Columbia Orthopaedic Group is committed to safeguarding your privacy on or through its websites, online facilities and services, mobile app(s), text messaging, and other platforms and services (individually and collectively the "Platforms"). This Columbia Orthopaedic Group Privacy Policy does not apply to products or services provided, or information obtained, other than through the Platforms. Please read the following policy to understand how your information will be treated. This policy may change from time to time so please check back periodically. Please keep in mind that some of the services mentioned specifically in this policy may not be available on the Platforms at this time. If you have questions concerning this policy, please contact Columbia Orthopaedic Group at administration@columbiaorthogroup.com.

What information may Columbia Orthopaedic Group collect from me?
Columbia Orthopaedic Group collects information in several ways. For example, some personal information is gathered when you register as a patient using our account interface or make an online payment. During registration or payment transaction, we may ask for personally-identifiable information such as your first and last names, the patient(s)' names, address, telephone number, credit or debit card number and information, account number and your email address. All personal information is provided on a strictly voluntary and optional basis.  If you have provided your mobile information to us and consented to mobile/text communications, we may communicate with you via text or mobile messaging.  Failing to provide personal information will result only in your inability to fully access our online account and payment options.  Once you register or submit an online payment, you are no longer anonymous to Columbia Orthopaedic Group and are able to take full advantage of our online account and payment options. In addition to registration, we may ask you for information at other times, such as when you report a problem with our Platforms or services, or contact the company via the corporate email address. If you contact Columbia Orthopaedic Group via our Platforms, we may keep a record of that correspondence.  We may also automatically log information about you and your computer or device.  

If you believe that any inaccurate or inappropriate information has been obtained or disseminated through your use of the Platforms, you should contact Columbia Orthopaedic Group at administration@columbiaorthogroup.com.

What are cookies and how does Columbia Orthopaedic Group use them?
As part of offering and providing customizable and personalized services, many web sites use cookies to store and sometimes track information about you. A cookie is a small amount of data that is sent to your browser from a web server and stored on your computer's hard drive. We may use cookies to allow faster and easier access to your account information, monitor traffic on the Platforms and measure traffic patterns to improve functionality.
If you would prefer not to receive cookies, you may be able to alter your browser's configuration to refuse cookies. These settings are usually found in the 'options' or 'preferences' menu of your browser. You should use the 'Help' option in your internet browser to learn the correct way to modify your cookies. Please note that you may not be able to receive certain services on our website if you refuse a cookie.

How does Columbia Orthopaedic Group use the information?
Columbia Orthopaedic Group's primary goal in collecting information is to improve the Platforms and provide the user with the best possible experience on the Platforms, especially by providing a mechanism for convenient, online payment options and effective communication.

Columbia Orthopaedic Group may also be in contact with you with regards to completing surveys and/or research questionnaires related to your opinion of current or potential future services that may be offered.  Columbia Orthopaedic Group may find it beneficial to all our patients to share specific data with our trusted partners in an effort to conduct statistical analysis, provide you with email and/or postal mail, deliver support and/or arrange for appointments to be made.  Those third parties shall be strictly prohibited from selling this information and are required to maintain the strictest of confidentiality.

Except as provided herein, only Columbia Orthopaedic Group and its affiliates or business partners will have access to individuals' account information and personally identifiable information. We also may do research on our users' demographics and behavior based on the information provided to us upon registration, gathered from transaction activity, from our server log files or from surveys. This research may be compiled, analyzed or sold on an anonymous aggregated basis, which does not include information that would identify you. Columbia Orthopaedic Group will not sell, trade or rent any personally identifiable information to others.  Columbia Orthopaedic Group will provide your personal information to its affiliates, service providers, business partners and other third parties who provide business services to Columbia Orthopaedic Group, in order to perform Columbia Orthopaedic Group business functions.  For example, Columbia Orthopaedic Group must release your credit card information to the card-issuing bank to confirm payment for services made on the Platforms.

For more information on use of your medical information, please see our HIPAA Policy.

Who is collecting information?
When you are on a Columbia Orthopaedic Group Platform and are asked for personal information, you are sharing that information with Columbia Orthopaedic Group and its affiliates and service providers. If personal data is to be collected and/or maintained by any company other than Columbia Orthopaedic Group or its affiliates or service providers, we will attempt to notify you on the Platforms or in an updated version of this Privacy Policy. If you do not want your data to be shared, you can choose not to allow the transfer by not using that particular service or utilizing that particular payment option.

Please be aware that other websites to which we link may collect personally identifiable information about you when you visit those sites. The information practices of other websites linked to our Platforms are not covered by this Privacy Policy.

Columbia Orthopaedic Group's various third-party social media features including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and other interactive programs. These may collect your IP address and require cookies to work properly. These services are governed by the privacy policies of the providers and are not within Columbia Orthopaedic Group's control.

With whom does Columbia Orthopaedic Group share my information?
We will not disclose any of your personally identifiable information with anyone other than Columbia Orthopaedic Group or its business partners as described in this policy except when we have your permission or under special circumstances, such as when we believe in good faith that the law requires it, or under the circumstances described below. The following describes some of the ways that your information may be disclosed.

Data in the Aggregate: We may disclose "blinded" aggregated data and user statistics to prospective partners and other third parties, and for other lawful purposes. Blinded data is data which does not identify an individual person. 

Other: We also may disclose account or personal information in special cases when we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be violating Columbia Orthopaedic Group policies, or other online or signed agreement with Columbia Orthopaedic Group, or that may otherwise be causing injury to or interference with (either intentionally or unintentionally) Columbia Orthopaedic Group rights or property, other Columbia Orthopaedic Group Platform users or patients, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities. We may disclose or access account or personal information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it and for administrative and other purposes that we deem necessary to maintain, service and improve our services.

We occasionally hire other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, including sending email or postal mail, text messages, providing customer support, processing data and processing online payments. We will only provide those companies the information they need to deliver the service, and they are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

How can I control my personal information?
Columbia Orthopaedic Group offers its customers choices for the use and sharing of personal information. You may contact us at administration@columbiaorthogroup.com if you wish to view, edit or delete your personal information from our database, and we will use commercially reasonable efforts to accommodate your request.

How can I unsubscribe or opt-out?
All users and visitors to our Platforms have the option to discontinue receiving communications from us by way of email, newsletters, or text messaging. To discontinue or unsubscribe from our Platforms please send an email that you wish to unsubscribe to: administration@columbiaorthogroup.com. If you wish to unsubscribe or opt-out from any third-party websites, you must go to that specific website to unsubscribe or opt-out. Columbia Orthopaedic Group will continue to adhere to this Policy with respect to any personal information previously collected.

How does Columbia Orthopaedic Group protect financial-related information?
Keeping your personal financial information private is vitally important to us. As a matter of policy and long-time business practice, Columbia Orthopaedic Group does not sell information provided by its patients. Any user statistics that we may provide to prospective partners regarding financial matters are provided in the aggregate only and do not include any personally identifiable information about any individual user. We will transfer your credit card number, bank account number or other personal information to the appropriate credit card company or bank in order to process online payments.

What security precautions are in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of my information?
Your Columbia Orthopaedic Group account information and online profile are password-protected so you have access to this personal information. We use encryption technology to protect credit card numbers, bank account numbers, passwords and registration information while they are being transferred over the public Internet. Remember to sign out of your Columbia Orthopaedic Group account and close your browser window when you have finished your work. This is to ensure that others cannot access your account by using your computer when you are away from it. Because of the global nature of the Internet, when you give us information, that information may be sent electronically to servers outside of the country where you originally entered the information. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Therefore, information that you disclose by use of the Platforms, by posting a message or using email, potentially could be collected and used by others. This may result in unsolicited messages from third parties or use of such information by third parties for their own purposes, legal or illegal. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, Columbia Orthopaedic Group cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk. Columbia Orthopaedic Group is not responsible for any damages incurred resulting from the transmission of any information to us, or resulting from any unauthorized use of said information.  Once we receive your transmission, we use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure its security on our systems.

Privacy of Children
None of the Platforms within the Columbia Orthopaedic Group network are directed to children under the age of 13. We operate our network of Platforms in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and do not intend for registration by, and will not knowingly collect or use personally identifiable information from, anyone under 13 years of age. Please do not register for any Platform or make any online payments if you are under the age of 13.

What else should I know about my privacy?
Please keep in mind that whenever you voluntarily disclose information online, that information is accessible to other users. Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your passwords and/or any account information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you are online.

When you or we end your patient relationship with us (or your dependent's patient relationship with us), we will treat the information we have about you as if you (or your dependent) were still our patient.

Acceptance of Terms
By using the Platforms, you are hereby accepting the terms and conditions stipulated within the Privacy Policy Agreement. If you are not in agreement with our terms and conditions, then you should refrain from further use of our Platforms. In addition, your continued use of our Platforms following the posting of any updates or changes to our terms and conditions shall mean that you agree and acceptance of such changes.

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