Does your website have a privacy policy or terms of use? Why not?
Our guest, healthcare attorney Carrie Nixon, will address these questions. Nixon Law Group specializes in healthcare law including the business of healthcare, HIPAA compliance and healthcare technology. Carrie talks about why a medical website might need to have a privacy policy, terms of use, disclaimer...and even address the GDPR.
This post corresponds to our latest podcast episode of "RussandRandy.com" - a podcast from doctors for doctors on Healthcare and Medical Internet Marketing. We hope you like:
"Interview with Healthcare Attorney Carrie Nixon"
Privacy Policy
If your website collects and manages client, customer or patient information, you might consider uploading a privacy policy. A privacy policy protects you by fulfilling a legal requirement to protect your website visitors' privacy. Requirements for privacy policies vary from state to state, and as Carrie recommends, if you are in doubt, consult a healthcare attorney who understands the statutes of your particular state.
In general, if you are not collecting patient information and your website contains content for the purposes of education, it is possible you do not need a Privacy Policy, but consult an attorney to be sure.
Terms of Use
By Using This Site, You Agree to These Terms of Use: If You Do Not Agree, Do Not Use this Site
This document outlines all the rules and regulations which govern the use of your website. For example, by using your site, your visitor agrees to the way your site is published, availability, content changes, mistakes in content, typos, etc. If the user does not agree to any of this technologic behavior, then they should not be using your site. BTW - Carrie gives a much better definition in the episode.
Disclaimer
This may be the easiest document to understand. Posting a disclaimer underscores such things as:
- Your website is for educational purposes only
- The website does not offer medical advice
- Use of the website does not create a doctor-patient relationship
- Comments left on the website do not create a doctor-patient relationship
- etc.
GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation
This is a privacy regulation which recently was adopted that addresses the data protection and privacy of individuals within the European Union (EU). Even though you are doing business in the United States or outside the EU, you may need to comply as you may attract visitors from the EU to your site. Carrie has a nice explanation as to why many of us should consider addressing the GDPR and how to protect yourself.
If in Doubt
If you have questions about whether your website needs any of these documents to "legalize" your site, please consult a healthcare attorney.
Feel free to contact Carrie Nixon, Esq:
www.NixonLawGroup.com
Email: Carrie.Nixon@NixonLawGroup.com
Phone: 703.795.9763 (direct)
Thanks again Carrie!
See you next week!
Subscribe to "RussandRandy.com"
If you have questions or concerns, please leave a comment here. Please download us on iTunes and leave a review. You can also subscribe on any of the platforms listed below.
All the best!
Russ…and Randy
Healthcare and Medical Internet Marketing
Healthcare’s Rx for Web and Social
