This policy explains how River’s Bend, P.C. uses cookies and similar technologies on riversbendpc.com. It should be read together with the River’s Bend Website Privacy Policy and Notice of Privacy Practices.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored by your browser or device. Websites may use cookies and related technologies, such as tags, pixels, local storage, or similar tools, to provide functionality, remember preferences, improve performance, and measure website usage.

Categories of Technologies

Essential technologies

These technologies support core website functions such as security, form protection, load balancing, accessibility, and basic site operation. The website may not function properly without them.

Preference technologies

These technologies may remember settings or choices that improve your experience, such as language or display preferences.

Analytics technologies

When enabled, analytics technologies help River’s Bend understand general website traffic, page performance, and how visitors interact with public website content. Analytics tools must be configured so that protected health information is not impermissibly disclosed.

Advertising or campaign measurement technologies

If River’s Bend uses advertising or campaign measurement tools, they must be configured consistently with health privacy requirements. River’s Bend does not permit advertising platforms to receive protected health information from treatment inquiry forms, appointment requests, patient communications, or other contexts where the transmission would be an impermissible disclosure.

Your Cookie Choices

When a consent mechanism is available, visitors should be able to accept non-essential technologies, reject non-essential technologies, or adjust cookie settings. Browser settings may also allow you to delete or block cookies. Blocking certain technologies may affect website functionality.

Health Privacy and Tracking Technologies

Because River’s Bend is a behavioral health provider, website tracking technologies require special care. A visitor’s interaction with treatment-related pages, forms, or appointment requests may create information that is protected by HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, or other privacy laws depending on the circumstances. A general cookie banner does not itself authorize disclosure of protected health information.

River’s Bend should maintain technical controls designed to prevent non-essential analytics or advertising tools from receiving protected health information, and should use Business Associate Agreements when required for vendors that create, receive, maintain, or transmit PHI on River’s Bend’s behalf.

Cookie Retention

Cookie duration varies by technology. Some cookies expire when you close your browser, while others remain for a defined period unless deleted sooner. River’s Bend should configure retention periods to be no longer than reasonably necessary for the stated purpose.

Changes to This Policy

River’s Bend may update this Cookie and Tracking Technologies Policy when website technologies or privacy requirements change. The Last Updated date will be revised when changes are posted.

Contact

Troy Office 550 Stephenson Highway, Suite 200 Troy, MI 48083 (248) 585-3239 Fax: (248) 616-9759

West Bloomfield Office 7125 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 110 West Bloomfield, MI 48322 (248) 702-6132 Fax: (248) 702-6133

Email: [email protected]  |  Website: www.riversbendpc.com

Implementation Note Before Publication

A written cookie policy does not create a cookie consent mechanism. River’s Bend should implement a consent-management platform or equivalent technical control that blocks non-essential tags until the user’s choice is recorded, supports Reject Non-Essential and Cookie Settings options, and is tested against Google Tag Manager, analytics, advertising tags, embedded media, and form pages. The website configuration must match the statements in this policy before publication.