The information contained on this site is general in nature and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other health care professional. None of the statements on this site are an endorsement of any particular product, or a recommendation as to how to treat any particular disease or health-related condition. If you suspect you have a disease or health-related condition of any kind, you should contact your health care professional immediately. Please consult with a health care professional before starting any diet, exercise, supplementation or medication program.

HomeoWeb.Net itself does not gather information, individual or anonymous, about individuals who visit this site. 


Public Forums

This site makes chat rooms, forums and message boards available to its users. Please remember that any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information.

Contacting the Web Site

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this Web site, you can contact:

Site Editor
HomeoWeb.Net
[email protected]


III. PRINCIPLES FOR PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

The following principles reflect the HOMEOWEB commitment to maintain the Web site visitor's rights to privacy and the confidentiality of personal information. In this context, privacy refers to the right of the individual site visitor to choose whether to allow personal information to be collected, by the host site (in this case, the HOMEOWEB) or by third parties, and to know what type of information is collected and how that information is used. Confidentiality is the right of an individual to not have personally identifiable medical or other information disclosed to others without that individual's express informed consent.

The Internet has the potential to allow information about Web site use to be tracked in aggregate (which can help site developers understand site use and improve the experience of the viewer) and at the individual user level. Individual user information can improve the visitor's experience of the site by permitting personalization of the site related to the individual's particular interests or concerns. However, tracking of personal medical and health information (ie, medical conditions, health-seeking behaviors and questions, and requests about drug therapies or medical devices or information pertaining to them) could breach an individual's personal privacy and reveal an individual's health data.

Thus, health and medical Web sites have a particular obligation to protect the privacy and confidentiality of individuals. Patients and individuals with interest in particular medical conditions should feel confident in obtaining information and using resources on the site, without concern that such use will be identified with them without their permission. The HOMEOWEB.NET believes that all site visitors should have the opportunity to opt in or out of allowing personal information to be tracked. In addition, the HOMEOWEB.NET takes extensive measures to ensure the safety and security of its Web site servers and to guard against divulging private information. The HOMEOWEB.NET believes that Web site visitors should know who (eg, the site organization or third party) is tracking personal information and the types of personal information that are tracked and should have the right to opt out of such information being collected at any time.

Protection of patients' rights to confidentiality is fundamental to medical publishing. Health care professionals must adhere to privacy and confidentiality principles to legally and ethically share important information about medical conditions of individual patients. The sharing of such information may improve clinical care for the individual or improve the general state of knowledge about medical and health care through medical research. Medical publications, whether in print or online, must not reveal identifiable information about an individual without that person's express informed consent. These principles apply to information in medical publications as well as less formal venues used by health care professionals, such as online discussion groups, chat rooms, and e-lists.


Names and e-mail addresses of site visitors should not be provided or released to a third party without the site visitor's express permission.

E-mail information, personal information about specific visitor's access and navigation, and information volunteered by site visitors, such as survey information and site registration information, may be used by the site owner to improve the site but should not be shared with or sold to other organizations for commercial purposes without the site visitor's express permission.

The HOMEOWEB.NET will use e-mail addresses voluntarily provided by site visitors to notify them about updates, products, services, activities, or upcoming events. Site visitors who do not wish to receive such notifications via e-mail should be able to opt out of receiving such information at any time.

The HOMEOWEB.NET will not collect and will not allow third parties to collect personal medical information (medical conditions, health-seeking behaviors and questions, and use of or requests for information about drugs, therapies, or medical devices) without the express consent of the site visitor after explanation of the potential uses of such information.

A cookie is a small file stored on the site user's computer or Web server and is used to aid Web page navigation. Two types of cookies are commonly used. A session cookie is a temporary file created whenever a Web site is accessed and is self-terminated based either on an expiration date (eg, 3 hours from creation of the cookie) or by closing the Web browser. A persistent cookie is a permanent file and must be deleted manually. Cookies referred to in the context of these Guidelines are persistent cookies. A cookie function may be used on the site to track visitor practices to help determine which site features and services are most important and guide editorial direction. The cookie makes it possible for the user to access the site without requiring entry of a user name or password, allows the user to view different restricted areas of the site without reregistering, allows the user to personalize the site for future use, and permits the user to make subsequent purchases without reentering credit card information. Users who do not desire the functionality created by the cookie should have the option to disable the cookie function, either by indicating when asked that they do not wish to have a cookie created or by disabling the cookie function on their browser. Individuals should be able to opt out of cookie functions that permit tracking of personal information at any time.

E-mail messages sent to a Web site may not be secure. Site visitors should be discouraged from sending confidential information by e-mail. Site visitors sending e-mail accept the risk that a third party may intercept e-mail messages.

Market research conducted by the site or its agent to enhance the site should be clearly identified as such.

E-mail alerts and newsletters should contain an "unsubscribe" option.

Confidentiality

Content published within the HOMEOWEB.NET Web site that includes patient information should adhere to the patient privacy and anonymity principles followed by HOMEOWEB and the Archives Journals, which are based on the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://jama.ama-assn.org/info/auinst_req.html). These principles apply equally to formal medical publications and the informal interactive communication permitted by the Web, including online discussion groups, chat rooms, or e-lists.

Patients should be aware when they provide information about their individual medical conditions in the context of such discussions that information may be linked with a personal identifier. However, AMA Web sites will not collect information about individual medical conditions without the express permission of the site visitor. Physicians and other health care professionals should be aware that any patient information reported in the context of such venues must adhere to the confidentiality principles listed herein. Moderators of such sessions should make every effort to ensure that listed material adheres to the principles stated herein and, when in doubt, should query the individual providing the information. If the individual is a patient providing such information, the moderator should query the patient as to whether the patient intends for the sensitive medical information to be revealed. If the individual providing the information is a health care professional, the moderator should query the professional as to whether the patient reported has provided informed consent and state so.

Patients have a right to privacy that should not be infringed without express informed consent. Identifying patient information should not be published in print or online descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees (illustrations of how a disease is expressed within an extended family for purposes of determining possible inheritance) unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives express informed consent for publication.

Identifying details should be omitted if they are not essential, but patient data should never be altered or falsified in an attempt to attain anonymity. Complete anonymity is difficult to achieve, and informed consent should be obtained if there is any possibility as to whether identifiable information may be disclosed.

When express informed consent has been obtained, it should be indicated in the posted Web content.


IV. PRINCIPLES FOR E-COMMERCE

The HOMEOWEB.NET e-commerce principles are intended to ensure that users and purchasers of information, products, and services on the site will have access to secure, efficient transactions for online and remote customer fulfillment. All such transactions should adhere to the HOMEOWEB  "Principles for Privacy and Confidentiality."

1. A link or reference to the site's policies on privacy should be clearly visible.

2. The security software and encryption protocol used on the site for financial transactions should be described.

3. Users should be able to select whether or not the Web host will retain the user name and password (ie, disable cookie function, as described in "Principles for Privacy and Confidentiality"). Users should be able to opt in or opt out of functions that track personal information at any time.

4. A link or reference to customer service contact information (e-mail, telephone, fax, mail), including hours of operation and time zone, should be clearly visible.

5. The terms of use for e-commerce should require a deliberate selection (accept/not accept).

6. Users should be able to review transaction information prior to execution (information, products, and services listed; prices; totals; shipping and handling expenses).

7. As a courtesy, following execution of the transaction, users should be provided, on a page or by e-mail, purchase information (see item 6 above) as well as shipping tracking number, if appropriate.

8. Users will be notified on-screen when entering or leaving a secure site and will have the option to proceed or remain on the current site.

9. If a user's browser does not support a secure connection, no financial transactions will be permitted over the Internet.

10. Response times for feedback and fulfillment should be clearly stated.

11. Products and services will not be endorsed or cobranded by the AMA or AMA publications. Any product promotions must adhere to the "Principles for Advertising and Sponsorship