WEBSITE DISCLAIMER
By visiting the EEF website, you agree to the following terms of use, which constitutes an agreement between the Eye & Ear Foundation and you.
- This website is designed for general education and information purposes only and does not render medical advice or professional services. The information provided through this website should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. It is not a substitute for professional health care and is designed to support – not replace – your relationship with your health care provider. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your health care provider.
- The Eye & Ear Foundation disclaims any liability whatsoever for any documentation, information, programs, software, or other material that is or may become a part of the website. The Eye & Ear Foundation does not warrant or guarantee that the information will not be offensive to any user and/or may not meet your needs and requirements.
- Our website may include links to third-party web service providers. These links are provided solely as a convenience to you and not as an endorsement of the content on such sites. We are not responsible for the content of linked third-party sites.
PRIVACY STATEMENT
SCOPE
This website is maintained by The Eye & Ear Foundation, located at 203 Lothrop Street, Suite 251 EEI, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. By accessing or using the https://eyeandear.org/ website, you agree to the terms of the Eye & Ear Foundation Privacy Statement, as outlined below. Please do not access or use this website if you do not agree to these terms.
You can browse our site without telling us who you are or revealing any personal information. Once you give us your personal information, you are not anonymous. If you choose to provide us with personal information, you consent to the transfer and storage of that information to the Eye & Ear Foundation.
This Privacy Statement applies only to the online collection of personal information by the Eye & Ear Foundation. This Privacy Statement does not apply to the collection of personal data that is protected health information or to information collected by means other than the Internet. This Privacy Statement was established to help you understand how we intend to treat your personal information when using this website. We realize our responsibility to respect your online privacy and recognize the need for appropriate protection and management of the personal information you share with us. We strive to provide the highest level of confidentiality for our constituents. This Privacy Policy is effective upon acceptance for new users.
HIPAA
For HIPAA purposes, a “fundraising communication” is a communication to an individual by a covered entity (the Eye & Ear Foundation- an institutionally related foundation) for the purposes of raising funds for the Departments of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The Eye & Ear Foundation is a nonprofit 501 (C) (3) support organization for the Departments of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Our mission is to advance academics and research.
The Eye & Ear Foundation strictly adheres to HIPAA guidelines. Unless you donate to EEF, we will not contact you personally. Instead, it will be through your physician or the Ophthalmology or Otolaryngology Chair at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Patients have the right to opt out of receiving fundraising communications, and the Eye & Ear Foundation always provides the information to do so.
WHAT INFORMATION EEF COLLECTS/HOW THAT INFORMATION IS USED
When you visit eyeandear.org, you can access information without revealing your identity. To analyze and improve our site, we may use “cookies” to track your visit to the website. A cookie is a small amount of data that is transferred to your browser by a web server and can only be read by that server, and it cannot be executed as code or deliver viruses. We typically use cookies to improve our website and make web surfing easier.
Your browser is probably set to accept cookies; however, you can alter the configuration of your browser to refuse cookies. While our web servers automatically log your computer’s IP/Internet address, this information does not identify you personally. You remain anonymous unless you provide personal information to the Eye & Ear Foundation.
MARKETING/FUNDRAISING
EEF does not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. If you do not wish to receive marketing or fundraising communications from EEF, simply indicate your preference by calling 412-864-1300, emailing optout@eyeandear.org, or clicking the unsubscribe/opt-out link in our emails.
COLLECTION AND USE
We obtain your contact information in two ways: your interest in subscribing to our mailing list and your visits to UPMC ophthalmology or otolaryngology clinicians. Our site uses a registration form for visitors to request information, be placed on a mailing list, or make a charitable donation. Personal information includes information that identifies you, such as your name, address, telephone number, email address, or other information that is provided to us by you.
- We receive patient lists for those who have visited your physician twice in a calendar year. This information does NOT include your diagnosis or any sensitive information. What it does contain is:
- Basic demographic information relating to a patient (e.g., patient name, address, email, phone number, and date of birth)
- Dates of health care service
- Department of service
- Treating physician
In terms of donations, we collect financial information such as credit card numbers. This information is solely used to fulfill visitor requests and process donations, and we do not store this sensitive information, nor do we have access to it. We may use your personal information to contact you when necessary. For example, we may contact you if we have questions about processing a donation, send you EEF newsletters, or information about upcoming events.
Please call 412-864-1300 or email contact@eyeandear.org if you want to be removed from our mailing list or to provide updates.
OUR DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION
The Eye & Ear Foundation does not disclose your personal information to anyone other than HIPAA approved print and mail shops unless we must comply with a court order or other legal process, or if we must do so to protect our rights or property.
Your information is stored in our database located in the United States. We treat data as an asset that must be protected and use many tools (encryption, passwords, physical security, etc.) to protect your personal information against unauthorized access and disclosure. Please note that the Eye & Ear Foundation will not intentionally share the contents of any email or form submitted via this site with any third party. Although we work very hard to protect your privacy, due to the nature of electronic communication, we cannot and do not provide assurances that the contents will not become known or accessible to third parties. We do not collect medical, health, racial, ethnic, political, religious, philosophical, union membership, or sexual orientation details on this website.
LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES
The Eye & Ear Foundation Privacy Statement only applies to your use of our website. The EEF website contains links to other sites, including sites that may indicate a special relationship with us. Please note that when you click on one of these links, you are entering another website for which the Eye & Ear Foundation has no responsibility. The Eye & Ear Foundation is not responsible for the accuracy of the content or privacy practices of such sites. We do not disclose your personal information to those operating these linked sites. It would be best to read the privacy policies of each site to determine what information that site may be collecting.
UPDATES AND CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY STATEMENT
From time to time, we may modify or amend this Privacy Statement to comply with new laws or regulations or to reflect future changes in our business practices. This statement will communicate any changes, so please check back on occasion. We also may post a notice on our website or send an email regarding any updates/changes.
CONTACTING US
If your questions are not answered online regarding personal information, please call 412-864-1300 or email admin@eyeandear.org.