VPH Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy ("Privacy Policy") describes how and why Valley Presbyterian Hospital (“VPH”) collects information when you visit our Website at www.valleypres.org ("Website") and how we use or disclose this information. By visiting, browsing and/or using our Website, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you are not willing to agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use our Website.

All of your protected health information maintained by VPH, including personal information you submit though our Website is also subject to the Notices of Privacy Practices issued by VPH under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Please visit our Privacy Practices page for this additional information.

Information Collection and Use

The information VPH gathers is either (1) anonymous or (2) personally identifiable.

1. Anonymous information cannot be traced back to an individual. We use anonymous information to analyze trends, administer the Website, track users’ movement on the Website, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. Our purpose in collecting this information is to better understand how our visitors use the Website. This anonymous information may be shared with third parties, such as physicians, suppliers, or other businesses. To maintain your anonymity, we do not associate IP addresses with records containing personal information.
2. Personally identifiable information is what you provide to VPH so that we may answer your questions or fulfill services that you have requested. Depending on the request, the information you provide may include your name, address and ZIP code or health information. For example, if you complete a form that you download from the Website and submit to VPH, the information contained in your form will be used by VPH to provide the services your physician prescribes. Or, you may submit personal information to VPH in response to an employment opportunity. In each case, we use your personal information for the purpose it is submitted to us. It may be shared with third parties that we have relationships with so we can deliver the information or services you request.

VPH also relies in part on donations to allow us to perform our mission. We have partnered with a third-party payment processor that allows us to process credit card donations on our Website. When you make a donation, your credit card and billing contact information is collected and stored by VPH and/or its third-party payment processor, and we may collect some limited information, such as your name, postal code and details of your transaction history.

From time to time, we may also use the personal information you provide to send you important notices, ask for your feedback, or provide other information we believe may be of interest. You may opt out of receiving these communications, as described below in "Your Opt Out Right." You can visit our Website without providing any personal information. However, in order for VPH to fulfill your request, you may need to provide personal information.

Finally, VPH sometimes uses tools such as Google Analytics, Google AdWords and Facebook Tools to provide online advertisement delivery, re-marketing, and tracking. To implement these tools, VPH and third-party vendors may use cookies to inform, optimize and serve ads across the Internet based on past visits to our Website. More information about Cookies is below. You may opt-out of the collection and learn about the use of information for online advertising at http://www.aboutads.info/choices or http://www.youronlinechoices.eu. More information is available by reading the Facebook Tools Terms of Service. You can also find information about how Google uses AdWords by reading Google Adwords Privacy Policy.

Cookies

We use cookies, which are pieces of data stored in the browser storage area of your computer's hard drive, to help us track and improve visitor experiences. Cookies are standard Internet technology that allows VPH to automatically identify your browser when you visit our Website. You may be able to change your browser settings to prevent cookies but in doing so, you may not be able to use some of the Website’s features. Information collected through cookies is not linked to any personally identifiable information.

Security

We take reasonable precautions to ensure your information remains confidential. We follow generally accepted standards to protect the information you submit to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. These measures include encryption of data using the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) system and secured forms on the Website to protect sensitive information you transmit electronically to us. You can verify that a page is encrypted by looking for a closed lock icon at the bottom of your web browser or looking for "https" at the beginning of the address of the web page. Despite these measures, the confidentiality of any communication or material transmitted to us via the Website by Internet or email cannot be guaranteed. At your discretion, you have the option of contacting us using the phone number or mailing address provided under “Comments and Questions” at the end of this Privacy Policy.

We also take reasonable precautions to protect your information offline. Only employees or third parties who need the information to perform a specific job are given permission to access personally identifiable information. The computers/servers where we store personally identifiable information have security protocols and/or password protection.

Children's Privacy Protection

By using our Website, you affirm that you are at least 13 years of age or older. In accordance with the Federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), VPH will never knowingly request personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13 without parental consent. If you are under the age of 13, please do not send us any information about yourself (including, without limitation, your name, address, telephone number, or email address.) In the event we learn that we have collected personal information from a person under the age of 13, VPH will delete that information as soon as reasonably practicable.

Disclosures of Personal Information

We may disclose your personally identifiable Information and/or payment information to third parties we have relationships with to assist us in communicating with you and providing our services to you. We will not sell your information.

We may also disclose your personal information when we reasonably believe we are required to do so by law, regulation, or other government authority or when we deem it appropriate or necessary to provide it to law enforcement authorities; to enforce our Terms of Use to protect and defend the rights or property of VPH; to protect the safety of our employees, vendors, or users of the Website; or to sell or transfer our organization and/or assets to another entity upon a merger, sale, consolidation or other reorganization to which VPH is a party.

Users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland

EEA or Switzerland residents are entitled to the rights under Chapter III of the EU General Data Protection Regulation or Section 2 of the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection with respect to the processing of personal data, which includes the right to access, rectify and request erasure of personal data. Please contact us with your request (see Comments or Questions section below). In order to verify your identity, we may require you to provide us with personal information prior to accessing any records containing information about you.

Your Opt-Out Right

As indicated above, VPH may use the information you provide to communicate with you. If you do not want to receive any further information from VPH, such as e-mails or newsletters, you have the right to opt out of communication. Later, if you want to change your preference, you may do so by contacting VPH at the address indicated under “Changing or Deleting Information” below.

Third-Party Links

VPH may link to and maintain accounts on third-party Websites, including social media Websites such as Facebook and YouTube. Users of third-party Websites often share information with the public, user community, and/or the third party that operates it. If you have an account or profile with a third-party Website and choose to follow, like, friend, or comment, certain personal information associated with your account may be made available to VPH based on the privacy policies of the third-party Website and your privacy settings within that Website. The security and privacy of these third-party Websites is not under VPH’s control and may vary; please exercise caution when visiting these Websites and review their privacy policies to ensure you understand how your information may be used. We do not share personal information made available through these Websites, other than as required with our employees and third parties we have relationships with.

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 this website 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 website.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

VPH may need to update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We encourage you to check this page frequently for any changes. If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy that affect our collection, use, or sharing of your personal Information, we will notify you of such changes by posting a notice on our Website. Small changes or changes that do not materially affect individual privacy interests may be made at any time and without prior notice.

Changing or Deleting Information

If you want to delete or correct your personally identifiable information obtained through this Website, you may send a written request to: Health Information Management, Valley Presbyterian Hospital, 15107 Vanowen Street, Van Nuys, CA 91405

Comments or Questions

If you have any questions about these Privacy Practices, you may contact us by phone at 818.782.6600 or by written mail to the address above.