Effective: October 6, 2014
Welcome to the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) website. Your personal privacy is one of our top priorities. The purpose of this statement is to provide you, the user, with notice of what information we collect on this website, what we do with the information, to whom it may be disseminated, and how you can access it. The following statement applies only to the use of CHIA’s website. Based on this information, you can make a decision about your use of this website.
As you navigate CHIA’s website, you will see links that, when clicked, will take you to other websites operated by state agencies. These websites have individual privacy policies tailored to the interactions available through each site. You may also see links that will take you to websites external to Massachusetts state government. In particular, please note that although social media pages used by CHIA may appear to be part of this website or a webpage under this website’s control, such sites are actually hosted by a third-party provider. Thus, when visiting these third-party social media sites, you are subject to different privacy policies and terms of service. We strongly suggest that you read the privacy policies for each Commonwealth website that you visit, and any external site that you visit through a link appearing at this website.
Additionally, some links on CHIA’s website will bring the user to INET, CHIA’s data collection and reporting web application. INET allows individuals and data reporting entities to submit data files (encrypted and/or unencrypted files) to CHIA in accordance with applicable statutes and regulations. Filers must register with CHIA as an INET user and must complete a User Agreement. We strongly encourage INET users to read the User Agreement and the applicable regulation governing a particular data reporting requirement. Further, certain links on CHIA’s website will bring users to webpages related to data collected by CHIA. When applicable, users may request such data pursuant to a Public Records Request or, in the alternative, may request such data pursuant to applicable CHIA statutes and regulations, and any related application process, subject to any data release criteria established therein. We strongly encourage users requesting data to familiarize themselves with the data request and/or application process governing such request as described on the relevant webpage(s).
Your privacy with respect to the use of CHIA’s website results from a partnership between the Commonwealth and you, the user. At this website, we attempt to protect your privacy to the maximum extent possible. However, because some of the information that we receive through this website is subject to the Public Records Law, Massachusetts General Laws c. 66, § 10, we cannot ensure absolute privacy. Therefore, information that you send to us through this site may be subject to disclosure to members of the public under the Public Records Law.
You can maximize the benefits of your privacy partnership with the Commonwealth by making informed decisions about whether to share personally identifiable information with us through this website.
We use the term “personally identifiable information” to mean any information that could reasonably be used to identify you, including your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, Social Security number, birth date, driver’s license number or state-issued identification card, bank account information, credit card information, or any combination of information that could be used to identify you.
This website collects voluntary information from you through surveys, e-mails, and any comments posted on social media pages hosted by this website (such as blogs or wikis hosted by CHIA). All such information, including comments and e-mails sent by you to this site will contain personally identifiable information.
This website employs the use of “Persistent Cookies” (see Glossary for list of defined terms). The purpose of these Persistent Cookies is to collect and aggregate data regarding the site’s visitor activity in order for CHIA’s to continuously evaluate and improve its website services. You may elect to disable the Persistent Cookies. Please be advised that disabling the Persistent Cookies may affect your ability to view or interact with this website.
This site collects and stores your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address (which does not identify you as an individual or entity) indefinitely, as well as information about the date and time of your visit, whether a file you have requested exists, and how many “bytes” of information were transmitted to you over the Web from this site. We use your IP address to assess the frequency of visits to this site and the popularity of its various pages and functions. We will not attempt to match any personally identifiable information that you provide to us with your IP address, unless there are reasonable grounds to believe that doing so would provide information that is relevant and material to a criminal investigation. The one exception is that when you fill out information on a third-party online form on this website (e.g., Formstack online forms), we receive your IP address along with this submission. We do not use this form-related IP address information unless it may be relevant and material to a criminal investigation.
In addition, we use a tool called Google Analytics™ to collect information about use of this site. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit this site, what pages they visit when they do so, and what other sites they used prior to coming to this site. We use the information from Google Analytics only to improve this site. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit this site, rather than your name or other identifying information. We do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with personally identifiable information. Although Google Analytics plants a Persistent Cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit this site, the cookie cannot be used by anyone but Google.
Google recently released Universal Analytics™ as an upgrade to and eventual replacement of Google Analytics. Universal Analytics is Google’s new operating standard for website data collection, reporting and tracking. It uses a new tracking method that utilizes a single cookie which assigns a unique, but not personally identifying, visitor ID that allows tracking of the same user between multiple devices and browsers and is able to import data from online and offline devices. The transition from Google Analytics to Universal Analytics is expected to occur gradually over time until all users switch over or are otherwise auto-transferred to the new analytics platform at which time Google Analytics is expected to be phased out and/or no longer supported.
Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to this site is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use and the Google Privacy Policy. The Google Analytics Terms of Use are available online at http://www.google.com/analytics/tos.html. The Google Privacy Policy is available online at http://www.google.com/privacypolicy.html. Information about Universal Analytics is available at Universal Analytics Upgrade Guide and its related Frequently Asked Questions. You can prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you on return visits to this site by disabling cookies on your browser. However, Universal Analytics will allow tracking even when cookies are disabled.
This site also uses a survey tool called ForeSee™ provided by ForeSee Results. ForeSee collects voluntary information from you through surveys posted at this website. Surveys may collect personally identifiable information you voluntarily submit, such as name, e-mail address or phone number, so that we may contact you for follow up to your question, concern or recommendation. We use the information we get from ForeSee only to improve this site. ForeSee also collects data such as browser information, operating system, and page views through the implementation of session cookies. We do not combine the information collected through the use of ForeSee with any other personally identifiable information not voluntarily provided by you through your survey responses. Although ForeSee plants a Persistent Cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit this site, the cookie cannot be used by anyone but ForeSee Results. ForeSee Results’ ability to use and share information collected by ForeSee about your visits to this site is restricted by the ForeSee Results’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The ForeSee Results’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy are available online at http://www.foresee.com. You can opt out of ForeSee collecting information via the survey by declining to participate in the survey when the invitation pops up on the site. If you do opt out of completing the survey or you have completed a survey, ForeSee uses a Persistent Cookie so that it does not offer the survey to you again when you revisit this website. You may prevent ForeSee from using Persistent Cookies by disabling cookies on your browser. Disabling cookies will in turn prevent ForeSee from recognizing you on return visits and thus ForeSee may present you with the survey questionnaire upon a return visit since it will not have any means to recognize that you’ve opted out on a previous visit.
Online forms may be provided by Formstack, a third party-service. When you use this service, your form submission is securely made to Formstack and stored there. Form submissions are then transmitted to our agency. CHIA staff will delete form submissions from Formstack when there is no longer any administrative need to retain them there. Formstack only uses your form submissions for internal purposes and the data is considered private. Formstack will not distribute or sell your information to a third party unless required by law or a valid government request. Formstack may also share information if it is acquired by or merged with another company. Please see the Formstack privacy policy at http://www.formstack.com/privacy.
We do not sell any personally identifiable information collected through this website or submitted to the Commonwealth in conjunction with using functions on the website, and there is no direct or online public access to the information. However, once you voluntarily submit personally identifiable information to us related to your use of this website, its dissemination is governed by the Public Records Law, the Fair Information Practices Act (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 66A), and other applicable laws and regulations. For this reason, part or all of the information you send us may be provided to a member of the public in response to a public records request. There are types of information, such as credit card numbers, TIN, username, or password that are exempt from disclosure by the Fair Information Practices Act. For more information on types of data that are exempt from disclosure under the Public Records Law, please read the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Public Records Law.
Information that you submit voluntarily through third-party social media sites where such sites are associated with CHIA, such as CHIA’s Twitter handle (@Mass_CHIA), and when such information is publically available, including your name, city, town and the substance of anything that you post may be disseminated further by being posted online at this website or be publicly discussed by a member of this Office. In addition to social media postings, any e-mails or other communication you send us may be provided to a member of the public in response to a public records request.
In addition, the information that you voluntarily submit through e-mails will be disclosed only to CHIA and other Commonwealth employees or officials, or those under contract with the Commonwealth, with a “need to know” for purposes of fulfilling their job responsibilities. The information will be used for such purposes as answering your questions, responding to any requests for assistance, generating summary statistics about usage, auditing applications and detecting fraud, aiding in the planning, design and development of CHIA’s website, the Mass.Gov website, and fulfilling the Commonwealth’s legal obligations.
The Public Records Law and the Fair Information Practices Act provide you certain rights to get information about you that is in our records. To learn more about the circumstances under which you can obtain and correct this information, please click on the above references to these laws.
Because information sent to the Commonwealth is typically not encrypted, except as otherwise provided, you should not send messages containing information that you consider highly sensitive to this website. In accordance with M.G.L. c. 93H, and other applicable state or federal laws and regulations, standard security measures are used to ensure that information provided by you, including your personally identifiable information, is not lost, misused, altered, or unintentionally destroyed. Software to monitor network traffic is used to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise cause damage to this site. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits.
CHIA will post changes to this Privacy Statement at least thirty (30) days before any such changes take effect. Any information CHIA collects under the current statement will remain subject to the terms of this statement. After any such changes take effect, all new information collected, if any, will be subjected to the terms of the new statement.
You may contact this office with inquiries regarding your privacy while using this website. All inquiries should be directed to:
Chief Information Officer
Center for Health Information and Analysis
501 Boylston Street, Suite 5100
Boston, MA 02116
617-701-8100 (voice)
617-727-7662 (fax)
617-701-8175 (TTY)
While CHIA strives to make the information on this website as timely and accurate as possible, CHIA makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this website and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this site. No warranty of any kind, implied, express or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third-party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to this website or is links to other Internet resources.
The information appearing on this website is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal, financial, health care or other advice to any individual or entity.
In any situation where the official printed publications of CHIA or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts differ from the text contained in this site (or its links to other Commonwealth website sources), the official printed publications take precedence.
Reference in CHIA’s website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by CHIA.
Cookies are files that a website can place on your computer. A cookie file contains unique information that a website can use to track such things as your password, lists of webpages you have visited, and the date when you last looked at a specific webpage, or to identify your session at a particular website. A cookie file allows the website to recognize you as you click through pages on the site and when you later revisit the site. A website can use cookies to “remember” your preferences, and to record your browsing behavior on the Web. Although you can prevent websites from placing cookies on your computer by using your browser’s preference menu, disabling cookies may affect your ability to view or interact with some websites.
An IP address is a series of numbers that identifies each computer and machine connected to the Internet. An IP address enables a server on a computer network to send you the file that you have requested on the Internet. The IP address disclosed to us may identify the computer from which you are accessing the Internet, or a server owned by your Internet Service Provider. Because it is machine-specific, rather than person-specific, an IP address is not, in and of itself, personally identifiable information.
Persistent cookies are cookies stored on a computer indefinitely so that a website can identify the user during subsequent visits.
A social media website is a website or a social media application that is usually maintained by an individual or entity and has regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. A social media identity is a specific user identity that has been registered on a third-party social media site and is associated with the Agency. Government social media sites or identities typically provide forums for commentary or news on topics related to the government agency that hosts the social media site or has secured the social media identity. A typical social media site (whether hosted by the Agency or a third party) combines text, images, and links to other websites including blogs, wikis, and other media related to the topic and enables readers to leave comments in an interactive format.
A weblog or blog is a website, usually maintained by an individual or entity with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Government blogs typically provide commentary and news on topics related to the government agency hosting the blog. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, webpages, and other media related to the topic, and enables readers to leave comments in an interactive format.
A widget is an element in a graphical user interface that displays information or provides a specific way for a user to interact with the operating system and application such as icons, search boxes, clocks, calculators, menus and buttons.
A wiki is a website that uses collaboration software to enable the creation of a number of interlinked webpages. Many authors can contribute to the website and upload content to the site. Government wikis typically provide a venue for commentary and discussion regarding topics related to the government agency hosting the wiki. A typical wiki combines text, images, and links to other webpages outside the wiki also related to the topic, and enables readers to leave comments in an interactive format.
