Privacy Policy

Southern Bone and Joint Specialists are committed to safeguarding the personal information that you provide to us. This Privacy Policy describes how we handle and protect the personal information we collect about individuals who use our website, southernbone.com, applications, or services. If you have any questions that this policy does not address, please contact the Company via the Contact Us page that can be found on the above website.

 

As explained below, we collect information from you in various ways when you interact with our website. By using our website, you consent to our collection and use of information as explained in this Policy and agree to be bound by our Terms of Use. Please note that if you choose to invest in any Company offering promoted on our website, you may be required to agree to a separate agreement, including, but not limited to, new or additional privacy notices or terms of use.

 

 

The Company collects non-personally identifiable information from you regarding your usage of our website (“Non-Personally Identifiable Information”). Non-Personally Identifiable Information may include, without limitation, website pages viewed, articles, presentations, and videos viewed, time spent using certain features of the website, demographic data such as server locations, cookies existing on your computer, search criteria used and results, date, time, connection speed, and other information which does not specifically identify you. We collect this information using various technologies, including, but not limited to, cookies and server logs. “Cookies” are pieces of information that may be placed on your computer by a website for the purpose of facilitating and enhancing your communication and interaction with that website. “Server logs” can be either a single log file or several log files automatically created and maintained by a server of activity performed by the server, which can include information about any transaction you conduct with the server.

 

The Company also collects information from you when you sign up for an account, make an investment, verify your identity or accredited investor status, provide payment instructions or send us an email through the Company website which may enable us to identify you personally, such as your email address, name, phone number, birthday, age, Social Security number and/or taxpayer identification number, assets and income, information from your transactions with us, such as your account balance and account usage, information obtained from others, such as the Internal Revenue Service and credit reporting agencies, physical address such as home or business address, or internet protocol (“IP”) address, which may also be contained on server logs, or other information you provide or upload to the website, answers to questionnaires or surveys, or responses filled in on blank forms made available on the site. (“Personally Identifiable Information” and collectively with the Non-Personally Identifiable Information, the “Data”). We may also collect and store information, which could include Non-Personally Identifiable Information or Personally Identifiable Information, locally on your computer or device using mechanisms such as browser web storage or application data caches.

We use analytics programs and service providers that can use first-party cookies to report on your interactions with the Company website. These programs collect information including, but not limited to, the time of each of your visits to the Company website, whether you have visited the Company website before, what site referred you to the Company website, and what pages you viewed on the Company website.

 

This Privacy Policy does not cover the collection of information by cookies or other methods by third parties, such as our business partners. We do not control how such third parties collect information or by what means as such third parties may use their own cookies to collect information about you.

 

 

The Company uses the Data you provide in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy. If you provide Data for a certain reason, we may use the Data in connection with the reason for which it was provided. For instance, if you contact us by email, we will use the Data you provide to answer your question or resolve your problem. Also, if you provide data in order to obtain access to our services, we will use your data to provide you with access to such services and to monitor your use of such services. We also may obtain information about you from third-party sources to verify your identity so we can properly process your requests and prevent fraud.

 

The Company will use your Data (1) to market our products and services to you, (2) to provide services and products requested by you, (3) to enable our vendors and contractors to provide and assist us in the marketing, operation, troubleshooting, and analysis of our website and other services, (4) to meet any regulatory requirements for the offer or sale of securities required by law, rules or regulations to our affiliates or members, (5) to engage in any other lawful activities we believe are consistent with the foregoing, and (6) to protect against legal liability. We may provide any of these services through third parties, which may necessitate sharing your Data with them.

 

The Company and its affiliates (the “Affiliated Companies”) may also use your data collected through the Site to help us improve the content and functionality of the Site, to better understand our users, and to improve our services. The Company and its Affiliated Companies may use this information to communicate with you regarding our services or to tell you about services we believe will be of interest to you. If at any time you wish not to receive any future marketing communications or you wish to have your name deleted from our mailing lists, please contact us as indicated below. Note however that as a user of our service we will send you administrative communications that are reasonably necessary. If the Company or its Affiliated Companies intend on using any Data in any manner that is not consistent with this Privacy Policy, you will be informed of such anticipated use prior to or at the time at which the Data is collected.

 

 

We will share your personal information with third parties only in the ways that are described in this Privacy Policy. We consider this information to be a vital part of our relationship with you. There are, however, certain circumstances in which we may share your Data with certain third parties without further notice to you, as set forth below:

Business Transfers: As we develop our business, we might sell or buy businesses or assets. In the event of a corporate sale, merger, reorganization, dissolution, or similar event, your Data may be part of the transferred assets and you will be notified via email and/or a prominent notice on our website of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information, as well as any choices you may have regarding your personal information.

 

Related Companies: We may also share your Personal Data with our Affiliated Companies for purposes consistent with this Privacy Policy.

Agents, Consultants, and Related Third Parties: The Company, like many businesses, sometimes hires other companies to perform certain business-related services. Examples of these services from such third parties, companies, or individuals, may include ID verification, accreditation/financial/credit verification, electronic document signing, payment storing and processing, sending postal mail and e-mail, escrow services, disbursement of funds, analyzing data, providing marketing assistance, and providing customer service. As such, these third parties, companies, or individuals may have access to your Data. These companies are authorized to use your personal information only as necessary to provide these services to us.

 

Legal and Regulatory Requirements: The Company may disclose your Data if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to (i) comply with a legal or regulatory obligation, (ii) protect and defend the rights or property of the Company, (iii) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of the website or the public against fraud or other harm, or (iv) protect against legal liability.

 

 

If your personal information changes, or if you no longer desire our service, you may correct, update, amend, delete or request deletion by making the change in your registered account settings page, please contact the Company via the Contact Us page that can be found on the above website.

 

We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with services. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

When you sign up for our services, we may send periodic emails to you regarding our services or to tell you about services we believe will be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive such marketing or promotional e-mails from us, you may unsubscribe completely by contacting the Company via the Contact Us page that can be found on the above website.

 

Please note that opt-out requests may take up to two (2) weeks to process. Please also note that at times we may need to send you e-mail communications that are transactional in nature such as service or termination announcements or payment confirmations which are communications you will not be able to opt-out of.

 

The Company does not and will not sell any of your Personally Identifiable Information to any third party for purposes of advertising, soliciting, or telemarketing.

 

 

The Company website may contain links to other websites and services not maintained by the Company. In addition, other websites and services may also reference or link to the Company website. We encourage you to be aware when you enter or leave our website, or surf the Internet, and to read the privacy statements of each website and service that you visit. We do not endorse, screen, or approve, and are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of, other websites or services.

 

 

The Company website may permit users to communicate with companies and other users posting information on the website. We may read, collect and analyze information transmitted between users for regulatory compliance and marketing purposes. However, as explained in our Terms of Service, we rely on the affirmations of investors that they are “Accredited Investors” as defined in the Terms of Service. We do not guarantee that information provided by website visitors or investors is accurate or complete. The Company assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content of its website.

 

 

This Privacy Policy does not apply to any Data collected by the Company other than Data collected through the website. This Privacy Policy shall not apply to any unsolicited information you provide to the Company through this website or through any other means. This includes, but is not limited to, information posted to any public areas of the website, any ideas for new products or modifications to existing products, and other unsolicited submissions (collectively, “Unsolicited Information”). All Unsolicited Information shall be deemed to be non-confidential and the Company shall be free to reproduce, use, disclose, distribute and exploit such Unsolicited Information without limitation or attribution.

 

 

Our website offers a publicly accessible blog. You should be aware that any information you provide in these areas may be read, collected, and used by others who access them. To request the removal of your personal information from our blog, please contact the Company via the Contact Us page that can be found on the above website. We may not be able to remove your personal information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.

 

 

Our website may include social media features such as the Facebook “Like” button, Twitter, and other “share this” buttons. These features are interactive mini-programs and may collect your IP address, which page you are visiting on our site, and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. Social media features and widgets are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our website. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing it.

 

 

We use reasonable efforts to secure access to Personally Identifiable Information in our possession, but will not be liable for any failure to safeguard such information, whether inadvertent or otherwise. Personally, Identifiable Information is also stored with third parties who have informed us that they also use reasonable efforts to secure access to Personally Identifiable Information, but we will not be liable for the failure of any third party to safeguard Personally Identifiable Information, whether inadvertent or otherwise.

 

We protect the security of your information during transmission by using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software, which encrypts the information you input. Wherever appropriate, we obfuscate and/or encrypt information in our systems and/or during information transfer; however, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

It is important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your password and to your computer. Be sure to log off when finished using a shared computer.

 

 

The Company website is not intended for use by children. No one under eighteen (18) years of age is allowed to use the site, provide any personal information or receive our email distributions. We do not knowingly solicit or collect Personally Identifiable Information from children or teenagers under the age of thirteen (18). If you believe that a minor has disclosed Personally Identifiable Information to the Company, please contact the Company via the Contact Us page that can be found on the above website.

 

 

We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this Policy at any time. Any changes or updates will be effective immediately upon posting to the website and sending a notification to all registered users via email regarding such updates. You should review this notice regularly for changes, and can determine if changes have been made by checking the Effective Date below. Your continued use of our website following the posting of any changes to this notice means you accept such changes.

SMS MESSAGING 

Southern Bone and Joint Specialists, P.A. (“Southern Bone & Joint,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) offers an optional text message (SMS) program that asks recipients to leave a public review of the practice on sites such as Google, Yelp, WebMD, or Healthgrades. This section explains how we collect, use, and protect information in connection with that program. It supplements the rest of this Privacy Policy and our Notice of Privacy Practices.

How We Collect Your Mobile Number and Consent

We collect your mobile telephone number and your consent to be texted only when you provide them

directly to us, through one of the following:

– A patient intake, registration, or update form completed at one of our offices; or

– The text message consent checkbox in our online appointment scheduling system or patient portal.

Providing consent to receive text messages is not a condition of receiving treatment, scheduling an appointment, or

purchasing any goods or services from us.

Information We Collect Through the SMS Program

– Your mobile telephone number

– Message delivery and response data, such as delivery status and whether you replied STOP or HELP

– Internal scheduling data used only to determine when to send; this data is never included in the message

How We Use This Information

We use this information solely to send you review-request messages, to respond to HELP requests, to honor STOP requests, to maintain records demonstrating your consent, and to comply with applicable law and mobile carrier requirements. We do not use the SMS program to send advertising, promotional offers, appointment details, billing information, or any clinical or treatment information.

How We Share Mobile Information

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

We share your mobile number only with the messaging platform vendors and mobile carriers that are necessary to transmit the messages you have requested. These vendors act on our behalf under written agreements, including business associate agreements where required by HIPAA, and are prohibited from using your information for their own purposes. We may also disclose information where required by law or legal process.

Protected Health Information

Our text messages are deliberately written to exclude protected health information. The message text is generic and identical for every recipient: it contains no name or other merge field, does not identify your provider, diagnosis, procedure, appointment time, or reason for contact, and does not indicate that you are or have been a patient of the practice. Standard text

messaging is not a secure or encrypted channel, and messages may be visible to anyone with access to your device or carrier account. If you would prefer that we not text you at all, do not opt in, or reply STOP at any time. Our full HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices governs how we handle protected health information generally.

Message Frequency and Cost

If you opt in, you will receive approximately 1 message per month. Message frequency may vary.

Message and data rates may apply. We do not charge you for these messages; any charges are those

of your mobile carrier under your service plan.

Your Choices

You may withdraw your consent at any time by replying STOP to any message from us. You may also

call us at [MAIN PHONE], email [SUPPORT EMAIL], or tell any member of our staff, and we will remove your number from the program. After you opt out, we will send a single confirmation message and no further messages from this program. We retain a record of your opt-out so that we can continue to honor it. Opting out of text messages does not affect your care, your appointments, or other ways we communicate with you, such as telephone calls or mail.

For help, reply HELP to any message or contact us at pr@southernbone.com

Retention

We retain your mobile number, consent record, and opt-out record for as long as needed to operate the program and to demonstrate compliance with applicable law, and thereafter as required by our record retention obligations.

Eligibility

The SMS program is intended for individuals 18 years of age or older who are the account holder or authorized user of the mobile number provided.

Changes

We may update this section from time to time. Material changes to the SMS program will be posted here with a revised “Last updated” date. Continued participation after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

 

APPLICABLE LAW AND JURISDICTION 

The Company website is maintained in the United States of America. By accessing the Company website, you consent to and authorize the export of Personally Identifiable Information to the United States of America and its storage and use as specified in this Privacy Notice.

 

This Privacy Notice shall be governed by, construed, and entered in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia applicable to contracts deemed to be made within such state, without regard to the choice of law or conflict of law provisions thereof. All disputes with respect to this Privacy Notice shall be brought and heard in the Virginia State or district federal courts. You consent to the in-person jurisdiction and venue of such courts. YOU HEREBY WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY WITH RESPECT TO ANY CLAIM, ACTION, OR PROCEEDING, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO, THIS AGREEMENT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.