Anyone using the internet for medical information should be aware that personal information such as identity, interests, and surfing habits may not be secure or private.  Although many health information sites claim that they do not release information about those visiting the site, numerous commercial entities may have access to sensitive personal information by mechanisms such as cookies and banners.

The information provided on "Medical Resources.org" is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient or site visitor and his/her physician.  Dr. Carmichael receives no commercial funding or support for the development, maintenance, and posting of this web site.

Collector of Information

Any and all information provided to Dr. Carmichael is entirely optional and private.

Personal medical information collected on this Web site by way of e-mail or other personal correspondence is received only by Kim Carmichael, M.D., FACP.   Medical inquiries will be handled with utmost security and dignity, as with any confidential medical record, and will not be disclosed to any third parties unless specifically requested by the individual placing the inquiry.  From time to time, Dr. Carmichael may consult with other medical colleagues regarding the nature of the inquiry, but will not disclose the identity of the individual without their expressed written consent, or if the release is required by law.

Dr. Carmichael is not set up to track, collect, or distribute personal information about its visitors, and any identifying information is treated as strictly confidential.  We do not maintain any log files.  We will never rent, sell, exchange, or otherwise transfer information to any third party except by personal request or as may be required by law.

Please be advised, however, that our Web sites are maintained by commercial entities, and will track information to the Web pages.  For example, the counters track the number of visits to particular pages, and the aggregated statistics are maintained by the Web server.  To our knowledge, however, the statistics contain no personal information.  Information regarding the use of this information may be obtained by accessing the privacy statements of the host Web server.

Cookies, Banners, and Chat Functions

Dr. Carmichael has no control over the information collected by the Web server which may use cookies, banners, and advertisements.  We advise caution when accepting cookies, clicking on banners, or using the Search and Chat functions.   Information provided on Chat Rooms becomes public, and therefore privacy is outside of the control of Dr. Carmichael.  Disclosure of personal information on such venues may increase the user's likelihood of receiving "spam" or unsolicited e-mail, and personal information is subject to use by third parties and international data base organizations.

Advertising

Dr. Carmichael does not accept advertising in any form for this domain.  Pop-up windows and banners displayed by the Web server are outside of the control of Dr. Carmichael and have no bearing or influence on the content displayed.

Links

This Web site provided links to numerous other Web sites.  We are not responsible for the content of the links presented and do not necessarily endorse the ideas or advice presented therein.

When you click on any link, you are subject to any privacy practices of that particular site.  These practices may differ from ours, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices.   We strongly encourage you to read the privacy statements of all sites visited, and use caution in revealing personal information.

Quality

Dr. Carmichael endorses the highest standards in education, service, and integrity.  However, if there are any concerns regarding the quality, reliability, or presentation of information provided by this Web site or the services provided by any of the links/banners contained herein, you are encouraged to contact Dr. Carmichael by the link provided at the bottom of this page and let me know of your concerns.

Children

These Web pages are directed towards adults.  However, for any user under the age of 13, we require verifiable parental consent for use of the site.  This will be necessary before we can answer any questions or provide relevant information to the user.  We encourage parents to always check and moniotr their children's online activity.

Please read these reports on Privacy Policies and detailed discussions on consumer health care on the internet.

• DotComSense Privacy (American Psychological Association)
• Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
• Medical Record Privacy
• Georgetown Internet Privacy Study
• HCFA Internet Security Policy
• Principles of Data Protection
• Privacy International
• Privacy Analysis
• Privacy Policies and Practices of Health Web Sites (California Healthcare Foundation)
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: "How Private is My Medical Information?"

•  Safe Surfing

• Links of Interest

Please Dr. Kim Carmichael know if you have any comments or suggestions regarding this Web site.  Please also contact me regarding any comments or concerns about the Privacy Policy:

• Comments or Suggestions