Online Privacy Policy

Effective Date: Nov. 13, 2021

This Online Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) describes how we may collect, use, and share information about you when you access or interact with our website, medstarhealth.org (the “Site”) operated by MedStar Health Inc. (“MedStar”, “we”, “us”, “our”). Please note that this Privacy Policy does not cover online or other services that are offered under a different privacy policy, such as the Patient Portal, which is operated by Cerner Health.

MedStar also maintains a separate Notice of Privacy Practices, pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”), that applies to protected health information that we collect from individuals. Click here to view our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.

Personal information you provide to us

We, and our vendors, may obtain “Personal Information”, which is information that may identify you as an individual, that you provide to us directly; for example, when you complete a contact form, register for events, or make a donation to us. The Personal Information we collect may include name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and payment processing information.

Information that is automatically collected

In addition to any Personal Information or other information that you choose to submit to the Site, we and our vendors (including content and analytics providers and advertising companies) may use a variety of tracking technologies (such as cookies and web beacons) that automatically or passively collect certain information whenever you visit or interact with the Site or one of our advertisements or other content elsewhere online. This type of usage information may include the browser you are using, your IP address or other unique identifier, search terms, the URL that referred you to our Site, pages that you visit, and the time of the visit.

Cookies” are small data files stored by your web browser on your computer. Cookies may allow a website to recognize a user’s device, record user preferences, track the pages a user clicks on while visiting the website, and identify the website visited immediately beforehand. Most web browsers accept cookies by default, but you may be able to adjust your browser settings to remove or reject cookies. Please note that blocking cookies may affect the availability and functionality of the Site and other websites. Also, disabling cookies may invalidate opt outs that use cookies to recognize devices that have opted out.

Web Beacons” are small electronic files known (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags and single-pixel gifs) that permit us, for example, to count visitors to the Site who have visited those pages or opened an email from us, and for other related website statistics (such as recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity).

We may combine certain automatically collected information with other information we obtain about you, which may include data we obtain from third parties. Please note that we or third parties may collect Personal Information about your online activities over time and across different devices and online properties when you use the Site.

Data analytics and advertising

We may use third-party technology to collect and use data in connection with interest-based advertising. These third-party ad technology companies and advertisers may use, store, or access cookies, web beacons, and other storage technologies to collect or receive information from the Site and elsewhere on the Internet and use that information to provide advertising services to us, including advertisements targeted to your interests.

We may use certain third-party web analytics services, such as Google Analytics, to help us understand and analyze how visitors use the Site and to serve ads on our behalf across the Internet. We’ve implemented Google Analytics Advertising features on the Site (including interest-based advertising, audience targeting, demographics and interests reporting, device reporting, display advertising, and video ads reporting). We and our vendors may use first-party cookies or other first-party identifiers as well as third-party cookies or other third-party identifiers to deliver advertisements, create a profile of you, measure your interests, detect your demographics, detect your location, detect your device, and personalize content.

To find out more about how these third-party analytics services manage the privacy of information in conjunction with delivering ads online, and how to opt out of information collection by these networks, please visit: youradchoices.com, aboutads.info/appchoices, or networkadvertising.org.

For more information on how Google Analytics uses data collected through the Site, visit: google.com/policies/privacy/partners/. To opt out of Google Analytics cookies, visit: google.com/settings/ads and tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/.

You may opt out of Facebook Custom Audience by logging into your Facebook account and changing your privacy or advertising settings as per Facebook’s opt-out instructions. You may also use your Facebook account settings to unlink your Facebook account from the Site.

For information on how Microsoft collects or receives information through tracking technologies to provide Microsoft Advertising, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement: privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement.

We may use Oracle Marketing Cloud Services such as Eloqua to provide us with user Site activity information. Oracle offers users certain privacy choices, including an opt-out. For more information, see datacloudoptout.oracle.com/optout.

We may use Crazy Egg’s services on this Site. To learn more about Crazy Egg’s data collection practices, you can click here to view Crazy Egg’s privacy policy and click here to view their opt-out page.

Please note that we do not control how other parties manage their opt-out processes.

Your web browser may have settings that allow you to transmit a “Do Not Track” signal when you visit various websites or use online services. Like many websites, this Site is not designed to respond to “Do Not Track” signals received from browsers. To learn more about “Do Not Track” signals, visit allaboutdnt.com.

Information about you collected by other parties

MedStar may also obtain information about you from other sources, including service providers and third-party services, and combine that with MedStar-collected information. MedStar is not responsible or liable for the accuracy of the information provided to us by such third parties or for third-party policies or practices.

We may use your Personal Information in ways that are compatible with the purposes for which it was collected or authorized by you, including for the following purposes:

• To provide products and services you request (such as when you subscribe to our blog);
• To respond to requests, questions, and comments, and provide other types of user support;
• To send marketing communications, or direct you to portions of the Site that we believe may interest you;
• To communicate about, and administer your participation in, events, programs, and other offers or promotions;
• To carry out, evaluate, and improve our business (which may include developing new features for the Site, analyzing and enhancing the user experience, assessing the effectiveness of our marketing and advertising, and managing our communications);
• To perform data analytics regarding usage of the Site;
• To guard against, identify, and prevent fraud and other criminal activity;
• To comply with applicable legal requirements, law enforcement requests, and our company policies; and
• For any other purpose, with your consent.

Our agents, vendors, consultants, and other service providers may have access to information we collect through the Site to carry out work on our behalf. Those parties are subject to confidentiality obligations and are restricted from using Personal Information collected through the Site for purposes other than to provide the requested assistance. In addition, we may share information:

• With our affiliates for internal business purposes;
• With third parties for marketing purposes, including data management platforms and other advertising technology providers;
• If we are required to do so by law, regulation, or legal process (such as a court order or subpoena);
• In response to requests from government agencies, such as law enforcement authorities;
• If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to prevent physical harm or financial loss, or in connection with an investigation of suspected or actual illegal activity;
• With respect to analytics and statistical information, to inform advertisers about the nature of our user base;
• In the event we sell or transfer all or a portion of our business or assets (including a reorganization, dissolution, or liquidation) and negotiations of such transactions; and
• With your consent or at your discretion.

The Site may permit you to interact with social media platforms operated by unaffiliated parties, for example, to “like” MedStar or to share content from the Site on those platforms (“Social Features”). If you choose to “like” or share content or post information using Social Features, that information may be publicly displayed, and the party operating the other platform may receive certain information about you and your use of the Site. Similarly, if you interact with us through Social Features (e.g., if you “like” or “follow” our page on another platform), we may have access to information about you from that platform. Please note that if you mention or comment about MedStar or our Site in your post on another platform, that platform may allow us to publish your post on our Site. In addition, we may receive information about you if a user on a social media platform gives us access to their profile and you are one of their connections, or information about you is otherwise accessible through that other user. You should review the terms, policies, and settings of these other platforms to learn more about their data practices and/or adjust your settings.

The Site may contain links to other websites for your convenience and information. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites, which may have their own privacy policies or notices. You should review those privacy policies to understand how they may use or disclose your information. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of linked websites that we do not control.

The Site is not intended for children under the age of 13 and we do not knowingly collect Personal Information online from individuals under the age of 13. If we become aware that we have obtained Personal Information from an individual under the age of 13, we will delete such information in accordance with applicable law.