The McLeod Health Patient Portal TERMS OF USE
IF YOU WISH TO USE the McLeod Health Patient Portal (“THE PATIENT PORTAL”), YOU MUST READ AND AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING PATIENT PORTAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE:
Welcome to the McLeod Health Patient Portal (the “Patient Portal” or the “Service”). The Patient Portal is an internet application that allows secure means to view parts of your electronic medical records over the Patient Portal. Use of the Patient Portal is optional. Your user- name and password protect the confidentiality of your health information. Please DO NOT share your username and password with anyone. Please carefully read these Terms and Conditions of Use.
BY ELECTRONICALLY CLICKING “AGREE” IN THE SPACE AT THE END OF THIS DOCUMENT, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE PATIENT PORTAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE PATIENT PORTAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE, YOU MAY ELECTRONICALLY, CLICK "DISAGREE/DECLINE". IF YOU CLICK “DISAGREE/DECLINE” YOU WILL NOT BE GRANTED ACCESS TO USE THE PATIENT PORTAL. Copies of portions of your medical record are stored by McLeod Health on this Patient Portal. Each use of this Patient Portal by you constitutes your confirmation of all the personal data you provided to be able to enroll in the Patient Portal and your request for and authorization of the release of those portions of your medical records to you. The only information available to be released to you via this Patient Portal is portions of your medical record as determined by McLeod
Health Patient Portal policies. The remainder of your medical record is available by contacting the record source and requesting a copy.
This Patient Portal is provided by McLeod Health. The Patient Portal is referred to as "McLeod Health Patient Portal", "we", "us", or "our." The term "you" or "your" refers to McLeod Health Patient Portal-authorized viewers or users of this Patient Portal. The Patient Portal may contain records from affiliated hospitals, physician practices and other health related entities. This Patient Portal is owned and maintained by McLeod Health, a South Carolina non-profit corporation.
This document consists of 4 additional parts - Parts 1 through 4. It is both an AGREEMENT between you and us and also our policy in making this Patient Portal available to you.
Part I: -The services provided through the Patient Portal.
Part 2: -Secure Messaging Guidelines and Your Responsibility
Part 3: -Patient Portal’s Privacy and Security Practices.
Part 4: -Other Terms and Conditions of the Patient Portal.
Part 1: -The Services Provided Through the Patient Portal.
1. This Patient Portal provides access to health information and other functionality and does not replace your doctor. We hope the health information provided to you will help you work more closely with your health care providers in making decisions about your care. The information and online services we provide through this Patient Portal are not meant to replace the advice and care you receive from your doctor or other health care providers. The Patient Portal is not a substitute for appropriate and timely contact with your doctor or other health care provider. You should not stop or change any course of treatment ordered by your doctor before asking him or her. The information and means of communication provided through this Patient Portal are for non-emergent / non-urgent purposes only.
2. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ACCESS EMERGENCY CARE OR URGENT CARE THROUGH THIS PATIENT PORTAL. IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY OR GO TO THE NEAREST HOSPITAL.
3. The Patient Portal provides the following services:
A. Your health information. This Patient Portal provides you with copies of portions of your health information. The health information provided through the Patient Portal is not a complete copy of all your health information. The Patient Portal provides secure access to copies of health information
created by a participating doctor and other health care providers and to copies of parts of your McLeod Health hospitals and/or McLeod Health electronic medical records. The information does not represent the totality of your medical record and should not be relied upon as a complete representation of your health status, as it represents only a portion of such information. You understand that you are solely responsible for any sharing of your health information you intentionally or unintentionally communicate to others.
B. Secure Messaging Tools. This patient portal may include various tools to facilitate secure nonurgent communications between you and your participating provider. Possible examples of secure messaging tools include tools to request appointments, medication refills or messages to your doctor or other health care provider.
C. Health and Health Related links. To provide you with resources, the Patient Portal may contain links to McLeod Health and non-McLeod Health Internet websites or services. Unless we state otherwise, providing a non-McLeod Health link does not mean the link may be of benefit to you or that it is approved by McLeod Health. We select the sites we link to with care, but we do not promise anything about them. We have no responsibility for the information on those sites. When you dochoose to link to an external site, you will be clearly advised that you are exiting our site.
4. It's possible that not all of your doctors and health care providers use the Patient Portal, so they may not be aware of information that is in your Patient Portal. It is your responsibility to advise your doctors and other health care providers of ALL of the doctors and health care providers you have consulted and the course of treatment they have recommended for you as well as of all test results and other matters related to your health status.
5. Children. An individual must be sixteen (16) years of age or older to request an account to use the Patient Portal. We do not knowingly allow anyone under the age of sixteen (16) to create accounts that allow access to the secured features of this site. If we determine that someone under the age of sixteen has created an account using incorrect information regarding their age, we may disable the account.
6. Un-enrolling. If you want to discontinue your use of the Patient Portal, you agree to click on the “Close Account” link from the Patient Portal home screen and follow the instructions to unenroll. You understand that if you do this, you will no longer be able to use or access the [Patient Portal] and your account on the Patient Portal will be closed. You understand that any information stored in the Patient Portal at the time your account is closed will be archived in our database.
7. Data integrity and correction. Requests to view and correct personal information on this service that is documented in your medical record may be submitted using the contact information provided at the end of the McLeod Health Notice of Privacy Practices.
Part 2: -Securing Messaging Guidelines and Your Responsibility
1. Please DO NOT SHARE your user- name and password with anyone.
2. Please DO NOT send any messages requiring emergent or urgent attention. The Patient Portal is not for emergencies or urgent care needs. In the case of emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest hospital.
3. You agree that all communication through the Patient Portal will be about you and your own health. The content of any message may be stored in your medical record and asking for advice or
information about another person could potentially be harmful to you and is a violation of this Agreement. The McLeod Health Patient Portal does not assume responsibility for health information used by persons other than the Patient Portal enrollee.
4. The securing messaging feature should not be used for medical questions. It may only be used to request a refill of an existing prescription or to request a non-emergency appointment.
5. Patients who use the Patient Portal will be notified via e-mail, if available, when there is new medical information to be viewed on the Patient Portal. This means that any person with access to the patient’s email account may see this notification. This could include your spouse, employer or anyone else with access to your email account. Although no specific medical information will be included in the email, the notification that new medical information is available on the Patient Portal may be information that you would not want others to know. You should keep this in mind when providing an email account. If others have access to your email, and if you do not want them to be aware of these email notifications, then you should not enroll in the patient portal.
6. Your secure messages may be viewed and read by your doctor, other health care providers, administrators and others who work with your doctor and your doctor’s practice. Once your message is received in the Patient Portal, either the health care provider or the health care provider’s staff assigned to help manage messages may read them. Therefore, you may not wish to use the Patient Portal for sensitive information you wish to discuss directly with your health care provider.
7. We are only able to respond to your messages based on the information you provide. If you do not include sufficient information, your doctor or other health care provider may not be able to communicate with you via the portal and may request that you call the office or schedule an appointment.
Part 3: -Patient Portal’s Privacy and Security Practices/ McLeod Health Patient Portal Notice of Privacy Practices.
This Part 3 describes how we protect your privacy as a patient and user of this Patient Portal and the security measures in place to protect your information. If you are a patient of a McLeod Health facility, you have certain rights associated with your health information. These rights are established under state and federal law. For a more complete description of a patient’s rights under state and federal law, please refer to the McLeod Health Notice of Privacy Practices, which can be found by clicking here.
1. Unique User Name and Password. You will define your own unique user- name and password in order to access the Patient Portal. You agree not to share your user-name and password to the Patient Portal with anyone else. You acknowledge your understanding that by sharing your unique user-name and password, another person may be able to see your health information and communications on the Patient Portal.
2. Access requirements. When you are provided access to define your unique user-name and password by the McLeod Health Patient Portal, you are authorized to access and use the Patient Portal in accordance with these Terms and Conditions of Use and in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations.
3. Responsibility for user-name and password. You are solely responsible for any activities related to your user-name and password. You will immediately report:
• any inappropriate access to your account
• any loss or disclosure of your user-Name or password
• any suspected or actual inappropriate access to or disclosure of treatment-related information or patient-related files
4. Right to revoke user-name and password. The McLeod Health Patient Portal reserves the right to revoke your access to the Patient Portal at any time in its sole discretion. McLeod Health will make attempts to notify you if we discontinue your access to the Patient Portal via the email address on record with us.
5. Environmental appropriateness. You are solely responsible for choosing an appropriate environment from which to log into the Patient Portal.
6. Logout. You shall always log out of the Patient Portal before leaving your computer.
7. Wireless. If you access the Patient Portal using a wireless device, you are solely responsible for the security of the session.
8. Patient Portal Security. We do not sell or rent any personal information we receive through your use of this Patient Portal. This Patient Portal has security measures in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information under our control. These measures include encryption of data using the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) system, and using a secured messaging service when we send you personal information electronically. Despite these measures, the confidentiality of any communication or material transmitted to or from us via this Patient Portal by Internet or e-mail cannot be guaranteed.
9. Site Visitor data. McLeod Health monitors the Patient Portal including from time to time frequency of usage, issues with usage and other specific usage.
10. Evaluation and research. We will periodically ask users to complete surveys asking about their experiences with features of the Patient Portal. Our surveys may ask visitors for demographic information such as age, gender, and education, but will not request in such surveys that users provide specific information about any medical condition. We use survey information for research and quality improvement purposes, including helping McLeod Health improve the Patient Portal. In addition, users giving feedback may be individually contacted for follow-up due to concerns raised during the course of such evaluation.
11. Disclosure. We may disclose personal information in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the McLeod Health Notice of Privacy Practices.
Part 4: -Other Terms and Conditions of the Patient Portal.
1. Patient Portal is a Private Network. This Patient Portal is a private internet application provided and maintained by and proprietary to McLeod Health . Unless we have specifically authorized you to access the Patient Portal, it is a violation of state and federal law to access the private computer network of another, such as this Patient Portal. Use of another’s user-name and password is not permitted and does not amount to authorization to use this Patient Portal.
2. Patient Portal Rules. We reserve the right to promulgate rules and regulations pertaining to the use of the Patient Portal. You agree to comply with such rules and regulations.
3. Updating this Terms and Conditions of Use. By accessing or using the Patient Portal you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions of Use, which we may modify at any time, and you agree that such changes are effective immediately upon posting of the changed version on the Patient Portal. Any revised Terms and Conditions of Use will apply both to information we already have about you at the time of the change, and any personal information created or received after the change takes effect. We encourage you to periodically reread these Terms and Conditions to see if there have been any changes to our policies that may affect you. The date of the most recent update will be clearly posted at the end of this Agreement.
4. Patient Portal revisions, changes, updates and improvements. We may make revisions, changes, updates and/or improvements in products and/or services provided on the Patient Portal and described in these Terms and Conditions of Use or add new features at any time without notice.
5. Investigations, Security Review and Audit. You agree to cooperate with investigations, security reviews or audits related to use of the Patient Portal conducted by McLeod Health.
6. Minimum requirements. You may access the Patient Portal at any time via your personal computer or lap top computer. You are solely responsible for keeping your computer secure, including updating it and its applications with required upgrades, updates, virus and malware protection and security patches available from your operating system vendor and any third-party vendors. To enjoy the full benefit of our portal, we suggest using a recent model computer and operating system, a modern web browser, a high-resolution monitor, and a high-speed internet connection.
7. Patient Portal unavailability. There may be times when the Patient Portal is unavailable due to technical errors or for maintenance and support activities. We shall make reasonable efforts to limit such activities to off-peak hours.
8. Warranty Disclaimer. THIS SITE AND ITS CONTENT AND SITE-RELATED SERVICES ARE PROVIDED AS IS," WITH ALL FAULTS, WITH NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. YOU ASSUME TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY AND RISK FOR YOUR USE OF THIS SITE, SITE RELATED SERVICES, AND HYPERLINKED PATIENT PORTALS. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY McLeod Health Patient Portal NOR ITS AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY NOR IN ANY WAY INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THIS WARRANTY.
9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. MCLEOD HEALTH, ITS PARENT, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, TRUSTEES, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS AND CONTRACTORS AND ANY OTHER THIRD PARTIES MENTIONED ON THIS SITE ARE NEITHER RESPONSIBLE NOR LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR OTHER DAMAGES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE RESULTING FROM PERSONAL INJURY, LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THE SITE, SITERELATEDSERVICES AND PRODUCTS, CONTENT OR INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THE "SITE," AND/OR ANY HYPERLINKED PATIENT PORTAL, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY AND WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. YOUR SOLE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THE SITE, SITE-RELATED SERVICES, AND/OR HYPERLINKED PATIENT PORTALS IS TO STOP USING THE SITE AND/OR THOSE SERVICES. IF AND TO THE EXTENT APPLICABLE LAW DOES NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, THEN THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION WILL BE LIMITED AS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW
10. Infected or Corrupted Materials. To the extent files are available for download through the Patient Portal, you understand that McLeod Health and the Provider cannot and does not guarantee or warrant that such files will be free of infection or viruses, worms, Trojan horses or other code that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.
11. No waiver. No delay or failure to require performance of any provision of the Terms and Conditions of Use shall constitute a waiver of the performance of such provision. Any waiver granted by a party must be in writing, and shall apply solely to the specific instance expressly stated. A waiver of any term or condition of this shall not be construed as a waiver of any other terms and conditions of this Terms and Conditions of Use, nor shall any waiver constitute a continuing waiver.
12. Choice of law. By visiting or using the Patient Portal, you agree that the laws of the State of South Carolina, without regard to principles of conflict of laws, will govern this Terms and Conditions of Use and any dispute of any sort that might arise between you and McLeod Health Patient Portal, or any of our affiliates. You agree not to commence or prosecute any action in connection therewith other than in the state and federal courts of South Carolina, and you hereby consent to, and waive all defenses of lack of personal jurisdiction and forum non conveniens with respect to venue and jurisdiction in the state and federal courts of South Carolina.
13. If you have any questions about the Patient Portal or this Terms of Use, including your rights under this document, you can contact McLeod Health Patient Portal Support Team by telephone at 843-777-5377 during normal business hours or email the Support Team at eHealthSupport@mcleodhehealth.org.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE DATE: December 13, 2021