WEBSITE PRIVACY & SECURITY POLICYBy continuing to use this website, you are acknowledging and agreeing to all of the terms of use and conditions outlined within this policy. Please read this policy carefully. Boston Medical Center (BMC) is committed to protecting the privacy of its patients, families, donors, and visitors. This website should not be used as a substitute for medical advice from a physician or health care professional. Health care information obtained from this website could be misinterpreted or inappropriate for your condition. If you have a question about your health, we urge you to consult a physician or other health care professional directly. Boston Medical Center assumes no responsibility for how the information obtained from its website is used or interpreted. Boston Medical Center will not intentionally share the contents of any electronic communications with a third-party entity. The only exception will be the administration and maintenance of electronic donations, which is explained in the “Donations and Fundraising” section below. BMC cannot provide any assurances that the contents of your electronic communications will not become known or accessible to third-parties, due to the nature of electronic communications. THE INTERNET IS NOT SECURE. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND AND ADVISE YOU NOT TO PROVIDE ANY CONFIDENTIAL OR SENSITIVE INFORMATION OVER THE INTERNET. IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO SO, IT IS AT YOUR OWN RISK!! ANY UNLAWFUL OR CRIMINAL CONTENT PROVIDED WILL BE SUBJECT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT REVIEW. Information Collection and UseBoston Medical Center obtains information voluntarily from online visitors to fulfill online requests, and to inform them of programs and events. BMC will take reasonable steps to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of personally identifiable information, which has been obtained through this website. Any information collected voluntarily from our website visitors will be used to develop or improve our programs and services. It will not be sold to any third-party marketing companies. In order to provide you with timely, efficient service in a cost effective manner, information you provide to BMC may be transferred to the appropriate BMC department or authorized staff member who require access to the information for business purposes so he or she can deliver the service or information you requested. All personally identifiable information collected and aggregated for survey purposes will be de-identified and screened before it is shared with third-parties for analysis. Boston Medical Center will only disclose personally identifiable information if required to by a search warrant, subpoena, or court order. Please refer to our "Notice of Privacy Practices" on the "For Patients & Visitors" section of our website for additional policies relating to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (Effective September 23, 2013). Boston Medical Center collects email addresses voluntarily submitted by our online visitors and from authorized third-party vendors. Those email addresses are stored within various email distribution lists so, BMC can periodically send out newsletters, brochures, and surveys. At any time, you may request to opt-out of the communications listed above by using the unsubscribe link on our customer service web page or calling the BMC Office of Marketing at 617.638.8990. If you email the medical center, your message will be forwarded to the appropriate department for processing. DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE OR EMAIL FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCY SERVICES. Boston Medical Center emails sent to patients containing protected health information (PHI) or personally identifiable information (PII) will be secured by an Identity-Based Encryption (IBE) system. For more information please contact the BMC Office of Marketing at 617.638.8990. FormsThe following online forms are located within the Boston Medical Center website:
If you submit personal information in response to a career or volunteer opportunity, please be advised that your personal information will be distributed within the organization so the appropriate manager can contact you and potentially discuss the opportunity with you. These forms may request confidential health or personal information, which will be treated with the same care used to treat all patient information. Forms will be secured using 128bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption. SSL is the industry standard protocol for protecting and securing online transactions and exchanges of confidential information. Third-Party Website LinksWhere appropriate, relevant Internet links are provided to other websites. Boston Medical Center is not responsible for the privacy practices, availability, accuracy, or content of any site not owned or operated by Boston Medical Center. These links are provided to our online visitors as a convenient way to access helpful resources. A link to another website does not imply an endorsement. Links to external sites will be evaluated periodically for appropriateness and can be removed at anytime. We encourage online visitors to read the privacy statements of any third-party sites they may visit. Logging, Tracking, and MonitoringOnline visitors utilizing this site do so anonymously. The Boston Medical Center website uses “Cookies” to determine the number of times a page on our website has been accessed. The website does not set or access cookies stored within your computer. You can still use the BMC website if you turn the cookies option off in your web browser. The following pieces of information are collected during a session to aggregate usage statistics, and to improve website functionality:
Donations and FundraisingThis website provides an opportunity for online visitors to make online donations or register for fundraising events to support Boston Medical Center. Online visitors will be required to provide their name, address, telephone number, email address and credit card number so we can process donations and event registrations. A receipt or confirmation email will be returned to the email address provided. Please double check all data before submitting your donation. If you have questions regarding your online donation, please call the BMC Office of Development at 617.638.8990. Boston Medical Center does not maintain credit card information. BMC’s Office of Development manages the content of the Donations and Fundraising website. The Donation and Fundraising website is hosted, secured, and maintained by a third-party. All donation pages are secured with 128bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption to maintain data confidentiality. Phishing Scam AwarenessPhishing is a technique used by online thieves to try to get you to disclose your personal information under false pretenses. Phishing scams begin with email messages that appear to come from popular websites or sites that you trust. These messages may include logos similar to your bank or credit card company’s logos. If you get an email message asking for personal information, do not reply or click on the link in the message. Boston Medical Center will never request an online visitor to provide personal health or financial information by email. Please notify the BMC Privacy Officer at 617.638.7224 immediately if you receive an email claiming to be from BMC requesting personal health or financial information. Additional tips and resources about protecting yourself online can be found within the AARP Cyber Safety Handbook (PDF) or the OnGuardOnline (http://www.onguardonline.gov) website. The handbook also has a number of useful tips regarding shopping safely on the Internet, handling junk email and protecting your computer. Protecting ChildrenThe Boston Medical Center web site is not designed to attract children under the age of 13. However, there are select BMC websites and newsletters that are designed with children in mind (e.g.,Halloweentownboston.com and Kids Helping Kids newsletter) and are meant to be viewed with an adult. Boston Medical Center does not target children for the collection of information online and does not knowingly collect personally identifying information from anyone under the age of 13 unless we first obtain written and verifiable permission from the child's parent or legal guardian. Boston Medical Center encourages parents and guardians to spend time online with their children, so they can monitor their child’s online activities. Policy ModificationsBoston Medical Center reserves the right to change this policy at anytime, without advance notice. Please review this policy periodically to keep informed of any changes or updates. Any dispute arising out of the use of this website shall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. IndemnificationYOU ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE USING THIS WEBSITE AT YOUR OWN RISK. THIS WEBSITE IS PROVIDED BY BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. YOUR SOLE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THIS SITE, SITE-RELATED SERVICES, AND/OR HYPERLINKED WEBSITES IS TO STOP USING THE SITE AND/OR THOSE SERVICES. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOU ARE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR BEHAVIOR ON THIS WEBSITE OR THE BEHAVIOR OF PERSONS UNDER YOUR CONTROL SUCH AS MINOR CHILDREN. YOU AGREE TO INDEMNIFY, DEFEND AND HOLD HARMLESS BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER, ITS AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES, STAFF, BUSINESS PARTNERS, LICENSORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND ANY THIRD-PARTY INFORMATION PROVIDERS TO THE SERVICE FROM AND AGAINST ALL CLAIMS, LOSSES, EXPENSES, DAMAGES AND COSTS (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY AND INDIRECT DAMAGES), AND REASONABLE ATTORNEYS' FEES, RESULTING FROM OR ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE, MISUSE, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS WEBSITE. Copyright and TrademarkAll content on this site is the exclusive property of Boston Medical Center unless noted otherwise and is protected by copyright laws. Boston Medical Center’s service marks include, but are not limited to, "BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER", the Boston Medical Center logo, "Exceptional Care Without Exception" and “Exceptional Care. Without Exception”. The trademarks, service marks, and logos of other organizations used on this site are the property of their respective owners. Online visitors may print or download information from this site for personal, non-commercial use only. The contents of this website may not be distributed, modified, reproduced, or used, in whole or in part without the prior written consent of BMC. Requests can be sent to: webfeedback@bmc.org In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512 (the DMCA) Boston Medical Center (BMC) is registered as a Service Provider with the United States Copyright Office. Notifications of copyright infringement claims occurring within the BMC network should be reported to the BMC Marketing Department: webfeedback@bmc.org Any such notice must be in writing, and must include the following information as required by the DMCA:
How to Contact UsAny questions with respect to this Privacy Policy should be directed to the compliance hotline 1-800-586-2627or, please email: DG-PrivacyOfficer@bmc.org or use our website feedback form. Thank you for your interest in Boston Medical Center. |