Thank you for visiting the AHRQ Health Care Innovations Web site and for reviewing our Privacy Policy.
This Web site is maintained as a public service to provide information to speed the implementation of new and better ways of delivering health care by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
We collect
no personal information about you when you visit our Web site unless you choose to provide that information to us.
Information Automatically Collected and Stored
When you browse through any Web site, read pages, or download information, certain information about your visit can be collected. We automatically collect and temporarily store the following information about your visit, but this information does not identify you personally:
- The name of the domain you use to access the Internet (for example, aol.com, if you are using an America Online account, or stanford.edu, if you are connecting from Stanford University's domain).
- The type of browser and operating system you use to access our site.
- The date and time of your visit.
- The pages you visited.
- The address of the Web site you came from, if you were referred from another site.
We use this information for statistics on the traffic to our site, to find out about general user interest in various areas of our site, and to help us make our site more useful to visitors.
We track the keywords that are entered into our search engine and the browse terms used to measure interest in specific topics, but we do not monitor which terms a particular user enters.
No additional information is collected about your visit, and we do not record information about individual behavior or use of the site.
Web Measurement and Customization
We use web measurement and customization technologies, such as cookies, to help our website function better for visitors and to better understand how the public is using our website. A cookie is a small text file automatically placed on your computer.
We use Foresee to measure satisfaction of our visitors through optional surveys presented to our visitors. The information gathered from these surveys is used to identify and prioritize improvements to our Web site. Survey users provide ratings and feedback related to a series of questions about Web site performance, aesthetics, usability, user experience, and so forth. Users are not asked to provide any personal information. Session cookies are used to remember if the user has already been offered the survey. These cookies are deleted at the end of the session. This use of session cookies is defined as "Tier 1" usage in accordance with the OMB Memorandum (M)-10-22
Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies.
We use Google Analytics to collect and aggregate the information collected on this site. This information helps us learn how visitors get to the site, what words or phrases users searching for, how long they are on the site, and other data that helps us improve the Web site. Because these cookies last for more than one browsing session, they are called multi-session cookies or persistent cookies. This information is available only to web managers and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. It is retained only for as long as needed for proper analysis. Google Analytics multi-session cookies do not collect PII. These multi-session cookies are set to expire two years after your last visit to our website. After two years, they are automatically deleted from your computer. This use of multi-session cookies is defined as "Tier 2" usage in accordance with the OMB Memorandum (M)-10-22
Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies.
The Community Forum on this site can be viewed by all visitors. If you choose to participate, you will need to create an account. Account registration requires you to provide some personally identifiable information (PII); specifically your name and E-mail address. You have the option to provide other PII. We use cookies to maintain your login information. Because these cookies can last for more than one browsing session, they are called multi-session cookies or persistent cookies. If you close your account the account information will be destroyed within 12 months. This use of multi-session cookie that store PII is defined as "Tier 3" usage in accordance with the OMB Memorandum (M)-10-22
Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies.
The
My Innovations section on this site allows users to create a collection of content of interest to them personally. Users can also choose to receive emails alerting them to new content in their topics of choice. If you choose to participate, you will need to create an account. Account registration requires you to provide some personally identifiable information (PII); specifically your E-mail address. We use cookies to maintain your login information. If you check “Remember Me” when you login, your cookies will be kept beyond your session; this allows you to maintain your login identity to your next visit. Because these cookies can last for more than one browsing session, they are called multi-session cookies or persistent cookies. If you close your account the account information will be destroyed within 12 months. This use of multi-session cookie that store PII is defined as "Tier 3" usage in accordance with the OMB Memorandum (M)-10-22
Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies.
Cookies are enabled by default to optimize Web site functionality and customize user experience. Users can choose to block the use of these cookies by changing the settings on their local computer's web browser. Blocking cookies on your computer will not affect your access to the content of this site. Instructions on how to opt out are available on USA.gov
http://www.usa.gov/optout_instructions.shtml.
Personally Provided Information
You do not need to provide personal information to visit our Web site.
If you choose to provide us with additional information about yourself through an E-mail message, form, survey, etc., we use that information only to respond to your message or to fulfill the stated purpose of the communication. The information provided is handled on a confidential basis within the Agency. However, E-mail is not necessarily secure against interception. If your message is sensitive, you may prefer to send it by postal mail instead.
All communications to the Web site mailbox and customer feedback form are archived on a monthly basis, and destroyed on an annual basis.
Third-Party Web Sites
To reach beyond our standard communication channels, the Innovations Exchange maintains accounts on third-party Web sites such as
YouTube 
and
Twitter . These sites are not owned or operated by the Government.
The privacy policies of these sites may differ from that of the Innovations Exchange. Third-party Web sites may share usage metrics with the Innovations Exchange for analysis. We do not collect any PII from those sites. However, if individuals try to use these third-party Web sites are used to communicate with the Innovations Exchange, they may be providing nongovernmental third-parties with access to PII.
To contact the Innovations Exchange, please email
info@innovations.ahrq.gov.
Disclosure
The Innovations Exchange does not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about our visitors, unless required by law enforcement or statute.
Intrusion Detection
For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, we employ software programs to monitor traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Such attempts are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.
Systems of Records
Electronically submitted information is maintained and destroyed according to the principles of the Federal Records Act and regulations and guidance from the National Archives and Records Administration, and in some cases may be subject to the Privacy Act. If information that you submit is to be used in a Privacy Act system of records, there will be a Privacy Act Notice provided.
Links to Other Sites
Our Web site has links to other Federal agencies. We also have selected links to other Web resources. The privacy policy described here does not necessarily apply to those other sites. Once you link to another site, you are subject to the privacy policy of that site.
September 19, 2012
