Privacy Policy

IMPORTANT MEDICAL NOTICE

If this is a medical emergency, please immediately call Emergency Personnel (911) to obtain prompt medical attention. This website is not designed to assist with medical emergencies.

As a health care provider, Mercy is strongly committed to protecting the right of privacy for our patients and the users of this website. We understand individuals have rights to privacy and concerns about the security and integrity of data. Therefore, we do not share any personally identifiable information submitted through the forms or e-mail links on this site with any entity outside Mercy unless you authorize us to do so or we are required to do so by law. We will only use and disclose the information you provide to us as stated in our Website Privacy Policy Statement as provided later in this section. In addition, if you provide health information that identifies who you are and may also include your name or Social Security number, we will only use and disclose this information as stated in the Notice of Privacy Practices which follows.

Website Privacy Policy Statement

Use and disclosure of health information includes using the information to provide treatment to the individual, to make payments for such treatment and to conduct ongoing quality improvement activities. Our use and disclosure of an individual’s personal information (including protected health information) is limited as required by federal and state law. We do not sell or rent personal information about visitors to this site or customers who use the site.

This website has security measures in place to help protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of information under our control. These measures include encryption of data using the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) system, and using a secured messaging service when we send you personal information electronically. Despite these measures, the confidentiality of any communication or material transmitted to or from us via this site by Internet or e-mail cannot be guaranteed.

Revisions to the Website Privacy Policy

We may revise this Website Privacy Policy from time to time as we add new features, or as laws change that may affect our services. If we make material changes to our Privacy Policy, we will post notice of this on our website. Any revised Privacy Policy will apply both to information we already have about you at the time of the change, and any personal information created or received after the change takes effect. The bottom of this page shows the date it was last updated. We encourage you to periodically reread this Privacy Policy, to see if there have been any changes to our policies that may affect you.

Website Visitor Data

Anonymous Access
You can access our website home page and browse our site without disclosing your personal data.

Services and Links
Our website may enable you to communicate with other visitors or to post information accessed by others. When you do so, other visitors may collect your data. Mercy routinely gathers data on website activity, such as how many people visit the site, the pages they visit, where they come from, how long they stay on the site, etc. The data is collected on an aggregate, anonymous basis, which means that no personally identifiable information is associated with the data. This data helps us improve site content and overall usage. The information is not shared with other organizations for their independent use.

Collecting and Using Personal Information

Except as disclosed in this Website Privacy Policy Statement, Mercy does not collect any identifiable information about visitors to this site or our customers who use this site. The policies, sources and uses of information are outlined in the sections that follow:

Web Log Files

We collect and log the IP address of each visitor to gather aggregate data on visitors to our site and how our site is being used. We do not associate IP addresses with any personally identifiable information. These logs may contain: the Internet domain from which you access the site (such as aol.com; abc.org; etc.); the IP address which is automatically assigned to your computer when you get on the Internet (a static IP address may be identifiable as being connected to you, while a dynamic address is usually not identifiable); the type of browser and operating system you use; the date and time you visited the site; the pages you viewed on the site; and, the address of the website you linked from, if any. If you sign on to this website to use its secured features, our web logs will also contain an individual identifier and show the services that you have accessed.

All web logs are stored securely, and may only be accessed by Mercy co-workers or designees on a need-to-know basis for a specific purpose. Mercy uses web log information to: help us design our website; identify popular features; resolve user, hardware and software problems; and to make the site more useful to visitors.

Internet Cookies

Cookies may be sent to your computer to collect general information about how our site is viewed. We do not use cookies to store personal data, nor do we link non-personal information stored in cookies with personal data about specific individuals. We may place Internet cookies on the computer hard drives of visitors to the MyMercy portion of this website. Information we obtain from cookies helps us to customize our site to be more helpful and efficient for our visitors. The cookie consists of a unique identifier that does not contain information about you or your health history. We use two types of cookies: session cookies and persistent cookies.

A session cookie is temporary and expires after you end a session and close your web browser. We use session cookies to tailor your experience on our website, maintain your signed-on status as you navigate through our features.

We also use persistent cookies that remain on your hard drive after you’ve exited from our website. There are several reasons including when you give us permission to remember a feature about you when asked by the website, such as your geographic location. In that case, we place a persistent cookie on your hard drive so that the next time you visit us, we won’t have to ask you for that information again. If you’ve given us permission to e-mail you, we may place a persistent cookie on your hard drive that will let us know when you come back to visit our site. Persistent cookies will not contain any personal information about you.

Evaluation and Research

We will periodically ask users to complete surveys asking about their experiences with features of the website. Our surveys ask visitors for demographic information such as age, gender and education, but will not request that users provide specific information about any medical condition. We use survey information for research and quality improvement purposes, including helping Mercy to improve information and services offered through the website. In addition, users giving feedback may be individually contacted for follow-up due to concerns raised during the course of such evaluation. Demographic information and web log data may be stored for future research and evaluation.

For more information, please review our Electronic Communications Policy.

Messages and Transactions

Comments or questions sent to us using e-mail or secure messaging forms will be shared with Mercy health care professionals and co-workers who are most able to address your concerns. We will archive your messages once we have made our best effort to provide you with a complete and satisfactory response.

Some of our services such as MyMercy’s automated appointment selection and prescription refill services interact directly with other Mercy data systems. Data about your transaction may be stored in these systems and made available to people who test and support these systems.

When you use a service on the secure section of this website to interact directly with Mercy health care professionals, some information you provide may be documented in your medical record and made available for use to guide your treatment as a patient.

For more information, please review our Electronic Communications Policy.

Data Integrity and Correction

Requests to view and correct personal information from this website that is documented in your medical record may be submitted using the contact information in the questions, complaints and contacts section below.

Disclosures
We may disclose personal information to any person performing audit, legal, operational or other services for us. We will use information which does not identify the individual for these activities whenever feasible. Information disclosed to vendors or contractors for operational purposes may not be re-disclosed to others by such a vendor or contractor.

MyMercy’s automated appointment selection and prescription refill services interact directly with other Mercy data systems. Data about your transaction may be stored in these systems and made available to people who test and support these systems.

When you use a service on the secure section of this website to interact directly with Mercy health care professionals, some information you provide may be documented in your medical record and made available for use to guide your treatment as a patient.

For more information, please review our Electronic Communications Policy.

Data Integrity and Correction

Requests to view and correct personal information from this website that is documented in your medical record may be submitted using the contact information in the questions, complaints and contacts section below.

Questions, Complaints and Contacts
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, our policies and practices concerning this site, your rights under this statement and your dealings with this website, please contact Mercy

Copyright 2011 Mercy – updated 09/03/11.

Terms of Use

Mercy Health offers the information on this web site for general information and educational purposes only. This information is not intended as medical advice and should not be used for diagnosis. Information on this web site is not intended to create any physician-patient relationship, nor should it be considered a replacement for consultation with a healthcare professional. If you have questions or concerns about your health, please contact your healthcare provider.

Copyright and Trademark Information

All content included on this site, such as text, graphics, logos, button icons, images, digital downloads, and software is the property of Mercy Health or its content suppliers and is protected by copyright laws. The compilation of all content on this site is the exclusive property of Mercy Health and is protected by copyright laws. All software used on this site is the property of Mercy Health or its software suppliers and protected by copyright laws.

The Mercy Health logo is a registered trademark of Mercy Health. The product and service names profiled herein are proprietary marks of Mercy Health. All other brands and names are the property of their respective owners.

License for Your Use of this Site

Mercy Health grants you a limited, revocable and nonexclusive license to access and make personal use of this site and not to download (other than page caching) or modify it, or any portion of it, except with the express written consent of Mercy Health. This site or any portion of this site may not be reproduced, duplicated, copied, sold, visited or otherwise exploited for commercial purposes without the express written consent of Mercy Health. You may not utilize framing to enclose any trademark, logo or other proprietary information contained on this site without express written consent. You may not use any meta tags or any other “hidden text” utilizing Mercy Health’s name or trademarks without our express written consent. You are granted a limited, revocable, and nonexclusive right to create a hyperlink to the home page of this site so long as the link does not portray Mercy Health, its affiliates or its services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive manner.

You agree to use this site only for lawful purposes, and you acknowledge that your failure to do so may subject you to civil or criminal liability. You are responsible for ensuring that any materials you post to this site or a discussion area via email or otherwise does not violate the copyright, trademark, trade secret or other personal or proprietary rights of any third party. You agree not to disrupt, modify, or interfere with this site or its associated software, hardware and servers in any way and you agree not to impede or interfere with others’ use of this web site. You further agree not to alter or tamper with any information or materials on or associated with this site.

Any unauthorized use terminates the permission or license granted by Mercy Health.

Use of Email Content

Transmittal of emails to this web site may not be private. You grant Mercy Health and its designees the unrestricted right to use, reproduce, modify, translate, transmit and distribute any information or material you supply or communicate to the web site via such postings in any medium now in existence or hereafter developed for any purpose.

Web Site Links

This web site may provide links or references to other sites. Mercy Health cannot be held responsible for the information, products or services obtained on such other sites and will not be liable for any damages arising from access to such sites. Any links to other sites are provided merely as a convenience to the visitors of this web site and any inclusion of such links in this web site does not imply an endorsement or warranty of the linked sites or their content, products or services. Visitors are cautioned that linked sites are governed by their own use and privacy policies, so visitors linking to such sites should make sure to visit the appropriate pages of those sites to determine what policies will apply.

Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability

Mercy Health makes no representations or warranties about the suitability of these materials for any purpose.

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ARE USING THIS WEB SITE AT YOUR OWN RISK. THIS SITE IS PROVIDED BY MERCY HEALTH ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. MERCY HEALTH DOES NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE INFORMATION, TEXT, GRAPHICS, EMAIL RESPONSES, LINKS AND OTHER ITEMS CONTAINED ON THIS WEB SITE OR ON ANY OTHER SERVER. MERCY HEALTH DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THIS SITE, ITS SERVERS, OR EMAIL SENT FROM MERCY HEALTH ARE FREE FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. MERCY HEALTH SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING FROM THE USE OF THIS SITE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THIS WEB SITE AND IN ANY EMAIL RESPONSES FROM MERCY HEALTH TO YOU ARE INTENDED TO BE FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY, ARE NOT CONFIDENTIAL, AND ARE NOT IN RESPONSE TO AN INDIVIDUAL’S ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL HEALTH PROBLEMS OR AN INDIVIDUAL’S PARTICULAR SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES. FURTHER, THIS INFORMATION SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR CONSULTING WITH YOUR PERSONAL PHYSICIAN.

Applicable Law and Jurisdiction

By visiting this web site, you agree that the Terms of Use and Privacy Statement for all purposes shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Missouri, without regard to principles of conflict of laws, and that any action based on or alleging a breach of these provisions must be brought in a state or federal court located in the State of Missouri. In addition, you agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction and venue of such courts.

General

Mercy Health may make changes to the information contained on this web site or the products and services described on this web site at any time. Mercy Health makes no commitment and undertakes no obligation to update the information contained herein. Mercy Health reserves the right to make changes to our Terms of Use and Privacy Statement at any time, without notice. If any of these provisions shall be deemed invalid, void or for any reason unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provision.

If you have any questions about the Web Site Terms of Use Statement, or the practices of this web site, you can contact:

Mercy Health
Lisa Immekus
Product Manager mercy.net