At Podiatry Group of Georgia, we are committed to protecting the privacy of our website visitors and patients. This Cookie Policy explains how we use cookies, tracking pixels, and similar technologies when you visit our website at podiatrygroupofgeorgia.com. It also outlines your rights to control our use of these technologies, particularly regarding Protected Health Information (PHI) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
HIPAA & Patient Privacy Compliance
As a healthcare provider, we prioritize your medical privacy. In accordance with federal guidelines and HIPAA regulations regarding the use of online tracking technologies:
- No PHI Transmission: We do not deploy advertising pixels or retargeting trackers (such as the Meta/Facebook Pixel) on any scheduling or medical services pages. This ensures no Protected Health Information (PHI), such as appointments requested or symptoms searched, is transmitted to third-party marketing companies.
- Anonymized Diagnostics: While we use basic analytics cookies to monitor site performance and navigation traffic, we explicitly configure these tools to mask user IP addresses and ensure they do not capture patient names, contact details, or office consultation inputs.
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small data files placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used by website owners to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide reporting information. Cookies set by the website owner are called "first-party cookies." Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called "third-party cookies."
Cookies and Tracking Technologies We Use
Essential & Functional Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features, such as securing forms and remembering your display preferences. Because these cookies are strictly necessary, you cannot refuse them without impacting how our website functions.
Analytics & Performance Cookies
We use aggregate analytics (such as Google Analytics) to understand how visitors interact with our website, helping us improve the user experience. All analytics data is anonymized and stripped of personally identifiable health info. We strictly configure these tools to ensure no patient search terms or medical consultation inquiries are tracked or stored.
Third-Party Scheduler Cookies
Our appointment booking buttons link to secure third-party schedulers (Zocdoc for medical consultations and Square for spa appointments). These external platforms utilize their own necessary cookies to process and confirm bookings securely. These platforms comply with industry standards for protecting your data.
How Can You Control Cookies?
You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can set or amend your web browser controls to accept or refuse cookies. If you choose to reject cookies, you may still use our website, though your access to some functionality and areas of our website may be restricted. Since the ways in which you can refuse cookies through your web browser controls vary from browser to browser, you should visit your browser's help menu for more information.
Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time in response to changing legal, technical, or business developments, particularly in accordance with updated HHS/OCR (Office for Civil Rights) guidelines on healthcare tracking technologies. When we update our Cookie Policy, we will take appropriate measures to inform you, consistent with the significance of the changes we make.
Contact Us & Privacy Questions
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or other tracking technologies, or if you have specific questions regarding HIPAA compliance at our office, please call our office directly at 404-806-3731.