Legal Statements
Below are links to important information concerning patient privacy policies at M. D. Anderson.
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Joint Notice of Privacy Practices This document is the result of changes to the federal Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA). It details what patient information is and isn't protected, and what your rights are.
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Patient Information and Acknowledgment Form This form is required reading for all new WebCassi users, and outlines the risks of patient information submitted by email and other electronic means.
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Privacy Policy This details how we handle all information submitted by you through WebCassi.
UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO THIS NETWORK DEVICE IS PROHIBITED.
This system is for the use of authorized users only. Individuals using this computer system without authority, or in excess of their authority, are subject to having all of their activities on this system monitored and recorded by system personnel. In the course of monitoring individuals improperly using this system, or in the course of system maintenance, the activities of authorized users may also be monitored. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals possible evidence of criminal activity, system personnel may provide the evidence of such monitoring to law enforcement officials.
PRIVACY POLICY
This is how we handle the information we learn from you when you visit the WebCassi website. The information we receive depends on what you do during your visit.
Web Server Logs
Our web server collects and stores the following general information about you:
* the name of the domain from which you access the Internet (for example, aol.com, if you are connecting from an America Online account)
* the date and time you access our service
* the pages you visit
* the Internet address of the web site from which you linked directly to us
* the name and release number of the web browser software you are using
This information is collected automatically and is not linked to your personal identity. It is used in an aggregate way to help us improve our web site and make it more useful to you.
Cookies
A cookie is an extremely small text file that resides on the user's hard drive, created at the request of the web server to track specific information. We use cookies to authenticate you as an authorized user and to facilitate your movement through the secure sections of the website (this prevents you from being required to log on each time you go to a new page in the secure site). The cookies used on the my.mdanderson.org website store only your identity and the identity of your care center.
Online Forms and Secure Messaging
When you identify yourself by logging in to the my.mdanderson.org website, there are a few things you should know:
The fact that you have logged in to the my.mdanderson.org website means that your online activities and any information you create and/or transmit will be associated with your medical record number and your identity. In addition, the site will present information about you, such as your appointment schedule, your prescriptions, patient education materials specific to your diagnosis, and more.
You have the opportunity to create and/or transmit various types of information about yourself as you use the system's online forms, including, but not limited to:
* Text messages about your care or financial matters
* Entries in your personal journal
* Calendar items
* Personal profile information
* Smoking Information
You have the ability, at your sole discretion, to share your personal journal entries with persons outside M. D. Anderson.
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center care providers, technical support staff who work for our care center, may see the materials you submit only when there is a technical problem. In other limited circumstances, including requests from legal authorities, we may be required by law to disclose information you submit.
You should note that electronic communications, including secure messaging and email, are not necessarily secure against interception. While we take precautions, such as encrypting access and messaging in the webcassi website, there are some risks associated with this use. These risks are discussed in more detail in the
Patient Information and Acknowledgement Form.
Message Boards
Our patient message boards collect and store the following information about you:
First Name, Last Name & Email Address
Posted Messages
The date and time you access the board
Patient communications on the message boards are not private and can be seen by a community of cancer discussion participants. Message boards offer a chance for patients to share concerns and ideas they have about cancer and its impact on their lives.
Disclosure
Under no circumstances will we ever, without your permission, disclose to a third party personally identifiable information about your individual medical conditions or interests, except when we believe in good faith that the law requires it.
With few exceptions, you are entitled on your request to be informed about the information M. D. Anderson Cancer Center collects about you. Under Sections 552.021 and 552.023 of the Texas Government Code, you are entitled to receive and review the information. Under Section 559.004 of the Texas Government Code, you are entitled to have M. D. Anderson Cancer Center correct information about you that is held by us and that is incorrect, in accordance with the procedures set forth in The University of Texas System Business Procedures Memorandum 32. The information that M. D. Anderson Cancer Center collects will be retained and maintained as required by Texas records retention laws (Section 441.180 et seq. of the Texas Government Code) and rules. Different types of information are kept for different periods of time.
Links
From time to time, this web site may provide links to other useful or interesting web sites that are not owned or controlled by M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. We cannot be responsible for the content or privacy practices used by other web site owners.