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Doctors Lounge Privacy Statement
June 21, 2007
Welcome. Doctors Lounge would like to thank you for visiting our website.
We are pleased to have the opportunity to help make the Internet a secure,
private, and reliable place to share information and conduct business.
This privacy policy explains how we collect and use information from our
website visitors. All of Doctors Lounge divisions prescribe to essentially
the same information collection and use practices, and all of these practices
are stated in this privacy policy. If a practice is specific to a particular
division in Doctors Lounge, this policy will describe that practice
in detail and refer directly to the appropriate division.
Doctors Lounge Privacy Policy statement, addresses the following
issues:
- The websites and information covered by this Privacy Policy;
- Exactly what information may be collected and how it will be used;
- The consequences, if any, resulting from your refusal to provide
personal information;
- Whether a company uses cookies, tracks IP addresses, or uses other
passive means to collect information;
- Who, if anyone, is collecting your personal information;
- With whom, if anyone, is your personal information shared;
- What is a company's policy regarding links to third party sites;
- What choices you have with regard to the use of your personal information;
- How you can access, and if necessary, change the personal information
a company collects and maintains;
- How a company ensures data security, quality, and integrity; and,
- Where and how to ask questions or file complaints.
What does this Privacy Policy apply to?
This privacy policy applies to the website operated by Doctors
Lounge:
www.doctorslounge.com
Please note that this privacy policy applies only to information submitted
and collected online through the website(s) listed above, and does not
apply to information that may be collected by Doctors Lounge offline.
In addition, this privacy policy applies only to sites maintained by
Doctors Lounge and not to websites maintained by other companies or organizations
to which we link. Doctors Lounge is therefore not responsible for
the content or activities provided on such sites.
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Are you a doctor or a nurse?
Do you want to join the Doctors Lounge online medical community?
Participate in editorial activities (publish, peer review, edit) and
give a helping hand to the largest online community of patients.
Click on the link below to see the requirements:
Doctors Lounge Membership
Application |
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What types of information does
Doctors Lounge collect and how
will it be used?
Doctors Lounge only collects information on a voluntary basis.
The personal information Doctors Lounge collects is used almost exclusively
for communications purposes and will usually take the form of: (1)
Doctors Lounge Membership registration form; (2) a consumer complaint
or inquiry directed to the Support Team; (3) Doctors Lounge survey;
(4) Doctors Lounge Medical Forums and other medical services; (5)
Doctors Lounge referral services; (6)
Doctors Lounge's newsletter; and/or, (7) other general information
contained in an email (e.g., comments). The types of information that
may be requested for each activity and the way the information may be
used are detailed below.
Doctors Lounge Membership registration form
Visitors that wish to participate in the activities on the site are required
to complete Doctors Lounge Membership registration form. The requested
information may include the individual's name, address, telephone, electronic
mail (email) address, job, area of specialty, qualifications as well as
demographic data. Doctors Lounge uses this information to contact
the individual regarding participation and, if eligible, to communicate
with such a member on an ongoing basis regarding certification and compliance.
Consumer Complaints Directed to the Support Team
From time to time, the Support Team receives complaints or inquiries regarding
the Doctors Lounge services. When a complaint or inquiry is received,
the Support Team promptly investigates the complaint or inquiry, and then,
when appropriate, responds to the individual who sent the complaint or
inquiry via the e-mail address from where the request originated.
Doctors Lounge Survey
Any one of the Doctors Lounge divisions may conduct surveys. The surveys
are conducted strictly for internal profiling purposes and only keep track
of anonymous demographic data.
Doctors Lounge Medical Services
Doctors Lounge Medical Services are designed to help both physicians
and consumers in extending their knowledge of various medical topics and
keep up to date with current medical information. These services include;
Doctors Lounge Medical Forums. Some of our services are conducted
through a partnership.
Doctors Lounge Newsletter
Visitors who wish to subscribe to the Doctors Lounge newsletter will
be asked to provide their e-mail address as well as demographic data. The submitted e-mail address
is then used to send you, via e-mail, our quarterly newsletter and to
otherwise keep you informed as to what's going on at the Doctors
Lounge.
General Information Contained in Email
Doctors Lounge's website provides a number of links through which
an online visitor can e-mail us. Doctors Lounge collects personal
information contained in the e-mail for the purpose of responding to a
consumer's questions and/or comments.
No matter what method we use to collect information and no matter how
we use that information, we will only collect the information deemed reasonably
necessary to fulfill your online requests and our legitimate business
objectives.
What happens if I refuse to provide my personal information to
Doctors Lounge?
If you choose not to submit personal information when requested, you
may not be able to access certain areas of our site and may considerably
limit the services we can provide you. To simply use our site, however,
you do not need to give us any personal information.
Does Doctors Lounge use cookies, track IP addresses or use other
passive means to collect information?
Cookies
Doctors Lounge uses cookies on its Medical Forums to allow registered
users to use the forums. A "cookie" is a small file or record-keeping
device that websites often store on a user's computer.
IP Addresses
Doctors Lounge may collect your IP address for safety and security
purposes. An IP address is a number that is used by computers on the network
to identify your computer every time you log on to the Internet.
Who is collecting my personal information?
The information that you disclose while visiting our website is collected
by Doctors Lounge or a vendor on Doctors Lounge's behalf, and
is used in the manner specified above.
With whom does Doctors Lounge share my personal information?
From time to time, Doctors Lounge may employ and share your personal
information with vendors who use it solely to provide support for the
internal operations of Doctors Lounge's website(s) (e.g., technical
support, order fulfillment, and newsletter delivery). These entities will
not use your personal information for any other purpose, and have agreed
to maintain the confidentiality, security, and integrity of the personal
information they obtain from us.
It is our policy not to sell or rent your personal information. We may,
however, disclose your personal information to outside third parties as
described in this privacy policy. In addition, we may also disclose your
personal information in the good faith belief that we are required to
do so by law, or that doing so is reasonably necessary to comply with
legal processes; respond to any claims; or, to protect the rights, property,
or personal safety of Doctors Lounge or the public.
Customers may receive information about third party
services that are likely to be of interest. Users of our free
service will initially be opted in to this program while customers
signing up any of our paid service can choose to opt in. Customers
can opt out by clicking on the link provided in the email or by
visiting our site and opting out at any time.
We may also use personally identifiable End-User
information to provide targeted content and commerce opportunities
to End-Users based on their demographic and behavioral information.
This does not apply to the personal medical information collected in
the "Ask a Doctor"/ "Medical Forums" section. We do not share the personal medical
information of our users.
Finally, we never use or share the personally
identifiable information provided to us online in ways or for
reasons unrelated to the ones described above without also providing
an opportunity to opt-out or otherwise prohibit such unrelated uses.
What is the policy of Doctors Lounge regarding links to third party
sites?
You should be aware that while you are on a website operated by
Doctors Lounge, you may be directed to other sites that are beyond our
control and for which we are not responsible. Because we cannot guarantee
that the privacy policies of these websites meet our high standards, we
recommend that you read the privacy policy of the website to which you
link before you submit any personal information.
Can I choose how my personal information is used?
If you wish to opt-out from receiving our newsletter or any other communication,
please contact us, at any time,
via e-mail.
We will be happy to honor your request.
How can I access my personal information?
If you wish to review, update, or delete any personal information that
we may have collected about you, please contact us
via e-mail.
What safeguards does Doctors Lounge use to protect my personal
information?
Doctors Lounge maintains appropriate safeguards that ensure the
security, integrity and privacy of the personal information we collect
from all users. Personal information collected by Doctors Lounge is
stored in secure operating environments that are not available to the
public and is only accessible by authorized employees. We also have security
measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information
under our control.
How do I ask a question or file a complaint?
If you have any questions, complaints or comments regarding our privacy
policy or practices, please contact us
via e-mail.
By using this site, you signify your assent to the Doctors Lounge
Online Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please
do not use this site. We reserve the right to make changes to this Policy.
Please check back from time to time to ensure you are aware of these changes.
Your continued use of this site will signify your acceptance of these
changes.
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