Meriter's Privacy Pledge, Security Pledge, Class Cancellation Policy and Other Notices
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Your Privacy | The Content of Meriter Online
Collecting and Using Personal Information
Meriter's Heart Risk Assessment and Cardiac E-mail Newsletters
Providing Security for your Registration, Payment and Donation Information
Security of E-mail and Forms | Site Activity Data | Web Site Links
Children's Privacy | Advertising Policy | Contacting Us | Meriter Services
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Meriter Health Services is committed to providing you with quality health care and to maintaining a relationship with you that is built on trust. Meriter Health Services has a strong commitment to the privacy of our patients and visitors to our Web sites, and does not share any personal information collected through this site with third parties without the person's expressed permission.
This privacy policy is designed to assist you in understanding how we collect, use and safeguard personal information that you may provide to us. It is also designed to assist you in making informed decisions when using our site.
We will continue to revise this Privacy Pledge and Security Pledge in light of new technologies, new business practices, and our patients' and visitors' needs. Revisions to this Privacy Pledge and Security Pledge will be applied to services within the Web site.
The information in this Web site is provided by Meriter Health Services. Select information in the "Healthy Living" portion of the site is supplied by our partners, StayWell and Byrne Healthcare. Users are encouraged to use the information provided through this site for educational purposes only, and not use it as a substitute for professional medical care.
While we try to keep the information as accurate as possible, we disclaim any implied warranty or representation about its accuracy or completeness, or appropriateness for a particular purpose. You assume full responsibility for using the information in this site, and you understand and agree that Meriter Health Services is neither responsible nor liable for any claim, loss or damage resulting from its use.
The mention of specific products, sites and services on this site does not constitute or imply a recommendation or endorsement by Meriter Health Services, unless it is explicitly stated. Please note that Meriter's products and services are often revised, and therefore the information in this site will be revised as well.
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Refund and Cancellation Policy for Our Health Education Classes and Events
- In order to receive a refund for a canceled class, you must contact us 3 business days prior to the first scheduled class.
- If a cancellation is requested 3 business days prior to the start date, you are eligible for a full credit toward another Meriter health education class OR a refund minus a $15.00 processing fee.
- For cancellations requested less than 3 business days prior to the start date, we will charge the $15.00 processing fee. You will then receive a 50% credit.
- If you cancel within 3 days of the start date, there are no refunds for classes costing less than $15.00.
- There are no refunds if you cancel after the start date of the class. Also, we do not offer partial refunds for classes within a series.
- Meriter reserves the right to cancel classes due to low enrollment. Full refunds or credits will be issued.
- Please talk to your primary care provider before beginning an exercise program. Meriter is not liable for any injury that may occur.
Read Meriter's Notice of Privacy Practices
Meriter's Notice of Privacy Practices describes how medical information of patients may be used and disclosed, and how you can get access to this information.
Read Meriter's Code of Ethics & Standards of Conduct
Meriter's staff is held accountable to this Code of Ethics & Standards of Conduct. Read more in this important document. (PDF file)
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Meriter Health Services only collects personally identifiable information from site visitors when those visitors voluntarily provide it. This information is collected when site visitors use the forms or e-mail links in the site, such as:
- The "Your Feedback" forms
- The "My Meriter Story" and "Birth Experience" forms
- Sign-up forms for our e-mail newsletters:
- Parent Review
- Prime Time
- Total Wellness
- Women's Wellness Wakeup
- Heart Health, Fitness Update, Quit Smoking and Nutrition News -
All available after taking our Heart Risk Assessment
- Heart Risk Assessment
- The Meriter E-Card form
- The DR4U physician referral form
- Online surveys
- E-mail links in the department pages
Our online forms only ask for information necessary to serve those visitors - we gather this information to serve the visitors' needs, and reply to their requests and concerns. E-mails and forms are shared with the Meriter staff members who are best able to address the questions or concerns. Once we have responded to your communication, we will archive it for tracking purposes and keep it confidential.
If a person signs up for one of our e-mail newsletters, we will only use his or her e-mail address to send this newsletter. Registrants are able to opt-out at any time.
Information entered into "Healthy Living" features such as the interactive health risk assessment, health polls and quizzes are collected in aggregate, so we can learn which topics would be most useful to our visitors. The data is not connected to individual user names, however.
Meriter's site contains two surveys - one about patient visits and another about site satisfaction. We conduct this research to help Meriter Health Services improve its services and Web site.
Please note that these statements only apply to the information you provide to Meriter through this Web site. It does not apply to information that you provide to Meriter by any other method. Any information that is provided as part of normal patient-provider communications is governed by applicable patient confidentiality law.
Meriter provides a comprehensive Heart Risk Assessment through theHeart Hospital section of this site. By providing your personal medical, demographic and contact information, you are able to view a personalized risk assessment. You have the right to determine how much information you provide to us.
After you complete the Heart Risk Assessment, you are able to sign up for one or more e-mail newsletters. If you sign up for one of our e-mail newsletters, we will only use your e-mail address to send this newsletter. Registrants are able to unsubscribe at any time by following the directions at the end of the e-mail.
Meriter protects your personal information against loss, misuse, or alteration while it is under our control. SSL encryption is used to protect your information during transit. Additionally, the servers we use to store the information are kept in a secure location. Meriter requires that our Web host not use or disclose any of your information beyond what is reasonably necessary to operate and maintain the Web service on our behalf.
If you have any concerns regarding the security of your information, you should not provide any information until you are comfortable with our security measures. Should you decide that you would like to remove or change your information we have on file related to these services, or if you wish to revoke any privileges granted to us as it relates to your personal information, please send an e-mail with your request to slauber@meriter.com.
Meriter Hospital complies with the requirements of the Payment Card Industry (PCI) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and wants your personal information to remain as secure as possible. Meriter Hospital provides online forms which request confidential health and personal information. These forms are located on the secure portion of our site. Accordingly, we prevent unauthorized access by a secure firewall and use of security infrastructure to protect the integrity and privacy of the personal information you provide to us. As an additional security measure, your personal information is also encrypted during transmission by Secure Socket Layer 128-bit encryption software.
- Hospital Pre-Registration - We provide online registration for patients planning a hospital stay. This form is located in the "Our Services" section.
- Meriter Classes & Events - We provide online registration for most of Meriter's classes and events through this section, which is located in the "Healthy Living" section. We track all information gathered during registration (online, phone and form registration) to help shape future classes.
- Online Bill Pay - Customers can pay healthcare bills online within the "Our Services" section.
- Online Gift Shop - Community members can buy gifts for Meriter Hospital patients and staff members through our Online Gift Shop, located in the "Visitor Information" section.
- Meriter Foundation Donations - Donations can be made online through the Meriter Foundation section.
- DR4U Requests - This form allows you to request a physician referral, and is located in the "Our Services" section.
Our Web site adheres to the following principle: all communications received through this site's forms and e-mail links are to be treated as confidential. Except for a few exceptions (which can be recognized by the secure lock shown in your browser window and are mentioned above), the forms and e-mail links in our site do not provide a means for completely secure and private communications between us. Your e-mails and form submissions - like most non-encrypted Internet e-mail communications - may be accessed and viewed without your knowledge or permission while in transit to us.
If you wish to keep the information you are sending private and consider it confidential, please do not use our e-mail links or forms. Instead, you may contact our main line at (608) 417-6000, which will forward your call to the appropriate department. You can also refer to the Phone Numbers section of our site for specific phone numbers.
Meriter Health Services routinely gathers data on Web site activity, such as:
- How many people visit the site
- What pages are accessed
- What search engines visitors use
- How long people stay in the site
- Composite demographic information provided by users, such as age and gender
The data is collected on an aggregate, anonymous basis, which means no personally identifiable information is associated with the data. This data helps us improve site content and overall usage. Our Web partners also analyze this data to improve their Web services.
Our Web site contains links to Web sites operated by other parties. While we linked to these sites based on the quality of their content, we do not control these Web sites and therefore cannot be held responsible for the privacy practices or the content of them.
Please use the information in these sites to educate yourself about various topics - these sites should not be used for self-diagnosis or self-care.
Naturally, the safety of children is very important to us. Meriter Health Services does not request, seek or intentionally collect personal information from children under the age of 13. Children under the age of 13 who submit a form or e-mail should not include their e-mail address, name or other personal information.
No advertising is accepted by or shown within meriter.com.
If you have general concerns or questions for Meriter, you will find a form to use in the Your Feedback section. This allows you to choose from many departments.
If you have any questions about this privacy policy, security policy, the practices of Meriter's Web site, or your interaction with this site, please contact us at the following. Also, if you feel that Meriter is not abiding by this Privacy Pledge, or if you have any complaint regarding this Pledge, you should contact us as well. Under no circumstances will Meriter retaliate against you for filing a complaint about our Privacy Pledge or about our adherence to that Pledge.
slauber@meriter.com
or
Sarah Lauber
Marketing Department
Meriter Health Services
202 S. Park Street
Madison, WI 53715
You may need a referral from your primary care provider or pre-certification from your insurance company to receive some of the services described in this Web site. Please check your insurance coverage for more information.
If you are having difficulty accessing some portions of "Healthy Living" please note that the following browser versions provide the best viewing conditions:
- Internet Explorer - 5.5 and above
- Netscape Navigator - 6.2 and above
- AOL - 7.0 and above
3/26/2009
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