Privacy Policy

Lone Star Vein Institute ("we," "our," or "us"), located in Georgetown, Texas, is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at lonestarvein.com or interact with our clinic. Please read this policy carefully. If you disagree with its terms, please discontinue use of our site.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

When you fill out a contact form, request an appointment, or communicate with us through our website, we may collect:

• Full name and contact information (phone number, email address)
• Health-related information you voluntarily share, such as symptoms or insurance provider
• Information about how you heard about our practice
• Any other information you choose to include in a message or form submission

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through standard web technologies, including:

• IP address and general geographic location
• Browser type and device information
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Referring website or search terms that brought you to our site
• Website usage data collected via Google Analytics 4

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to appointment requests and inquiries
• To communicate with you about your care, appointments, and treatment options
• To verify insurance eligibility when applicable
• To improve our website content and user experience
• To send appointment reminders or follow-up communications (with your consent)
• To comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements
• To analyze website traffic and understand how visitors use our site

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

Protected Health Information (PHI)

Any health-related information you share with Lone Star Vein Institute in the context of receiving medical care is considered Protected Health Information (PHI) and is governed by our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, which is incorporated herein by reference. Please review our HIPAA Notice for detailed information about how your medical information is used and disclosed, and your rights regarding that information.

Information submitted through our website contact forms prior to establishing a patient relationship is treated with strict confidentiality but may not yet be subject to HIPAA protections until a formal patient-provider relationship is established.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and analyze site traffic. Specifically:

• Google Analytics 4: We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics collects anonymized data including page views, session duration, and traffic sources. This data is aggregated and does not personally identify individual visitors. You may opt out of Google Analytics tracking by visiting Google's opt-out page.
• Functional Cookies: Some cookies are essential for the website to function properly, such as remembering form entries during a session.

You may disable cookies in your browser settings; however, doing so may affect the functionality of certain features on our site.

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may process data on our behalf:

• Formspree: Used to process appointment request form submissions. Data submitted through our contact forms is transmitted to Formspree's servers and then forwarded to our clinic email. Formspree's privacy policy is available at formspree.io.
• Google Analytics: Website traffic analytics. Google's privacy policy governs data collected through this service.
• Hostinger: Our website hosting provider. Hostinger may collect server-level data in accordance with their privacy policy.

Data Security

We implement appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. While we take reasonable steps to secure your information, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

If you have reason to believe that your personal information has been compromised, please contact us immediately at info@lonestarvein.com.

Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

Links to Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.

Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• The right to access and receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• The right to request correction of inaccurate information
• The right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions
• The right to opt out of marketing communications at any time
• The right to request that we limit our use of your information

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information below. For rights related specifically to your medical records and protected health information, please refer to our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

Texas Privacy Law

Lone Star Vein Institute operates in the State of Texas and complies with all applicable Texas state privacy laws, including the Texas Medical Records Privacy Act, which provides additional protections for health information beyond federal HIPAA requirements.