Effective Date: August 30, 2021
Date Last Updated: December 14, 2021
Healthgrades Marketplace, LLC, a Red Ventures Company, ("Healthgrades," "We," "Us" or "Our") has developed this privacy policy ("Privacy Policy") for the benefit of the users ("You," "Your" and "Yourself") of its websites and mobile apps, including www.healthgrades.com (individually and collectively, the "Site"). This Privacy Policy summarizes how Healthgrades handles the personally identifying information that You voluntarily provide when You use the Site and that We may automatically collect when You visit the Site ("Personal Information").
If You are accessing, using or browsing this Site on behalf of an individual other than Yourself, which may be either a natural person or entity other than Yourself:
This Site is controlled and operated by Healthgrades from its offices within the United States. Accordingly, this Privacy Policy, and how Healthgrades handles the information that You voluntarily provide when You use the Site and information that We may automatically collect when You visit the Site, is governed by United States federal and state laws, and not by the laws of any country, territory or jurisdiction other than the United States and its states. We make no representation that the Site is appropriate or available for use outside of the United States. Access to the Site from territories where its contents or purpose is illegal is prohibited. Those who choose to access the Site are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws and regulations.
Your use of this Site will be deemed conclusively to constitute Your acceptance of and agreement to this Privacy Policy and all portions hereof.
Healthgrades reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change this Privacy Policy at any time. If We decide to change the Privacy Policy, We will post the changes in appropriate places on the Site so that You are aware of the changed Privacy Policy. Your continued use of the Site after the Effective Date for any such changes to the Privacy Policy will be deemed conclusively to constitute Your acceptance of and agreement to the changed Privacy Policy. Consequently, You should frequently review this Privacy Policy.
Table of Contents
What Personal Information does Healthgrades collect?
How does Healthgrades use the Personal Information we collect?
Does Healthgrades disclose Your Personal Information to third parties?
How does Healthgrades use and disclose Your Protected Health Information?
What does Healthgrades do to keep Your Personal Information and Protected Health Information Secure?
What Choices Do I Have Concerning the Use of Personal Information?
How to distinguish between Advertisements and Editorial Content?
What about information You enter into Third Party Programs included in Healthgrades' Site?
What Personal Information does Healthgrades collect?
Healthgrades collects several types of Personal Information. For example, to use some of its services and access certain areas of the Site, You must provide Personal Information that can be traced back to You, such as full name, street address and zip code, telephone number, e-mail, gender, date of birth, insurance coverage, social history and known health characteristics and medical needs. We collect this Personal Information that You voluntarily provide through the use of on-line data entry, survey, product purchase and registration forms. Healthgrades gathers most of this Personal Information from You during an initial voluntary User registration process for the Site. Healthgrades also occasionally asks You for Personal Information at other times, including when You complete optional survey forms, fill out optional contact forms for additional information on particular products and services or use a particular service.
We collect information about your location when you use or access our site. The degree of precision of the location data varies depending on the source of such information. Those sources include: Your Internet browser and your IP address. We collect and use this location-related data in order to:
· Deliver content that is relevant to you based upon your location
· Restrict certain access to our site
You may disable the collection and use of your browser location data through browser settings.
To access and use Healthgrades On-Line Appointment Request ("OAR") or schedule an appointment using Healthgrades On-Line Appointment Schedule ("OAS") (individually and collectively referred to as the "Appointment Services") to make an appointment with providers of healthcare services (collectively, "Healthcare Providers"), You must submit to Us the requested appointment information (the "Appointment Materials") during the completion of the Appointment Services scheduling process within the Site. This personally identifying information that You submit with the Appointment Materials can be traced back to You and will include or be linked or associated with health-related information, such as physical or mental health conditions and the treatment of these conditions and other health-related information that You choose to share with Us. The combination of this Personal Information with health-related information provided by You with the Appointment Materials is called "Protected Health Information" and is subject to special rules under a federal law called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 or "HIPAA", for short. Healthgrades treats all personally identifying information received from You with the Appointment Materials or created from Your use of the Appointment Services as Protected Health Information, regardless of whether an appointment is scheduled or a scheduled appointment is fulfilled. Personal Information that includes or is linked or associated with health-related information that You submit elsewhere on the Site without the Appointment Materials is not Protected Health Information and is not treated as such by Healthgrades or under HIPAA. The Privacy Policy's references to "HIPAA" are to this law and the various laws that have amended it, including most recently the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.
When You visit the Site, Healthgrades may also automatically serve and collect data via or from Cookies and similar data collection technologies. A “Cookie” is a text file that a website sends to a visitor’s browser and is stored on Your computer, mobile phone, tablet, or other connected device (collectively, “Computer”). Cookies can store information about Your visit to and use of Our Site or other websites, can make that information available to Us or third parties, and can help Us offer You functionalities on Our Sites.
We may use other similar technologies, including web beacons (also called “pixels,” “tags,” or “clear GIFs”) and JavaScript, to fulfill similar functions as Cookies. A web beacon is often a one-pixel, transparent image (although it can be a larger or visible image as well), located on a website or in an email or other type of message and retrieved from a website on the Internet. Similarly, our mobile application may integrate “software development kits” (SDKs) provided by Ourselves or third parties. Both web beacons and SDKs are used for similar purposes as Cookies, and are treated as “Cookies” for purposes of this Privacy Policy.
When We place and access Cookies on Your Computer, these Cookies are known as “first-party” Cookies. Cookies may also be placed and accessed by third-party advertisers or Our third-party service providers; these are known as “third-party” Cookies. When third-party Cookies are used, third parties may receive information about Your visit to Our Site and use it to present content or advertisements to You on Our Sites, to recognize You and customize Your experience at third-party sites, or for any other purpose described in this Privacy Policy. Additionally, Cookies can either be “persistent” (i.e., they remain on Your Computer until You delete them) or temporary (i.e., they last only until You close Your browser). For more information, please review Our Cookie Policy.
Healthgrades may also collect Personal Information about you from third parties, and we may combine information that is de-identified with Personal Information. We will treat the combined information as Personal Information as provided in this Privacy Policy.
What about the collection of Personal Information from children?
Healthgrades Sites are general audience sites intended for users 18 years of age and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from persons under the age of 18.
How does Healthgrades use the Personal Information we collect?
Healthgrades may use the Personal Information we obtain to:
In addition, we use clickstream data (data regarding usage of the Site, whether identifiable to users or de-identified) to determine usage patterns and how we may tailor our websites and apps to better meet the needs of our users.
Does Healthgrades disclose Your Personal Information to third parties?
Healthgrades may share Your Personal Information:
How does Healthgrades use and disclose Your Protected Health Information?
In certain contexts, Healthgrades' use and disclosure of Your Protected Health Information is governed by HIPAA.
When You use the Appointment Services to request an appointment with a selected Healthcare Provider, all Protected Health Information that You submit with the Appointment Materials or created from Your use of the Appointment Services is used and disclosed by Healthgrades as a Business Associate (as defined by HIPAA) according to the terms of a Business Associate Agreement between Us and that Healthcare Provider. This means that Healthgrades may only use and disclose Your Protected Health Information on behalf of, or to provide services to, the Healthcare Provider for the appointment scheduling services available through the Appointment Services according to the terms of the Business Associate Agreement. There are exceptions to this use and disclosure rule, including that Healthgrades may use and disclose Your Protected Health Information (i) for its internal management and administration; (ii) to carry out its legal responsibilities; and (iii) to perform certain data aggregation services for the Healthcare Provider and other Healthcare Providers; provided that, any disclosures for Our internal management and administration or to carry out Our legal responsibilities are either required by law or made after Healthgrades obtains reasonable assurances from the person to whom the Protected Health Information is disclosed that it will be held confidentially and used or further disclosed only as required by law or for the purpose for which it was disclosed to that person.
Some of the appointment scheduling services available through the Appointment Services for a particular Healthcare Provider may be provided by subcontractors of Healthgrades. The Subcontractor must comply with the same terms and conditions for the Protected Health Information that apply to Healthgrades as a Business Associate of the Healthcare Provider.
The descriptions in this Privacy Policy of the HIPAA responsibilities and obligations of Healthgrades and any Subcontractor do not provide any right to You under this Privacy Policy, HIPAA or any other law.
As a Business Associate of a particular Healthcare Provider, Healthgrades may be permitted to de-identify Your Protected Health Information created or received by Us for that Healthcare Provider. This De-Identified Information must be created according to criteria prescribed by HIPAA so that there is no reasonable basis to believe that this information can be traced back to You. Healthgrades may use and disclose any such De-Identified Information in the same manner as Personal Information under this Privacy Policy.
What does Healthgrades do to keep Your Personal Information and Protected Health Information Secure?
On this Site and within Healthgrades, We seek to use appropriate administrative, technical and physical security measures that are designed to reasonably safeguard Your Personal Information and Protected Health Information under Our control.
Please be advised, however, that although Healthgrades has endeavored to create a secure and reliable Site for its users, the confidentiality and security of any communication or material transmitted to or from Healthgrades via this Site or e-mail cannot be guaranteed to be 100% secure at any time. When disclosing any Personal Information or Protected Health Information, You should remain mindful of the fact that it is potentially accessible to the public, and consequently, can be collected and used by others without Your consent. Accordingly, You should consider carefully if You want to submit sensitive information that You would not want disclosed to the public and should recognize that Your use of the Internet and this Site is solely at Your risk. You, alone, are ultimately responsible for maintaining the secrecy for all Your Personal Information including Your Protected Health Information. Healthgrades has no responsibility or liability to anyone for the security of Your Protected Health Information or any of Your Personal Information transmitted via the Internet. Healthgrades urges all of its users to be careful and responsible whenever they are on-line.
If You have any reason to believe that Your interaction with Healthgrades through this Site is no longer secure, please immediately notify Us of this problem as described in the "Further questions or comments?" section below.
What should You know about external web sites?
To the extent hyperlinks are utilized to access other, third party websites, including links provided as automated search results, You should be aware that these third party web sites are not controlled by Healthgrades and, therefore, are not subject to this Privacy Policy. You should review the applicable terms and policies of each linked site visited before providing any personally identifiable information. In those cases where Healthgrades has entered into agreements with third parties, where useful items and other tools are made available to You, see the "What about information You enter into Third Party Programs included in Healthgrades' Site?" section below.
What Choices Do I Have Concerning the Use of Personal Information?
You may opt-out:
Please note that if You opt-out as described above, Healthgrades will not be able to remove Your Personal Information from the databases of Our affiliates or unaffiliated third parties with whom We have already shared Your Personal Information as of the date of Your opt-out request. Please also note that if You do opt-out of receiving marketing-related messages from Us, Healthgrades may still send administrative messages to You.
Do You have the ability to access, change or remove Your Personal Information?
At any time, You may contact Healthgrades via e-mail to request:
You should send Your request to [email protected]. In the event Healthgrades receives such a request, Healthgrades may require You to confirm or verify any change to Your Personal Information.
Can You opt-out of Healthgrades' use and disclosure of Your Protected Health Information or access, change or remove Your Protected Health Information?
When You use the Appointment Services, You may receive various administrative e-mails automatically sent by Healthgrades. You cannot opt-out from receiving any administrative e-mail sent by Healthgrades.
Healthgrades treats as Protected Health Information all personally identifying information that You submit with the Appointment Materials to request an appointment with a selected Healthcare Provider and that Healthgrades or a Subcontractor creates from Your use of the Appointment Services. As described in the "How does Healthgrades use and disclose Your Protected Health Information?” section above, Protected Health Information is used and disclosed by Healthgrades according to the terms of its Business Associate Agreement with Your selected Healthcare Provider. To comply with HIPAA, Your Healthcare Provider must provide You with rights in certain circumstances with respect to Your Protected Health Information, regardless of whether Your requested appointment is scheduled or Your scheduled appointment is fulfilled. Very generally described, these rights include a right to restrict the uses and disclosures of, a right of access to, a right to amend and a right to receive an accounting of the disclosures of Your Protected Health Information. These limited rights will be described in detail in the Healthcare Provider's notice of privacy practices. If You wish to restrict the uses and disclosures of Your Protected Health Information, amend, or receive an accounting of the disclosures of Your Protected Health Information, then You must do so through Your Healthcare Provider. Upon termination of Our Business Associate Agreement with a particular Healthcare Provider, Healthgrades generally must return or destroy all Protected Health Information received on behalf of or created for that particular Healthcare Provider and then maintained in any form by Healthgrades or a Subcontractor. This means that until the Business Associate Agreement is terminated with that Healthcare Provider, Healthgrades or a Subcontractor can use and disclose Your Protected Health Information as described in the "How does Healthgrades use and disclose Your Protected Health Information?" section above following the termination of:
How to distinguish between Advertisements and Editorial Content?
Healthgrades believes that it is important for You to easily differentiate between advertising and independent, editorial content on the Site; thus, Healthgrades has developed an Advertising Policy that explains Healthgrades' approach to ensure that the advertising You see on the Site has no influence on the quality, accuracy or selection of editorial content that Healthgrades provides Healthgrades clearly identifies all advertising on the Site. When Healthgrades speaks of "advertising" or "advertisements," it refers to all forms of advertising, sponsorships and promotions for which Healthgrades receives compensation. Healthgrades has established guidelines on how it labels advertising so that You will know what is an advertisement and what is editorial content. Healthgrades uses clear and consistent language and visual cues or descriptors to distinguish advertising from editorial content.
What about information You enter into Third Party Programs included in Healthgrades' Site?
As an additional service to its users, Healthgrades has included in its Site various programs and tools created and administered by third parties ("Third Party Programs") whereby, as examples, You can receive useful items such as information concerning potential diseases/conditions, information about drug alternatives, and tools whereby You can maintain records relating to Your condition. These Third Party Programs are separate from, and do not include, the Appointment Services. Your use of these Third Party Programs is entirely optional and at Your sole discretion. If You do choose to use them, then some or all of these Third Party Programs may require that You provide certain personally identifying information that can be traced back to You. This personally identifying information may include, for example, age, current health condition, insurance provider, medical history, prescription history or other health and lifestyle data. If You elect to use one or more of these Third Party Programs, then any personally identifying information that You provide as part of the Third Party Program, as well as Your Registration Information, will be available to the third party administering that Third Party Program. By using any Third Party Program, You acknowledge that any personally identifying information and Registration Information that You provide to the third party does not constitute a violation of Healthgrades' Privacy Policy. Healthgrades will maintain the privacy of Your personally identifying information in Healthgrades' possession in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable state and federal privacy laws. Healthgrades cannot guarantee that any third party will maintain the privacy of Your personally identifying information under any circumstance.
California Privacy Practices
If you are a California resident, please review our California-Specific Addendum to learn more about our privacy practices and your rights under California law.
Further questions or comments?
Healthgrades welcomes your questions and comments about this Privacy Policy or the use of Your Personal Information or Protected Health Information. Please send any questions or comments to Healthgrades to the e-mail address [email protected]
See our CCPA Stats California Consumer Privacy Act Stats
PRIVACY NOTICE – CALIFORNIA-SPECIFIC ADDENDUM
At Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc., (“Healthgrades,” “we,” “us,” “our”) we take the privacy rights of California consumers seriously. If you are a California resident, the following provisions apply to our processing of information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (“California Personal Information”). For such residents, the provisions of this California Addendum supplement our Privacy Policy and prevail over any conflicting provisions therein.
California Personal Information We Collect
We have collected the following categories of California Personal Information within the last 12 months:
Category | Examples |
Identifiers | Identifiers such as a real name, alias, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, email address, account name or other similar identifiers. |
Information under the California Customer Records statute | Personal information described in subdivision (e) of Section 1798.80 (California Customer Records statute). This means any information that identifies, relates to, describes, or is capable of being associated with, a particular individual, including, but not limited to, name, signature, physical characteristics or description, address, telephone number, driver’s license or state identification card number, education, employment, employment history, credit card number, debit card number, or any other financial information, medical information, or health insurance information. |
Characteristics of Protected classifications under California or federal law | Characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law, such as demographic information (such as age, sex, medical conditions, and marital status). |
Commercial information | Commercial information, including records of personal property, products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies. |
Internet or other similar network activity | Internet or other electronic network activity information, including, but not limited to, browsing history, search history, information regarding a consumer’s interaction with an internet website, application, or advertisement, browser type, domain names, access times, and referring website addresses. |
Geolocation data | Geolocation data. |
Sensory data | Audio, electronic, visual, or similar information. |
Professional or employment-related information | Current or past job history or performance evaluations and education level. |
Non-public education information (per applicable law) | Education level. |
Inferences drawn from other personal information. | Inferences drawn from any of the information identified in this subdivision to create a profile about a consumer reflecting the consumer’s preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes. |
For each of these categories, we obtain California Personal Information from a variety of sources. These sources include: yourself, with respect to both online and offline interactions you may have with us or our service providers; other entities with whom you transact; others with whom you maintain relationships who may deal with us on your behalf; the devices you use to access our websites, mobile applications, and online services; credit bureaus; marketing and analytics providers; public databases; social media platforms; and others consistent with this Privacy Notice. Please see the “What Personal Information does Healthgrades collect?” section of our Privacy Policy.
Sale and Disclosure of California Personal Information
We have disclosed the following categories of Personal Information to other businesses or third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration within the twelve (12) months preceding the effective date of this Privacy Notice:
Identifiers, Characteristics of Protected Classifications, and Inferences. Names, addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, demographic data such as age and gender, and psychographic profile information such as interest in sports or technology. We share this information with certain healthcare provider customers to assist with marketing campaigns those customers conduct with our Healthgrades Hospital Products. These providers may only use this information as part of the services we provide to them.
Identifiers and Inferences. Pseudonymous identifiers for individuals who visit our websites and mobile apps and the devices such individuals use to visit our websites and mobile apps, data relating to usage of our websites and apps and inferences drawn from such usage data, and data acquired from third party marketing and digital advertising providers. We share this information with third party vendors that provide consumer behavioral analytics, social media, and digital advertising services to Healthgrades, and where applicable these vendors may use the information for their own purposes.
Within the last 12 months, we have disclosed California Personal Information identified in the above categories for our business purposes. To learn more about the categories of third parties with whom we share such information, please see the "How does Healthgrades use the Personal Information we collect?” section of our Privacy Policy. We may share your information with trusted providers to perform statistical analysis, send you email or postal mail, provide customer support, or arrange for deliveries.
We do not disclose personal information of individuals we know to be under the age of 16 to business or third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration as a “sale” under California law, without affirmative authorization.
Use of California Personal Information
For each of the above categories, we use the California Personal Information we collect for the business purposes disclosed within this Privacy Notice. For more information, please see the “How does Healthgrades use and disclose Your Protected Health Information?” section of our Privacy Policy. Note that the business purposes for which we may use your information include:
· Audits and reporting relating to particular transactions and interactions, including online interactions, you may have with us or others on our behalf;
· Detecting and protecting against security incidents, and malicious, deceptive, fraudulent or illegal activity, and prosecuting the same;
· Debugging to identify and repair errors in our systems;
· Short-term, transient use including contextual customization of ads;
· Providing services on our behalf or on behalf of another, including maintaining or servicing accounts, providing customer service, fulfilling transactions, verifying identity information, processing payments, and other services. This includes:
o Delivering the services you have requested;
o Informing you of other products or services available from Healthgrades and its affiliates;
o Contacting you via surveys to conduct research about your opinion of current services or of potential new services that may be offered;
o Delivering customized content and advertising;
o Conducting internal research to develop and demonstrate technology; and
· Conducting activity to verify, enhance, and maintain the quality or safety of services or devices which we may own, control, or provide.
We may also use the information we collect for our own or our service providers’ other operational purposes, purposes for which we provide you additional notice, or for purposes compatible with the context in which the California Personal Information was collected.
Your California Rights
If you are a California resident, you have certain rights related to your California Personal Information. You may exercise these rights free of charge except as otherwise permitted under applicable law.
Right to Access/Know. You may request that we disclose to you:
· the categories of California Personal Information we have collected about you;
· the categories of sources from which the California Personal Information is collected;
· our business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling California Personal Information;
· the categories of third parties with whom we share California Personal Information; and
· the specific pieces of information we have collected about you.
· To the extent that we sell your California Personal Information within the meaning of the California Consumer Privacy Act or disclose such information for a business purpose, you may request that we disclose to you:
o the categories of California Personal Information that we have collected about you
o the categories of California Personal Information about you that we have sold within the meaning of the California Consumer Privacy Act and the categories of third parties to whom the California Personal Information was sold, by category or categories of personal information for each third party to whom the California personal information was sold; and
o the categories of California Personal Information about you that we disclosed for a business purpose.
· To submit an opt-out request, click here: “Do Not Sell My Personal Information”
· To opt-out from the sale of personal information for valuable consideration to analytics, social media, and advertising partners, please visit our Privacy Preferences Center.
Right to Delete. You have the right to request that we delete California Personal Information about you which we have collected from you.
Right to Opt-Out and Right to Opt-In. You have the right to direct us to not sell your personal information at any time (the “right to opt-out”).
You may request to exercise these rights by:
· Calling us toll-free at 800-332-2631, option 7
· By completing our rights request form available here
Residents of the State of California may also request a list of all third parties to whom we have disclosed certain personal information (as defined by California law) during the preceding year for those third parties’ direct marketing purposes. If you are a California resident and would like such a list, please contact us via the Contact section provided below.
Verification
As required under applicable law, please note that we may take steps to verify your identity before granting you access to information or acting on your request to exercise your rights. We may require you to provide name, physical address, email address, contact information, and other information about your account or previous transactions with us to verify your identity in response to exercising requests of the above type. We may limit our response to your exercise of the above rights as permitted under applicable law.
Nondiscrimination
Subject to applicable law, we may not discriminate against you because of your exercise of any of the above rights, or any other rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, including by:
· Denying you goods or services;
· Charging different prices or rates for goods or services, including through the use of discounts or other benefits or imposing penalties;
· Providing you a different level or quality of goods or services; or
· Suggesting that you will receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.
Agent Authorization and Disability Access
Under California law, you may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. You may make such a designation by providing the agent with written permission to act on your behalf. As permitted by law, we may require verification of the agent’s authorization or require you to verify your own identity in response to a request even if you choose to use an agent.
If you use assistive technology and the format of this Privacy Notice interferes with your ability to access information, please contact us at [email protected].
Contact Information
You may contact us with questions or concerns about our privacy policies or practices at:
Healthgrades Marketplace, LLC
1101 Red Ventures Drive
Fort Mill, SC 29707
Email address: [email protected]
Dispute Resolution
If you have an unresolved privacy or data use concern that we have not addressed satisfactorily, please contact our U.S.-based third party dispute resolution provider (free of charge) at https://feedback-form.truste.com/watchdog/request.
Cookie Policy
Healthgrades provides this Cookie Policy to users to explain how cookies and similar technologies (collectively, “Cookie(s)”) are used when You visit Our Site. Our “Site” includes www.healthgrades.com, emails We send, Our mobile apps, any other applications owned and operated by Healthgrades, third-party websites with which We have an advertising arrangement, and any other services that display this Cookie Policy. This policy explains what these technologies are and how they may be used, as well as options available to You to control their use.
Healthgrades reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change this Cookie Policy at any time. If We decide to change the Cookie Policy, We will then post the changes in appropriate places on the Site so that You are aware of the changed Cookie Policy. Your continued use of the Site after the Effective Date for any such changes to the Cookie Policy will be deemed conclusively to constitute Your acceptance of and agreement to the changed Cookie Policy. Consequently, You should frequently review this Privacy Policy.
To the extent any personal information is collected through Cookies, Our Privacy Policy applies and complements this Cookie Policy.
1. What are Cookies?
A “cookie” is a text file that a website sends to a visitor’s browser and is stored on Your computer, mobile phone, tablet, or other connected device (collectively, “Computer”). Cookies can store information about Your visit to and use of Our Site or other websites, can make that information available to Us or third parties, and can help Us offer You functionalities on Our Sites.
We may use other similar technologies, including web beacons (also called “pixels,” “tags,” or “clear GIFs”) and JavaScript, to fulfill similar functions as cookies. A web beacon is often a one-pixel, transparent image (although it can be a larger or visible image as well), located on a website or in an email or other type of message and retrieved from a website on the Internet. Similarly, our mobile application may integrate “software development kits” (SDKs) provided by Ourselves or third parties. Both web beacons and SDKs are used for similar purposes as cookies, and are treated as “Cookies” for purposes of this Cookie Policy.
When We place and access Cookies on Your Computer, these Cookies are known as “first-party” Cookies. Cookies may also be placed and accessed by third-party advertisers or Our third-party service providers; these are known as “third-party” Cookies. When third-party Cookies are used, third parties may receive information about Your visit to Our Site and use it to present content or advertisements to You on Our Sites, to recognize You and customize Your experience at third-party sites, or for any other purpose described in this Cookie Policy. Additionally, Cookies can either be “persistent” (i.e., they remain on Your Computer until You delete them) or temporary (i.e., they last only until You close Your browser).
2. Kinds of Cookies We Use?
Our Site may use the following types of Cookies:
· Strictly Necessary Cookies: These are Cookies we use to provide the Site and its services and features, as well as to prevent fraudulent activity, improve security, and for system administration. Without these necessary Cookies, We may not be able to provide the Site or certain services or features to You.
· Functionality and Preference Cookies: We may use Cookies to collect information about Your choices and preferences, such as Your user settings, and customize the Site accordingly. For example, Healthgrades uses Cookies to recognize registered users and help manage user access privileges to this Site.
· Performance Cookies: These Cookies collect information about Your use of the Site and enable Us to track Site usage and traffic patterns, assess the performance of the Site, and improve the way it works. For example, they may show Us frequently visited pages, help Us record any difficulties You have with the Site, show Us whether Our advertising is effective, and help Us estimate the Site’s audience size.
· Targeting Cookies: We and third-party advertisers may use Cookies to show advertisements for goods or services targeted to your interests based on information submitted by users to our Site, or inferred by the actions of users of Our Site. These advertisements may display on our Site, on other websites, or in social media networks. Targeting Cookies can also help Us to personalize a user’s viewing experience on this Site or on other third-party sites with which Healthgrades has an advertising arrangement, and otherwise help Us provide You with content on the Sites that is tailored to You and Your interests.
· Social Media Cookies: We may use Cookies to enable You to log into Our Site or share content from the Sites using Your social media account. Cookies may also help Us place advertisements in social media networks.
3. Options for Managing Cookies
Although most web browsers are initially set up to accept Cookies, if You prefer, You may decline the placement of a Cookie on Your hard drive by using the appropriate feature(s) of Your web browser software (if available) to delete the Cookie. Use your browser’s “Help” function for more information. You can also learn more about Cookies at http://allaboutcookies.org/. Please understand that certain areas within this Site may not function properly if the web browser will not accept Cookies.
Unlike browser cookies, "Flash cookies" are not stored in the browser. You may be able to manage these Flash cookies by visiting the Adobe website.
Browser Name | Instructions | Source |
Google Chrome | Under Setting, select "Privacy and Security", click site settings and then cookies. Turn Allow sites to save and read cookie data on/off | |
Apple Safari | Mac: Safari> Preferences, click "Privacy" iOS: Settings> Safari, turn on "Block All Cookies" | https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies-and-website-data-sfri11471/mac |
Mozilla Firefox | Preferences> Select "Privacy and Security" panel and go to "Cookies and Site Data" section. | https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/block-websites-storing-cookies-site-data-firefox |
Microsoft Edge | View Advanced Settings> "Privacy and Services" > "Cookies" |
Blocking cookies in your web browser may not prevent cross-site tracking of your online activity using other online tracking technologies. In addition to managing your cookie settings for your browser, you can opt-out of tracking directly with the businesses that operate the tracking technologies.
You can also use Healthgrades’ cookie preference management tool to manage Your cookie preferences for the www.healthgrades.com website, which is located in the footer of every page.
4. Choices Relating to Interest-Based Advertising related to Cookies
Healthgrades may work with third party network advertisers to serve advertisements on the Site, or to manage advertising on other websites. These ad-network partners may use Cookies to collect information about your activities on this Site and other websites to provide you with targeted advertising based upon your interests. This enables Us and third parties to target advertisements to You for products and services in which You might be interested.
Some of the advertising networks and other vendors We work with may offer You with the opportunity to “opt-out” from interest-based advertising. To exercise this opt-out, please visit https://www.aboutads.info/choices/ and https://optout.networkadvertising.org Please note that opting out through these mechanisms does not mean You will no longer be served advertising. You will still receive online advertising, but it may not be tailored to your interests, and the websites You visit may still collect information about Your visits.
To opt out of interest-based advertising across browsers and devices, please opt out through the Digital Advertising Alliance or National Advertising Institute websites, and you also opt out through the settings within the mobile app or your mobile device. Your opt-out choice may apply only to the browser or device you are using when you opt out, so you should opt out on each of your browsers and devices if you want to disable all cross-device linking for interest-based advertising. If you opt out, you will still receive ads but they may not be as relevant to you and your interests.
Framework | Homepage | List of Participants | Direct Link |
Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) | https://youradchoices.com | https://youradchoices.com/about | http://www.networkadvertising.org/ |
Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Canada | https://youradchoices.ca | https://youradchoices.ca/en/participating-companies | http://optout.aboutads.info/?c=3&lang=en/ |
Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Australia | http://youronlinechoices.com.au/ | https://www.youronlinechoices.com.au/about-adaa/ | http://youronlinechoices.com.au/opt-out |
Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) EU | http://youronlinechoices.eu/ | ||
Digitust | https://www.digitru.st | https://www.digitru.st/participating-companies/ | https://www.digitru.st/about-this-notice/ |
NAI | http://www.networkadvertising.org/ | https://www.networkadvertising.org/participating-networks/ | http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/ |
The Healthgrades’ cookie preference management tool helps you manage whether Cookies on the www.healthgrades.com website share information about your visit with third parties, including network advertisers.
5. Further questions or comments?
Healthgrades welcomes Your questions and comments about this Cookie Policy. Please send any questions or comments to Healthgrades to the email address