Boston Medical Center Hey Mama Mobile App Privacy Policy

Effective Date: November 16, 2018

This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) governs the use of your personal data and protected health information in connection with the use of the software application Hey Mama (“App”) for mobile devices.

By downloading the App to your mobile device and by using the App, you agree to this Policy with respect to the collection, processing, and use of your personal data and protected health information by Boston Medical Center (“BMC”).

DO NOT USE THIS APP FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCY SERVICES.
CALL 911 OR YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE NUMBER.

The App should not be used as a substitute for medical advice from a physician or health care professional. Health care information obtained from the App could be misinterpreted or inappropriate for your condition. If you have a question about your health, we urge you to consult a physician or other health care professional directly. BMC assumes no responsibility for how the information obtained from the App is used or interpreted. 

BMC’s Commitment to Data Privacy Protection

Protecting the security and privacy of the data that you provide us is important to BMC; therefore, we manage this App in compliance with applicable laws on data privacy protection and data security. BMC hopes the policy outlined below will help you understand what data we may collect, how we use and safeguard that data, and with whom we may share it.

Collection and Processing of the Data You Provide Us

When you download and install the App on your mobile device, the App may collect and store the following information: the type of mobile device you are using; the type and version of the mobile device operating system you are using. This information helps us administer the App, analyze its usage, protect the App and its content from inappropriate use and improve the user experience.

When you use the App, the following information may be collected and stored: Your preferences, such as language, time zone.

Please be advised that if you include any personal data or protected health information when using the App this information may be accessed by third parties who help us develop our products. These third parties are business associates to Boston Medical Center and have entered into necessary data protection agreements to abide by relevant laws and BMC standards.

The following (optional) permissions are required to use all functions of the App: Notifications (optional): to receive notifications in connection with the App services, e.g. information about updates or new functions of the App; demographic information; due date; pregnancy-related medical conditions, i.e. preeclampsia, gestational diabetes; physician information

We also receive and store any information you knowingly provide to us. For example, you may sign-up for email notifications about BMC’s products or health care services, to have a BMC employee follow up about scheduling an appointment at our Hospital, offers, events offered by us, or our affiliates, or our business partners, by giving your consent to receive such email marketing from us. 

If you have provided us with a means of contacting you, we may use such means to communicate with you. For example, we may send you updates about our health care services and Apps, informational updates, surveys, or promotional offers (either on our own behalf, or on behalf of other businesses), or communicate with you about your use of the Apps. If you do not want to receive communications from us, please indicate your preference by clicking "unsubscribe from this list" or 'update subscription preferences at the bottom of the email you received. Please note that you may not be able to opt-out of certain service-level communications that we deem critical to your use of the App.

How and Why We Use the Data You Provide Us

We use the information you provide to provide, maintain and improve our App services, to communicate with you, and, if you have consented to such use, for marketing purposes.

In particular, we use your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To provide, maintain and improve the App for you
  • To inform you about new versions or features of the App
  • To respond to your questions and requests, including your customer service inquiries
  • To send you promotional emails about products, services, offers, promotions rewards and events offered by us, our affiliates, or our business partners, provided that you gave your consent to receive such email marketing from us
  • To monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities in connection with the App
  • To send you notifications or emails related to your use of the App (e.g. technical notices, updates, security alerts, and support and administrative messages)

Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information

Please refer to our Notice of Privacy Practices on our website for additional policies relating to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Third-party Access to Your Personal Data

We will share the data you provide us only in accordance with applicable law. We will not sell or otherwise share your personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes without your consent.

We may share the data you provide us with service providers that we use to provide the App services. The respective service provider may only use the data only for providing the services and in accordance with contractual agreements regarding the confidentiality of the data.

We will share your personal data with law enforcement, government representatives or others where required by law. We reserve the right to use your personal data if we believe it is necessary to protect the rights, property, safety of us or to comply with a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process, or as evidence in litigation in which we are involved.

We may anonymize your Personal Information so that you cannot be individually identified, and provide that information to our partners. We may also provide aggregated information to our partners, who may use such information to understand how often and in what ways people use our

Data Retention

We will retain your personal data on our systems for as long as you use the App and for as long as it is necessary to provide you with the service featured by the App.

If you de-install the App from your mobile device, all data stored within the App will be deleted.

Data Security

We recognize our responsibility to protect the information you entrust to us. BMC uses a variety of techniques to protect your information, including protected servers, firewalls, and encryption.

We have implemented reasonable and adequate technical and organizational safeguards to protect your personal data from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

Data Storage

Please note that any data you provide us will be stored in systems located within the United States of America. We have taken appropriate steps to ensure that your personal data is adequately protected, consistent with the privacy principles set forth under this Policy.

Your Choices

We want to know you better so we can serve you better while at the same time, we respect your choices about how we use your personal data.

Where local law requires, we will ask you to “opt-in” or affirmatively consent to the processing of your personal data. For example, where local law requires, we will only send you newsletters if you have subscribed to them. Similarly, where local law requires, we will ask you to "opt-in" before processing your personal data.

Forms

If you submit personal information in response to a form, please be advised that your personal information will be distributed within the organization so the appropriate manager can contact you.

These forms may request confidential health or personal information, which will be treated with the same care used to treat all patient information. Forms will be secured using 128bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption. SSL is the industry-standard protocol for protecting and securing online transactions and exchanges of confidential information.

Third-Party Website Links

Where appropriate, relevant web links are provided to other websites. BMC is not responsible for the privacy practices, availability, accuracy, or content of any site not owned or operated by BMC. These links are provided to our online visitors as a convenient way to access helpful resources. A link to another website does not imply an endorsement.  Links to external sites will be evaluated periodically for appropriateness and can be removed at any time. We encourage users of our App to read the privacy statements of any third-party sites they may visit. 

Phishing Scam Awareness

Phishing is a technique used by online thieves to try to get you to disclose your personal information under false pretenses. Phishing scams begin with email messages that appear to come from popular websites or sites that you trust. These messages may include logos similar to your bank or credit card company’s logos. If you get an email message asking for personal information, do not reply or click on the link in the message.

BMC will never request an online visitor to provide personal health or financial information by email. Please notify the BMC Privacy Officer at 617.638.7224 immediately if you receive an email claiming to be from BMC requesting personal health or financial information.

Additional tips and resources about protecting yourself online can be found within the AARP Cyber Safety Handbook (PDF) or the OnGuardOnline (http://www.onguardonline.gov) website. The handbook also has a number of useful tips regarding shopping safely on the Internet, handling junk email, and protecting your computer.

Protecting Children

The App is not designed to attract children under the age of 13. BMC does not target children for the collection of information online or through Apps like this and does not knowingly collect personally identifying information from anyone under the age of 13 unless we first obtain written and verifiable permission from the child's parent or legal guardian. Boston Medical Center encourages parents and guardians to spend time online with their children, so they can monitor their child’s online activities.

Indemnification

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE USING THIS APP AT YOUR OWN RISK. THIS APP IS PROVIDED BY BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. YOUR SOLE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THIS SITE, SITE-RELATED SERVICES, AND/OR HYPERLINKED WEBSITES IS TO STOP USING THE SITE AND/OR THOSE SERVICES.

YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOU ARE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR BEHAVIOR ON THIS APP OR THE BEHAVIOR OF PERSONS UNDER YOUR CONTROL SUCH AS MINOR CHILDREN. YOU AGREE TO INDEMNIFY, DEFEND AND HOLD HARMLESS BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER, ITS AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES, STAFF, BUSINESS PARTNERS, LICENSORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND ANY THIRD-PARTY INFORMATION PROVIDERS TO THE SERVICE FROM AND AGAINST ALL CLAIMS, LOSSES, EXPENSES, DAMAGES AND COSTS (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY AND INDIRECT DAMAGES), AND REASONABLE ATTORNEYS' FEES, RESULTING FROM OR ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE, MISUSE, OR INABILITY TO USE THIS WEBSITE.

Copyright and Trademark

All content on the App is the exclusive property of BMC unless noted otherwise and is protected by copyright laws.  BMC’s service marks include, but are not limited to, "BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER", the Boston Medical Center logo, "Exceptional Care Without Exception" and “Exceptional Care. Without Exception”. The trademarks, service marks, and logos of other organizations used on this site are the property of their respective owners. Online visitors may print or download information from this site for personal, non-commercial use only. The contents of this website may not be distributed, modified, reproduced, or used, in whole or in part without the prior written consent of BMC. Requests can be sent to: hey-mama-support@bmc.org.

In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512 (the DMCA) BMC is registered as a Service Provider with the United States Copyright Office. Notifications of copyright infringement claims occurring within the BMC network should be reported to the BMC Marketing Department: hey-mama-support@bmc.org.

Any such notice must be in writing, and must include the following information as required by the DMCA:

  • A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or the person authorized to act on its behalf
  • A description of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed
  • A description of the infringing material and information reasonably sufficient to permit
    BMC to locate the material
  • Your contact information, including your address, telephone number, and email
  • A statement by you that you have a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law
  • A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under the pains and penalties of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

Changes to This Policy

The Apps that BMC provides are always evolving and the form and nature of the Apps that BMC provides may change from time to time without prior notice to you. For this reason, BMC reserves the right to change or add to this Privacy Policy from time to time.

The new Privacy Policy will be effective upon publication. If you do not agree to the revised notice, you should alter your preferences, or consider stop using the App. By continuing to access or make use of our Apps after those changes become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised privacy policy.

We encourage you to check back regularly to review the latest version.

Contact Us

Any questions with respect to this Privacy Policy should be directed to the compliance hotline 1.800.586.2627, or please email: PrivacyOfficer@bmc.org or use our website feedback form.

Thank you for your interest in Boston Medical Center.