Welcome to the Florida Orthopaedic Institute website.  Maintaining the privacy of your information is of the highest importance to us.  This Website Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) sets out how Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic III, P.L. d/b/a Florida Orthopaedic Institute, its affiliates and subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “FOI” or “we” or “us”) collects, uses, discloses, and processes information in connection with this site, which is made available at www.floridaortho.com (the “Site”). This Privacy Policy also applies to any other FOI or FOI affiliate sites and/or mobile applications that display a link to this Privacy Policy.  If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, you should not use this Site.  Your continued use of this Site constitutes your agreement to the terms of this Privacy Policy, and use of your information as described in it.

1. Purpose 

We are dedicated to protecting your privacy while accessing this Site. The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to explain what information we collect, why we collect it, and how we use it. This Privacy Policy is also intended to inform you about the rights you have related to your personal information under the laws that apply in your location. Please take a moment to review it carefully.

When we talk about “personal information” in this Privacy Policy, we mean any identifiable information related to an individual as defined under applicable law.

2. Applicability 

This Privacy Policy only applies to the Sites that include a link to this Privacy Policy.  It does not apply to information collected on third party websites, offline, or on any other websites or applications that do not display a link to this Privacy Policy.  

This Privacy Policy does not apply to protected health information (or “PHI”) governed by HIPAA.  For information about how FOI uses and discloses PHI, please review our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.From time-to-time, we may include or offer third-party products or services through this Site. This Privacy Policy does not apply to information collected by such third-party sites or applications, which have separate and independent privacy policies. We encourage you to review all third-party privacy policies to understand how third parties may collect and use your information.

3. What Information We Collect and How We Collect It

We will collect and use information about you when you access and interact with this Site only as described in this Privacy Policy.   This Site collects different types of information, in different ways, for various reasons. 

  • Information Collected Automatically. This Site collects information automatically when visiting this Site, via cookies, pixels, third-party tracking technologies and server logs. Such information may include your internet domain and IP address of the computer you are using, what page or service you are viewing or requesting access to, the type of browser you use, operating system information, and the date and time of your access to this Site. We may use this information to direct and tailor information based on your entry path to this Site and to streamline your access and user experience. We may use Google Analytics or similar tools for this purpose, but not in a manner (or on any page) that collects or retains your personal information or health related information. By continuing to use this Site, you agree to our collection of information in this fashion. For a complete list of the third-party tools used on this Site, please contact us at the contact information below. We recommend reading the third party’s privacy policy for more information about how such third parties use information. FOI may also use information automatically collected internally to gain insight into the types of services and products that may be of the most interest to users of this Site. However, we will never use your personal information to do so. We do not sell information about the visitors to this Site to third parties.
  • Information You Choose to Provide. We also collect and use information you choose to provide directly to us by interacting with this Site, such as when you submit your information for the purpose of creating or modifying your account or user preferences, to contact us via this Site, or to otherwise communicate with us via this Site. This may include personal information if you provide it, such as your name, e-mail address, phone number, zip code, approximate location, provider, your experience, or other information you choose to provide via this Site. We may use the information you provide to us as necessary to provide you with the services you have asked us to provide, to respond to your inquiry, and for the other purposes detailed in Section 4 below. To provide you with access to certain areas of this Site, we may require certain information from you. If you choose not to provide such information, you should note that it may affect your use of this Site.

4. Why We Collect Information, and How We Use It

We will only collect, process, and use personal information on this Site for the following reasons:

  • To provide services to you;
  • To enroll, register, administer your account on this Site;
  • To fulfill our legitimate interest in improving this Site and to better understand your needs in relation to this Site;
  • To allow you to contact us on this Site, and to communicate and respond to an inquiry from you;
  • To maintain the quality of and to improve the use, function, and performance of this Site (including troubleshooting, testing, support, and system maintenance);
  • To send you surveys or ask you for feedback (unless you opt out);
  • To tailor your access to our Site based on your online preferences and regulatory requirements;
  • To send you communications about your account such as:
    • Notifying you of changes to our Terms and Conditions or Privacy Policy; or
    • Sending you service-related communications (for example, regarding updates to this Site);
  • To comply with our legal obligations; and
  • To check statistics and track reports of usage related to this Site.

5. Acceptance

By continuing to use this Site, you expressly consent and agree to allow us to collect and use your information as described in this Privacy Policy.  

6. Your Choices 

There are certain choices you have and controls you can use to manage cookies and similar technologies that collect information.  For example, you can choose to use web browser controls to block cookies, delete cookies, and/or manage your tracking preferences.  You should note, however, that disabling these tools could affect the functionality of this Site and prevent some of the features on this Site from working.  

7. How Long We Retain Information

Our retention of information is subject to regulatory and contractual retention requirements.  We will only retain your personal information as necessary to provide services to you and comply with our legal and contractual obligations. We may also retain information as long as necessary to adequately show that our service obligations were fulfilled.

We may create de-identify information from time-to-time in accordance with applicable law, in a manner wherein it is no longer identifiable and can no longer be associated with you (“De-Identified Information”).  Such De-Identified Information is not subject to the retention requirements specified in this Privacy Policy.  However, we will maintain safeguards and processes that prevent the ability to re-identify individuals and any inadvertent disclosure of the De-Identified Information for as long as we retain it.

8. What Information We Disclose

Subject to our contractual and legal obligations:

  • We may provide information subject to this Privacy Policy to our affiliates, business partners, or service providers where there is a legitimate basis and the disclosure is permitted by applicable law.  Access to personal information will be restricted to those individuals and entities who have a requirement to access the information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
  • We may share information subject to this Privacy Policy with external third-party service providers such as technical and administrative support, IT service and hosting service providers, document and records management providers, translators, legal counsel, and similar third-party vendors and outsourced service providers when necessary to assist us in providing services, maintaining business operations, providing customer support, and fulfilling regulatory requirements.  If we share your personal information with third parties for such purposes, we will ensure we have appropriate written assurances in place to protect the privacy and security of your personal information in accordance with applicable law.
  • When permissible or required under applicable law, we may share personal information with regulatory agencies, law enforcement agencies, courts, regulators, government authorities or other similar legal authorities.  We will comply with applicable data privacy and security laws in relation to such disclosures.
  • If another entity acquires us or any of our assets, the information described in this Privacy Policy may be transferred to such entity to the extent permissible by law.

We will not sell your personal information or disclose it to third parties for their marketing initiatives.  For example, we will not share your mobile contact information with third parties/affiliates for their marketing/promotional purposes without your prior written authorization. The above-referenced categories in this section do not include disclosing text messaging opt-in data and consent information for a third party’s marketing, as this information will not be shared with or sold to any third parties for marketing purposes without your prior written authorization.

9. Security

We are committed to keeping your information secure.  We have implemented safeguards to protect the information we collect and maintain.  However, exchanging information over internet platforms can always present security risks and we cannot guarantee the security of information in all circumstances.  Please choose strong passwords and keep your passwords confidential.  You should only access your account on this Site from a private location and secure connection where information maintained in this Site cannot easily be seen or accessed by unauthorized parties.  By accessing this Site, you agree to notify the FOI immediately if you believe that your password this Site has been compromised or if your account has been accessed by anyone other than you.

Please note that standard email and text messaging is not secure and can easily be intercepted.  You should not use standard email or text messaging to communicate with us where personal information or PHI is involved.  Such unsecure communications pose a risk to your information such as misdirected or intercepted messages and disclosures to unauthorized parties.  As a result, we do not recommend communicating with us in this fashion and if you do so, you are accepting these risks.

10. State Law Requirements

FOI will comply with state privacy laws that apply to this Site. Our primary business location and treatment centers are in the State of Florida.  If you access this Site and reside outside of Florida, the state laws where you reside may afford additional protection for your personal information.  We will comply with such state law requirements when applicable to FOI.  For example, some states allow residents to submit a Do Not Track request.  We do not respond to Do Not Track requests unless required to do so.  

For requests or questions about this section, please contact us at compliance@floridaortho.com or by calling the telephone number at the end of this Privacy Policy.  

11. Only Intended for U.S. Users

This Site is currently only intended for individuals located in the United States. If you access this Site from outside of the United States, you acknowledge that your information may be stored, maintained, processed, and/or transferred to the United States. The laws in the United States may be less protective of your information than the privacy laws that apply where you are located.  By using this Site, you agree to the transfer of your personal information to the United States, and to the collection and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.

12. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act

This Site is not intended for children.  If you become aware that your child has provided us with information on this Site, please contact us immediately.  

13. Unsubscribing

You have the option to discontinue receiving communications from us by email, text messaging, and/or newsletters. To discontinue or unsubscribe from this Site, and/or any related electronic communications (such as text messaging, or email communications) at any time, you may opt-out by following the opt-out instructions included in the communication or alternatively, by notifying us via the contact information included at the bottom of this Privacy Policy.  If you wish to unsubscribe or opt-out from any third-party websites, you must go to that specific website to unsubscribe or opt-out. We will continue to adhere to this Privacy Policy with respect to any personal information previously collected.

14. Updates & Questions

We may modify this Privacy Policy at any time.  All updates will be posted on this Site. You should visit this Privacy Policy frequently to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.  By continuing to use this Site after an update to our Privacy Policy is posted, you are accepting and consenting to our use and disclosure of your information as described in the updated Privacy Policy.  

If you have questions or concerns related to this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Florida Orthopaedic Institute
Attn: Privacy Officer
13020 Telecom Parkway North
Temple Terrace, FL 33637

Compliance Hotline: (813) 975-7219
Email: Compliance@floridaortho.com

This Privacy Policy was last updated on November 20, 2024.