Privacy Policy for Hometown Healthcare

Effective Date: June 9, 2026

We are committed to protecting your privacy and developing technology that gives you a powerful and safe online and clinical experience. This Statement of Privacy applies to our Practice’s website, our telemedicine platform, and our patient interactions, governing data collection and usage. By using this website and our digital services, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.

1. Scope and Relation to Medical Privacy (HIPAA)

Please note that this website privacy policy governs the information we collect through our public website and digital marketing efforts.

Important Note on Your Medical Records: Information collected during the course of providing clinical services—including both in-person primary care visits and telemedicine consultations—is strictly protected under federal and state healthcare privacy laws (including HIPAA). Our clinical data handling, patient portal security, and medical record sharing practices are governed by a separate Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP), which will be provided to you during your patient intake.

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2. Collection of your Personal Information

To facilitate your care and operate our website efficiently, our Practice collects two types of information:

Information You Provide Directly

This Practice collects personally identifiable information when you fill out forms, request appointments, or contact us. This includes:

• Name, email address, home or work address, and telephone number.

• Basic demographic information such as ZIP code, age, and gender.

• Pre-appointment information or inquiries submitted through contact forms.

Information Collected Automatically

There is also information about your computer hardware and software that is automatically collected by this website to maintain service quality and provide general usage statistics. This information can include:

• Your IP address and browser type.

• Domain names and access times.

• Referring website addresses.

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3. Use of your Personal Information

This Practice collects and uses your personal information to operate the website, manage appointment scheduling, and deliver the telemedicine and clinical services you have requested.

We may also use your personally identifiable information to:

• Inform you of other clinical services, health programs, or wellness updates available from this Practice and its trusted affiliates.

• Contact you via surveys to conduct research about your opinion of current services or potential new services that may be offered.

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4. Sharing and Protecting Your Information

• No Commercial Selling: This Practice does not sell, rent, or lease its patient or customer lists to third parties.

• Trusted Service Providers: We may share data with trusted partners to help us perform statistical analysis, send you email or postal mail, provide technical customer support, or manage our scheduling software. All such third parties are strictly prohibited from using your personal information except to provide these services to the Practice, and they are required to maintain absolute confidentiality.

• Sensitive Information: This Practice does not use or disclose sensitive personal information (such as race, religion, or political affiliations) without your explicit consent.

• Legal Disclosures: This Practice will disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with legal edicts or protect the safety of our patients or the public.

5. Text Messaging (SMS) Communications and Consent

We may offer the option to receive text messages (SMS) for appointment reminders, telemedicine links, prescription updates, or wellness notifications.

• Explicit Opt-In: By providing your mobile telephone number and opting in to receive text messages, you explicitly consent to receive automated and manual text messages from our Practice. Consenting to receive text messages is completely voluntary and is not a condition of receiving medical treatment.

• Opt-Out at Any Time: You can cancel the SMS service at any time. Just text "STOP" to the number we messaged you from. After you send the SMS message "STOP" to us, we will send you an SMS message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed.

• Carrier Compliance & Privacy: This Practice values your mobile privacy. We do not share, sell, or rent your SMS consent data, phone numbers, or text messaging opt-in data with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.

• Data and Message Rates: As with all text messaging services, message and data rates may apply based on your mobile carrier plan. Message frequency varies based on your care needs and scheduling activity.

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6. Use of Cookies

Our website uses “cookies” to help personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file placed on your hard disk by a webpage server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. You have the ability to accept or decline cookies through your browser settings.

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7. Security of your Personal Information

This Practice secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

• We secure the personally identifiable information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment.

• When personal, financial, or medical information is transmitted through our website or integrated patient portals, it is protected through the use of high-level encryption, such as the Transport Layer Security (TLS/SSL) protocol.

8. Telemedicine Services and Informed Consent

Our website facilitates the delivery of telemedicine services (virtual primary care visits) via secure, HIPAA-compliant video and audio technology.

• Platform Security: When you engage in a telemedicine visit, your video and audio streams are fully encrypted and transmitted through a secure, third-party telehealth platform. This Practice does not record or store your live video or audio consultations.

• Informed Consent Acknowledgement: By scheduling and participating in a telemedicine visit through our website or patient portal, you acknowledge and agree that:

  • Telemedicine involves the electronic transmission of personal medical data, which carries inherent, though minimized, security risks.

  • Virtual visits may not fully replace the necessity of an in-person clinical evaluation. If our healthcare providers determine that a physical exam or diagnostic testing is necessary for your safety, you may be directed to our physical clinic or an emergency facility.

  • You retain the right to withhold or withdraw your consent to telemedicine at any time without affecting your right to future care or treatment.

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9. External Links

Our website may contain links to third-party portals, educational resources, or health tools. This Practice encourages you to review the privacy statements of websites you choose to link to so that you can understand how those websites collect, use, and share your information. This Practice is not responsible for the privacy statements or other content on websites outside of our direct control.

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10. Changes to this Statement

This Practice will occasionally update this Statement of Privacy to reflect company growth, regulatory updates, and patient feedback. We encourage you to periodically review this Statement to stay informed of how we are protecting your information.