Smith Family Medicine (“we,” “us,” “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of the personal information we collect from patients, prospective patients, and visitors to our website.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information, including information collected when you choose to receive text messages from us.

By using our services, visiting our website, or providing us with your information, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

We may collect the following types of information:

A. Personal and Contact Information

• Name
• Mailing address
• Email address
• Phone number(s), including mobile numbers
• Date of birth
• Insurance information

B. Medical / Health Information (PHI)

• Information related to your medical history, conditions, treatments, and services you receive from us
• Information needed for diagnosis, treatment, and billing
• Other information you or your providers share with us as part of your care

C. Communication Information

• Records of communications with you, including phone calls, voicemails, emails, portal messages, and SMS/text messages (if you opt in)

D. Website and Technical Information

When you visit our website, we may collect:

• IP address
• Browser type and device information
• Pages visited and time spent on the site
• General location information derived from your device or browser

This information may be collected through cookies or similar technologies to help us understand how our website is used and to improve our services.

We may use your information for the following purposes:

• To provide medical care, treatment, and related services
• To schedule and manage appointments, including reminders, confirmations, and follow-ups
• To communicate with you about your care, lab results, referrals, and other medically relevant matters (using secure channels where appropriate)
• To manage billing, insurance claims, and payment processing
• To respond to your questions, requests, or feedback
• To operate, maintain, and improve our website and internal systems
• To comply with legal, regulatory, and accreditation requirements
• For internal administration, quality improvement, and training

If you opt in to receive SMS/text messages, we will use your mobile number only for the purposes you consented to, such as appointment reminders, confirmations, and practice notifications.

We may use Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging to send SMS/text messages to patients who have provided their mobile number and consented to receive such messages.

A. SMS Program Description

By opting in to our SMS program, you agree that we may send you text messages related to:

• Appointment reminders and confirmations
• Scheduling changes or office closures
• Requests to contact our office
• Practice updates and patient-care related notifications

We do not send unsolicited promotional text messages, and we do not sell your phone number to third parties.

B. Consent to Receive Text Messages

You will only receive SMS/text messages from us if you:

• Voluntarily provide your mobile phone number, and
• Explicitly agree (for example, by checking a box or signing a form) to receive text messages from Smith Family Medicine.

By opting in, you agree that:

• Message frequency may vary.
• Message and data rates may apply, depending on your mobile carrier and plan.

C. Opt-Out / Stopping Text Messages

You may opt out of receiving text messages at any time. To stop receiving SMS messages, you can:

• Reply “STOP” to any text message we send, or
• Contact our office and request to be removed from SMS communications.

After you opt out, you may receive a final message confirming that you have been unsubscribed. We will continue to communicate with you by phone, mail, email, or patient portal as appropriate for your care.

D. Help / Support for SMS

If you need help with our SMS program, you can:

• Reply “HELP” to any message, or
• Contact us at info@smithfamilymed.com or by phone.

E. Sharing of SMS Data

We do not share your mobile number or SMS consent details with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

We may use trusted service providers (such as messaging platforms) to deliver SMS messages on our behalf. These providers are only permitted to use your information as necessary to perform services for us and are required to protect your information.

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• With healthcare providers and staff: To coordinate your care and treatment.
• With your health plan or insurer: For billing, payment, and healthcare operations.
• With business associates: Third-party vendors and service providers who perform functions on our behalf (such as billing services, IT support, messaging platforms), under agreements that require them to protect your information.
• When required by law: To comply with legal obligations, court orders, government requests, or regulatory requirements.
• To protect rights and safety: Where necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of you, our staff, other patients, or the public.

We do not sell your personal information or protected health information.

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

While we take appropriate steps to secure your information, no method of transmission or electronic storage is completely secure. We encourage you to use secure channels (such as patient portals) for sensitive medical communications whenever possible.

We retain your information for as long as necessary to:

• Provide care and services to you
• Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• Maintain appropriate medical and business records

The retention period may vary based on the type of information and applicable laws.

Depending on applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Request access to your medical records and other personal information we maintain
• Request corrections to information that is inaccurate or incomplete
• Request restrictions on certain uses or disclosures of your information
• Request an accounting of certain disclosures
• Request communications by alternative means or at alternative locations
• Revoke consent for certain communications, such as SMS/text messaging

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information in the “Contact Us” section below. Some requests may be subject to legal or regulatory limitations.

Our services are intended to provide family medical care, including for children, and we handle children’s information with the same level of care and protection as adult patient information. We obtain parental or guardian consent when required by law for collection, use, or disclosure of a minor’s information.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or technology. When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page.

Your continued use of our services or website after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your information, or our SMS program, or if you wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at:

Smith Family Medicine

Email: info@smithfamilymed.com