Privacy Policy

Effective Date: May 2024

VITAS Healthcare and its affiliates (“Vitas”) are committed to protecting your privacy so we have developed privacy policies to protect the information we collect from you. We developed the Notice of Privacy Practices, which is provided to you in connection with our services and available on the Vitas Healthcare Web Site, to describe our privacy practices regarding your “Protected Health Information” as required under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and its regulations.

This Privacy Policy was drafted to comply with applicable laws and regulations and applies to the VITAS Healthcare Web site and the Vitas Healthcare mobile application (collectively, “Site”) and describes the types of information we may collect from you, or that you may provide when you visit the Site, use our services, or otherwise interact with us, and our practices for collecting and using that information.

By using the Site or our services, or by submitting information to us, you consent to the data practices described herein. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Privacy Policy by posting an updated version on the Site so that you are always aware of our process related to collection, use and disclosure of information. We urge you to occasionally check the Site for any updates to the Privacy Policy.

Collection of Information

Vitas may collect personally identifiable information (“Personal Information”) from you when you complete forms, navigate web pages, and in connection with other activities, services, features, or resources we make available. Personal Information means any information that is linked or reasonably linkable to an identified or identifiable natural person. Personal Information does not include publicly available information from government records, deidentified or aggregate information, or information excluded from the scope of applicable laws.

The types of Personal Information we may collect, use, store, and disclose include the following categories of information:

Vitas may, if necessary, collect more sensitive categories of Personal Information revealing: social security, driver’s license, state identification card, passport, account log-in, financial account, debit card, or credit card numbers, precise geolocation, racial or ethnic origin, , religious or philosophical beliefs, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation (“Sensitive Personal Information”). Any Sensitive Personal Information collected will only be used to the extent necessary to provide the Site and our services to you, or as otherwise permitted by applicable data privacy laws and regulations.

We may collect deidentified information from you that may not by itself reasonably identify you as the source when you navigate the Site, use our services, or otherwise interact with us (“Deidentified Information”). Deidentified Information may include: (i) device type, (ii) device operating system, (iii) internet browser type, (iv) internet service provider, (v) referring/exit pages, (vi) date/time stamp, and (vii) clickstream information. We will take reasonable measures to ensure that Deidentified Information we collect is not personally identifiable and may not later be easily used to identify you as required by applicable law.

How Vitas collects your Personal Information

The information Vitas collects depends on what you do when you visit or utilize the Site, use our services, or otherwise interact with us. Vitas collects Personal Information and Deidentified Information in various ways, including: 

Directly from You: Vitas collects Personal Information when you voluntarily submit Personal Information to us while completing forms on the Site and in connection with other activities, services, features, or resources we make available. The Personal Information we collect depends on what you do when you visit or utilize the Site, use our services, or how you choose to communicate with us.  

Through Your Use of the Site: Vitas may collect Personal Information and Deidentified Information that your browser transmits when you visit the Site, use our services, or otherwise interact with us. Vitas may also collect Deidentified Information about how you access and interact with the Site, use our services, or otherwise interact with us through the use of automated tracking technologies, such as session cookies, persistent cookies, and web beacons.

From Third Party Services: Vitas may collect Personal Information about you from third parties whose privacy practices may differ from the practices described in this Privacy Policy. Vitas does not make any representations or warranties concerning, and will not in any way be liable for, any informational content, products, services, software, or other materials available through third parties. Your use of third parties’ services and/or third party websites is governed by and subject to the terms and conditions of those third parties and/or third party websites. Vitas encourages you to carefully review the privacy policies and statements of such third parties and/or third party websites.

Use of your Personal Information

Vitas collects and uses your personal information to operate the Site, deliver the services you have requested, and help us respond to your inquiries, questions, requests, and support needs more efficiently. Vitas also uses your Personal Information to inform you of other products or services available from Vitas and its affiliates. Vitas may also contact you via surveys to conduct research about your opinion of current services or of potential new services that may be offered. If provided to Vitas, we may use your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, or other data to communicate with you. If Vitas sends you a marketing e-mail, the e-mail will include a link allowing you to opt-out of receiving future Vitas marketing e-mails. We may use your feedback to improve the Site and our services. All of this is done with the intention of making the Site and our services more useful for you. 

Vitas may use your Personal Information and Deidentified Information in the aggregate to analyze your browsing and usage activities and patterns in order to understand your interests and preferences with respect to the Site and our services. This will help us optimize your experience on the Site and our services.

Vitas may use your Personal Information and Deidentified Information to promote the safety and security of the service, our users, and other parties. For example, we may use the information to authenticate users, facilitate secure payments, protect against fraud and abuse, respond to a legal request or claim, conduct audits, and enforce our terms and policies.

Vitas may share data with trusted partners to help us perform statistical analysis, send you email or postal mail, provide customer support, or arrange for deliveries. All such third parties are prohibited from using your Personal Information except to provide these services to Vitas, and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.

Vitas does not use or disclose sensitive Personal Information, such as race, religion, or political affiliations, without your explicit consent.

Vitas keeps track of the web sites and pages our customers visit within Vitas, in order to determine what Vitas services are the most popular. This data is used to deliver customized content and advertising within Vitas to customers whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a particular subject area.

How Vitas discloses your Personal Information

Vitas may disclose your Personal Information to third parties for a business purpose as described below:

To Our Affiliates: Vitas may disclose your Personal Information to affiliates, including companies within the Vitas group.

To Service Providers: Vitas may disclose your Personal Information to third party service providers that assist us in providing user support, communicating with users, and promoting our services, as well as third party service providers that provide other services to us relating to our services and/or the Site.

Law Enforcement, Safety, and Legal Processes: Vitas may disclose your Personal Information to law enforcement or other government officials if it relates to a criminal investigation or alleged criminal activity. We may also disclose your Personal Information: (i) if required or permitted to do so by law; (ii) for fraud protection and credit risk reduction purposes; (iii) in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to protect our rights, interests, or property; (iv) in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to protect your safety or the safety of others; or (v) to comply with a judicial proceeding, court order, subpoena, or other similar legal or administrative process. Sale or Acquisition of Assets: If Vitas becomes involved in a transaction involving the sale of our assets, such as a merger or acquisition, or if Vitas is transferred to another company, Vitas may disclose and/or transfer your Personal Information as part of the transaction. If the surviving entity in that transaction is not us, the surviving company may use your Personal Information pursuant to its own privacy policies, and those policies may be different from this Privacy Policy.

Personal Information Vitas discloses

In the last twelve (12) months, we have disclosed the following categories of Personal Information to third parties for a business purpose: 

• Contact Information and Identifiers
• Professional or Employment-Related Information
• Internet Identifiers and Activities
• Geolocation Data
• Financial Information

Personal Information Vitas shares

VITAS may share your Personal Information to third parties for a business purpose, including operating the vitas.com site and delivering the services you have requested, subject to your right to opt-out of such sharing. In the past 12 months, VITAS has shared your Personal Information to the following categories of third parties: 

• Data analytics providers
• Advertisers and advertising networks
• Social media companies
• Internet cookie information recipients
• Affiliates
• Partners

“Sharing” shall mean the disclosure of personally identifiable Information for cross-context behavioral advertising. We also use your Personal Information to inform you of other products or services available from Vitas and its affiliates. We may also contact you via surveys to conduct research about your opinion of current services or of potential new services that may be offered. If provided to VITAS, we may use your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, or other data to communicate with you.

We keep track of the sites and pages our customers visit within VITAS, in order to determine what VITAS services are the most popular. This data is used to deliver customized content and advertising within VITAS to customers whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a particular subject area.

The table below shows which categories of Personal Information VITAS has disclosed to third parties for a business purpose in the past 12 months:

• Background Check Vendors
• Financial Institutions
• Benefits Vendors
• Payroll/Tax Vendors
• Government Agencies
• Employment Verification Vendors
• Advertisers and advertising networks
• Social Media companies
• Internet Cookie information recipients
• Affiliates
• Partners

Use of Cookies

The Site uses "cookies" to help you personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the web server that you have returned to a specific page. For example, if you personalize Site pages, or register with the Site or services, a cookie helps Vitas to recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of recording your Personal Information, such as billing addresses, shipping addresses, and so on. When you return to the Site, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use any Site features that you customized.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Please note that your ability to accept or decline cookies does not apply to certain cookies necessary to the functionality of the Site. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the Site.

Digital Advertising Alliance

Vitas participates in the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) and self-regulatory programs and adheres to the DAA Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising. Click here to learn more about the DAA.

Security of your Personal Information

Vitas takes reasonable industry standard precautions to keep the Site, its systems, and our services secure and to prevent Personal Information from being made available to unauthorized persons or entities. When Personal Information (such as name, email and phone number) is transmitted to Vitas, it is protected through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol. Despite instituting these standards, we cannot provide absolute assurances that the contents of messages and any confidential information you chose to send to us will be secure.

Children's Privacy

The Site is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We will never ask for or knowingly collect information from children and no part of the Site is intended to attract anyone under the age of 18. If you think we may have collected personal information from a child through the Site or use of our services, please contact us at webmaster@vitas.com so we can immediately delete any such information.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) (as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”)) grants you certain data privacy rights. Your rights include the:

• Access, request, and receive any Personal Information we have collected in the previous twelve (12) months in a portable manner;  
• Correct inaccurate any Personal Information about you that we maintain;
• Not be discriminated against by us for exercising any of your rights under the CCPA;
• Direct us to limit our use of your sensitive Personal Information to that use which is necessary to perform the services;
• Request that we delete your Personal Information (subject to certain exceptions); and
• Opt-out of your Personal Information being sold or shared.

Pursuant to California Civil Code Section 1798.83, users who are California residents can request certain information about the sharing of their own personal information with third parties for direct marketing purposes during the past year. The information which you have a right to receive includes the categories of personal information disclosed by us for direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year and the names of the companies that received such information. You are entitled to receive a copy of this information in a standardized format, and the information will not be specific to you individually. California residents can request this disclosure by sending a request to us using the contact information provided below or by utilizing the “Request Your Data” form available on the Site. Please provide sufficient information to allow us to identify you in our records.

California’s “Shine the Light” law permits users of our services that are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of Personal Information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please contact us at the Contact Information provided below.

To exercise any of these rights, please submit a Verifiable Consumer Request to us by:

• Calling 1-833-908-0225;
• Emailing consumer.privacy@vitas.com; or 
• Utilizing the “Request Your Data” form available on our website.

Only you or a person duly authorized to act on your behalf may make a Verifiable Consumer Request related to your Personal Information. You may also make a Verifiable Consumer Request on behalf of your minor child. You have the right to request access only twice in any 12-month period, but may opt-out of the sale of your Personal Information at any time. The Verifiable Consumer Request must (1) provide sufficient information that allows us to reasonably verify you are the person about whom we collected Personal Information or an authorized representative, and (2) describe your request with sufficient detail that allows us to properly understand, evaluate, and respond to it. We cannot respond to your request or provide you with Personal Information if we cannot verify your identity or authority to make the request and confirm the Personal Information relates to you. We will only use Personal Information provided in a Verifiable Consumer Request to verify the requestor’s identity or authority to make the request.

We will acknowledge receipt of a Verifiable Consumer Request within ten (10) days. We endeavor to respond to Verifiable Consumer Requests within forty-five (45) days of its receipt. If we require more time (up to ninety (90) days), we will inform you of the reason and extension period in writing. Any disclosures we provide will only cover the 12-month period preceding the Verifiable Consumer Request’s receipt. The response we provide will also explain the reasons we cannot comply with a request, if applicable.

We do not charge a fee to process or respond to Verifiable Consumer Requests, unless it is excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded. If we determine that the request warrants a fee, we will tell you why we made that decision and provide you with a cost estimate before completing your request.

We will not deny you the use of our services or provide you a different level or quality of service for exercising any of your CCPA rights.

Data Retention

Vitas will retain your Personal Information (including Sensitive Personal Information, where applicable) while you maintain an account with us or to the extent necessary to provide the services. Thereafter, we will keep your Personal Information for as long as reasonably necessary: (i) to respond to any queries from you; (ii) to demonstrate we treated you fairly; (iii) for ordinary business continuity procedures; or (iv) to comply with any applicable laws. We delete Personal Information within a reasonable period after we no longer need the information for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.

Do Not Track Disclosure

Some internet browsers may transmit “do-not-track” signals to websites with which the browser communicates. The Site does not currently respond to these “do-not-track” signals.

SPAM

Vitas does not participate in bulk email solicitations that you have not consented to receiving (i.e., “Spam”).  We do not sell or disclose customer lists or email address lists to unrelated third parties. Except as otherwise provided herein, we do not share Personal Information with any third party advertisers.

Third Party Links

The Site and our services may contain links to other websites or applications (“Linked Sites”) that are not owned by Vitas. We do not control the collection or use of any information, including Personal Information, which occurs while you visit Linked Sites. Therefore, we make no representations or warranties for —and will not in any way be liable for—any content, products, services, software, or other materials available on Linked Sites, even if one or more pages of the Linked Site are framed within a page of the Site. 

Furthermore, we make no representations or warranties about the privacy policies or practices of the Linked Sites, and Vitas is not responsible for the privacy practices of those Linked Sites. We encourage you to be aware of when you leave the Site and read the privacy policies of Linked Sites.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Vitas will occasionally update this Privacy Policy to reflect company and customer feedback. Vitas encourages you to periodically review this Privacy Policy to be informed of how Vitas is using your information.

Contact Information

Vitas welcomes your comments regarding this Privacy Policy. If you believe that Vitas has not adhered to this Privacy Policy, please contact VITAS Healthcare or by mail at: Corporate Marketing, VITAS Healthcare, 201 S. Biscayne Blvd, Ste. 400, Miami, FL 33131. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly determine and remedy the problem.