This Privacy Policy describes the use of any information collected from www.Nemours.org users, the means by which it is collected, and all general policies implemented to protect user privacy. This policy applies to anyone using www.Nemours.org, whether they are patients, family members of patients, or members of the general public. www.Nemours.org is a service provided by Nemours.
Outside Relationships
Nemours does not accept advertising or sponsorship from outside vendors. We do not share or sell any information about www.Nemours.org users. Although we are affiliated with various health care organizations, we do not share any information with them regarding www.Nemours.org users. We do not engage in any "co-branding" of health content with any providers outside of Nemours. www.Nemours.org does have a content partnership with KidsHealth.org. KidsHealth.org is a Web site that is owned entirely by Nemours. Under this partnership, content created by KidsHealth.org is presented through www.Nemours.org. www.Nemours.org does not select content based upon relationships with outside vendors or business partners.
IP Addresses
We collect IP (Internet Protocol) addresses for the purpose of analyzing aggregate traffic statistics. An IP address is a set of numbers assigned to your computer every time you connect to the Internet. An IP address is not unique to a given computer, but rather, to a given Internet connection. Through IP address analysis we cannot determine where our users live, but we can determine if a large number of visitors originate from a given organization or ISP (Internet Service Provider, like America Online or Earthlink). We cannot determine the identities of those visitors, but when viewed in aggregate we can gauge the amount of traffic coming to the site, the most popular areas, and the amount of time spent by our visitors. We do not sell or share IP address information with any vendors or affiliates. We do not make any attempt to trace the identities of people reading our Web site.
Cookies
A "cookie" is a small data file stored on your hard drive. Cookies are used to store small pieces of basic information so the user does not need to continually resubmit that data to the site. Some portions of the site require a log-in and/or the use of cookies. In these areas, your browser must be set to accept cookies. The cookies are only used to keep track of the fact that the user has successfully logged in or accomplished a given task. They are not used to store any information about physicians or their patients.
Security and Encryption
Direct patient-to-patient or patient-to-physician communication is not facilitated through www.Nemours.org. For this reason, the information available to the public is presented in an unencrypted format. If you have the need to consult with a member of our medical community we strongly encourage you to do so via phone or in person. Even in those cases where you have been given the e-mail address of a Nemours employee, we recommend that you do not transmit sensitive medical information in an unencrypted format. In its basic format, e-mail is inherently insecure and can be intercepted and read by others.
If direct patient-to-patient or patient-to-physician communication is provided in the future, it will be provided with additional security beyond what is necessary to log onto the generic site. In those areas of the site designed exclusively for physicians, all communications are handled in a secure environment with 128-bit encryption. Any portion of the site designed for secure communications will have a URL (Web address) that begins with "https://", as opposed to "http://". Medical information is never transmitted by Nemours in an insecure environment.
Personal Information
In those areas of the Web site designed exclusively for physicians, personally-identifiable patient information is occasionally transmitted between users. These areas of the Web are not accessible to the general public. All personally-identifiable patient information is encrypted before transmission and, when retained, is stored in a database. All patient information is accessible only by Nemours physicians, Nemours staff, or parties who originally submitted the information, and is retained indefinitely to maintain audit records of scheduling activity. Information that is a direct communication between physicians and their staffs with regard to their patients is not available to be deleted or removed at the request of the patient.
Patient Privacy
There are two types of information on www.Nemours.org - material developed for publication on www.Nemours.org and material previously published (usually in hard copy format) for a separate purpose not related to www.Nemours.org.
Except when permission by the family has been granted, no patients or family members of patients are identified in the content that is specific to www.Nemours.org. The names and photographs of patients or family members are changed to respect the privacy of our patients.
In some cases, www.Nemours.org will reproduce content that has previously been published by Nemours (i.e., the annual report or a newsletter). In these cases, names and pictures have either been changed to protect patients' identities and/or signed authorizations have been obtained to allow the names and images to be used.
Communications
If you have any questions or concerns regarding Nemours privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Officer at the following address:
Nemours
Attention: Privacy Officer
10140 Centurion Parkway North
Jacksonville, FL 32256
When establishing communication regarding Nemours Policy Practices, no guarantee is provided for the timeliness of the response. However, your inquiry is very important to us and we will make every effort to respond quickly to your inquiry.
Outside Sites
www.Nemours.org provides a number of hyperlinks that lead to sites outside www.Nemours.org. Our Privacy Policy applies only to www.Nemours.org. Hyperlinks leading to outside sites will open in a separate browser window. Whenever visiting a site outside www.Nemours.org, you should always read the privacy policy for that site. Do not make the assumption that any of the stipulations of the www.Nemours.org Privacy Policy apply to other Web sites. They do not. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other Web sites. Links to outside sites are provided as a general informational service to the public.
Changes and Modifications
You should read our Privacy Policy every time you visit www.Nemours.org. As new features are added to the site, some aspects of the policy will need to be changed. We reserve the right to modify our Privacy Policy at any time.