Steward Website Privacy Policy
Last Updated: July 2023
At Steward Heath Care System LLC and its affiliates (collectively, “Steward,” “we,” “our,” and “us”), we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of visitors to our website (“Site”). This Site privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) will tell you what information we collect, how it is used and your options as you interact with our Site.
By using this Site, you agree to the collection, use, and sharing of the information described below. Please read the following carefully before using the Site, if you do not agree to these terms, please exit our Site. If you have any questions regarding our policies or your use of our Site, please contact us via Postal Mail: Steward Health Care System LLC, 1900 N. Pearl Street, #2400, Dallas, TX 75201, By e-mail: [email protected]
Protected Health Information
Individually Identifiable Health Information or Protected Health Information (“PHI”) includes any information about an individual’s past, present or future physical or mental health or condition, the provision of healthcare to an individual, and the past, present or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual, in each case that identifies or could reasonably be believed to identify that individual. All PHI is subject to and handled in accordance with our Notice of Privacy Practices with respect to use and disclosure described at here and in accordance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The text, graphics, images, information, and other material on the Site are for informational purposes only. The Site is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your health. Nothing you learn on this Site can be considered medical advice. Your mere use of this Site or providing PHI to this Site does not create a patient relationship with Steward or any Steward physician.
Information We Collect
You may use our Site without providing any personal information. When you reply to any of our communications with a request, we may need to collect additional information. For example, you may be asked to provide personal information, such as name, email address, and demographic information if you choose to complete an online form or provide feedback.
Please do not provide personal information unless it is specifically requested to do so in a secure manner. If you have personal information to communicate, please use the appropriate secure online form or contact the necessary party using traditional means such as phone or mail.
If you submit any information, you represent that you have the authority to do so and permit us to use the information to support your request. By submitting personal information, you grant us the right to transmit, monitor, retrieve, store and use your information in connection with the operation of the Site.
We may automatically collect certain information when you visit or use our Site. This information may include your IP address (or other unique device identifier, including one that we may assign); certain details about your browser, operating system, and hardware; your location, if available; the URL that referred you to our Site; your activities on our Site, including your preferences; and other logging information, such as the date and time of your visit.
We may use tracking technologies to automatically collect information, such as “cookies”, browser fingerprints, tracking pixels and related technologies. We may use web server logs to collect and store information about Site usage, we may also collect additional information from your device, including your location, device identifier, and information about your mobile network if applicable. In some cases, this information may be unique to you.
Steward patients can opt to create a Patient Portal account to manage their health. Features include reviewing test results, managing appointments, messaging your doctor, renewing your prescriptions and paying your bills. Before creating an account, please review the Terms and Conditions available on the Steward Patient Portal.
When making payments on a Steward Site, you may need to provide your account number, your date of birth, and your payment information, such as your credit card or debit card number and expiration date. If you choose to make a payment online, you may be redirected to a third-party payment processor. We advise you to review their privacy policy to learn how that processor collects, processes and stores your payment and other information. Please be aware that Steward does not directly collect or store any of your payment information.
Cookies, Analytics Services and Targeted Ads
We may configure or use third-party products or services (“Service Providers”), including Google, Facebook, and other Service Providers, to track and analyze activity on our Site. Our Service Providers may acquire additional information about your activity on our website, including pages you visit, access times, visit duration, how you arrived at our website and your IP address. An IP address is a number that identifies a device connected to the Internet. Our Service Providers may also acquire device identifiers and specific information about the browser you use.
We and our Service Providers may use the information to improve our site and the products and services that we offer you. The information may be used to target advertisements or other content that you may be interested in, based on your online activities on our and other sites. If you would like to learn more about targeted ads that may be based on your online activities, and the choices that you may exercise for certain sites and advertisers, you may wish to visit the Network Advertising Initiative or the Digital Advertising Alliance. You can find out more about how Google uses data when you visit our site by visiting “How Google uses data when you use our partners' sites or apps.”
We may deploy the Facebook “Pixel” on this website. The Facebook Pixel may enable Facebook to match website visitors with their Facebook User Accounts. You can find out more about how Facebook uses data from our website by visiting “What kinds of information do we collect from partners?”.
Most internet browsers accept tracking cookies by default, but you can modify your browser preferences to block or restrict “cookies” if you do not want your web browsing activity tracked. Cookies are small data files that online services can store on, and retrieve from, a user’s computer or mobile device through the user’s web browser. The information is stored and retrievable either for the duration of a website visit (known as “session cookies”), or until some later point in time set by the website setting the cookie (known as “persistent cookies”).
There are a variety of tools publicly available to manage cookies and similar technologies that collect information related to your use of the website. Learn more from (i) the FTC or (ii) the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page, on how you can opt out from receiving interest-based advertising like “Do Not Track”. We are not responsible for the effectiveness or compliance of third party opt-out mechanisms or programs. Please note that if you delete your cookies or upgrade your browser after having opted out, you will need to opt out again. Further, if you use multiple browsers or devices you will need to opt out on each browser or device.
This Site may use Google’s reCAPTCHA service to protect against spam and other automated abuse. The data collected during reCAPTCHA analysis, which takes place in the background automatically when visiting a site, is sent to Google’s servers. The use of the reCAPTCHA service and the treatment of any information collected through the service, such as IP address, date, time, language, screen size and resolution, and mouse movements while on the page, are subject to Google’s applicable privacy policy and terms of use, as noted in the boxes where you are asked to confirm that “I’m not a robot” when submitting anything protected with a reCAPTCHA.
Your browser, or other software, may allow you to reject or remove cookies and other technologies used by Steward and its Service Providers for the purposes described, but if you do so, some features of our Site may not work properly, and we may not be able to remember your preferences the next time that you visit.
How We Use the Information That We Collect
We use the information that we collect from you to process transactions, like scheduling an appointment, to provide you with information that may be of interest to you including special offers, to notify you of changes to our Privacy Policy and to provide details regarding new services or upcoming events.
We also use the information that we collect to process your account registration and to enable you to use certain Site features. The information that we collect may help to customize your experience on our Site, to provide customer support, and to support our Terms of Use.
In some cases, reputable third parties engaged by Steward may have access to your information to perform a specific task, for example, to help manage this website, provide content and information, and to help us interact better with our patients and visitors.
How and When We Share Information with Third Parties
We may share the information that we collect with third parties for a variety of purposes. For example, we may share information with Service Providers who assist us in our business operations. We may also share information where required by law or to satisfy any applicable law, regulation, subpoena, government request, or other legal process. We may also share information with third parties, including law enforcement, to protect our Site and to enforce our Terms of Use. We also reserve the right to share the information that we collect with our subsidiaries and affiliates and with any subsequent owner in the event of a merger, consolidation, sale of our assets, or other change in our business. Your information would remain subject to the provisions outlined in the Privacy Policy unless you specify otherwise.
How We Protect Your Information
We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of the personal information you provide to us via this Site. We use commercially reasonable and industry standard security technologies and safeguards to protect the information that we collect and use. We also expect our service providers to protect information in the same manner. However, no data transmission over the Internet, mobile networks, wireless transmission, or electronic storage of information can be guaranteed 100% secure. Please note that we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us over the public internet.
Steward will never request your password, user name, credit card information or other personal information through email. If you receive any email from Steward that asks for your personal information, do not respond. The email may be a scam or “Phishing” email intended to steal your information.
Our Site may allow you to update your e-mail preferences. If you prefer not to receive e-mail newsletters or other messages from us, you may use the “unsubscribe” features that are included in such communications.
Non-Steward Third-Party Sites & Services
Our Site may allow you to use your account and information from other online services, including social media providers like Facebook and Google. If you use accounts from other services on our Site, those third parties may share information about you with us, and we may share information that we collect with them. Our Site may also include features from third parties that allow you to interact with other online services, including social media. For example, we may use third parties to allow you to send messages, tweets, or make postings on social media sites, like Facebook. If you use these features, then we may share information about you with those third parties, and they may collect additional information. You should review the privacy policies for such third parties to understand how they collect and use information.
Our Site may include links to third-party websites or other online services. We are not responsible for these other sites and services, and they may collect and use information about you. As described, third parties may use tracking technologies in connection with our Site, which may include the collection of information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to these third-party technologies that you, and not Steward, may choose to use. You should review the privacy policies for such third parties before using their sites or services to understand how they collect and use information.
Use from Non-United States Locations
If you are from a non-U.S. country, please be aware that the personal information you submit, including information provided through our Site, is being sent to a location in the United States. The data protection laws in the United States may differ from those of the country in which you are located, and your personal information may be subject to access requests from governments, courts, or law enforcement in the United States according to laws of the United States. By providing such personal information, you are consenting to (and represent that you have authority to consent to), the transfer of such information to the United States for the uses and purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
Under Chapter III of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or Section 2 of the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (SFADP), residents of the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland and United Kingdom (UK) are entitled to certain rights with respect to the processing of personal data, which includes the right to access, rectify and request erasure of personal data.
Please contact us with any request relating to GDPR or SFDPA. To verify your identity, we may require you to provide us with personal information prior to accessing any records containing information about you. Please be aware that any request for withdrawal of consent for data collection will not affect the lawfulness of personal information collected, processed, and transferred prior to the date of such withdrawal. You can exercise your right at any time by contacting us in the following ways: Postal Mail: Steward Health Care System LLC, 1900 N. Pearl Street, #2400, Dallas, TX 75201, By e-mail: [email protected]
Your California Privacy Rights
California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits California residents who have supplied personal information, as defined in the statute, to us, under certain circumstances, to request and obtain certain information regarding our disclosure, if any, of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. If this applies, you may obtain the categories of personal information shared and the names and addresses of all third parties that received personal information for their direct marketing purposes during the immediately prior calendar year (e.g. requests made in 2019 will receive information about 2018 sharing activities)] or to request to opt-out of such future sharing. To make such a request, please provide sufficient information for us to determine if this applies to you, attest to the fact that you are a California resident and provide a current California address for our response. You can exercise your right at any time by contacting us in the following ways: Postal Mail: Steward Health Care System LLC, 1900 N. Pearl Street, #2400, Dallas, TX 75201, By e-mail: [email protected]
Children’s Privacy
Our Site is intended for general audiences, and we do not knowingly seek or collect personal information from children under the age of 18. In accordance with the Child Online Privacy Protection Act, in the event that we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. You can exercise your right at any time by contacting us in the following ways: Postal Mail: Steward Health Care System LLC, 1900 N. Pearl Street, #2400, Dallas, TX 75201, By e-mail: [email protected]
Sweepstakes, Contests and Promotions
We may offer sweepstakes, contests, and other promotions (any, a “Promotion”) through the Site that may require registration. . By participating in a Promotion, you are agreeing to official rules that govern that Promotion which are separate from this Privacy Policy, and which may contain specific requirements of you, including, allowing the sponsor of the Promotion to use your name, voice and/or likeness in advertising or marketing associated with the Promotion. . If you choose to enter a Promotion, certain personal information may be disclosed to third parties or the public in connection with the administration of such Promotion, including, in connection with winner selection, prize fulfillment, and as required by law or permitted by the Promotion’s official rules, such as on a winners list.
Privacy Policy Changes
We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time and we will post notice of any such changes on our Site. Your use of our Site after the effective date constitutes your acceptance of the amended terms and conditions. We reserve the right to apply the amended terms to the information that we have already collected, subject to any legal constraints.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding our Privacy Policy, practices, or your use of our Site, please contact us at as follows: Postal Mail: Steward Health Care System LLC, 1900 N. Pearl Street, #2400, Dallas, TX 75201, By e-mail: [email protected]