Jacksonville Hearing and Balance Institute’s Legal Duty

Jacksonville Hearing and Balance Institute (JHBI) is required by law to protect the privacy of your personal health information, provide this notice about our information practice and follow the information practices that are described herein.

Uses and Disclosures of Health Information

JHBI uses your personal health information primarily for treatment; obtaining payment for treatment; conducting internal administrative activities; and evaluating the quality of care that we provide. For example, JHBI may use your personal health information to contact you to provide appointment reminders, or information about treatment alternatives or other health related benefits that could be of interest to you.

JHBI may also use or disclose your personal health information without prior authorization for public health purposes, for auditing purposes, for research studies and for emergencies. We also provide information when required by law.

In any other situation, JHBI’s policy is to obtain your written authorization before disclosing your personal health information. If you provide us with a written authorization to release your information for any reason, you may later revoke that authorization to stop future disclosures at any time.

JHBI may change its policy at any time. When changes are made, a new Notice of Information Practices will be posted in the waiting room or patient exam areas and will be provided to you on your next visit. You may also request an updated copy of our Notice of Information Practices at any time.

Automatic Data Collection & Tracking Technologies

What We Collect and Why 

Like many modern websites, we use automatic data collection technologies, such as cookies, server logs, and web beacons, to analyze how visitors interact with our site. This data helps us improve website performance, optimize navigation, and enhance the services we offer.

When you visit our website, we may collect technical, non-personal information, including but not limited to:

• Device information (e.g., IP address, browser type, operating system).
• Usage data (e.g., pages viewed, time spent on pages, referring/exit pages, and clickstream data).
• General location data (e.g., city/state derived from IP address).

We configure certain tools to reduce or limit the collection of identifying information where reasonably possible. We do not intend for this website’s tracking technologies to be used to collect sensitive health information, and you should not submit sensitive medical information through general website forms unless expressly instructed.

How We Use and Share This Data 

We may share this de-identified usage data with third-party analytics providers to help us understand website traffic trends. The data shared with these providers is aggregated and does not include direct personal identifiers such as your name, email address, or phone number.

Distinction from Protected Health Information (PHI) 

Please note that general website analytics data is separate and distinct from Protected Health Information (PHI).

• PHI is health information you voluntarily provide to us through secure channels, such as our Patient Portal or secure intake forms.
• Our collection, use, and disclosure of PHI are governed strictly by our Notice of Privacy Practices.

We do not use or disclose PHI for marketing or general website analytics purposes without your valid, written authorization as required by HIPAA.

Patient’s Individual Rights

You have the right to review or obtain a copy of your personal health information at any time. You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information in your records. You also have the right to request a list of instances where we have disclosed your personal health information for reasons other than treatment, payment or other related administrative purposes.

You may also request in writing that we not use or disclose your personal health information for treatment, payment and administrative purposes except when specifically authorized by you, when required by law or in emergency circumstances. JHBI will consider all such requests on a case by case basis, but the practice is not legally required to accept them.

Concerns and Complaints

If you are concerned that JHBI may have violated your privacy rights or if you disagree with any decisions, we have made regarding access or disclosure of your personal health information, please contact the Practice Manager. You may also send a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.