Patient Spotlight
Terms & Conditions

USE AND DISCLOSURE OF USER SUBMITTED INFORMATION / TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Orthopaedic Specialists of Austin (OSA) understands that the privacy of personal information is of utmost importance and we are committed to protecting that information. We appreciate you being willing to share the experiences you, your child or a patient for whom you are the legal representative had at OSA, but because of our commitment to our patients' privacy, we must obtain written or electronic authorization before we use any of the information you submit to OSA. Thus, if we elect to use any of the information you submit to The Patient Spotlight using this form, we will be contacting you to obtain a Patient Authorization for Use and/or Disclosure of Protected Health Information ("Authorization"). If you do not provide the Authorization, we will not publish your information.

These Terms and Conditions are designed to help you understand what information we will use, how we will use it and who will have access to it. Please read the information carefully before agreeing to these Terms and Conditions.

The purpose of The Patient Spotlight and inclusion of your information in The Patient Spotlight is solely to voluntarily share your experience at OSA with others. You are not required to provide information via to The Patient Spotlight for any reason. No one will be refused health care and neither the payment for the patient's health care nor the patient's health care benefits will be affected if you do not agree to these Terms and Conditions. If you do not accept these Terms and Conditions, we will not publish your information in any of The Patient Spotlight media.

WHAT INFORMATION IS COVERED?

Only the information that you submit to OSA through the form accessible through https://www.orthoaustin.com/patient-spotlight is covered. The release or disclosure of any other information in the patient's medical file with OSA is not covered.

IS INFORMATION CONFIRMED? BY WHOM?

If we select the information you submit to The Patient Spotlight for posting, OSA or our agent will contact you by email before posting the information. The purpose of such contact is to obtain your Authorization and confirm the information that you submitted via the online form. In order to contact you in this manner, your name and email address may be shared with one or more third party providers that we engage to verify information for use as part of The Patient Spotlight. We will require all such third parties to comply with applicable laws and these Terms and Conditions with respect to use of your information.

WHAT INFORMATION WILL BE USED OR DISCLOSED?

The information used and disclosed (following receipt of your Authorization) will be limited to the information you submit to The Patient Spotlight through the form available on this website - https://www.orthoaustin.com/patient-spotlight. For clarification, that information may include:

The "Experience Information":

  • the patient's name;
  • the general area where the patient lives, such as the name of the city or town, the state, province or territory and country where the city or town is located;
  • the details you provide about the story of the patient's care at OSA, including any information you provide about the patient's condition/injury, diagnosis, and treatment (including surgery if applicable);
  • the name of the patient's OSA physician(s), therapist(s) and other caregivers; and
  • Any photos and/or videos you provide.

Your "Contact Information":

  • Your name;
  • Your address;
  • Your email address; and
  • Your telephone number.

HOW WILL MY INFORMATION BE USED?

If we select your information for use in The Patient Spotlight and your information is verified and your Authorization is obtained, the Experience Information you submit to The Patient Spotlight may be published electronically on the Internet by posting it to https://www.orthoaustin.com/patient-spotlight and/or through OSA's social media channels. In addition, OSA may use your Experience Information for (a) OSA's educational and training purposes; (b) marketing, advertising and promotional purposes for OSA; and/or (c) broadcast or other public display purposes, in each case, in any media selected by OSA.

In addition, your Contact Information may be used by OSA or our designees to contact you to verify your information, to obtain your Authorization to use you information, to confirm your authority to submit information on behalf of this patient, or to request permission to use the information you submitted in a manner other than specified in these Terms and Conditions and/or your Authorization.

Nothing requires The Patient Spotlight or OSA to use any of the information you submit for any purposes. You acknowledge and agree that OSA or The Patient Spotlight may decide in their sole discretion not to use the information you submit and that you have no recourse and no claims as a result of OSA's or The Patient Spotlight's decision not to use your information.

WHO WILL SEE MY INFORMATION?

Anyone visiting the https://www.orthoaustin.com/patient-spotlight website and/or OSA's social media channels, attending any educational or training sessions in which we use the information, or anyone viewing any other advertising, publication, solicitation materials, broadcasts or displays we produce may see your Experience Information. Because it will be posted on the Internet on this website and in social media channels, the Experience Information is available to, and you should expect it will be viewed by, the general public.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I SUBMIT SENSITIVE INFORMATION?

We consider certain details about your treatment to be sensitive information such as any information related to HIV, substance abuse, psychiatric care, sexually transmitted disease; tuberculosis and genetics. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE ANY SUCH SENSITIVE INFORMATION IN THE MATERIALS YOU SUBMIT TO OSA VIA THE PATIENT SPOTLIGHT.

If we identify such sensitive information in your submissions and we are considering your submission for use with The Patient Spotlight, this sensitive information will be deleted from the materials before use, and if we cannot retain the substance of your submission without such information we will not use your submission. Notwithstanding our right to review submissions and remove sensitive information, we are under no obligation and assume no duty to do so and if you submit the sensitive information to The Patient Spotlight via the questionnaire on the website, OSA is not responsible if such information is made public following your Authorization.

HOW LONG WILL YOU USE MY INFORMATION?

Your Authorization will expire 5 years from the date contained therein. After the Authorization expires, we will not use the information you submitted to The Patient Spotlight for any purpose, unless you renew your Authorization. However, your information will remain in your OSA file and be used for medical treatment purposes consistent with our Notice of Privacy Practices.

WHAT ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHS OR VIDEOS?

You are encouraged to provide photos or videos with your submissions. By submitting such photos or videos (the "Images") and providing the Authorization you consent to OSA's broadcasting, internet posting, publication, distribution or other use of the Images and your likeness in any medium whatsoever. You acknowledge and agree that the Images may be used as you provide them, or may be edited or incorporated into other images, recordings, videos, or formats and may be used any number of times. You also acknowledge and agree that you will not receive any compensation or other remuneration for the use of the Images. You specifically release and agree not to sue OSA or any of its employees, officers, agents or designees, from or for any liability or other obligation arising from the broadcasting, internet posting, publication, distribution or other use of the Images and submitted information. This consent extends to any use by OSA or third party acting on behalf of OSA with OSA's authorization.

ADDITIONAL UNDERSTANDINGS

By agreeing to these Terms and Conditions and the Authorization, you consent to the use or disclosure of all information you submit to The Patient Spotlight, including any of the patient's protected health information submitted through The Patient Spotlight form. You acknowledge and agree that the information used in The Patient Spotlight, whether on the website, the social media channels or in other media, is accessible by the general public and once published on these platforms, the information is available to third parties who have no obligations to maintain the confidentiality of this information and such information is no longer protected by federal health information privacy regulations. These third parties who view your information may copy and redistribute the information without our or your authorization, and OSA has and assumes no liability for use of the information by third parties.

You have a right to receive a copy of your Authorization after you have agreed to its terms. If you would like a copy, please send your request to: Orthopaedic Specialists of Austin, Marketing Department, 4611 Guadalupe Street Suite 200 Austin, TX 78751 or email us at info@orthoaustin.com.

You have the right to revoke your Authorization at any time, provided that any revocation is effective only as to future uses of your information. We are not responsible for any publication that has already occurred. To revoke your Authorization, please write to Orthopaedic Specialists of Austin, Marketing Department, 4611 Guadalupe Street Suite 200 Austin, TX 78751 or email us at info@orthoaustin.com.

OSA will only accept (a) your personal information, if you are at least 14 years of age or (b) with respect to the personal information of a patient other than yourself, if you provide us with confirmation that you are the patient's parent, guardian, or other legal representative. We reserve the right to take whatever steps we deem necessary to confirm your legal authorization to provide information about a patient other than yourself.

NONDISCRIMINATION

OSA complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex. For further information on our nondiscrimination policies, please contact us at info@orthoaustin.com.