in order to increase transparency, enhance information sharing, promote patient engagement, and encourage collaboration. HMG does not own, manage, or control social media sites. In addition, HMG does not collect, maintain, or disseminate information posted by visitors to those sites. If you choose to provide information to a social media site through registration or other interaction with the site, the use of any information you provide is controlled by your relationship with the social media site. For example, any information you provide to register on Facebook is voluntarily contributed and not maintained by HMG. This information may be available to HMG social media site administrators in whole or part, based on a user’s privacy settings on the social media site. Although you may voluntarily contribute to a social media site with the intent to share the information with others on an HMG social media site, to protect your privacy, please do not disclose personally identifiable information about yourself or others on these sites. HMG will not disclose any PHI you provide to holstonmedicalgroup.com on a social media site.
HMG does not keep separate records or accounting of any social media site users or their interaction with the holstonmedicalgroup.com pages on social media sites. HMG does not store or share this information. User information is retained by social media sites in accordance with the site’s policies. See each social media site’s privacy policy to see how long user information is retained after an account has been deleted. Social media site users can learn more about how their information is used and maintained by each social media site by visiting their privacy policy.
Patient Portal
Our patient portal is provided by FollowMyHealth.com. Please refer to the FollowMyHealth privacy policy for details on how they handle your information. We provide links to FollowMyHealth.com for your convenience, but HMG is not responsible for their privacy practices.
Data Subject Rights
Holston Medical Group (HMG) is committed to providing individuals with the ability to exercise their rights regarding the personal information we collect. While direct access to personal information via an admin panel is not available, you may exercise your rights by contacting us directly.
Right to Access
You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you.
Right to Correct
If you believe that any personal information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to request correction or update of your information.
Right to Delete
You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
How to Exercise Your Rights
To exercise any of these rights, please contact the Office Manager at one of our locations. Our team will assist you in accessing, correcting, or deleting your personal information as requested.
Data Retention
Holston Medical Group (HMG) retains your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or as required by applicable laws. This includes information collected through our forms, such as the Extra Mile Nomination, Preceptor Program contact, and Healthy Heart gift card purchase, as well as data used for analytics and reporting.
We take appropriate measures to ensure the security of your personal information and retain it only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or as required by law.
If you have any questions or concerns about your data subject rights, please contact us.
Changes to This Statement
HMG will occasionally update this Statement of Privacy to reflect company and customer feedback. HMG encourages you to periodically review this Statement to be informed of how HMG is protecting your information.
Updated August 5, 2024