w.e.f: 1st April 2020
PLEASE REVIEW THE DOCUMENT CAREFULLY.
If you have any questions, you may write to us at info@worldentcare.com.
World ENT Care respects the privacy of each and every person and is committed to protecting all of your personal and health information (PHI). This privacy policy applies to www.worldentcare.com owned and operated by World ENT Care. This notice describes how personal and health information (PHI) about you may be used, how it may be disclosed and how you can obtain access to this information. This page will serve as a summary of your privacy rights. We must give you this Notice about our privacy practices and follow the terms of this notice while it is in effect. Your use of World ENT Care services indicates your acceptance of the terms of this notice.
INTRODUCTION
World ENT Care is engaged in the business of consulting individuals diagnosed with ear, nose throat and head and neck diseases with participating experts, messaging, and/or secure e-mail for the purpose of providing expert opinion services over the Internet, as well as providing other types of administrative services and information (“Services”).
INFORMATION THAT MAY BE COLLECTED
In order to use the Services, you are asked to send an e-mail to info@worldentcare.com. After you send us the e-mail and we revert with an approval, you can use World ENT Care’s website and utilize the Services. This process allows you to get in touch with our team, counseling sessions, support groups etc.
World ENT Care will use the e-mail address you provide when you write to us. Your e-mail address may also be used by World ENT Cares to provide newsletters, blogs, communication about your consultations, or Health related Programs as described in this Notice and the Terms of Use. World ENT Care will use your e-mail address as the primary means to connect with you. Your e-mail address will not be shared with any other third parties to be used for advertising or sales purposes.
World ENT Care creates a record of the services you receive. Some examples of the information collected or created through this process are correspondence of all consultation sessions, counseling sessions, support group activities and electronic records that may be uploaded or created as a result of sessions.
For certain services, such as for expert opinion, counseling sessions and support services, we will collect credit card or billing/payment account information which we maintain in encrypted form on secure servers.
In order to participate in the Services, you have to provide Personal Health Information about yourself to World ENT Care. Here are examples of the types of Personal Health Information you may submit:
- Information You Give Us – Examples of the types of information you may provide us include diagnosis, stage of disease, previous treatments or procedures, and insurance information.
- Information Accessed through Third-Party Data Services – When you use our Services, we may access health-related information about you that is stored with third party-data services such as your hospital records, and such information will subsequently be available to us.
- Third-Party Information – Health-related information about you received from third-parties (such as nurses, doctors or family members) as well as personally identifiable and other health-related information you provide specifically related to family members who may be utilizing the Services with your e-mail correspondence.
- Demographic Information, such as age, education, gender, Social Security Number and Zip Code.
HOW INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED BY World ENT Care
World ENT Care may receive PHI primarily to share with our team for the purposes of providing expert opinion and counseling services. However, in limited circumstances World ENT Care may use de-identified, non-personal information for statistical analysis, research, improvement of the Services, and customization of web design and content layout.
Uses and Disclosures of PHI
World ENT Care is permitted to use and disclose your PHI for purposes of (i) Expert opinion, (ii) Counseling services, (iii) Payment, and (iv) Operations as follows:
For Expert opinion. World ENT Care may use or disclose your PHI to facilitate for purposes of second expert opinion. The education provided may be sponsored or unsponsored.
For Payment. World ENT Care may use and disclose your PHI with others who help pay for your care such as health insurers or health plans in connection with the processing and payments of claims and other charges. If World ENT Care has arranged with your employer to pay for the Services, World ENT Care will not share your Personal Health Information with your employer or benefits provider.
For Operations. World ENT Care may use and disclose your PHI for its operations. These uses and disclosures help us run our programs and make sure World ENT Care’s customers receive quality information. For example, World ENT Care may use PHI to review the latest data in your disease area or recommendations for clinical trials.
Business Associates. World ENT Care may contract with outside businesses to provide some services. For example, World ENT Care may use the services of clinical trial recruitment companies, transcription services or collection agencies. Each contracted party must enter into a Business Associate agreement with World ENT Care, which requires said third party businesses to protect PHI that is shared with them in accordance with the restrictions outlined in this Privacy Notice. Furthermore, PHI will only be provided to third party businesses for the limited scope of performing required services to help facilitate services for you.
For Session Reminders. World ENT Care may contact you to remind you about your appointments with our team.
Treatment Alternatives. World ENT Care may use and disclose PHI to educate you about different types of treatment available to you. World ENT Care may use and share PHI to tell you about other benefits and services related to your health.
Authorization. World ENT Care is permitted to use and disclose your PHI upon your written authorization, to the extent that such use or disclosure is consistent with your authorization. Your written authorization is required for marketing to you of any products or services not related to your service, or the sale of any information that is not de-identified. Please note that you may revoke or limit any such authorization at any time. World ENT Care cannot take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission. World ENT Care is required to keep records of the services that have been provided to you. Be assured that any uses or disclosures not described in this notice will require your written authorization.
People Involved In Your Care. With your permission, World ENT Care may share your PHI with a family member or friend who helps with your medical care. We may share your PHI with a group helping with disaster relief efforts. We do this so your family can be told about your location and condition. If you are not present or able to say no, we may use our judgment to decide if sharing your PHI is in your best interest.
Research. In support of telemedicine and e-health initiatives, World ENT Care may use and disclose your PHI for research. World ENT Care will only use and disclose information for research if World ENT Care receives your written consent, or if a review committee that meets Federal standards says World ENT Care does not need your consent.
Genetic Information. World ENT Care does not collect or use genetic information.
Fundraising Activities. World ENT Care will not disclose your individual PHI for fundraising activities without your written authorization.
As Required By Law. World ENT Care may use and disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state or local law.
To Prevent A Serious Threat To Health Or Safety. World ENT Care may use and disclose your PHI to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety and that of others. World ENT Care will only disclose your PHI with persons who can help prevent the threat.
Testimonials. We may display personal testimonials of satisfied customers on our site in addition to other endorsements. With your consent we may post your testimonial along with your name.
How World ENT Care May Use and Disclose PHI – Special Situations
Military. If you are in the Indian or foreign armed services, World ENT Care may share your PHI as required by the proper military authorities.
Workers’ Compensation. World ENT Care may share your PHI for workers’ compensation or programs like it. World ENT Care may do this to the extent required by law.
Public Health Risks. World ENT Care may share your PHI for public health activities, as required by federal, state or local law.
For example, we may share your PHI:
- to prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
- to report births and deaths;
- to report child abuse or neglect;
- to report reactions to medicines or problems with products;
- to tell you about product recalls;
- to tell you if you have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for catching or spreading a disease or condition;
- to tell the proper government department if World ENT Care believes a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. World ENT Care will only share this information when ordered or required by law.
Health Oversight Activities and Registries. World ENT Care may share your PHI with government agencies that oversee health care. World ENT Care may do so for activities approved by law. These activities include, but are not limited to, audits, investigations, inspections and license surveys. The government uses these activities to monitor the health care system. It also monitors the outbreak of disease, government programs, compliance with civil rights laws, and patient outcomes. World ENT Care may share PHI with government registries, if required.
Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are in a lawsuit or a dispute, World ENT Care may share your PHI in response to a court order, legal demand or other lawful process.
Law Enforcement. World ENT Care may share PHI if asked to do so by a law enforcement official under limited circumstances as follows:
- to report certain types of wounds;
- to respond to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;
- to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
- about the victim of a crime, if under certain limited circumstances, World ENT Care is unable to obtain the victim’s agreement;
Decedents. World ENT Care may, under limited circumstances, disclose your PHI to coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors for the purposes of identification, determining the cause of death and fulfilling duties relating to decedents.
National Security. World ENT Care may share, if required, your PHI with the proper federal officials for national security reasons.
HOW SECURITY IS HANDLED AT World ENT Care
The importance of security for all personal information including, but not limited to, PHI associated with you is of utmost concern to us. At World ENT Care, we exercise state of the art care in providing secure transmission of your information from your PC or mobile device to our servers. PHI collected by our web site is stored in secure operation environments that are not available or accessible to the public. Only those employees who need access to your information in order to do their jobs are allowed access, each having signed confidentiality agreements. Any employee who violates our privacy or security policies is subject to disciplinary action, including possible termination and civil and/or criminal prosecution. World ENT Care is the sole owner of the information collected on its site. World ENT Care will not sell, share or lease this information to others. World ENT Care does not sell any customer lists, e-mail addresses, cookies or other data without your written authorization.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Cookies are text information files that your web browser places on your computer when you visit a website. Cookies assist in providing non-personal information from you as an online visitor. It can be used in the customization of your preferences when visiting our website. Most browsers accept cookies automatically, but can be configured not to accept them or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. World ENT Care uses Google Analytics, a third-party tracking service, which uses cookies to track non-personal identifiable information about our visitors to our main site in the aggregate to capture usage and volume statistics. World ENT Care has no access to or control over these cookies. This privacy policy covers the use of cookies by World ENT Care only and does not cover the use of cookies by any third-party.
Security on our Website
Secure interaction. When you interact on our web site, all of your PHI including, but not limited to, your credit card number and delivery address, is transmitted through the Internet using Secure Socket Layers (SSL) technology. SSL technology causes your browser to encrypt your entered information before transmitting it to our secure server. SSL technology, an industry standard, is designed to prevent someone other than operators of our web site from capturing and viewing your personal information. World ENT Care also takes the following measures to protect your PHI online:
Information. Since any entered information you provide to us on our website will be transmitted using a secure connection, if your web browser cannot support this level of security, you will not be able to order products through our website. The most recent versions of Safari, Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Firefox can support a secure connection and can be downloaded for free from their respective websites.
No data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. While we strive to protect your PHI from unauthorized access, use or disclosure, World ENT Care cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us on our web site.
Privacy Rights
We are required by law to make sure that PHI that identifies you is kept private, give you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices concerning your PHI, and follow the terms of this Notice currently in effect.
Your Rights Regarding Your PHI
You have the following rights regarding PHI World ENT Care maintains about you:
Right To Inspect and To Receive Copies. You have the right to view and receive copies of the PHI used to make decisions about your care, provided you submit your request in writing. Usually, this includes consultation and billing records. World ENT Care may deny your request to view and/or copy your PHI in limited circumstances. If your request is denied, World ENT Care will inform you of the reason of the denial and you have the right to request a review of the denial. World ENT Care may charge a fee for the costs of processing your request.
Right To Amend. If you think that personal information World ENT Care has about you is wrong or incomplete, you have the right to ask for an amendment to your record. To request deletion of any personal information or ask for a change to your record, you must make your request in writing and submit it to info@worldentcare.com. If we are not able to comply with your request, we will respond with an explanation. World ENT Care may, under the following limited circumstances:
World ENT Care may deny your request for an amendment to your record. World ENT Care may deny your request if it is not submitted in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. World ENT Care may also deny your request if you ask World ENT Care to amend information that:
- World ENT Care did not create, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
- Is not part of the records used to give opinion to you;
- Is not part of the information which you are permitted to inspect and to receive a copy; or is accurate and complete.
We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
Right To an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to get a list of the disclosures World ENT Care has made of your PHI. This list will not include all disclosures that World ENT Care made. For example, this list will not include disclosures that World ENT Care made for treatment, payment or health care operations. It will not include disclosures made before 31st March 2020, or disclosures you specifically approved. To ask for this list, you must submit your request in writing.
Right To Request Restrictions. You have the right to ask for a restriction or limitation on the PHI World ENT Care uses or discloses for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to ask for a limit on the PHI World ENT Care discloses with someone who is involved in your care or in the payment for your care. Such a person may be a family member or friend. World ENT Care is not required to comply with your request. If World ENT Care does agree, we will fulfill your request unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency treatment or if otherwise required by law. To ask for restrictions, you must make your request in writing. You must tell us:
- what information you want to limit,
- how you want us to limit the information, and
- to whom you want the limits to apply.
Right To Request Confidential Communications. You have the right to request confidential communications of your PHI or medical matters. You may request that World ENT Care communicate with you through specific means or at a specific location. You must make your request in writing. World ENT Care will fulfill all reasonable requests.
Right To a Paper Copy of This Notice. You may ask World ENT Care Now to give you a written copy of this Notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to get this Notice electronically, you still have a right to a paper copy of this Notice.
If you click on a link to a third party site, you will leave World ENT Care site you are visiting and go to the site you selected. Because we cannot control the activities of third parties, we cannot accept responsibility for any use of your PHI by such third parties, and we cannot guarantee that they will adhere to the same privacy practices as World ENT Care. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any other service provider from whom you request services. If you visit a third party website that is linked to our site, you should read that site’s privacy policy before providing any personal information.
Revisions To This Notice
World ENT Care is constantly innovating and implementing new features as part of its Services. As a result, our privacy practices may change. We may revise this Notice to reflect any changes in our privacy practices. We reserve the right to make the revised Notice effective for PHI we already have about you. It also will be effective for any information we receive in the future. We will post a current version of the Notice on this site prior to the change becoming effective, as well as in the places where you receive the services. The effective date of this Notice is on the first page. If we make any material changes we will notify you by means of a notice on this site prior to the change becoming effective.
Social Media Widgets
Our Web site may include social media features, such as the Facebook button [and widgets, such as the share this button or interactive mini-programs that run on our site]. These features may collect your IP address, which page you are visiting on our site, and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. Social media features and widgets are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our site. Your interactions with these Features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing it.
Complaints
If you think your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with legal@worldentcare.com.
ACCEPTANCE
By using this site and World ENT Care Services, you acknowledge your acceptance of World ENT Care’s privacy policy and agree to the terms described herein. If you do not agree with this policy, you should not use World ENT Care’s Services. It is recommended that you read this privacy policy before use of Services to ensure that you have not missed any changes to the privacy policy. Your continued use of the Services following any changes to the privacy policy signifies your acceptance of those changes.