Web privacy statement
Inova Health System Foundation (Inova), Northern Virginia's leading nonprofit healthcare provider, is committed to safeguarding and maintaining the privacy of your personal information. In order for lnova Health System Foundation to provide our services, it is necessary for us to collect and use (process) personal information of our website visitors. This Privacy Statement describes our practices regarding the collection and processing of personal information through Inova’s websites and apps.
For purposes of clarity, "processing" as used in this notice includes the collection, use, storage, transmission, disclosure, and destruction of personal information. This Privacy Statement applies to all information collected by lnova Health System Foundation and its third party service providers (collectively, lnova, lnova Health Foundation, lnova Health System Foundation, us, or ours), including but not limited to websites and applications that post a link to this Privacy Statement.
By continuing to use and interact with lnova Health System Foundation websites and by providing Inova Health System Foundation your personal information, you are accepting the terms of this Privacy Statement.
Information collected
Information provided by you
While using Inova’s websites and apps, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:
- Voluntarily provided information which may include your name, address, phone number, email address, etc., which may be used when contacting you as requested.
- For financial donor services, credit card or bank information is collected and only used for donation purposes.
Rest assured, when you submit information on a contact us form, or through email to Inova, we only use your personal information for the use it was intended or for any additional uses specifically provided on this site.
Information collected by technology
Website data
When you visit Inova's website(s), Inova automatically collects information about how you use its website(s), such as what was searched for and viewed and what devices you use to access the website(s), including computers, tablets, and mobile phones. Inova only shares sensitive data that contains protected health information (PHI)/personally identifiable information (PII) with business associates who are engaged by Inova to assist with carrying out our health care activities and functions and agree to provide protections as required by HIPAA. Any data shared with third parties who do not have a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with Inova is de-identified (anonymized) before being shared. When visiting lnova's website(s), information gathered and shared may include:
- Total users
- New vs returning users
- Sessions (pages visited during a single session)
- Duration of time on websites
- Total pageviews
- Mobile vs. desktop
- Browser type
- Bounce rates (% sessions during which visitors leave the site without interacting with it)
- Top pageviews
- “Event” actions – what visitors interacting with (downloads, videos, clicks)
- What users are searching for
Inova app
The Inova app may interact with your sensitive data to provide certain features, such as video visits or mobile appointment check-in. The first time you try to use any of these features, we will ask for your consent within the app and will only allow you to use a feature if you give consent. You do not have to provide consent if you do not want to allow the Inova app to interact with your data as requested. The Inova app is developed by Epic Systems Corporation; please refer to the Epic Mobile Application Privacy Policy for Patients for more detailed information about the limited ways they may interact with your information to make your use of the Inova app possible.
The Inova app may offer location-based check-in for in-person appointments or allow you to find healthcare providers near you. The first time you try to use any features that use your location, we will ask for your consent within the app and will only access your location if you give consent. You do not have to provide consent if you do not want to allow the Inova app to use your location. We do not store your location data.
The Inova app does not collect or share PHI/PII data with third parties. Inova does automatically collect information about what type of device you use, including IOS or Android mobile devices and tablet and collects basic analytics information about how you use the Inova app. Any data shared with third parties who do not have a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with Inova is de-identified (anonymized) before being shared. When visiting lnova's app, information gathered and shared may include:
- Total users
- Total pageviews
- Duration of time on app
- Device type (IOS, Android, tablet)
- Top clicks
MyChart patient portal and MyChart app
The MyChart patient portal and the MyChart app are developed by Epic Systems Corporation; please refer to the Epic Website Privacy Policy for Website Visitors and Epic Mobile Application Privacy Policy for Patients for more detailed information about the limited ways they may interact with your information to make your use of MyChart possible.
Processing information
Personal data
lnova.org processes personal information to achieve the following purposes:
- To provide and maintain our services, including to monitor the usage of our services.
- To manage your account: to manage your registration as a user of the service. The personal data you provide can give you access to different functionalities of the service that are available to you as a registered user.
- For the performance of a contract: the development, compliance and undertaking of the purchase contract for the products, items or services you have purchased or of any other contract with us through the service.
- To contact you: To contact you by email, telephone calls, or other equivalent forms of electronic communication, such as a mobile application's push notifications regarding updates or informative communications related to the functionalities, products or contracted services, including the security updates, when necessary or reasonable for their implementation.
- To provide you with news, special offers and general information about other goods, services and events which we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or enquired about unless you have opted not to receive such information.
- To manage your requests: To attend and manage your requests to us.
Cookies and other technologies
We collect information automatically through various means such as "cookies" and "web beacons."
Cookies. lnova.org makes use of "cookies," which are small text files placed on your device to keep track of information about your browsing on a website. The utilization of cookies allows us to enhance your experience by allowing lnova.org to save your preferences. Your decision to set your web browser to accept or disable cookies is a personal choice. However, without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of features and functionality of our websites.
Web Beacons. lnova.org uses web beacons to collect basic analytics data from visitors who interact with our websites. These technologies, which are often small, transparent images, when loaded they collect information about the requestor. Inova only shares sensitive data containing PHI/PII with business associates who are engaged by Inova to assist with carrying out our health care activities and functions and who agree to provide protections as required by HIPAA.
Web beacons work in conjunction with cookies so if cookies are disabled, we are unable to collect unique information about you.
While our website may contain links to affiliates and other websites, lnova Health System Foundation does not claim nor accept responsibility for any privacy policies, practices and/or procedures of other such websites. Therefore, we encourage all users and visitors to be aware when they leave our website and to read the privacy statements of each and every website that collects personally identifiable information. This Privacy Statement applies only and solely to the information collected by our websites and the Inova app. For specific information pertaining to the MyChart patient portal and the MyChart app, please see the MyChart section above.
Information uses
Intended purposes
lnova.org may collect and may make use of personal information to assist in the operation of our website and to ensure delivery of the services you need and request. At times, we may find it necessary to use personally identifiable information as a means to keep you informed of possible services that may be available to you from www.inova.org. lnova.org may also be in contact with you regarding to completing surveys and/or research questionnaires related to your opinion of current or potential future services that may be offered. lnova Health System Foundation's third-party service providers are not authorized to disclose information except as necessary to perform the services on our behalf or to comply with legal requirements. In certain instances, in order to provide services and to support lnova.org's activities, or as required by law, we may share your information with other lnova Health System Foundation departments, other than the department with which you originally shared your information. In all of these instances, the information provided to the third-party or an Inova Health System Foundation department will be limited to the extent necessary to provide the user-requested information and/or services, or as required by applicable law enforcement agencies.
lnova.org does not now, nor will in the future sell, rent, or lease any of the information obtained. lnova.org may disclose personal information, without prior notice to you, only if required to do so is in accordance with applicable laws and/or in good faith belief that such action is deemed necessary or is required in an effort to:
- Remain in conformance with any decrees, laws and/or statutes or in an effort to comply with any process which may be served upon lnova Health System Foundation and/or our website;
- Maintain, safeguard and/or preserve all rights and/or property of lnova Health System Foundation; and
- Perform under demanding conditions in an effort to safeguard the personal safety of users of inova.org and/or the general public.
Information retention
Inova will retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy statement. We will retain and use your personal data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.
Inova will also retain usage data for internal analysis purposes. Usage data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of our services, or we are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.
Do not track
lnova Health System Foundation recognizes users may prefer a "Do Not Track" approach. If you would like more information on cookies, please visit: All About Cookies and All About Do Not Track.
Information security practice
lnova Health System Foundation shall endeavor and shall take every precaution to maintain adequate physical, procedural and technical security with respect to our offices and information storage facilities so as to prevent any loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure or modification of the user's personal information under our control.
Legal compliance
Under certain circumstances, Inova Health System Foundation may be required to disclose your personal data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or a government agency).
Inova may disclose your personal data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:
- Comply with a legal obligation
- Protect and defend the rights or property of the company
- Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the service
- Protect the personal safety of users of the service or the public
- Protect against legal liability
Children's privacy
lnova Health System Foundation does not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children under the age of thirteen (13) without verifiable parental consent. If it is determined that such information has been inadvertently collected on anyone under the age of thirteen (13), we shall immediately take the necessary steps to ensure that such information is deleted from our system’s database. Anyone under the age of thirteen (13) must seek and obtain parent or guardian permission to use this website.