Privacy and Confidentiality Statement

Purpose

The Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies at Baylor College of Medicine is committed to protecting site users' rights to privacy and the confidentiality of personal information. In this context, privacy refers to the right of the individual to choose whether to allow personal information to be collected and how that information is used. Confidentiality refers to the right of an individual to not have personally identifiable information disclosed to any third parties without express informed consent.

This document describes the information that we collect and how we use it. Please review the terms carefully. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us at ccit@bcm.edu.

Who We Are and the Virtual Lipid Preceptorship

The Virtual Lipid Preceptorship (VLP) was created through a collaborative effort of the Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies (CCIT) at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and the Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine, and the National Lipid Association and Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. The VLP, a component of the Lipids Online (www.lipidsonline.org) website, is provided as a research and education tool for clinical faculty, healthcare providers, and others. The VLP online audit tool provides the user with practice-based feedback.

Information Collection and Use

CCIT does not collect names, email addresses, or any other personal information unless voluntarily provided. The process of opting in to any functionality that includes collection of personal information includes a notice that the information will be saved, with an explanation of how the information will be used and by whom. CCIT does not provide or release any information to any third parties unless required by law.

CCIT does collect and store the name of the domain and host from which the user accessed the Internet; the Internet protocol (IP) address of the computer being used; the browser software and operating system used; the date and time the user accessed the site; and the Internet address of the website from which a user linked directly to the site. However, the IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information. CCIT only uses the information to quantify the number of users, analyze trends, track user movement, and administer the site to help shape and direct the creation and maintenance of content and to make improvements.

Cookies

A cookie is small data file stored on the site user's computer (hard drive) containing information about the user and is used to aid site navigation. Cookies enable CCIT to track user practices to help determine which site features are most important, to guide editorial direction, and for the user to personalize the site for future use. CCIT will not share any cookie information with any third parties.

CCIT uses two types of cookies, session cookies and persistent cookies. A session cookie is a temporary file created whenever a site is accessed and once the user closes their web browser, the cookie is deleted. A persistent cookie is a permanent data file. Users who do not want the functionality created by persistent cookies (e.g., access without requiring entry of user name) have the option of disabling the cookie function by configuring the security options of their browser.

Email Communications

CCIT will use email addresses that have been voluntarily provided by users to notify them about updates, activities, etc. ("email alerts"). Users who do not wish to receive such notifications may opt out at any time.

Email messages sent to the site may not be secure. Therefore, confidential information should not be sent.

Security

CCIT takes reasonable efforts to safeguard any personal information provided by using physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards based on industry standards and best practices. While CCIT may use secure sockets layer (SSL) software to protect the security of information in transmit, no data transmission through the Internet can be guaranteed to be absolutely secure.

Your Consent

By using Lipids Online and the VLP, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure on information as described in this policy. CCIT reserves the right to modify the terms of the policy and recommends that you review the policy periodically.

Other

Lipids Online adheres to the Baylor College of Medicine Internet Privacy Policy. A link (http://www.bcm.edu/about/privacy/disclaimer.cfm) is provided for your reference.