Privacy Policy & Legal Disclaimers

Medical Disclaimer

Interactive Tools Disclaimer

This website provides interactive health tools including, but not limited to, a Corrected Calcium Calculator, Symptom Tracker, and Bridge Battery research tool. These tools are provided for educational and informational purposes only and are NOT diagnostic tools. Results from these tools should NOT be used to make medical decisions. Always consult your healthcare provider for interpretation of any health data, lab results, or symptoms.

Product & Resource Recommendations

Any products, brands, organizations, or resources mentioned on this website, including but not limited to the Gift Guide and Resources pages, are personal recommendations based on the site owner's experience and opinion. Bari Gordon Vapnek does NOT receive any commission, affiliate income, referral fees, or compensation of any kind from any brand, product, or organization mentioned on this website. All recommendations are made in good faith and without financial incentive. All trademarks, brand names, and product names are the property of their respective owners.

Information We Collect

Information You Voluntarily Provide: When you use our interactive tools (Calcium Calculator, Bridge Battery, Symptom Tracker, Ask Bari, Faces of Hypopara), you may voluntarily submit information including your name, email address, health-related data (calcium levels, symptoms, daily experiences), and personal stories. This information is submitted at your discretion and is not required to browse the website.

Patient Portal Data: If you create a Patient Portal account, we collect your email address and a self-created PIN for authentication purposes. Your tool results (Calcium Calculator, Symptom Tracker, Bridge Battery) may be associated with your account for your convenience in tracking your health data over time.

Automatically Collected Information: Like most websites, we may automatically collect certain technical information including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and timestamps. This information is used for website analytics, security, and improving user experience.

Local Storage: Our interactive tools use your browser's local storage (localStorage) to save calculation history and tracker entries on your device for your convenience. This data remains on your device and is not transmitted to our servers unless you explicitly choose to submit it. You can clear this data at any time through your browser settings.

How We Use Your Information

Research & Advocacy: Anonymized and aggregated data from our research tools (Bridge Battery, Symptom Tracker) may be used to better understand the daily experience of living with hypoparathyroidism and to support advocacy efforts for improved patient care and treatment options.

Website Improvement: Technical and usage data helps us improve website functionality, user experience, and content relevance.

Communication: If you provide your email address through Ask Bari or other forms, we may use it to respond to your inquiry. We do not send unsolicited marketing emails.

Data Sharing & Third Parties

We do NOT sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We may share anonymized, aggregated data (which cannot identify you personally) for research and advocacy purposes. We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of this website, its users, or the public.

Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

HIPAA Notice

This website is NOT a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The health information you voluntarily submit through our tools and forms is NOT protected health information (PHI) under HIPAA. By using the interactive tools and submitting health-related data, you acknowledge that this information is provided voluntarily and is not subject to HIPAA protections. If you have concerns about sharing health information online, please consult with your healthcare provider.

Cookies & Tracking Technologies

This website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze website traffic, and understand user behavior. Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your web browser. You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences. Disabling cookies may affect certain website functionality.

External Links

This website contains links to external websites and resources operated by third parties, including but not limited to HypoParathyroidism News, The Assistance Fund, and various product and service providers. We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or accuracy of information on these external websites. The inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement of all content or services provided by the linked website. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external website you visit.

Children's Privacy

This website is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete such information.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, BARI GORDON VAPNEK AND THIS WEBSITE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM (A) YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE THIS WEBSITE; (B) ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THIS WEBSITE; (C) ANY CONTENT OBTAINED FROM THIS WEBSITE; OR (D) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, USE, OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR CONTENT.

Changes to This Policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy and Legal Disclaimers at any time without prior notice. Changes will be effective immediately upon posting to this page. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when this policy was last revised. Your continued use of this website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this website, or your dealings with this website, please contact us through the Ask Bari page.