Mount Sinai Privacy Policy

PLEASE READ THIS PRIVACY POLICY BEFORE USING THE SERVICES

This website is owned and operated by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (“MOUNT SINAI” or “we”, “us” or “our”). This Privacy Policy applies to MOUNT SINAI’s website located at mountsinai.org as well as all other websites owned, operated, licensed, or controlled by MOUNT SINAI, and certain affiliate websites that are hyperlinked to the foregoing (collectively, the “Websites”). This Privacy Policy also applies to all mobile applications offered under the MOUNT SINAI name that do not have a separate privacy policy or that link to this Privacy Policy (the “Apps”). Collectively, the Websites and Apps are referred to in this Privacy Policy as the “Services.”

BY ACCESSING OR USING THE SERVICES, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THIS PRIVACY POLICY AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS PRIVACY POLICY OR THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE, DO NOT ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICES.

By using the Services, you consent to the collection, use, and sharing of information as described in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy applies to the use of the Services and the information provided by and obtained from users of the Services. MOUNT SINAI maintains a separate policy in connection with the Health Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) that can be viewed here.

INFORMATION THAT WE COLLECT
The Services may collect: (1) personally identifiable information that you provide voluntarily when you access certain features of the Services, as noted below in this Privacy Policy, and (2) generalized usage information that we collect automatically as you access the Services.

Information That You Provide Voluntarily on the Websites. The Services may collect personally identifiable information that you enter into data fields on the Websites. For example, when you access the “Request an Appointment” feature via a Website, you may be asked for certain personally identifiable information, including but not limited to your name and email address. Other features of the Websites may ask for other personally identifiable information necessary for the proper functionality of such features. If you decline to provide certain information while using the Websites, you may not be able to use or participate in some or all of the features offered through the Websites. We may retain email and other communications that you send us in order to process your inquiries, respond to your requests, and improve the Services. MOUNT SINAI also collects and stores personally identifiable information that you enter during chats and that you enter into pre-chat surveys. If you submit any personally identifiable information relating to other people, you represent that you have the authority to do so and permit us to use the information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. By submitting personal information, you grant MOUNT SINAI the right to transmit, monitor, retrieve, store, and use your information in connection with the operation of the Websites.

Cookies, Tracking, and Internet-based Advertising. The Websites work with third-party products or services (“Service Providers”), including but not limited to Piwik PRO, Penrod, Avaamo, Marchex, and gSight, that help us track and analyze visitor activity on the Websites, measure the effectiveness of our advertising efforts, and/or support the optimization of our digital marketing campaigns. MOUNT SINAI also works with advertising platforms, including but not limited to Google Ads and The Trade Desk, to manage and deliver digital advertisements about our services on non-MOUNT SINAI websites. We provide such platforms with certain aggregated, de-identified data about the usage of the Websites to support our advertising efforts.

The Websites use “cookies,” tracking pixels, and related technologies. These can be set by MOUNT SINAI or by our Service Providers. Cookies are small data files that online services can store on, and retrieve from, a user’s computer or mobile device through the user’s web browser. The information is stored and retrievable either for the duration of a website visit (known as “session cookies”), or until some later point in time set by the website setting the cookie (known as “persistent cookies”).

Most internet browsers accept cookies by default, but you can modify your browser preferences to block or restrict cookies if you do not want your web browsing activity tracked, though some site functionality may be affected. When you first visit the Websites, you will see a privacy preferences banner at the bottom of your screen prompting you to choose to “Agree to all” non-essential cookies, “Decline all” non-essential cookies, or “Adjust cookie settings” to enable or disable specific categories. Essential cookies are required for site functionality. Non-essential cookies are only used after you have provided consent through our cookie banner or cookie settings. The categories of non-essential cookies on the Websites include analytics (for helping us understand how the Websites are used, and for site maintenance and improvement); A/B testing and personalization (for customizing the site based on your usage); conversion tracking (to measure our advertisements); and user feedback (for helping us improve our site interface). 

There are a variety of tools publicly available to manage cookies and similar technologies that collect information related to your use of the website. Learn more from (i) the FTC or (ii) the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page, which allows users to opt out from receiving certain advertising. We are not responsible for the effectiveness or compliance of third party opt-out mechanisms or programs. Please note that if you delete your cookies or upgrade your browser after having opted out, you will need to opt out again. Further, if you use multiple browsers or devices you will need to opt out on each browser or device. You can access the information on the Websites without enabling cookies in your browser, but disabling cookies may result in a diminished ability to take advantage of the services and related informational content on the Websites. Your web browser may have settings that allow you to transmit a “Do Not Track” signal when you visit various sites or use online services. Like many websites and online services, the Websites are not designed to respond to “Do Not Track” signals received from browsers. To learn more about “Do Not Track” signals, you can visit http://www.allaboutdnt.com.

We and our Service Providers collect information about how and when users navigate the Websites and use this information to analyze how users utilize different resources and to help us improve the Websites. Our Service Providers may acquire information about your activity on our Websites, including pages you visit, access times, duration of visit, how you arrived at our Websites, and information about the browser you use. This information may be used to direct related MOUNT SINAI advertisements and/or informational content to users of the Websites when they visit other websites.

Information That You Provide Voluntarily on the Apps. MOUNT SINAI collects personally identifiable information that you enter into data fields on the Apps. For example, when you access the “Request an Appointment” feature via an App, you may be asked for certain personally identifiable information, including but not limited to your name and email address. Additionally, for example, MOUNT SINAI may collect and store personally identifiable information that you enter into chat tools or surveys. Some features of the Apps may ask for other personally identifiable information necessary for the proper functionality of such features. If you decline to provide certain information while using an App, you may not be able to use or participate in some or all of the features offered through the App.

Usage Information That Is Automatically Collected on the Apps. When you access the Apps, MOUNT SINAI may collect certain generalized information without your actively providing such information. This information may include, for example, the type of mobile device you are using and your mobile operating system. When you access certain Apps, we may assign to you a unique analytics tracking identification number (ID). MOUNT SINAI uses this ID to collect generalized information about your interaction with the Apps in order to improve your experience of the Apps. Certain Apps may also use location services to provide location-based features. If you enable location services on your device and grant permission for such Apps to access this feature, we may collect your location via GPS in order to provide you with such features.

HOW WE USE INFORMATION THAT WE COLLECT

MOUNT SINAI uses the information that you may provide voluntarily or that it otherwise may collect to ensure the proper functionality of the Services across various devices; to process user inquiries and respond to user inquiries; to administer surveys, forms, and other site features; to personalize your experience and inform you about our services; to analyze usage trends on the Services; to improve the Services and to develop new Services; to tailor digital advertisements on third-party websites; or in other ways as required by law.

MOUNT SINAI employs a variety of online security measures to safeguard and keep your personal information private. Although we work hard to protect your personal information, MOUNT SINAI cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us through the Services, and you make such transmission at your own risk.

In some cases, third parties contracted by MOUNT SINAI will have access to information you provide via the Services, including for performing specific tasks (e.g., for sending communications to you) or as discussed in the “Cookies, Tracking, and Internet-based Advertising” section above. MOUNT SINAI provides third parties only with the information they need to perform relevant services and requires that they protect your personally identifiable information.

MOUNT SINAI stores certain personally identifiable information using Amazon Web Services, a third-party hosting service provider. Please note that this Privacy Policy does not apply to Amazon Web Services, and MOUNT SINAI makes no warranty regarding the privacy, integrity, or security of any information stored by Amazon Web Services. Details regarding the data protection and privacy practices observed by Amazon Web Services can be found here: http://aws.amazon.com/security/.

When you download and access the Apps, MOUNT SINAI may send you push notifications to alert you of important information. If you no longer wish to receive such communications from us, you may disable them at the mobile device level.

LINKS TO THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES

This Privacy Policy applies only to the Services. In order to provide you with other useful information, MOUNT SINAI may provide links to third-party websites outside of MOUNT SINAI. MOUNT SINAI exercises no authority over, and does not necessarily endorse, such third-party websites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to such websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies on any other websites or applications before providing them with personal information.

These destination links are provided only for your convenience and, as such, you access them at your own risk. However, MOUNT SINAI wishes to assure the integrity of the Services and their destination links, so any comments pertaining to the Services or any websites accessed through our links are greatly appreciated. Comments can be submitted to webfeedback@mountsinai.org.

LEGAL MATTERS

MOUNT SINAI reserves the right to comply with the law and to release personally identifiable information relating to any user of the Services (i) if we reasonably believe that the user is in violation of our Terms and Conditions of Use or other published guidelines or is engaged in illegal activity, (ii) to release information in response to court and governmental orders, other enforceable requests from government entities, civil subpoenas, discovery requests, and otherwise as required by law, (iii) if we reasonably believe that such release is required to protect the rights, property, safety, or security of any of our users or the public, or (iv) to respond to an emergency.

PERSONAL DATA RIGHTS

Depending on your place of residence, the type of data at issue, and applicable laws and regulations, you may have the right to request that Mount Sinai: confirm whether we process your personal data; provide you with portable access to your personal data; correct inaccuracies in your personal data; or delete your personal data. You may also have the right to opt out of targeted advertising or profiling that has a material impact on you.

If you would like to request to exercise any of your rights, please email Compliance.info@mountsinai.org and provide sufficient detail to allow us to verify your identity and identify the data your request relates to. We will take steps to verify your request before responding to you. We aim to respond to a verifiable request within 45 days of its receipt. If we need more time to respond to your request (up to an additional 45 days), we will notify you. If we decline to take action in response to your request, we will notify you and explain why we did not take action. In such cases, you will have the opportunity to appeal our decision to not take action by sending additional information that we may request or that can otherwise supplement your initial request. We will respond to a verifiable appeal within 60 days of its receipt.

CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

The Services are not intended for use by children under the age of 18. In accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), MOUNT SINAI does not knowingly request personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13 without parental consent. When we do receive information (with parental consent) from users under the age of 13, we will not share their personally identifiable information with third parties, regardless of their stated preference given at registration, in compliance with COPPA.

ACCESSIBILITY

MOUNT SINAI is committed to providing a website that is accessible to everyone, regardless of technology or ability. We strive to adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 level AA, which outlines best practices for creating websites that are accessible to all users.

Our ongoing accessibility efforts work towards making our website as accessible and usable as possible.

If you have any questions or feedback regarding the accessibility of our website, please contact us at webfeedback@mountsinai.org.

CHANGES TO PRIVACY POLICY

MOUNT SINAI may change this Privacy Policy from time to time without notice. We encourage you to check this page for any changes to the Privacy Policy and for new versions thereof. By continuing to access, browse, and/or use the Services, you agree to accept any posted revised terms.

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