Brown University Health Website Terms of Use
Website User Agreement
Thank you for visiting the Brown University Health website.
brownhealth.org, the website registered and sponsored by Brown University Health Corporation and Brown University Health affiliates’ other registered and sponsored websites provide complimentary internet-based communications and general health information to consumers on this site (the "brownhealth.org website" or the "site").
Do not use this site for emergency medical services.
If you are seeking, or are in immediate need of emergency medical help, call 911 or your local emergency assistance number.
Terms and Conditions for Brown University Health Websites
The policies here apply to all the online virtual properties that Brown University Health owns and/or maintains (including without limitation Brown University Health websites and websites utilized by its affiliated hospitals and other partner affiliates for their informational services), mobile applications, and in certain contexts, social media channels, and other online-based informational services that link to this agreement.
Your use of our websites imply your knowledge and understanding of the terms and conditions outlined below. Please read these terms and conditions of use carefully before using this site and our affiliates’ websites.
By using our sites, you agree to these terms and conditions. If you do not agree to all of the terms and conditions of this agreement, do not use our sites. These terms and conditions may be revised and updated at any time. Please periodically review the terms and conditions because your continued usage of our sites will mean that you accept those changes.
Brown University Health Website Accessibility Statement
Brown University Health is working to facilitate the use and accessibility of our digital properties, including the brownhealth.org website, for all people with disabilities. Brown University Health is currently enhancing relevant aspects of its website, https://www.brownhealth.org, along with Brown University Health's digital assets to meet the accessibility standard outlined by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA (WCAG 2.0 AA). We will test our website periodically both with assistive technology, as well as with in-person usage testing.
Please note that these efforts are ongoing. If you have any questions or concerns about the accessibility of any web page owned by Brown University Health, please contact [email protected]. If you are contacting us about a specific web page, please specify the web address and web page title in your email. We want to take all reasonable measures to ensure such a page is accessible to you.
For more information, please refer to Brown University Health’s Notice of Non-Discrimination at https://www.brownhealth.org/notice-non-discrimination.
Our Patient Privacy Policy and Your Online Privacy
Please review our patient privacy policy.
Brown University Health and its affiliated partners are required by federal law to provide a Privacy Notice that describes how medical and health care information we maintain about you may be used or disclosed. Your protected health information is confidential. The Privacy Notice describes each use and disclosure we are permitted to make, your rights, and our obligations under the law.
Brown University Health’s Privacy Notice is available at http://www.brownhealth.org/services/ethics/privacy.
Using Brown University Health’s social media sites.
On our social media sites, we encourage comments from our fans and hope you will join the discussions. We do, however, reserve the right to remove any postings at our discretion, including those that we believe are inappropriate, that promote commercial products, or those that use profanity or abusive language. We also caution you about sharing any of your protected health information as Brown University Health's social media sites are public sites.
By using any of our social media sites, you acknowledge that:
- The site and any of the health-related information and resources we provide are never intended to be a substitute for medical advice from a physician.
- Brown University Health and its affiliates are not responsible or liable for any claim, loss or damage directly or indirectly resulting from the use of any fan page or information or resources contained or linked to that page.
- Your access of the page and other Internet sites, including information, services, products or materials are solely at your own risk.
Brown University Health’s full social media policy is available at http://www.brownhealth.org/agreement-sm.htm.
Personal Information and Privacy
We respect your privacy interests and so operate by these principles:
- You may use Brown University Health’s websites without disclosing personally identifiable information. We want to be clear that we will not obtain such information about you unless you choose to submit it to us. For example, by emailing us comments or suggestions that identify your email address.
- We have taken reasonable steps to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and security of personally identifiable information that you may provide. You should understand, however, that electronic transmissions via the internet are not necessarily secure from interception and so we cannot guarantee the security or confidentiality of such transmissions.
Types of Data We Collect
The privacy of your online information is important to us.
Unless you request us to provide you with or contact on your behalf, physicians for referral of medical services, and except for authorized law enforcement investigations or other facially valid legal processes, Brown University Health will not share any information we receive with outside parties.
We do collect data.
Using your IP address we track certain non-identifying information in order to present you, and all users of the Brown University Health websites with a better, and more secure, online experience.
Web Log Data
Our web servers collect and save default, non-identifying, information which is customarily logged by the World Wide Web. Our logs collect information whenever a user accesses one of our websites. This data includes:
- Date and time
- Originating IP address and domain name (the unique address of the computer used to access our websites, as assigned by the Internet service provider)
- The object requested and completion status of the request (which actions the user took, and how they were completed)
We use these logs to help improve our service by evaluating the "traffic" to our site in terms of number of unique visitors, level of demand, most popular page requests, and types of errors.
We secure and keep these logs for an indefinite amount of time, in order to use them at any time and in any way necessary to prevent security breaches, to ensure the integrity of the data on our servers, and create a better web experience for users.
Analytics and Personalization Tools
We use industry-standard, secure online analytics tools to gather, store, and interpret this information.
This includes the use of Google Analytics to help learn and review how patients, physicians and other site visitors use our websites. Google Analytics is an external analytics software program used to analyze site traffic. For more information about Google Analytics, how it works, and Google's security practices, please visit http://www.google.com/privacy.html. To opt out of Google tracking, visit this link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/.
The data in Google Analytics is non-personal information about online activity and interests (for instance: which site led you to ours, clicking behavior on different Brown University Health sites, content preferences). This service never records your name or other identifying information.
Your identifying information is yours to give – we never take it without permission.
The only time we ever retain identifying information about our users is when we store information about visitors who have signed up for Brown University Health online memberships (such as MyChart, promotional Brown University Health email lists, or when users fill out forms for the explicit purpose of contacting Brown University Health). For the terms and conditions of MyChart, Brown University Health’s secure online heath records portal, please visit https://mychart.brownhealth.org/mychartprd/default.asp?mode=stdfile&option=termsandconditions.
Brown University Health may use services provided by third-party companies to build and administer such features as surveys, polls, contact forms, e-mail communications, and event sign-ups, ticket and other sales, and opt-in services. Information collected from the use of these services is not used or shared by Brown University Health for any other purpose.
This information will only be available to Brown University Health if the user first chooses to provide it by explicitly “opting in” or submitting this information online. Your Identifying information is never taken without permission.
About Social Media and internet-Based Advertising
If you are a Facebook or Twitter user, you may occasionally see advertisements and promoted posts from Brown University Health and our affiliated hospitals and locations appear in your timeline. We may use advertising on these and other social media sites in order to broadcast and promote information about Brown University Health, including new services, promotional materials, and news stories about Brown University Health and our health care providers.
Further information about Ads by Facebook and Twitter Ads is available here:
- Ads by Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/terms
- Twitter Ads: https://business.twitter.com/en/help/troubleshooting/how-twitter-ads-work.html
Tracking Pixels, Cookies and Related Technologies
Brown University Health works with third-party digital service providers, including Google and Facebook, to track visitor activity on our websites. This is accomplished by the use of cookies and tracking pixels. We use this information to optimize our content and digital advertising and marketing campaigns, and to analyze site traffic and user behavior.
Our Content
The content of Brown University Health’s websites is provided for general information only and is not intended in any way to substitute for professional medical advice. The content we provide on our websites is intended to be informational only, and never should be relied upon for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional if you have any concern about your health. Users are encouraged to develop a professional relationship with physicians and other medical practitioners and regularly consult with them and seek their advice.
The Information We Provide
Our health professionals strive to provide valuable general health information, but Brown University Health cannot assure that this information is exhaustive or complete or that it includes the most recent information about any particular topic.
You should review any information supplied on our websites with your own personal physician in person.
You should never delay, ignore or fail to obtain medical advice based upon information on a Brown University Health website. We cannot guarantee or warrant that our information will be without errors, omissions, delays or other defects or that files are free of viruses, worms, or other harmful components.
Visiting the brownhealth.org Website from Outside the United States
Brown University Health is located in the United States. The medical services described within the brownhealth.org website are directed only at customers in the United States. If you are visiting the brownhealth.org website, or any part thereof, from outside the United States of America, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored or processed in the United States as explained above, and maintained on computers or servers located outside your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your jurisdiction. By using any portion of our brownhealth.org website, you understand and consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and those third parties with whom we share it as described in these Terms of Use.
Additional Information
Third-Party Content and Links
Occasionally, Brown University Health provides links and pointers to other sites on the internet, including links to sites sponsored by our physicians ("third-party sites"). Brown University Health has not investigated the content of information provided on third party sites and does not warrant the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of such information or the performance of those sites.
Brown University Health is not responsible for the content of information on third-party sites. Our inclusion of these links does not imply any endorsement of the material on such websites or any association with their operators.
No Liability for Content
Brown University Health does not assume any liability for the contents of any material provided on its sites. Reliance on any information provided by Brown University Health, its health professionals, or other visitors to the site is solely at your own risk. Brown University Health assumes no liability or responsibility for damage or injury to persons or property arising from any use of any information, idea, or instruction contained in, or any test, product, or procedure discussed on this site.
No Warranties
Our websites and their content are provided on an "as is" basis. we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the operation of the website or third party websites linked to our sites. to the fullest extent permissible by applicable law, we disclaim all warranties, express, or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and/or infringement. under no circumstances shall we be liable for incidental, special, indirect, direct or consequential damages or loss of profits, interruption of business, or related expenses which may arise from your use of or inability to use our websites and other informational services provided hereunder, including, but not limited to, those resulting from defects in software, communication lines, virtual private networks, the internet, or your internet service provider, access system computer hardware or software or other service or device that is used to access our websites, or loss or inaccuracy of data of any kind, whether based on warranty, contract, tort, or any other legal theory, and whether or not we are advised of the possibility of such damages. in addition, we do not guarantee that use of our websites will be free from unavailability of information, downtime, service disruptions, intentional or inadvertent intrusions, viruses or worms or other mechanisms that may attack your computer. you acknowledge that you are solely responsible for ensuring that your computer has adequate protections against any of the foregoing. in addition, you acknowledge that your information will be transmitted over the internet and that there is no guarantee of accuracy or security.
You agree to hold harmless and waive voluntarily and unequivocally any liability of Brown University Health and its officers, directors, employees and agents, including health care professionals, for any damages, claims, demands or causes of action, direct or indirect, special, incidental, consequential or punitive, as a result of your use of our websites or any information you obtain on them or that result from mistakes, omissions, interruptions or deletions of files, errors or defects in the Brown University Health and its affiliates’ website content, or failure of performance.
If you are dissatisfied with any Brown University Health website content, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue using such content and/or our websites.
Copyright and Trademark
All text and images on Brown University Health’s websites are owned or licensed by Brown University Health and are protected by copyright. The name "Brown University Health" and the logo are proprietary trademarks and service marks of Brown University Health. You have been granted a license to view and use the Brown University Health materials subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement.
You may download and keep one copy of Brown University Health materials for your own non-commercial home use, provided that you keep all copyright, service mark and other proprietary notices. You may not sell or modify Brown University Health materials or reproduce, display publicly or otherwise use the Brown University Health materials in any way for any public or commercial purpose. Permission to reprint or electronically reproduce any document or graphic, in whole or in part, for any other purpose is expressly prohibited without prior written consent from Brown University Health.
You may contact us with any questions about content use at:
Brown University Health Marketing and Communications,
Attn. Kristen Connolly, Digital Director
117 Ellenfield St., Suite 100, Providence, RI 02905.
Users may not provide copyrighted or other proprietary information to Brown University Health without permission from the owner of such material or rights. Users are solely responsible for obtaining such permission and for any damages resulting from unauthorized disclosures.
Online Engagement with Our Health Professionals
Although sometimes our health care professionals will participate in online dialogue with website users (such as chats and forums which are conducted by physicians and other medical practitioners who have privileges at Brown University Health hospital) none of our physicians and professionals is entering into a physician-patient relationship with you.
Our professionals do not diagnose, treat, or prescribe for anyone using our websites or social media platforms.
Our professionals will not accept payment from you and will not bill any insurance company, government payment program or other source of health benefits for information provided on our web sites.
Your Personal Medical Information
Please do not share personal medical information that you wish to keep confidential.
Any information you do provide is not protected under confidentiality laws that protect physician-patient communications. In addition, while Brown University Health attempts to prevent unauthorized access to our website files, such access may occur by outside parties. In addition, our physicians do not keep any records of their communications on our websites and will not have any records of any prior contacts you may have had with our site.
We respect your personal privacy and will never release your name or email address without your consent. Brown University Health does not sell personal medical information and will not disclose any personal medical information which identifies any person who uses our site.
However, we do have the right to use any questions, comments, or other information submitted by users and aggregate health information in research, articles, books, commentaries, promotions or other similar ways. Brown University Health may use your information to operate the site or as required by law.
You agree not to post any information which (a) is libelous, defamatory, obscene, fraudulent, false or contrary to the ownership or intellectual property rights of any other person, or (b) contains any virus, worm, Trojan horse or other code which is contaminating or destructive to the files or programs of Brown University Health or any of our users.
Brown University Health may deny you access to all or part of the Brown University Health websites if Brown University Health, in its sole discretion, determines that you have engaged in conduct which violates the law or the terms of this agreement.
Discussion Group Rules
You are responsible for materials you send to "discussion" groups that may be available to others.
About these Terms of Use
This agreement will for all purposes be governed, interpreted, and enforced under the laws of the United States, in the State of Rhode Island. You agree that the courts located in the State of Rhode Island will constitute the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any and all disputes and you hereby consent to the jurisdiction of such courts and irrevocably waive any objections thereto. Any cause of action or claim you have with respect to this site must be commenced within one (1) year after the claim or cause of action arises or such claim or cause of action is barred. If any clause or provision of this agreement is determined to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable under present or future law, then, in that event, such clause or provision will be severed from this agreement without affecting the enforceability of all remaining clauses and provisions.
You acknowledge that the terms and conditions, including the disclaimers, in this agreement are fair and reasonable and that your agreement to follow and be bound to them is not the result of fraud, duress or undue influence exercised upon you by any person or entity. By continuing to use this site you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to all of the terms and conditions.
Website Contact Information
Contact us for more information about our websites and their terms of use by email at [email protected] or by phone at 401-444-5327, or address your concerns in writing to:
Brown University Health Marketing and Communications
Attn: Kristen Connolly, Digital Director
117 Ellenfield Street, Suite 100
Providence, RI, 02905
These terms last reviewed/updated: 2/18/2021