privacy policy

WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY

Effective Date: November 25, 2016

Jaclyn Benzoni OD, PC (“Practice”, “we”, “our”, “Merrick Family Eye Care”, “Captree Eye Care”, or “us”), protecting your privacy is one of our highest priorities. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information obtained through our website and related online services.

This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected through our website and online services. Information collected during the course of your medical treatment is governed by our Notice of Privacy Practices in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Information We Collect

Depending on how you use our website, we may collect:

Personal Information

Name

Mailing address

Email address

Telephone number

Date of birth (when required)

Appointment requests

Insurance information voluntarily submitted

Payment information

Patient portal registration information

Information submitted through contact forms

Technical Information

We may automatically collect:

IP address

Browser type

Device information

Operating system

Website activity

Cookies and analytics information

How We Use Your Information

Your information may be used to:

Schedule appointments

Respond to questions

Provide patient care services

Verify insurance eligibility

Process online payments

Communicate regarding appointments

Send appointment reminders

Respond to portal messages

Improve our website

Maintain cybersecurity

Comply with federal and New York State laws

HIPAA and Protected Health Information (PHI)

Our practice complies with HIPAA and all applicable New York privacy laws.

Information submitted through our website does not automatically become part of your medical record unless incorporated into your patient chart.

Please do not send urgent medical concerns through our website or email. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.

Patient Portal

Our patient portal provides secure access to certain health information and practice services.

Through the portal, patients may be able to:

Request appointments

View portions of their health information

Send secure messages

Update demographic information

Complete forms

View invoices or account balances

Patients are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their portal username and password.

Notify our office immediately if you believe your portal account has been compromised.

Online Payments

Patients may choose to make payments through our website using secure third-party payment processors.

Our practice does not store complete credit card or debit card numbers on our website servers.

Payment processors maintain their own privacy and security practices and are responsible for complying with applicable Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS).

SMS Text Messaging

By providing your mobile telephone number, you consent to receive text messages from Jaclyn Benzoni OD, PC regarding:

Appointment reminders

Appointment confirmations

Recall notices

Office closures

Prescription notifications

Billing notifications

Limited practice communications

Message and data rates may apply.

Receiving text messages is voluntary and is not required to receive treatment.

You may opt out at any time by replying STOP or by contacting our office.

SMS messages are not intended for medical emergencies and should not be used to communicate urgent medical information.

While we make reasonable efforts to protect communications, standard SMS text messaging is not always encrypted and may carry some privacy risks.

Email Communications

If you provide your email address, we may communicate with you regarding:

Appointment confirmations

Appointment reminders

Receipts

Billing information

Patient education

Practice announcements

Responses to general inquiries

Email should not be used to communicate urgent medical issues or highly sensitive medical information unless specifically directed by our office.

You may unsubscribe from non-essential emails at any time. Transactional emails related to your care or account may still be sent when necessary.

Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to:

Improve website functionality

Remember user preferences

Analyze website traffic

Improve user experience

Enhance website security

You may disable cookies through your browser settings; however, some website functions may not operate properly.

Third-Party Service Providers

We may use reputable third-party vendors to provide services including:

Website hosting

Patient portal services

Appointment scheduling

Payment processing

Email communications

SMS messaging

Analytics

Electronic Health Record (EHR) integration

These providers are required to maintain appropriate safeguards for information entrusted to them. Where required by HIPAA, Business Associate Agreements are maintained.

Information Sharing

We do not sell your personal information.

We may disclose information:

To healthcare providers involved in your care

To insurance companies

To Medicare, Medicaid, or other payors

To contracted vendors providing services for our practice

When required by law

To respond to subpoenas or court orders

To protect the safety or rights of patients, staff, or the public

Data Security

Our practice maintains administrative, physical, and technical safeguards designed to protect personal information.

Consistent with the New York SHIELD Act, we maintain reasonable safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of private information.

These safeguards include, where appropriate:

Encryption of sensitive information

Secure website connections (SSL/TLS)

Access controls

Password protection

Employee privacy training

Routine software updates

Vendor security evaluations

Secure disposal of information

Incident response procedures

Although we use commercially reasonable security measures, no internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.

Your Privacy Rights

You may contact our office to:

Update your information

Correct inaccurate information

Ask questions regarding our privacy practices

Request access to information submitted through the website, where permitted by law

Withdraw consent for optional communications

Opt out of SMS messaging

Unsubscribe from marketing emails

Certain information must be retained to comply with legal, regulatory, insurance, and medical record retention requirements.

Children’s Privacy

Our website is intended for use by adults and parents or legal guardians acting on behalf of minor patients.

We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children without parental involvement.

External Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites.

Changes to This Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Updates become effective upon posting to this website.

Contact Information

Jaclyn Benzoni OD, PC
2126 Merrick Mall
Merrick, NY 11566

Phone: (516) 546-3227

Email: Merrick@DrBenzoni.com

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact our Privacy Officer at the office listed above.

This Privacy Policy should be read together with our Notice of Privacy Practices, which describes how Protected Health Information (PHI) is used and disclosed under HIPAA.

Technology and Third-Party Service Providers

To provide efficient patient care and communication, Jaclyn Benzoni OD, PC partners with trusted third-party service providers that support the operation of our practice. These providers may have access to certain personal information only as necessary to perform services on our behalf and are required to maintain appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information.

Our service providers include, but are not limited to:

RevolutionEHR – Our cloud-based electronic health record (EHR), practice management system, online patient portal, appointment scheduling, and patient forms platform.

Weave – Our patient communication platform used for telephone calls, appointment reminders, SMS text messaging, voicemail, email communications, online scheduling, payment processing (if applicable), and patient reviews.

Website hosting and maintenance providers.

Payment processing providers that securely process online payments and comply with applicable Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS).

Analytics providers that help us improve the functionality, performance, and security of our website.

Where required by HIPAA, Jaclyn Benzoni OD, PC maintains Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with vendors that create, receive, maintain, or transmit Protected Health Information (PHI) on our behalf.

Patient Portal

Our secure patient portal is powered through RevolutionEHR. Patients may use the portal to:

Request appointments

Complete patient forms

View available portions of their health record

Update demographic information

Communicate securely with our office

Access billing information, when available

Patients are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their portal login credentials. If you suspect unauthorized access to your account, please notify our office immediately.

Text Messaging and Email Communications

Jaclyn Benzoni OD, PC utilizes Weave to communicate with patients by text message, email, and telephone.

By providing your mobile phone number and/or email address, you consent to receive communications including:

Appointment reminders and confirmations

Recall notices

Prescription or order updates

Billing notifications

Office announcements (such as weather-related closures or schedule changes)

Limited communications related to your care

Message and data rates may apply.

You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to a text message or by contacting our office directly. You may also request that future communications be made by another method whenever reasonably possible.

Please do not use text messaging or email to communicate urgent medical concerns or medical emergencies. If you require immediate medical attention, call 911 or seek emergency medical care.

Data Security

As a New York healthcare provider, Jaclyn Benzoni OD, PC complies with applicable federal and New York State privacy and security requirements, including HIPAA and the New York SHIELD Act.

In addition to safeguards implemented within our practice, RevolutionEHR and Weave employ commercially reasonable security measures designed to protect patient information during storage and transmission. Our practice routinely reviews access permissions, provides workforce privacy and security training, and implements policies intended to safeguard patient information from unauthorized access or disclosure.