Our Privacy Policy

1Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information directly from you, such as when you complete a contact form, request an appointment, or otherwise communicate with us:

• Name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Home address
• The content of any message, inquiry, or form submission you send us
• Medical history, health information, and other clinical details relevant to your care, collected as part of scheduling, intake, and treatment

Health information collected in connection with your care is treated as Protected Health Information and is handled in accordance with HIPAA, as described in Section 6 below.

2Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device type and operating system
• Referring website address
• Pages viewed, time spent, and general navigation patterns
• Date and time of access

This information helps us understand how our website is used and allows us to maintain its security and performance. It is generally not used to identify you personally.

3Demographic Information

We may collect anonymous or aggregated demographic information, such as general geographic area (ZIP code), age range, gender, and general interests. This information is used only in aggregate form to better understand our patient community and improve the services and content we offer — it is not used to identify you individually.

4How We Use Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or lease your personal information to third parties. We use the information we collect for purposes including:

• Providing medical care, evaluation, and treatment
• Scheduling, confirming, and managing appointments
• Billing, payment processing, and insurance coordination
• Processing orders for lab panels you request through our practice
• Responding to inquiries submitted through our website or phone lines
• Sending appointment reminders, results notifications, and care-related updates
• Improving our website, services, and patient experience
• Conducting optional surveys to gather feedback
• Sharing information about services, education, or programs that may benefit you

5Disclosure of Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may share information with trusted third parties who assist us in operating our practice and website, including those who support:

• Appointment scheduling and patient communications
• Secure payment processing
• Laboratory testing and results processing
• Website hosting and security
• Statistical analysis and website performance
• Mail, email, or message delivery

These parties are permitted to use your information only to provide services on our behalf and are required to maintain its confidentiality. We may also disclose information when required by law, in response to a valid legal request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our patients, staff, or the public. Disclosures of Protected Health Information are governed by HIPAA, as described below.

6Protected Health Information & HIPAA Compliance

As a healthcare provider, Arizona Center for Advanced Lipidology is required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your Protected Health Information ("PHI") — information that relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health condition and that identifies you, or could reasonably be used to identify you.

7Calls, Texts & Email Consent

You may withdraw your consent to receive text messages at any time by replying STOP, and you may opt out of reminder emails using the unsubscribe link included in those messages. You may also contact our office directly to update your communication preferences. This consent is separate from, and in addition to, any authorization we may request under HIPAA to communicate with you about your health information by phone, text, or email.

8Cookies & Website Tracking

Our website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies, such as analytics tools (for example, Google Analytics), to help us understand how visitors use our site and to improve its performance and content. Cookies are small text files placed on your device by our web server. They cannot run programs or transmit viruses and are only read by the server that issued them.

Cookies and tracking technologies may help us:

• Understand how visitors navigate and use our website
• Measure the effectiveness of our content and pages
• Maintain basic site functionality and security

You can choose to disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. Please note that some features of our website may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

9Third-Party Services We Use

To operate our practice and website, we work with a limited number of third-party service providers, including:

• Appointment scheduling software — used to manage and confirm patient appointments
• Secure payment processing — used to process payments for self-pay services through a PCI-compliant payment processor; we do not store your full payment card details
• AI-assisted voice or answering service — used to help route and respond to patient phone inquiries
• Laboratory partners — used to process specimens and generate results for lab panels you order
• Website hosting and analytics providers — used to host our website and understand general usage patterns

Each of these providers is given access only to the information necessary to perform its function and is contractually or otherwise obligated to protect your information and use it solely to provide services on our behalf.

10Your Privacy Rights

You have the right to:

• Access, review, or request a copy of your personal and health information
• Request corrections to information that is inaccurate or incomplete
• Request restrictions on how your information is used or disclosed
• Request deletion of information we hold, where applicable and permitted by law
• Withdraw consent for marketing communications or text messaging at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information under Contact Us below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time, generally within 30 days. Please note that certain health records may be subject to legal retention requirements that limit deletion.

11Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website or services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.