Privacy Policy

We collect information you choose to provide through the forms on this website, which may include:

• Contact information such as your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address.
• Billing information such as an account or invoice number, date of service, and the details of a billing question or address correction.
• Payment card information when you pay a bill online. Card details are entered directly into a secure form operated by our payment processor and are not stored on our servers.
• Employment information such as your résumé, work history, certifications, and references when you apply for a position.

We also automatically collect limited technical information when you visit the site, such as your IP address, browser type, device type, the pages you view, and the site that referred you. This information is collected through cookies and similar technologies as described below.

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to your questions, billing inquiries, and address correction requests.
• Process payments you make toward your account.
• Review and respond to employment applications.
• Operate, maintain, and improve the website and understand how visitors use it.
• Protect the security of the website and our systems, and comply with legal obligations.

South Texas Emergency Care Foundation is a healthcare provider covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Health information we receive in the course of providing patient care, including information you submit through our billing forms, is protected health information and is handled in accordance with our Notice of Privacy Practices, which describes your rights under HIPAA and how we may use and disclose your health information.

This website Privacy Policy applies to information collected through the website itself. Where the two documents overlap, our Notice of Privacy Practices governs the handling of protected health information. You can read our Notice of Privacy Practices (PDF), or request a copy by contacting us using the information below.

Please do not submit sensitive medical details through the general contact form. For questions about a specific patient encounter, use the billing forms or contact our office directly.

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in the following circumstances:

• With service providers who help us operate the website and process your requests, including our secure form provider (Jotform), our payment processor (Stripe), our website hosting provider, and our analytics provider. These providers are permitted to use your information only to perform services on our behalf.
• When required by law, subpoena, or court order, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
• With your consent or at your direction.

This website uses Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site, such as which pages are visited and which links are clicked. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about your visit in an aggregated, non-identifying form. Google Analytics only runs after you accept analytics cookies in our cookie banner, and you can change your choice at any time using the cookie preferences icon in the corner of the page. You can also opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on or by adjusting your browser's cookie settings.

Our embedded forms and payment fields are provided by third parties and may set their own cookies necessary for the form to function and to protect against fraud and spam.

All traffic to and from this website is encrypted using HTTPS. Form submissions are transmitted to and stored by a provider that supports HIPAA-compliant handling of health information, and access to submissions is limited to authorized STEC staff. Payment card details are handled by a PCI DSS compliant payment processor and never touch our servers.

No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. While we take reasonable measures to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain information submitted through this website for as long as needed to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, to comply with applicable legal, regulatory, and record-keeping requirements, and to resolve disputes. Billing records are retained in accordance with federal and state healthcare record retention requirements.

This website may contain links to other websites, including Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance carrier sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.

This website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children through the website. If you believe a child has provided us information through the website, please contact us so we can remove it.

You may contact us at any time to ask what information we hold about you from your use of this website, to request a correction, or to ask that it be deleted where we are not required to keep it. Rights regarding your protected health information are described in our Notice of Privacy Practices.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent revision. Continued use of the website after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices may be directed to South Texas Emergency Care Foundation, Inc. at 1705 Vermont St., Harlingen, TX 78550, by phone at (956) 364-2711, or by email at info@stec-ems.org.