Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy
Last updated: March 26, 2026
This Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy supplements our Privacy Policy and applies specifically to consumer health data as defined under state health data privacy laws, including the Washington My Health My Data Act (MHMD), Nevada SB 370, and Connecticut Public Act 23-56.
What Is Consumer Health Data?
Consumer health data is personal information that identifies or is reasonably linkable to a consumer and relates to their physical or mental health. Under applicable state laws, this may include:
- Information that reveals a consumer is seeking or has sought healthcare services
- Information that identifies a consumer's healthcare provider
- Information that relates to a consumer's physical health condition or diagnosis
Consumer Health Data We Collect
advortho.org is an orthopaedic specialist directory. We collect limited consumer health data in the following context:
Appointment Request Form
When you submit an appointment request through a provider's profile, we collect your name, email, phone number (optional), and message. The act of requesting an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon may constitute consumer health data because it indicates you are seeking orthopaedic healthcare services.
What we collect: Name, email, phone, message text
What we infer: That you are seeking orthopaedic care
Browsing Activity
We use Vercel Analytics, which is privacy-friendly and does not use cookies or track individual users. We do not collect or store individual browsing history, search queries, or page views that could identify which conditions or providers you researched. All analytics data is aggregated and anonymized.
How We Use Consumer Health Data
We use consumer health data solely for the following purposes:
- Facilitating appointment requests: We forward your contact information and message to the specific orthopaedic provider you selected. This is the primary purpose for which the data is collected.
- Email notifications: We send a notification email to the provider informing them of your appointment request via our email service provider (Resend).
- Service improvement: We may use aggregated, de-identified data to improve our directory and search functionality.
We Do Not Sell Consumer Health Data
advortho does not sell, share for advertising purposes, or otherwise monetize consumer health data. We do not share your appointment request data with any third party other than the specific provider you selected.
Third Parties Who Receive Consumer Health Data
Consumer health data is shared only with the following parties, strictly for the purposes described above:
| Recipient | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| Selected orthopaedic provider | To fulfill your appointment request | Name, email, phone, message |
| Resend (email provider) | To deliver email notification to provider | Name, email, message (in transit) |
| Neon (database provider) | To store appointment request records | Name, email, phone, message |
| Vercel (hosting provider) | Infrastructure and serverless functions | Request data processed in transit |
We do not share consumer health data with data brokers, advertisers, or any other third parties.
Your Rights
Under applicable state health data privacy laws, you have the following rights regarding your consumer health data:
- Right to Know: You may request confirmation of whether we are collecting or sharing your consumer health data, and request a list of all third parties with whom we have shared it.
- Right to Delete: You may request that we delete your consumer health data, including appointment requests. We will process deletion requests within 30 days.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw your consent to the collection and sharing of your consumer health data at any time. Note that withdrawing consent may prevent us from forwarding appointment requests on your behalf.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.
How to Exercise Your Rights
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at:
Email: privacy@advortho.org
Subject line: "Consumer Health Data Request"
We will verify your identity before processing any request. We will respond within 30 days for deletion requests and 45 days for other requests.
Data Retention
Appointment request data (consumer health data) is retained for up to 2 years to allow providers to follow up with patients. You may request earlier deletion at any time by contacting us at the email above.
Geofencing
advortho does not use geofencing technology around healthcare facilities or providers' offices to collect consumer health data, in compliance with the Washington My Health My Data Act.
State-Specific Disclosures
Washington Residents
This policy is provided in compliance with the Washington My Health My Data Act (RCW 19.373). You may exercise your rights by contacting us at privacy@advortho.org. If we deny your request, you may appeal by replying to our response email.
Nevada Residents
This policy is provided in compliance with Nevada SB 370. We do not sell consumer health data. You may opt out of any future sale (should our practices change) by contacting privacy@advortho.org.
Connecticut Residents
This policy is provided in compliance with Connecticut Public Act 23-56. You have the right to access, correct, delete, and obtain a copy of your consumer health data.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. We will not materially change how we use previously collected consumer health data without providing notice and obtaining consent where required.
Contact
For questions about this Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy, contact us at privacy@advortho.org.