PRIVACY POLICY

1. Introduction

Shipley Neuro Pediatrics, LLC, doing business as Shipley Pediatrics (“Shipley Pediatrics,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), respects the privacy of individuals who visit our website or contact us through publicly available website features.

This Website Privacy Policy explains the types of information that may be collected through the Shipley Pediatrics website (the “Website”), how that information may be used, when it may be shared, and choices that may be available to you.

2. This Policy and Patient Health Information

This Website Privacy Policy applies primarily to information collected through the public Website. It does not replace the Shipley Pediatrics Notice of Privacy Practices, which describes how protected health information may be used and disclosed in connection with healthcare services and the rights patients may have regarding that information.

If you are an established patient and need to communicate about your child's health, medications, diagnosis, treatment, records, or other patient-specific medical information, please use the secure communication methods provided by Shipley Pediatrics, such as the Patient Portal or other approved clinical channels.

Please do not submit sensitive medical information through a general Website contact form unless the form is specifically identified as a secure method intended for that purpose.

3. Information We May Collect

Depending on how you use the Website and which Website features are enabled, we may collect information in several ways.

Information You Provide

When you contact Shipley Pediatrics through a Website form, request information, or interact with certain Website features, you may choose to provide information such as:

·         Parent, guardian, or visitor name;

·         Email address;

·         Telephone number;

·         Child's age or age range, when requested for service-routing purposes;

·         The Shipley Pediatrics service you are interested in;

·         General questions or messages you submit; and

·         Other information you voluntarily provide.

Information Collected Automatically

Like many websites, the Website or its service providers may automatically collect certain technical information when you visit. Depending on the tools enabled on the Website, this may include:

·         Internet Protocol (IP) address;

·         Browser type and device type;

·         Operating system;

·         Approximate geographic information derived from an IP address;

·         Pages viewed and links clicked;

·         Referring website or source;

·         Date and time of Website activity; and

·         Cookie, analytics, or similar technology identifiers.

4. How We May Use Information

We may use information collected through the Website to:

·         Respond to general inquiries and requests for information;

·         Help route prospective patients or families to the appropriate Shipley Pediatrics service;

·         Support scheduling or Meet & Greet workflows;

·         Operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and improve the Website;

·         Understand how visitors use the Website and which information is most useful;

·         Protect the Website, practice, patients, and users against security threats, misuse, fraud, or unlawful activity;

·         Comply with applicable legal or regulatory obligations; and

·         Support other legitimate administrative purposes consistent with this Policy.

5. General Contact Forms

General Website contact forms are intended for administrative and non-urgent inquiries. We recommend that visitors provide only the information reasonably necessary for the practice to respond and route the inquiry.

Do not use a general Website form for emergencies or urgent medical concerns. Do not include detailed medical histories, diagnoses, symptoms, medications, Social Security numbers, insurance identification numbers, or other sensitive health or financial information unless you are using a secure system specifically designated for that purpose.

6. Patient Portal and Secure Clinical Systems

The Website may link to a Patient Portal, electronic health record system, scheduling platform, payment service, or other healthcare technology used by Shipley Pediatrics.

Information entered into those systems may be governed by separate privacy notices, terms, security practices, and healthcare privacy requirements. When applicable, protected health information maintained by Shipley Pediatrics is handled in accordance with the practice's Notice of Privacy Practices and applicable law.

A link from the public Website to a secure service does not mean that the public Website itself should be used to transmit protected health information.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The Website and third-party service providers may use cookies, pixels, local storage, analytics technologies, or similar tools to support Website functionality, remember preferences, understand Website traffic, measure performance, and improve the visitor experience.

The specific cookies and tracking technologies used will depend on the Website platform, settings, integrations, and services enabled at the time.

Where available, you may be able to control certain cookies through browser settings, Website cookie controls, or other preference tools. Disabling cookies may affect some Website functionality.

8. Website Analytics

Shipley Pediatrics may use website analytics tools to understand general Website traffic and usage patterns, such as which pages are visited and how visitors arrive at the Website.

Before publication, Shipley Pediatrics should identify the specific analytics services in use and confirm whether additional disclosures, consent controls, or configuration changes are appropriate for a healthcare-related website.

9. How Information May Be Shared

We do not sell patient medical records or protected health information.

Website information may be disclosed to service providers or other parties when reasonably necessary to operate the Website or practice, including providers that support website hosting, forms, scheduling, communications, analytics, security, or technical services.

We may also disclose information when required or permitted by law, to respond to lawful legal process, to protect rights or safety, to investigate misuse or security incidents, or in connection with a business reorganization or similar transaction, subject to applicable legal requirements.

Service providers may have their own contractual, privacy, and security obligations. The handling of protected health information, when applicable, is subject to separate healthcare privacy requirements.

10. Third-Party Websites and Services

The Website may contain links to third-party services, including patient portals, scheduling systems, maps, social media platforms, educational resources, or other websites.

When you leave the Shipley Pediatrics Website or use a third-party service, that provider's privacy policy and terms may apply. Shipley Pediatrics does not control the privacy or security practices of independent third-party websites.

We encourage visitors to review the privacy information provided by third-party services before submitting personal information.

11. Data Security

Shipley Pediatrics takes reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures appropriate to the nature of the information and systems involved to help protect information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure.

However, no website, internet transmission, email, or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Visitors should use appropriate care when deciding what information to transmit electronically.

12. Data Retention

We may retain Website information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, to respond to inquiries, maintain business records, support security and Website operations, comply with legal obligations, or resolve disputes.

Patient records and protected health information may be subject to separate retention requirements and practice policies.

13. Children's Privacy

Shipley Pediatrics provides pediatric healthcare services, but the public Website is primarily intended for parents, legal guardians, caregivers, and individuals seeking information about the practice.

We do not intend for children to submit personal information through general Website forms without appropriate parent or guardian involvement. If you believe a child has submitted personal information through the public Website inappropriately, please contact us using the information below.

This section does not determine a minor patient's rights regarding healthcare consent, confidentiality, or medical records, which may depend on applicable law and the circumstances of care.

14. Email and Text Communications

If you provide an email address or telephone number through the Website, Shipley Pediatrics may use that information to respond to your inquiry or support the service you requested.

Standard email and text messaging may not be appropriate for sensitive medical information unless the practice has specifically established that communication method for patient care. Existing patients should follow Shipley Pediatrics' instructions for secure clinical communication.

If Shipley Pediatrics later uses email or text messaging for promotional or marketing communications, the practice should ensure that appropriate consent, opt-out, and healthcare privacy requirements are addressed before those communications are sent.

15. Your Privacy Choices

Depending on the information involved and applicable law, you may be able to:

·         Choose not to submit information through general Website forms;

·         Adjust browser or Website cookie preferences where available;

·         Request correction of inaccurate non-clinical contact information;

·         Ask questions about information submitted through the Website; or

·         Exercise separate patient privacy rights described in the Shipley Pediatrics Notice of Privacy Practices when protected health information is involved.

Privacy rights concerning patient medical records should be exercised through the processes described in the practice's Notice of Privacy Practices rather than through this Website Privacy Policy.

16. Do Not Track and Privacy Signals

Browser-based “Do Not Track” signals and other privacy preference mechanisms continue to evolve. The Website's response to such signals may depend on the Website platform and third-party services in use.

Before publication, the practice should confirm the Website platform's current behavior regarding Global Privacy Control, Do Not Track, cookie consent, and similar preference signals.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Website Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our Website, technology, services, legal requirements, or privacy practices. When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date shown above.

We encourage visitors to review this Policy periodically.

18. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Website Privacy Policy or information submitted through the public Website, contact:

Shipley Pediatrics

Shipley Neuro Pediatrics, LLC

[Practice Mailing Address]

[City, Montana ZIP]

[Practice Phone Number]

[Privacy or Administrative Email Address]

For questions or requests involving patient medical records or protected health information, please use the contact information and procedures identified in the Shipley Pediatrics Notice of Privacy Practices.

Pre-Publication Privacy Review Checklist

·         Insert the effective date, last-updated date, mailing address, phone number, and appropriate privacy/administrative email address.

·         Confirm the final Website platform and every active form, scheduling, analytics, advertising, chat, map, social media, payment, portal, and embedded third-party integration.

·         Identify the exact cookies and analytics technologies in use and determine whether a cookie banner or consent-management tool is needed.

·         Review healthcare-specific analytics and tracking configurations to reduce the risk of transmitting protected health information or sensitive health-related data to third parties.

·         Confirm that general contact forms do not request unnecessary medical information and route clinical communications to secure systems.

·         Confirm that the Patient Portal, EHR, scheduling, payment, and other systems have appropriate privacy/security arrangements and Business Associate Agreements when required.

·         Maintain a separate, current HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices and link it from the Website where appropriate.

·         Confirm any email or SMS marketing workflows, consent language, and opt-out mechanisms before using contact information for promotional communications.

·         Have Montana healthcare/privacy counsel review the final policy and confirm any Montana-specific privacy, minor-consent, consumer-protection, or healthcare requirements.

·         Re-review the Privacy Policy whenever Website tools, analytics, forms, advertising technologies, clinical systems, or data practices change.