Avera McKennan Website Privacy

The following outlines the privacy policy, terms of use and disclaimer statement for the Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center Web site (“Website”). Please read the following policy, terms and disclaimer carefully.

This site has been created by Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center for purposes of health education, health management and administration only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or care. Not all recommendations and guidelines on the site will be appropriate for every individual. Always consult a qualified medical provider to seek answers to specific health concerns before you undergo treatment for a medical condition.

We understand the importance of keeping your medical information private. To help you feel comfortable using this Web site, we have included the following Privacy Policy (“policy”) to explain how Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center, through various health management vendors, collects, discloses and protects the information you share with us.

To administer the Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center online PreAdmission Center, it is necessary to collect personal information that can be used to identify or contact you.

All the data we collect is kept secure, in compliance with the Health Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, and the rules enacted under that Act now and in the future.

The information collected through the Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center site may be used for the following purposes:

• To gather information needed to provide Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center incentives to qualified participants.
• To assess the program and identify opportunities for quality and service improvements.
• To perform aggregate data analysis to support administration and enhancement of the health management and education activities.
• To support overall health education and health management, activities and products.

Non-personal information is also collected through the use of “cookies,” small data files the Web site places in the browser file of your computer’s hard drive. Cookies are used to ensure that you are the only one with access to your confidential health information by allowing us to quickly identify your browser to our server whenever you log onto the Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center site. Cookies are not linked to your personally identifiable health information, but they do help make sure your session remains secure by maintaining an identifier unique to your session and logging you off the Web site automatically after a certain period of time. Each cookie is deleted automatically after a set time or when you close your Web browser and, while most browsers automatically accept cookies, you may be able to change your browser setting to reject cookies should you choose to do so.

From time to time you may be asked to participate in program surveys to help us measure the effectiveness of the site and the Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center. Should you agree to participate, you may be asked to review and accept terms and conditions relating specifically to the use of the information you provide. This may include personally identifiable information. Those terms and conditions will be in addition to this policy, and may include sharing the personally identifiable information with a third party in order to process the survey results.

Terms of Use

This Web site includes an online PreAdmission form provided by Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center. The terms and conditions in this Terms of Use agreement govern your use of this site. By logging on to the Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center site, you agree to be bound by all the terms and conditions of the Terms of Use agreement and Privacy Policy.

You acknowledge and agree that you use this Web site at your own risk and that we do not represent, warrant or guarantee that the Web site will operate without interruption or will be timely, secure or error-free.

You understand and agree that we cannot and do not represent, warrant or guarantee that files available for downloading through this site will be free of any code, device or undisclosed feature that contains contaminating or destructive properties or which is designed to disable, erase or damage software or data. You are solely responsible for implementing sufficient precautions, procedures and checkpoints to satisfy your own security requirements. We do not assume responsibility for the loss of any information, data or other materials from your use of this Web site.

This agreement is subject to change without notice to you. You agree that any regular updates or modifications will be effective immediately when posted on the Web site. We reserve the right to publish a revised agreement without specific notice to you, and you agree to review the posted agreement each time you use the Web site to become aware of any modifications made. By using this Web site, you agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of the agreement as posted at the time you access or use the Web site.

Disclosure of Information

To administer provisions of the online PreAdmission Center, Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center works with third party vendors that specialize in the administration of such programs. As such, data may be shared through the Web site with vendors as deemed appropriate by Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center.

Any information published by us or third party vendors will be in aggregate form only. Aggregate data is created by combining data we collect from you and other individuals to produce anonymous statistical information. This information is used to improve the content of the site or otherwise enhance the online PreAdmission Center.

By completing an online PreAdmission form, you agree that certain information will be available to Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center.

This Web site contains links to other sites. Our Privacy Policy applies only to this Web site. We do not disclose personally identifiable information to those linked sites, nor are we responsible for the privacy policies and practices of those sites. You are responsible for reading the privacy policies of each linked site to determine what information the site may be collecting about you.