Expert Opinion MD Privacy Policy
April 23, 2019
Please note that by using this website (the “Site”), the services provided by Expert Opinion MD , Inc. (“Company”, “we”, “our” or “us”), you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Site and/or the Company’s services.
This Privacy Policy only addresses the use and disclosure of information we collect from you. When you are on the Site, you can be directed to other sites that are beyond our control, and Company is not responsible for the privacy practices of third parties or the content of linked websites. We recommend you read the posted privacy policy whenever interacting with any website.
We do not knowingly collect or maintain personally identifiable information from persons under 18 years old, and no part of our Site is directed to persons under 18. If Company learns that personally identifiable information of persons less than 18 years old has been collected without verifiable parental or guardian consent, then Company will take the appropriate steps to delete this information.
Company reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Please visit this page periodically so that you will be apprised of any changes. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you may contact us at care@expertopinion.md
Please read the Privacy Policy carefully.
INFORMATION COLLECTED
The following describes the types of personal and other information the Company may collect about you, and how the Company may use and maintain that information, including, but not limited to:
User Identity. We ask that you register with the Site and provide us with your email address, a password, your first and last name and other contact information and personal details such as to utilize our service. Your User Identity is primarily used for communication purposes as well as rendering of specific services you request. This includes, but is not limited to Patient Name, Contact Phone, Contact Email, Patient Date of Birth, Patient’s Originating Doctor Name, Patient’s Originating Clinic Name, Patients Originating Clinic Address, and Date of Patient’s last visit with the Originating Doctor. We will keep this information indefinitely unless specifically requested otherwise by the Patient or User.
User Medical Records. In order for the medical professionals to provide expert opinions regarding your condition, you are, upon purchase, opting into consent for the Company to request a medical records transfer on your behalf from your originating physician office to the destination physician office who will be providing the expert opinion to you.
Communication. If you correspond with us via email or our secure portal, we will keep this information indefinitely unless specifically requested otherwise by the Patient or User.
Website Data Collection. As per global standard website practices, the Company collects information about Users’ navigation of our Site(s). This information allows the Company to better optimize User experiences. Your IP address is used to help identify you and to gather broad demographic information as well as optimize the software service we provide. We also collect cookies in some cases such as to remember your Site preferences, improve our marketing, and improve our overall service and user experience. If you reject cookies, then your use of the Site may yield a subpar use of service user experience. None of the cookies personally identifies you and you are able to learn more here.
No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
INFORMATION DISCLOSURE
The following describes information the Company may disclose about you:
We will not license, sell, rent or share or otherwise disclose any of the personally identifiable information that we collect about you, except when we effectuate the medical records transfer to the physician of your choosing on our Site.
We may disclose the results of aggregated data about you. This aggregate data can be in the form of Site demographic data as well as high level information about specific medical conditions. For example, we might disclose to a third party that 30% of our Users transacted for Glaucoma expert opinions or that 20% of our Users are from New York State. Both of the aforementioned examples are purely fictional in nature.
User name and password is not disclosed to any third parties at all, even in aggregate form.
We may disclose information about you as part of a merger, acquisition or other sale or transfer of its assets or business. Company does not guarantee that any entity receiving such information in connection with one of these transactions will comply with all terms of this policy.
We may disclose information in court or in the stages leading to possible legal action arising from improper use the Site, or its services, or due to a dispute you initiate in connection with the related services. In all cases, any disclosure would be only to the extent permitted by law.
We may disclose information to the government or to third parties under certain circumstances, such as in connection with illegal activity on our Site or to respond to a subpoena, court order or other legal process.
Company reserves the right to release information that we collect to law enforcement or other government officials, as we, in our sole and absolute discretion, deem necessary or appropriate.
If you use our Site or services outside of the United States, information that we collect about you will be transferred to servers inside the United States, which may involve the transfer of information out of countries located in the European Economic Area (note the EU is not defined as a service area currently within our Terms of Use). By allowing Company to collect information about you, you consent to such transfer and processing of your data.
Health Information Rights
Users have certain rights regarding health information that we maintain.
Right to Access Health Information
Users have the right to review or obtain copies of their medical and health information records. Your request to review and/or obtain a copy of your protected health information records must be made in writing. We may charge a fee for the costs of producing, copying and mailing your requested information, but we will tell you the cost in advance.
Right to Amend Your Protected Health Information
If you feel that your information (including protected health information) maintained by us is incorrect or incomplete, you may request that we amend the information. Your request must be made in writing and must include the reason you are seeking a change. We may deny your request if, for example, you ask to amend a record that is already accurate and complete. If we deny your request to amend, we will notify you in writing. You then have the right to submit to us a written statement of disagreement with our decision and we have the right to rebut that statement.
Right to Receive an Accounting of Disclosures
You have the right to request that we provide you with an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI. To request an accounting, you must submit your request, in writing, to our Compliance Office at care@expertopinion.md. Your request must state a time period for the accounting. The accounting may not include dates prior to March, 2018 (company founding). Your request should indicate in what form you want the accounting (for example, on paper, electronically). The first accounting in a 12-month period is free.
Right to Request a Restriction on the Use and Disclosure of Your Protected Health Information
You have the right to request that we restrict or limit how we use or disclose your protected health information for treatment, payment or healthcare operations. By law, we may not agree to your request. If we do agree, we will comply with your request unless the information is needed for an emergency. Your request for a restriction must be made in writing. In your request, you must tell us: (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit how we use or disclose your information, or both; and (3) to whom you want the restrictions to apply.
Right to Receive Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that we use a certain method to communicate with you or that we send information about you to a certain location if the communication could endanger you. Your request to receive confidential communications must be made in writing. Your request must clearly state that all or part of the communication from us could endanger you. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Privacy Policy
You have a right at any time to request a paper copy of this Privacy Policy, even if you had previously agreed to receive an electronic copy.
Right to File a Complaint
You have the right to file a complaint if you believe we are not in compliance with our Notice of Privacy Practices and the Healthcare Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. Your complaint can be submitted, in writing, to our Compliance Office at care@expertopinion.md. Your complaint can be anonymous. We value your opinion and we will not retaliate against you in any manner for filing a complaint. You also have a right to file a complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Contact Information for Exercising Your Rights
You may exercise any of the rights described above by contacting our Compliance Office at care@expertopinion.md.
SECURITY
In order to protect our users from the unauthorized release of Private Health Information (PHI), ExpertOpinion.md uses unique identifiers (email and password) to authenticate the user's identity and verify the user is authorized to view the area of expertopinion.md (and data) they are requesting. All information transmitted to and from expertopinion.md is encrypted before it is sent using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology or similar industry standard encryption technology.
In addition, expertopinion.md takes the following steps to protect the data we collect against unauthorized access: Encrypting all data we store, verifying proper credentials before accessing sensitive data, logging and alerting all unauthorized or suspicious attempts to our systems
You should keep in mind that expertopinion.md and our services are run on software, hardware and networks, any component of which may, from time to time, require maintenance or experience problems or breaches of security beyond our control. Be aware that despite our use of standard industry practices and the guidelines outlined in this Privacy Policy, no data transmission over the internet or encryption method can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.
GOVERNING LAW
By choosing to visit this Site, use our services, or otherwise provide information to Company, you agree that any dispute over privacy or the terms contained in this Privacy Policy will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington. You also agree to abide by any limitation on damages contained in our Terms of Use or other agreement that we have with you.
This privacy statement has been prepared based on provisions of multiple legislations, including the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), and the U.S. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”).