Privacy Policy

LAST UPDATED: AUGUST 23, 2018

The GW Medical Faculty Associates (“MFA”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy policy applies to all users of our website and explains how we collect and use the personal information that you may supply to us when visiting the MFA website. Our processing of your personal information is subject to this privacy policy and any subsequent updates.

Information Collection

We collect personal information that you choose to share with us, as well as information provided directly by your browser or device when you visit our website.

Information Collected from You

When you interact with certain features of our website, we collect the personal information that is necessary to provide you with that feature.

When You Request an Appointment

To request an appointment through the website, we collect your first and last name, e-mail address, date of birth, and phone number. This information is necessary for us to contact you regarding scheduling your appointment.

When you request an appointment, you also have the option of providing your preferred appointment date, information regarding your health insurance provider, and submitting any questions or comments. Providing this information is at your discretion, and we will only collect this information if you choose to share it with us.

When You Pay Your Bill

If you elect to pay your bill online, we collect the patient and account holder name, billing address, account and invoice information, and payment information. This information is necessary for processing your payment.

When You Contact Us

If you submit a contact form via the website, we will collect your first and last name, e-mail address, and the subject and content of your communication. This information is necessary for us to respond to your message. You also have the option of providing a telephone number, which we only collect when you choose to share it with us.

When You Use the Search Bar

When you submit a keyword or phrase in our search bar feature, we collect the term or phrase for analytic purposes. This information is only collected in aggregate form and cannot be tied to you individually.

When You Find a Provider

If you search for a doctor via our “Find a Doctor” page, we collect any information you input to filter the doctors returned in your search. We only collect this information for analytics purposes and only in aggregate form.

Information Collected from Web Technologies

Some of the information we collect is provided automatically by your browser, while some information is collected via web technologies with which you interact on our website.

Browser or Device Information

We collect information sent to us automatically by your browser when you visit our website, including your IP address, cookie information, and the page(s) you access.

We also collect your IP address(es) for the purpose of analyzing website trends, administering the site, and tracking user movement for aggregate usage analysis. This website usage information enables us to provide you with site improvements and a better user experience. To conduct this analysis, we only use anonymous, aggregate data that cannot be used to identify you individually.

Cookies and Web Beacons

We may set and access session cookies on your computer to customize your experience. “Cookies” are small files placed on your computer by your browser and are often used to make websites work, as well as provide information to the website operator.

We collect this information for the purpose of conducting analyses on our web traffic and improving your experience while visiting our website. When you first visit our website, you will be asked to consent to our use of cookies, and you can withhold, withdraw, or change your consent at any time. You have the ability to decline cookies by modifying the settings in your browser. If you decline or disable cookies, please note that certain functionalities of our website may no longer work.

Third-Party Cookies and Web Beacons

Some content or applications on our website are served by third parties, including content providers and application providers. Our third-party partners may use cookies alone or in conjunction with web beacons or other tracking technologies already in your browser to collect information about you when you visit our website. The information they collect may be associated with your personal information or they may collect information, including personal information, about your online activities over time and across different websites and other online services.

Third-party cookies and web technologies are controlled by our advertising partners and not subject to this privacy policy. If you have any questions about the practices of such third party, you should contact the responsible third-party directly.

Information Collected from Other Sources

Some of the features of our website are provided by third-party vendors that we engage to facilitate these features on our behalf. The information collected by our third-party vendors is managed under the privacy notices of those vendors.

We partner with third parties to provide the following features:

  • Career page and talent network
  • Online appointment booking
  • Patient health portal
  • Gifts and/or donations

To the extent that we receive and must access the personal information you share with our third-party vendors, we will treat such information with the same care and privacy protections as stated in this policy.

Information Use

How we use your personal information will depend on how you interact with our website and the personal information you have shared with us.

Respond to Your Requests

We use your personal information to respond to your requests, including communications, provider searches, and job applications.

Facilitate Self-Service Features

We use your personal information to enable you to access the self-service features of our website, including requesting an appointment, accessing the patient portal, and paying your bills.

Enhance Website and User Experience

We may use the information regarding the use of our website to analyze and administer the site and track user movement for web analytics purposes. This website usage information enables us to make improvements to the website and user experience. We only use anonymous, aggregate data that cannot be used to identify you individually.

Meet Legal and Regulatory Obligations

In certain circumstances, we may be required to disclose your personal information, including your health information, to regulators or as otherwise required by law. We will only share the information we are required to disclose by law and only when we are required to do so.

Security and Fraud Prevention

When necessary, we will use your personal information, including email communications, to preserve the security of our website, systems, and personal information in our control. If necessary, we will also use your personal information to investigate possible fraud, violations of this privacy policy and our terms and conditions, and to prevent any attempted harm to our users.

Information Sharing and Disclosure

We limit the disclosure of your personal information to what is necessary to fulfill our obligations to you and to satisfy business and regulatory requirements.

Support Vendors

When necessary, we share your data with third-party vendors working on our behalf to provide specific business support services, including payment processing, website hosting and management, and certain web features.

Website Analytics Companies

We share anonymous, aggregate information regarding visitors to our website with third-party website analytics companies to better understand how our users interact with our website. As we only share anonymous, aggregate data, this information cannot be traced back to you individually by either us or the website analytics vendors.

We use Google Analytics to provide us website usage and analytic reports, which necessitates us sharing your anonymous, aggregate data. You may choose not to share your data with Google by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, which instructs your browser not to provide your website usage data to Google Analytics. To opt-out of Google Analytics, visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout to install the browser add-on.

Please note that installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on will only disable the use of Google Analytics and will not prevent data from being sent to the website itself or to other web analytics services.

Legal Requirements

As required by law, regulation, or legal process, we will share your personal information with government authorities, enforcement officials, or third parties as necessary to respond to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process, or to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims.

Security and Fraud Prevention Efforts

When necessary, we will share your personal information to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations or suspected violations of this privacy policy, our agreements or arrangements with you or other policies in effect from time to time to which you are subject, or as otherwise required by law.

Sale of Business

We reserve the right to transfer your personal information in the event we sell or transfer all or a portion of our business or its assets. In such event, your personal information will continue to be governed by this privacy policy.

Other Important Information

Third-Party Websites

This website may contain links to websites owned or operated by third parties. This privacy notice applies only to our websites and not to any third-party websites.

Security

We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect against loss, misuse, or unauthorized access, disclosure, alternation, or destruction of personal information we collect. Any information provided to us will be treated with care and discretion. While we strive to protect your personal information, no data transmission is 100% secure. We do not guarantee the security of your personal information provided over the internet or stored in our databases. Your transmissions are at your own risk. We are not responsible for disclosures of your personal information due to errors in transmission or unauthorized acts of third parties.

Children Under the Age of 13

We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 13, unless the personal information is submitted by a by a parent or guardian or with parental consent. Our website is not intended for anyone under the age of 13, and no one under the age of 13 may provide information on this website.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a resident of the State of California and you have provided your personal information to us, you have the right to request a list of all third parties to which we have disclosed your personal information for direct marketing purposes. If, you exercise your right to submit such a request to us, we will send you the following information:

  • The categories of information we have disclosed to any third party for any third party’s direct marketing purposes during the preceding year; and
  • The names and addresses of third parties that received such information, or if the nature of their business cannot be determined from the name, then examples of the products or services marketed.

You may make such a request by contacting us in writing by electronic mail, postal mail, or commercial courier at the address or email address provided at the end of this privacy policy under the heading “Contact Information” with a preference on how our response to your request should be sent.

California law also requires that we disclose how we respond to “do-not-track requests” from our users. At this time, we do not currently respond to “do-not-track” requests from our users’ browsers.

Privacy Policy Changes

We may update or revise this policy at any time, at its sole discretion. Any changes to our privacy policy will apply to your personal information from the “Last Updated” date at the top of the privacy policy and will not affect previous uses of your personal information. You can find the most current version of our privacy policy at any time by clicking on the “Privacy Policy” link at the bottom of our website. If we make material changes to our privacy policy, we will notify you of those changes by either sending an email message to the email address you most recently provided to us or by prominently posting a notice on our website.

Contact Information

Please email communications@mfa.gwu.edu with any questions or concerns.