Mobile App Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September 14, 2023

This Mobile App Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) applies to the Cedars-Sinai CS-Link and CS-Connect mobile applications (collectively, the “App”), which are owned and operated by Cedars-Sinai (“we,” “our”). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, or otherwise process personal information obtained through the App, your choices regarding our use of your information, and how we safeguard such information.

Note that the Cedars-Sinai HIPAA Privacy Policy is a separate document that governs how certain protected health information about you may be used and disclosed by Cedars-Sinai pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This information is available on the HIPAA Privacy Policy section under the Patient Rights and Privacy page.

By further downloading, using, or creating an account on the App, you agree to this Mobile App Privacy Policy and consent to the collection and use of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy.

Personal Information You Provide. We, and our vendors, may obtain information that you provide directly to us through the App. For example, we may collect certain personal information from you when you buy from our online gift shop (“Gift Shop”). Generally, we may collect certain contact information, such as name, email address, postal address, payment information, and telephone number.

Information Collected Automatically. We, and our vendors, may use tracking technologies that automatically or passively collect information when you interact with the App. For example, we may use GPS (global position systems) software, geo-filtering, and other location-aware technologies to locate you, sometimes precisely, for purposes such as verifying your location and delivering or restricting content based on your location. The information we automatically collect may include the type of device you are using, your IP address, device ID or other unique identifier, and geolocation data.

We may combine certain automatically collected information with other information we obtain about you, which may include data we obtain from third parties.

We or third parties, including our vendors, may collect personal information about your online activities over time and across different online services when you use the App.

While you use the App, we collect certain analytics and performance information about your use of the App so we can provide customer service to you or your healthcare organization and understand how people use our mobile apps. This information includes the time you began using the App, the healthcare organization you interacted with, any error messages or codes, the model of device used and its operating system, and the version of our mobile app used. If you use Android devices, we also collect your connection type (cellular or Wi-Fi) during an error. Google Firebase is one of the tools that the App may use for analytics tracking. Google Firebase uses your device's advertising identifier. This information is not used in connection with the collection of COVID-19 related data.

Google Firebase Analytics Privacy Policy: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy

Information Collected through Your Device. When you download, access, or use the App, the App may (depending on your device or App permission settings) have access to certain information from your device, such as:

1. Location. The App may collect precise or approximate location of your device, which can be determined by your Bluetooth connection or cell towers. We may use location data in order to locate the nearest medical center to you, verify your location or sending emergency assistance under certain circumstances.
2. Device Information. The App may collect information about your mobile device and Internet connection, including the model of device used and its operating system, and the version of our mobile app used. We may use this information to understand how our App performs when you use it.
3. Device ID. The App may use your device identifier (including your device’s advertising identifier) to provide you a better experience. We use your device ID to recognize your mobile device.

These App permission settings allow you to access or use certain features within the App. Changing your App permission settings may affect your ability to access or use certain features on the App.

Additionally, you may be able to log into the App using your device’s login features such as using a passcode. These device login features are facilitated through your device, not Cedars-Sinai; we do not control these features, which you can change by accessing your device settings and preferences.

We may, with your permission, collect information from your use of other connected devices, such as an Apple Watch, to better provide our services to you.

Information Collected by Third Parties. Third party service providers or partners may disclose with us your personal information that you submit to them. For example, if you make a purchase through our Gift Shop, this may be facilitated by a third party who may disclose your personal information with us. When submitting information to a third party, you are subject to that third party’s terms of use and privacy policies. See also the “Access to CS-Link or CS Connect” section of this Policy. Cedars-Sinai may combine information about you that we have with information we obtain from third parties.

We may provide certain interactive features on the App. For example, the Medical Center Walking Directions will guide you to valet services, departments, clinics, and points of interest such as cafeterias, and much more.

By using these features, you understand that certain third parties may process your information obtained through the feature. For example, Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze may use your device's identifiers for navigation. We encourage you to review their privacy notices to learn more:

• Apple Privacy Policy: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/en-ww/
• Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Waze Privacy Policy: https://www.waze.com/legal/privacy/
• Everbridge (Medical Center Walking Directions wayfinding developer) Privacy Policy: https://www.everbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/connexient-privacy-policy.pdf

We, and our vendors, may use the personal information collected through the App for various purposes, including to communicate with you and to fulfill your requests. For instance, if you use our App to locate a specialist in your area, we use the information you provide to put you in touch with a physician, or if you visit our Gift Shop, we use the information you submit to complete your transactions. We also may use the personal information you provide to us to send you information that we believe may be of interest to you, including newsletters, information about new medical breakthroughs and other items related to Cedars-Sinai and its medical community.

You can manage these communications, as described below in "Your Choices."

We may also use the personal information we collect to facilitate and personalize your user experience, monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities of visitors, take certain action with regard to any suspected or actual fraudulent or illegal activity or activity that violates our polices, comply with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and legal processes, and for any other purpose, with your consent.

We will store information collected via our App for no longer than is necessary for the performance of our obligations or to achieve the purposes for which the information was collected, or as may be permitted under applicable law.

Cedars-Sinai may disclose your information, including your personal information, with our affiliates, business partners, and vendors. To the extent we grant third parties access to information collected via your mobile device, they are expected to follow privacy practices no less protective than our practices to the extent allowed by applicable law. For example, Cedars-Sinai may use service providers to help us operate our business and the App or administer activities on our behalf, such as sending emails, providing customer service, and payment processing. Information, including personal information, may also be disclosed by us or our vendors:

• As required or permitted by applicable law;
• Where we determine the disclosure of specific information is necessary to comply with the request of a law enforcement or regulatory agency or other legal process;
• In the event we sell or transfer all or a portion of our business assets (e.g., further to a merger, reorganization, liquidation, or any other business transaction, including negotiations of such transactions);
• To enforce our policies or protect legal rights, property, or safety.
  For details regarding disclosures of protected health information, please view our HIPAA Privacy Policy section under the Patient Rights and Privacy page.
  

Patients may log into CS-Link, our health management tool, and CS-Connect, our virtual care platform, through the App. For more information about our practices under HIPAA, please see our HIPAA Privacy Policy section under the Patient Rights and Privacy page.

CS-Link is powered by Epic. You can learn more about Epic’s privacy practices at https://www.epic.com/about/privacypolicies#mobile-policy-patient.

CS-Connect is powered by K Health. You can learn more about K Health’s privacy practices at https://khealth.com/privacy-policy. Please note that if you use the symptom checker or similar features provided by K Health while you are logged into CS-Connect, K Health may de-identify the information you provide through these features and use that de-identified information for its own internal purposes, including to train AI-based models.

If you access CS-Link, CS-Connect, or Medical Center Walking Directions, we may request additional permissions from your device, including:

Location Data & Background Location Access. With your permission, the App provides Medical Center Walking Directions. These are turn-by-turn directions to help you get around the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The App will guide you to valet services, departments, clinics, and points of interest such as cafeterias, and much more. In addition, the Hello Patient feature in the App may use your location data to notify front desk staff when you have arrived for your appointment. This feature allows you to skip check-in to minimize contact. Likewise, CS-Connect may use your information to verify that you are located in California and to send emergency assistance under certain circumstances when your Cedars-Sinai clinician determines that it is necessary.

Please note that the App may use location services in the background. For example, the Medical Walking Directions and Hello Patient features accessible through the App may detect when you have arrived onsite for your appointment. Without using the location services in the background, the Medical Center Walking Directions feature cannot properly locate you in a timely manner and is unable to transition from outdoor to indoor navigation. The Hello Patient feature will not notify the front desk of your arrival and simplify pre-check-in tasks. These location-based features may access to your location even when the App is closed or in the background.

We do not use location data & background location access in connection with the collection of COVID-19 related data.

Wi-Fi Permission. The Cedars-Sinai App may use your Wi-Fi permissions for more accurate location tracking while you are using the Medical Center Walking Directions feature to walk around the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center campus. This information is not used in connection with the collection off COVID-19 related data.

Bluetooth/BLE/BLE Admin. With your permission, the Cedars-Sinai App may access your device's Bluetooth while you are using the Medical Center Walking Directions feature to walk around the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center campus. Additionally, Bluetooth is used to detect other nearby devices to help with appointment arrival. The Cedars-Sinai mobile App will not store your Bluetooth data. This information is not used in connection with the collection of COVID-19 related data.

Camera. When you choose to include a photo or video in a message you send to your healthcare organization using the Cedars-Sinai App, you may select an existing photo or video from your device or take a new photo or video using the camera app on your device. If you use the camera app on your device to take a new photo or video, it will be saved to your camera app. Any photo or video saved to your camera app remains available in your camera app until you choose to delete it. This information is not used in connection with the collection of COVID-19 related data.

Microphone. The Cedars-Sinai App may use your microphone to capture audio (sound) for video visits. The Cedars-Sinai App does not store your audio data. This information is not used in connection with the collection of COVID-19 related data.

Storage. When you choose to view documents from your healthcare organization (such as letters or images) using our App, to make the files viewable for you we temporarily store copies on your device in app-private storage. The temporary copies are deleted when you close your session on our App.

Additionally, the App may access your device's storage if you provide relevant file attachments if you choose to Report an Issue in the Medical Center Walking Directions' Settings. This information is not used in connection with the collection of COVID-19 related data.

Phone. With the Cedars-Sinai App, you can use your phone to call the phone numbers displayed in the App. The Cedars-Sinai App will not store your call history or other call data. The Cedars-Sinai mobile app will not store your Bluetooth data. This information is not used in connection with the collection of COVID-19 related data.

The Cedars-Sinai App lets patients access information stored in their electronic health record (EHR), managed by Epic’s software, including medications, test results, and visit summaries. This App also lets patients send messages, schedule appointments, and check in online.

Our mobile app was not created specifically for the COVID-19 pandemic. It existed before the COVID-19 pandemic to allow you to access your health information on file with Cedars-Sinai. You can use this App to access COVID-19-related vaccination information, laboratory test results, and documents with illness-related information using our App. You may choose if or how you want to access, display, or use the information – just like you can make those decisions about health information relating to other conditions, services, tests, or vaccinations. The Cedars-Sinai mobile app does not perform any COVID-19 contact tracing or tracking.

With your permission, the App can connect to other apps to receive and send your health information and to share that information with your healthcare providers. You may give your permission to continuously sync your health data when you link your Apple Health, Google Fit, or similar third-party account to the App. The sharing of this data with your healthcare provider only happens when you initiate it, and it is a one-time snapshot of health information.

When you choose to use Apple’s HealthKit, Google Fit, or similar apps, we create encrypted identifiers to identify recipients of data from these third-party apps and store them on your device in app-private storage. If you choose to stop using these third-party apps or delete our App, the identifiers are deleted.

We take reasonable precautions to ensure your information remains confidential; however, you must keep in mind as you navigate through our App that any transmission via the Internet and online digital storage is not completely secure. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee the security of your information collected through our App.

Cedars-Sinai may use the information you provide to send you information and materials that we think may be of interest to you. If you do not wish to receive any further promotional emails from us, you can unsubscribe by checking the appropriate box included in any such email. Please note that even if you unsubscribe from receiving promotional emails from us, we may still send you transactional or informational emails.

With respect to App, you can stop all collection of data generated by use of the App by uninstalling the App. Also, you may be able to exercise specific privacy choices, such as enabling or disabling certain features (e.g., location-based services, push notifications, accessing calendar/contacts/photos), by adjusting the permissions in your mobile device and/or the App’s settings. Beware that if GPS precise location services are disabled, other means of establishing or estimating location (e.g., connecting to or proximity to Wi-Fi) may persist.

You may be able to enable or disable location tracking on the App by adjusting the permissions in your App account settings or through your mobile device settings. Note that uninstalling the App or changing the App permissions will not delete your user account or any information we previously collected via the App.

To learn more about how you can control location permissions using your mobile device’s operating system settings, please visit the following links depending on which device you use:

• Android:
  • For Android 6.0 and above: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/6270602?hl=eno
• For earlier versions of Android:
  • https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/6014972
• iOS:
  • https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207056
    

We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 13. If we become aware that we have obtained information from users under the age of 13, we will delete such disclose information in accordance with applicable law.

Our App may contain links to mobile features or other websites that are not owned or operated by Cedars-Sinai or its affiliates. You may be asked by these websites to provide personal information or to release information you may have provided on our App. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. We encourage you to be cautious when leaving our App and review the privacy statements of other mobile applications and websites.

This Privacy Policy is subject to change at our discretion. We will notify you of changes to this Privacy Policy by posting an updated version on our App and updating the “Effective Date” at the top of this page. Your continued use of the App after any update to this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of the changes.

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: webmaster@cshs.org.