Privacy Policy

Pacific Bone & Joint | Paul N. Morton, MD

Last updated: October 4, 2026

Pacific Bone & Joint respects your privacy. This Website Privacy Policy explains how information may be collected, used, disclosed, and protected when you visit our websites or communicate with us through website-based services.

1. Scope of This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through websites operated by or on behalf of Pacific Bone & Joint, including pacificboneandjoint.com and related Pacific Bone & Joint web properties that link to this policy.

This Website Privacy Policy is separate from Pacific Bone & Joint's Notice of Privacy Practices.

If you become a patient, certain information that Pacific Bone & Joint creates, receives, or maintains about your healthcare may constitute protected health information ("PHI") under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") and other applicable laws.

PHI maintained as part of your medical record is governed by our Notice of Privacy Practices and applicable law rather than solely by this Website Privacy Policy.

Nothing in this Website Privacy Policy is intended to modify or replace our Notice of Privacy Practices.

2. Information You Provide to Us

You may voluntarily provide information to Pacific Bone & Joint when you:

• request an appointment;
• submit a contact form;
• request information about a treatment or service;
• communicate with our office;
• request a second opinion;
• register for a patient service;
• submit insurance or scheduling information;
• upload documents or images through an authorized patient platform; or
• otherwise interact with a website feature.

Depending on the service, information you provide may include:

• name;
• telephone number;
• email address;
• date of birth;
• preferred location;
• preferred appointment date or time;
• reason for your visit;
• insurance information;
• communication preferences;
• information contained in a message you submit; and
• other information you choose to provide.

Please provide only the information reasonably necessary for us to respond to your request.

3. Medical Information and Website Forms

Website forms, ordinary email, and standard text messaging may not be appropriate for detailed or highly sensitive medical information unless the communication occurs through a specifically designated secure healthcare platform.

Do not use a general website contact form to send information that is not necessary to schedule an appointment or respond to your inquiry.

When information you submit becomes part of your medical record, its subsequent use and disclosure may be governed by HIPAA, Hawaiʻi law, our Notice of Privacy Practices, and other applicable requirements.

4. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information may be collected automatically by our website, hosting provider, analytics providers, security services, or other technology vendors.

This information may include:

• Internet Protocol ("IP") address;
• browser type;
• device type;
• operating system;
• referring website;
• pages viewed;
• approximate geographic region;
• date and time of access;
• time spent on particular pages;
• links or buttons selected;
• general navigation patterns;
• website errors;
• form interactions; and
• other technical information regarding website use.

This information helps us maintain, secure, understand, and improve our websites.

5. Website Analytics

Pacific Bone & Joint may use website analytics services such as Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors find and use our websites.

Analytics information may include:

• pages viewed;
• approximate geographic location derived from an IP address;
• device and browser information;
• referring source;
• time spent on pages;
• navigation through the site; and
• certain website interactions or conversion events.

For example, analytics systems may record events such as:

• selecting a telephone-number link;
• selecting an appointment button;
• submitting a website form;
• visiting a scheduling page;
• reaching an appointment-confirmation page; or
• interacting with educational content.

Analytics information is primarily used to understand website performance and improve the experience for visitors.

We do not intentionally send medical diagnoses, treatment details, medical-record information, or other information we consider protected health information to general-purpose website analytics providers.

6. Microsoft Clarity and Website Experience Analytics

Pacific Bone & Joint may use Microsoft Clarity or similar website-experience tools to better understand how visitors use our websites.

These tools may provide aggregated or pseudonymous information regarding website interaction, such as:

• pages visited;
• scrolling behavior;
• navigation paths;
• clicks or taps;
• device and browser characteristics; and
• general website usability patterns.

These tools may use cookies or similar technologies.

Where session-replay or similar functionality is used, we endeavor to configure website tools so that information entered into sensitive fields is masked, excluded, or otherwise protected as appropriate.

These technologies are used to identify website problems, improve usability, and better understand how visitors interact with the website.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small files or identifiers that a website may store on your browser or device.

Our websites may use cookies and similar technologies for several purposes.

Essential and Functional Technologies

These technologies may be used to:

• maintain website functionality;
• remember user preferences;
• maintain security;
• prevent malicious or automated activity; and
• provide requested website features.

Analytics Technologies

Analytics cookies may be used to distinguish visits, understand website traffic, and measure how visitors interact with different pages or features.

Advertising and Measurement Technologies

Pacific Bone & Joint may use advertising, attribution, or conversion-measurement technologies in connection with online marketing campaigns.

These technologies may help us understand whether an advertisement resulted in a website visit, telephone call, appointment inquiry, or other interaction.

We do not intend to use advertising technologies to disclose medical-record information or protected health information to advertising platforms.

8. Your Choices Regarding Cookies

You can generally control or delete cookies through your browser settings.

Depending upon your browser and device, you may be able to:

• block cookies;
• delete stored cookies;
• restrict third-party cookies;
• limit tracking; or
• use privacy or tracking-prevention features.

Blocking certain technologies may affect some website functionality.

Google also provides tools that allow users to opt out of certain Google Analytics tracking.

Browser privacy settings, global privacy signals, and similar technologies continue to evolve. We may update our practices as applicable requirements and available technologies change.

9. Website Hosting and Security Services

Our websites may use third-party hosting, content-delivery, domain-management, security, and infrastructure providers.

These providers may automatically receive technical information necessary to deliver and secure a website, including IP addresses, browser information, requested pages, timestamps, and security-related information.

For example, services such as Cloudflare or similar infrastructure providers may process technical information for purposes such as:

• delivering website content;
• improving website speed;
• identifying malicious traffic;
• preventing denial-of-service attacks;
• detecting automated activity; and
• maintaining website security.

Their handling of information may also be governed by their own privacy policies and service agreements.

10. Appointment Scheduling and Patient Communication Services

Pacific Bone & Joint may use third-party healthcare communication or scheduling services to manage appointment requests and communicate with patients.

These may include platforms used for:

• appointment scheduling;
• secure messaging;
• telephone communication;
• text messaging;
• intake forms;
• appointment reminders;
• patient registration;
• document exchange; or
• other patient communications.

If you are redirected from our website to a patient-communication or scheduling platform, information submitted through that service may be governed by that provider's privacy terms as well as agreements between that provider and Pacific Bone & Joint.

Where required, healthcare vendors that handle protected health information on our behalf are expected to operate under applicable privacy and security requirements.

11. Email, Telephone, and Text Communications

If you provide your email address or telephone number, we may use it to respond to your inquiry or communicate with you regarding matters such as:

• appointment requests;
• scheduling;
• office information;
• treatment-related communications;
• administrative matters; or
• services you have requested.

Email and ordinary SMS text messaging may not always be encrypted.

By requesting communication through a particular method, you acknowledge the inherent privacy limitations of that communication method.

You may ask us to use a different reasonable communication method when available.

12. How We Use Website Information

Information collected through our websites may be used to:

• respond to inquiries;
• process appointment requests;
• communicate with patients or prospective patients;
• provide requested information;
• operate our websites;
• improve website content and usability;
• understand which services or educational materials are useful to visitors;
• measure marketing effectiveness;
• protect our websites from malicious activity;
• troubleshoot technical problems;
• comply with legal obligations; and
• support the administration of Pacific Bone & Joint.

We do not use general website analytics to make automated medical decisions about your diagnosis or treatment.

13. Disclosure of Information

Pacific Bone & Joint does not sell patient medical records.

Information collected through our websites may be shared with third parties when reasonably necessary to operate our websites or provide requested services.

Such parties may include:

• website hosting providers;
• cloud infrastructure providers;
• analytics providers;
• information-security providers;
• appointment and communication platforms;
• technology vendors;
• professional advisers;
• contractors providing services on our behalf; and
• governmental or legal authorities when disclosure is required by law.

We may also disclose information when reasonably necessary to:

• comply with lawful process;
• investigate fraud or security threats;
• protect the rights or property of Pacific Bone & Joint;
• protect the safety of patients, staff, visitors, or others; or
• enforce applicable agreements.

If website information becomes part of a patient's medical record, subsequent disclosures may be governed by our Notice of Privacy Practices and applicable law.

14. Sale of Personal Information

Pacific Bone & Joint does not sell patient medical information.

We do not knowingly sell information submitted through patient contact or appointment forms to third parties for their independent marketing purposes.

Certain digital advertising or analytics activities may be treated as "sharing," "targeted advertising," or a similar concept under some state privacy laws even when information is not exchanged for money.

We periodically evaluate our use of website technologies in light of evolving healthcare and privacy requirements.

15. Advertising

Pacific Bone & Joint may advertise its services through third-party platforms such as search engines, social-media platforms, healthcare directories, or other digital services.

We may use limited website-measurement technologies to determine whether an advertisement generated website traffic or an inquiry.

We do not intentionally provide advertising platforms with information from your medical record or information describing a specific diagnosis or course of medical treatment.

The privacy practices of advertising platforms are governed by their own policies.

16. Third-Party Websites and Embedded Content

Our websites may contain links to or embedded content from other organizations, including:

• hospitals;
• medical societies;
• medical journals;
• manufacturers;
• insurance organizations;
• financing companies;
• scheduling services;
• mapping services;
• video platforms;
• review platforms;
• social-media platforms; and
• other healthcare resources.

When you interact with a third-party service, that third party may collect information according to its own privacy policy.

Pacific Bone & Joint does not control and is not responsible for the privacy practices of unaffiliated third-party websites.

We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any external website you visit.

17. Online Videos and Educational Content

Some pages may contain embedded videos or other content hosted by third-party providers.

When you load or interact with embedded content, the provider may receive technical information such as your IP address, browser information, device information, and your interaction with the content.

When feasible, Pacific Bone & Joint may use privacy-enhanced embedding or similar features intended to reduce unnecessary tracking.

18. Security

Pacific Bone & Joint uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information we maintain.

Our websites are intended to use encrypted HTTPS connections when transmitting information between your browser and the website.

We also use technical and organizational controls intended to protect information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

However, no website, computer system, wireless network, email system, or electronic transmission method can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

For that reason, please do not submit unnecessary sensitive medical information through ordinary website forms or unsecured electronic communications.

19. Retention

Information collected through our websites is retained only as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, operational needs, security, legal obligations, dispute resolution, or other legitimate purposes.

Different categories of information may have different retention periods.

For example:

• server logs may be retained according to the schedule of our hosting or security provider;
• analytics information may be retained according to our analytics configuration and the policies of the analytics provider;
• communications may be retained as appropriate for administrative purposes; and
• information incorporated into a patient's medical record is retained according to healthcare record-retention requirements and our applicable policies.

We may modify retention periods as legal, operational, or technological requirements change.

20. Your Privacy Choices

Depending on the type of information involved and applicable law, you may be able to request that Pacific Bone & Joint:

• update inaccurate contact information;
• change your communication preferences;
• stop certain nonessential communications;
• answer questions regarding information you have submitted;
• address concerns regarding website privacy; or
• direct you to the appropriate process for exercising rights involving your medical record.

Rights involving protected health information are governed by our Notice of Privacy Practices and applicable healthcare privacy law.

21. Do Not Track and Browser Privacy Signals

Some browsers and devices transmit "Do Not Track," Global Privacy Control, or similar privacy preference signals.

Standards governing these technologies continue to evolve.

Where applicable law requires us to recognize a particular privacy signal, we will endeavor to do so.

Otherwise, you may control cookies and tracking technologies through your browser or device settings.

22. Children

Our websites are directed primarily toward adults seeking information regarding orthopedic healthcare.

We do not knowingly use our general website to solicit personal information directly from children under 13.

A parent or legal guardian may submit information on behalf of a minor for purposes such as requesting medical care.

Information relating to a minor who becomes a patient is handled in accordance with applicable healthcare privacy requirements.

23. International Visitors

Pacific Bone & Joint is located in Hawaiʻi, United States.

If you access our website from another country, information submitted through the website may be processed or stored in the United States or other jurisdictions in which our service providers operate.

Privacy laws in those jurisdictions may differ from the laws in your country.

Submitting a request from another country does not itself establish a physician-patient relationship or indicate that Pacific Bone & Joint is authorized to provide medical care in that jurisdiction.

24. Data Breaches and Security Incidents

If Pacific Bone & Joint becomes aware of a security incident involving information subject to legally mandated notification requirements, we will provide notice as required by applicable law.

Security incidents involving protected health information are handled in accordance with applicable HIPAA breach-notification requirements and other applicable law.

25. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may periodically update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in:

• our websites;
• services;
• technology;
• legal requirements;
• analytics practices;
• advertising practices; or
• privacy standards.

When this policy is updated, the "Last updated" date at the top of the page will be revised.

Material changes may also be identified on this page or communicated through other appropriate means.

26. Notice of Privacy Practices

This Website Privacy Policy addresses information associated primarily with use of our websites and online services.

Patients of Pacific Bone & Joint have additional privacy rights regarding protected health information.

Those rights are described in Pacific Bone & Joint's separate Notice of Privacy Practices, which is available from the practice and should also be made available through our website.

If there is a conflict between this Website Privacy Policy and our Notice of Privacy Practices concerning protected health information, the Notice of Privacy Practices and applicable law govern.

27. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Website Privacy Policy or our website privacy practices, please contact:

Pacific Bone & Joint
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Website: pacificboneandjoint.com

You may also contact our office using the contact information provided on our website.

For questions specifically regarding your medical record or HIPAA privacy rights, please contact Pacific Bone & Joint using the privacy contact information listed in our Notice of Privacy Practices.