Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy – HCG Diet Doctors Introduction:

As a client or client affiliate of HCG Diet Doctors, we would like to take this opportunity to both thank you for your business and to share with you the importance our organization places upon protecting the privacy of information we gather from you in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.
Below is HCG Diet Doctors’s Website Privacy Policy regarding the client information we collect. Contained in this Website Privacy Policy you will find:

An explanation of the types of information HCG Diet Doctors collects from our clients and the means used to collect such information,
An explanation of how HCG Diet Doctors shares the information collected from our clients,
An explanation of how HCG Diet Doctors protects client information, and
An explanation of how client Medical Information is used by HCG Diet Doctors and disclosed.

We are committed to protecting your privacy. We will only use the information that we collect about you lawfully.

HCG Diet Doctors Privacy Policy:

At HCG Diet Doctors, we strive to offer our visitors the many advantages of Internet technology and to provide an interactive and personalized experience. We are very sensitive to privacy issues. The purpose of this Website Privacy Policy is to let you know how we handle the information we receive from you through this Website. Portions of this Website may describe additional privacy practices applicable to specific types of information or to information provided on specific Web pages.
This Website Privacy Policy does not apply to information collected through other means such as by telephone, in person, or posts in any public forum (e.g., message board, blog, personal page, etc.), although that information may be protected by other privacy policies. As used in this Website Privacy Policy, terms such as "we" or "our" and "Company" refer to HCG Diet Doctors and its current and future affiliate entities.

The HCG Diet Doctors site is intended for a United States audience. If you access this site from outside the U.S., you acknowledge, agree, and consent that any information you provide, including any personal information, will be transferred to and processed by a computer server located within the U.S., and subject to U.S. laws and regulations. Further, if you access this site from outside the U.S., you acknowledge and agree that you are responsible for compliance with any applicable local or national laws, rules or regulations applicable to such use.

HCG Diet Doctors uses reasonable measures to safeguard sensitive personally identifiable information, which measures are appropriate to the type of information maintained, and follows applicable laws regarding safeguarding any such information under our control. HCG Diet Doctors cannot guarantee, however, that your information will remain secure. The Internet by its nature is a public forum, and HCG Diet Doctors encourages you to use caution when disclosing information online.

HCG Diet Doctors respects the privacy of all those who visit our Website and use our online services and will endeavor to implement measures designed to protect the privacy of those using our services. Note, however, that we do collect and use information from visitors to our Website. We may use technology to track the patterns of behavior of visitors to our site. This can include using a “cookie” which would be stored on your browser. You can usually modify your browser to prevent this from happening. The information collected in this way can be used to identify you unless you modify your browser settings. If you have any questions/comments about privacy in this regard, you should contact us at the number and address listed below.

This Website Privacy Policy sets forth our practices relating to the collection and use of information from you in connection with your visit to the HCG Diet Doctors Website and use of our online services.
Please be aware that HCG Diet Doctors reviews its Website privacy practices from time to time, and that those practices and this policy are, therefore, subject to change. We ask that you bookmark and periodically review this page to ensure continuing familiarity with the most current version of our Website Privacy Policy.

We use a secure Internet and e-mail provider to protect the confidentiality of electronic communications. HCG Diet Doctors appreciates your business and in order to continue building upon that relationship we believe it is necessary, not only from a legal standpoint, but also as a sound business practice that our customers understand the care our agency uses in handling your information. HCG Diet Doctors will continue to monitor the effectiveness of this privacy policy.
Except as set forth within this Website Privacy Policy, we do not release personally identifiable information about our Website visitors without their permission.

Type of Information Collected By HCG Diet Doctors:

Personally Identifiable Information:

HCG Diet Doctors will use much of the personally identifiable information that you provide primarily for the purposes for which it was collected. The personally identifiable information collected by HCG Diet Doctors may also be used to improve the content of the Website and to better address the needs and interests of Website visitors.

HCG Diet Doctors may send its own e-mail solicitations to visitors who have not "opted out" of receiving such communications. The solicitations are limited in that they, among other things, will clearly indicate the originator of the e-mail and provide the customer with a method of "opting out" of receiving future communications of a similar nature.

HCG Diet Doctors collects information about our clients that is necessary to provide our clinical services and/or products. HCG Diet Doctors collects this necessary information from the following sources:

Information we receive from you on our medical forms, general information forms or other forms relating to application amendments (this information may include, but is not limited to, your name, address, phone number, complete medical history, gender, height/weight, email address and age).
Information we receive from you for billing and payments for our products and services.

We may request Personally Identifiable Information from you when you register on our Website. In all of these cases, we will collect your personal information only if you voluntarily submit said information by filling out online forms. Unless you give us permission, we will not sell, share, license, trade or rent your personal information other than as specified in this Website Privacy Policy.
You do not have to provide us with any of your personal information in order to visit our Website. However, if you choose to withhold requested information, you may limit your ability to visit all sections of our Website, such as subscribing to our online weight-loss tools or posting content to any Community Area (e.g., blog, personal page, group page, chat room, message board, bulletin board, recipe swap, or similar interactive activity).

Non-Personal Information:

HCG Diet Doctors will use the non-personal information it collects in connection with your site usage for making changes or enhancements to the Website and to better address the needs and interests of Website visitors, as well as for other internal administrative purposes. We also may use data regarding site usage to determine which pages of the Website are most helpful to visitors and to improve the information available through such pages. Further, we may provide statistical information based non-personal information to advertisers, affiliates and other current and potential business partners. We may also use aggregate data to inform these third parties as to the number of people who have seen and clicked on links to their Websites.

Cookies and Non-Personal Information:

"Non-personal information" means information that does not permit us to specifically identify you by your full name or similar unique identifying information such as a social security number, member identification number, address or telephone number. The Company uses "cookie" technology and similar technology to gather non-personal information from our website visitors such as which pages are used and how often they are used, and to enable certain features on this website.

You may disable these cookies and similar items by adjusting your browser preferences on your computer at any time; however, this may limit your ability to take advantage of all the features on this website. Keep in mind that cookies are not used to collect any personal information and do not tell us who you are. Some examples of the way we use cookies include:

Tracking resources and data accessed on the site.
Recording general site statistics and activity.
Assisting users experiencing website problems.
Enabling certain functions and tools on this website.
Tracking paths of visitors to this site and within this site.

We may also collect other forms of non-personal information such as what web browsers are used to read our website and what websites are referring traffic or linking to our website. Aggregate and de-identified data regarding website users is also considered non-personal information.

Sharing Client Information with Non-Affiliated Third Parties:

We do not share information about our clients or former clients with non-affiliated third parties other than as permitted or required by law. For example, HCG Diet Doctors may share all of the information listed above with nonaffiliated third parties for, including but not limited to, the following reasons:

Information that is necessary to protect the confidentiality or security of our client’s records.
Information that is necessary to resolve client disputes or inquiries.
Information that is required by individuals or entities who are assessing our legal compliance.
Information that is required for HCG Diet Doctors to comply with the law.
Information that is necessary to protect against or prevent fraud, unauthorized transactions, claims, or other liability.

Affiliates:

We may disclose information (including Personally Identifiable Information) about you to any person or entity which directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by or is under common control with HCG Diet Doctors, whether by ownership or otherwise. Any information relating to you that we provide to our Affiliates will be treated by those Affiliates in accordance with the terms of this Website Privacy Policy.

Although HCG Diet Doctors does not sell personally identifiable information about Website visitors to third parties, we may, in certain circumstances, share personally identifiable information with third parties. For example, HCG Diet Doctors may use third party service providers to facilitate our services and provide operations for one or more aspects of the HCG Diet Doctors Website. Such third party service providers may, in certain circumstances, require a visitor’s personal information in order to facilitate our services and provide such operations. For instance, HCG Diet Doctors uses a third party service provider for processing certain credit card transactions. Any credit card information submitted by you to HCG Diet Doctors, therefore, will be submitted to our credit card processing service provider.

Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, we reserve the right to release information collected from a visitor (whether or not personally identifiable), including information contained within our access logs, when that visitor is in violation of our Terms of Use Agreement, or partakes (or is reasonably suspected of partaking) in any illegal activity, even without a subpoena, warrant or other court order, and to release such information in response to court and governmental orders, civil subpoenas, discovery requests and as otherwise required by law. We cooperate with law enforcement agencies in identifying those who may be using our servers or services for illegal activities. We also reserve the right to report any suspected illegal activity to law enforcement individuals or entities for investigation or prosecution.

Public Forums and the Public Profile Feature:

We may provide public forums where you and other visitors of our Website communicate with one another. Our Website may offer a “Public Profile” and “My Page” to allow you the opportunity to share information about yourself (optional feature) with other users. Please note that this Website Privacy Policy does NOT protect you when you use our public forums or provide information about yourself through the Public Profile feature. Additionally, you are not protected under our Website Privacy Policy when you utilize all or any other community area available on our Website. Please be aware that any information shared in a public forum (e.g., message board, blog, personal page, posting, group, bulletin board or recipe swap or anything listed under our Public Profile feature) is public information and may be seen or collected by third parties that do not adhere to the Website Privacy Policy of HCG Diet Doctors. Also note that information marked “private” may be viewed by our staff.

From time to time, HCG Diet Doctors will provide links to third-party web sites, or advertisements will contain links to third-party sites. These sites are operated by independent entities that have their own privacy policies. The Privacy Policy does not apply to such other sites or to the use that those entities make of your information. HCG Diet Doctors has no control over the content displayed on such sites, nor over the measures, if any, that are taken by such sites to protect the privacy of your information.

What we do with the information we collect:

Like other Web publishers, HCG Diet Doctors collects information to enhance your visit and deliver more individualized content and advertising. We respect your privacy.

Aggregated Information (information that does not personally identify you) may be used by HCG Diet Doctors in many ways. For example, we may combine information about your usage patterns with similar information obtained from other users to help enhance our site and services (e.g., to learn which pages are visited most or what features are most attractive). Aggregated Information may occasionally be shared with our advertisers and business partners. Again, this information does not include any Personally Identifiable Information about you or allow anyone to identify you individually.

We may use Personally Identifiable Information collected on HCG Diet Doctors’s site(s) to communicate with you about your registration and customization preferences; our Terms of Service and our Website Privacy Policy; services and products offered by HCG Diet Doctors and other topics we think you might find of interest.

Personally Identifiable Information collected by HCG Diet Doctors may also be used for other purposes, including but not limited to site administration, troubleshooting, processing of e-commerce transactions, and other communications with you. Certain third parties who provide technical support for the operation of our site (our web hosting services, for example) may access such information. We will use your information only as permitted by law. In addition, from time to time as we continue to develop our business, we may sell, buy, merge or partner with other companies or businesses. In such transactions, user information may be among the transferred assets. We may also disclose your information in response to a court order, at other times when we believe we are reasonably required to do so by law, in connection with the collection of amounts you may owe to us, and/or to law enforcement authorities whenever we deem it appropriate or necessary. Please note we may not provide you with notice prior to disclosure in such cases.

Affiliated sites, linked sites and advertisements:

HCG Diet Doctors expects its partners, advertisers and affiliates to respect the privacy of our users. Be aware, however, that third parties, including our partners, advertisers, affiliates and other content providers accessible through our site, may have their own privacy and data collection policies and practices. For example, during your visit to our site you may link to, or view as part of a frame on a HCG Diet Doctors page, certain content that is actually created or hosted by a third party. Also, through HCG Diet Doctors and its sites, you may be introduced to, or be able to access, information, web sites or features offered by other parties. HCG Diet Doctors is not responsible for the actions or policies of such third parties. You should check the applicable privacy policies of those third parties when providing information on a feature or page operated by a third party.

While on our site, our advertisers, promotional partners or other third parties may use cookies or other technology to attempt to identify some of your preferences or retrieve information about you. For example, some of our advertising is served by third parties and may include cookies that enable the advertiser to determine whether you have seen a particular advertisement before. Other features available on our site may offer services operated by third parties and may use cookies or other technology to gather information. HCG Diet Doctors does not control the use of this technology by third parties or the resulting information, and is not responsible for any actions or policies of such third parties.

You should also be aware that if you voluntarily disclose Personally Identifiable Information on message boards or in chat areas, that information can be viewed publicly and can be collected and used by third parties without our knowledge and may result in unsolicited messages from other individuals or third parties. Such activities are beyond the control of HCG Diet Doctors and this Website Privacy Policy.

Children’s Privacy Policy:

HCG Diet Doctors does not knowingly collect or solicit Personally Identifiable Information from or about children under 13. If we discover we have received any information from a child under 13 in violation of this policy, we will delete that information immediately. Please be mindful that parents and caregivers play an important role in monitoring their children’s use of technology. Teach children never to give personal information (name, address, phone, school, whereabouts), unless supervised by a parent or responsible adult.

Know the sites your kids are visiting and which sites are appropriate. HCG Diet Doctors sites are G-rated. Not all web publishers can say the same. However, HCG Diet Doctors sites are not aimed at children, and it is likely that many of our sites are not of interest to children.

Look for Web site privacy policies. Know how your child’s information is treated. Web publishers should be describing their Website Privacy Policies online. If you can’t find Privacy Policies, Terms of Use, and Children’s Privacy Policies online, then simply ask.

The Federal Trade Commission has other tips for protecting children’s online privacy. Visit them at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec08.shtm. We do not monitor this page on a daily basis and if the link is broken or the page moves, just Google “Federal Trade Commission, Children’s Online Privacy.”

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Understanding Your Health Record/Information:

This notice describes the practices of the HCG Diet Doctors and that of any physician with staff privileges with respect to your protected health information created while you are a client of HCG Diet Doctors.

HCG Diet Doctors physicians with staff privileges and personnel authorized to have access to your medical chart are subject to this notice. In addition, HCG Diet Doctors and physicians with staff privileges may share medical information with each other for treatment, payment or healthcare operations described in this notice.

We create a record of the care and services you receive at HCG Diet Doctors. We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you. This notice applies to all of the records of your care within HCG Diet Doctors.
This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.

Your Health Information Rights:

Although your health record is the physical property of HCG Diet Doctors, the information belongs to you. You have the right to:

Inspect and request a copy of your health record as provided by law.
Request communications of your health information by alternative means or at alternative locations. We will accommodate reasonable requests.
Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information for treatment, payment, healthcare products and as to disclosures permitted to persons, including family members involved with your care and as provided by law. However, we are not required by law to agree to a requested restriction.
Request that we amend your health record as provided by law. We will notify you if we are unable to grant your request to amend your health record.
Obtain an accounting of certain disclosures of your health information as provided by law.
Download a copy of this notice of information practices at the top of this page.

Our Responsibilities at HCG Diet Doctors

In addition to the responsibilities set forth above, we are also required to:

Maintain the privacy of your health information.
Provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we maintain about you.
Abide by the terms of this notice.
Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction on certain uses and disclosures.
We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected health information we maintain, including information created or received before the change. Should our information practices change we are not required to notify you, but we will have the revised notice available for you to review at any HCG Diet Doctors site.
We will not use or disclose your health information without your written authorization, except as described in this notice or permitted by law.

Examples of Disclosures of Health Information for Treatment, Payment and Healthcare Operations/Products and as Otherwise Allowed by Law:

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information should fall within one of the categories:

TREATMENT: For example, we may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, clinical associates or other personnel who are involved in serving you within HCG Diet Doctors. We may share medical information about you in order to coordinate different treatments, such as prescriptions. We may also provide your physician or a subsequent healthcare provider with copies of various reports to assist in treating you, if necessary, once you receive clinical support from HCG Diet Doctors.

PAYMENT: For example, a bill may be sent to you or a third-party payer. The information on or accompanying the bill may include information that identifies you, as well as your diagnosis, procedures and supplies or products used.

HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS: For example, we may use the information in your health record to assess the care and outcome in your case and others like it. This information will then be used in an effort to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare and services we provide.

Your health information will also be used as otherwise allowed by law. The following are some examples of how we may use and disclose medical information about you:

BUSINESS ASSOCIATES: There are some services provided in our organization through contacts with business associates. Examples include certain laboratory tests and copy services. To protect your health information, however, we require business associates to take the appropriate measures to safeguard your information.

RESEARCH: We may disclose information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your health information.

COMMUNICATIONS FOR TREATMENT AND HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS: We may contact you to provide health related reminders or information about treatment or other health-related benefits and services that either concern you or that may be of interest to you.

MARKETING: We may contact you to provide information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits, goods and services provided by HCG Diet Doctors that may be of interest to you.

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA): We may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to food, medications, devices, supplements, product and product defects or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs or replacement.

HEALTH OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES: We may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities might include audits, investigations, inspections and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the healthcare system, government benefit programs and compliance with civil rights laws.

PUBLIC HEALTH: As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability.

JUDICIAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES: Consistent with applicable law, we may disclose health information about you for judicial, administrative and law enforcement purposes. This may include disclosures to avert a serious threat to your or a third party’s health or safety as well as victims of crime or criminal conduct at the Covered Entity.

TO AVERT A SERIOUS THREAT TO HEALTH OR SAFETY: We may use and disclose your health information when we believe it is necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent or lessen the threat or to law enforcement authorities in particular circumstances.

REQUIRED OR ALLOWED BY LAW: We will disclose medical information about you when required or allowed to do so by federal, state or local law.

OTHER USES OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION: Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. If you give us permission to use or disclose your medical information, you may cancel that permission, in writing, at any time. If you cancel your permission, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. We are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission.

For More Information or To Report A Problem:

If you have questions regarding your privacy rights and would like additional information, you may email the HCG Diet Doctors Privacy Coordinator at [email protected]. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint with the HCG Diet Doctors Privacy Coordinator, Attn: Privacy Coordinator, HCG Diet Doctors, 2800 W. State Road 84, Suite 119, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312, or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. You may also fax our Privacy Coordinator at: (954) 587-4412. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint.

Effective Date:

The Effective Date of this Website Privacy Policy is May 20, 2012.

Changes to this Website Privacy Policy:

We may change this Website Privacy Policy. If we do so, such change will appear on this page of our website or in another location as indicated by us. It is your responsibility to review the Website Privacy Policy each time you use this website. By continuing to use this website, you consent to any changes to our Website Privacy Policy.