Policies

About This Website

This website is produced by a team of writers, editors, illustrators, multimedia producers, information systems specialists, nurses, and doctors of the Mayfield Clinic. Our presence on the internet is a natural extension of Mayfield's longstanding commitment to provide health information to our patients, colleagues, and the public. This site is owned and funded by Mayfield Clinic, 3825 Edwards Road - Suite 300, Cincinnati, Ohio 45209. Phone 513-221-1100.

Medical Disclaimer. The material and content contained on mayfieldclinic.com and its subsidiary websites is for general health information only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The service is presented for the sole purpose of disseminating health information. It is not intended and must not be taken to be the provision or practice of medical, nursing or professional health care advice or services in any jurisdiction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Editorial Policy & Certifications

Our goal is to provide you with the most trustworthy and accurate health information on neurologic conditions affecting the brain and spine. All material on our web site is developed under the direction of the Mayfield Patient Education Committee. Our content is peer reviewed by the physicians, nurse practitioners, and researchers of the Mayfield Clinic. All material is based on the scientific literature and the collective wisdom of our practicing physicians. The text is supported with illustrations and videos to provide a better understanding of anatomy, conditions, procedures, and treatments. Our content is reviewed annually and dated to ensure it is accurate and up to date. Content created by Mayfield is free from influence by any drug, biotech, medical device, or other company in the healthcare industry.

Mayfield Certified Health Info – Patient Information You Can Trust
We adhere to the Health-on-the-Net Principles (HONcode) for reliability and quality of health information.

In addition to following the HON code of ethics, our Mayfield Patient Education Committee has developed additional guidelines and methods to ensure validity and content accuracy that are consistent with the Hi-ethics principles.

• We do not make claims of therapeutic benefit without reasonable support from the published literature, or deliberately provide false or misleading information.
• The development and maintenance of this web site is funded solely by Mayfield Clinic, Inc.  We do not accept advertising or sponsored health information content that we know either contains false or misleading claims or promotes ineffective or dangerous products.
• Where we present health information content as the result of clinical experience or scholarly research, we clearly disclose the actual author(s) of the content.
• We have a conflict of interest policy for all authors that is easy for consumers to find, read, and understand. We will disclose all affiliations and financial relationships of authors consistent with our policy.

Notifications, Secure Messages & MyMayfield portal

Mayfield may send you unsecure email or text messages about transactional activities such as appointments, directions to office locations, links to forms, and other reminder or check-in processes.

Please be aware that standard email and text messages are convenient, but not a secure means of communications. There is a possibility that information included in an email or text can be sent to the wrong person or accessed and read by other parties besides the person to whom it is addressed. Use care when including personal identifying information such as your birth date, or personal medical information in any reply emails or texts you send to us.

MyMayfield Portal & Secure Messaging. We are required by law to encrypt any Protected Health Information (PHI) we send you unless you request otherwise. Patients can send and receive encrypted email through our MyMayfield patient portal.

The portal provides secure, online access to your medical record. It can be used to send/receive non-urgent emails, request medication refills, view chart documents, view upcoming appointments, and view account balances. You will receive an email 24 hours after your first appointment with a link and password to log in.

Advertising & Sponsorship Policy 

MayfieldClinic.com does not accept commercial advertising.

Linking Policy

We welcome links to Mayfield Clinic’s website(s) - permission is not necessary. However, be aware that our subpages may change at any time without notice. Anyone linking to mayfieldclinic.com must continuously verify links to our subpages.

Links should be text only (for example, https://mayfieldclinic.com/pe-acdf.htm) and should not use the Mayfield logo from the site, any images or JavaScript.

Entities and individuals linking to mayfieldclinic.com shall not capture our pages, images, or videos within frames, present our content as its own, or otherwise misrepresent our content. Certain information on mayfieldclinic.com may be trademarked, service-marked, or otherwise protected as intellectual property. Protected intellectual property must be used in accordance with state and federal laws and must reflect the proper ownership of the intellectual property.

It is not Mayfield Clinic's standard policy to exchange reciprocal links. Requests for reciprocal links are reviewed based on our editorial policy and appropriateness to our patients and visitors. Mayfield Clinic does not receive fees from your use of links from mayfieldclinic.com to other sites. MayfieldClinic.com does not endorse sites that link to or from mayfieldclinic.com.

Content Licensing & Permissions

All material appearing on mayfieldclinic.com, and other websites owned and run by the Mayfield Clinic, is copyrighted and cannot be reused without permission. This policy explains the options for using copyrighted material including text, illustrations, and video from our website(s).

Personal Use. You may print a single copy of any of the materials on this site for personal non-commercial use, free of charge and without written permission. You may look at our website online, download information to your computer to read later, or print copies of pages for yourself, your family, or your friends. However, you must not remove any copyright notices from our materials. We reserve all other rights, which means that you must not sell our information, rewrite or modify it, redistribute it, use it on your own website, or use it for any other commercial purpose without our prior written permission.

Commercial Use. mayfieldclinic.com makes its quality health information available for licensing on your Web site, online service, intranet, or in print. Revenue from mayfieldclinic.com licensing activities supports Mayfield Clinic programs, including medical education and research.

If you are interested in licensing Mayfield content visit Licensing, or contact Tonya Hines, Art Director [email protected]

Website Privacy Policy 

Mayfield understands how important the privacy of personal information is to our patients and website visitors. We are committed to honoring your privacy, and to offering special protections for any personal health information you choose to share with us. The document you are reading is our privacy policy for our web sites, and it describes what information we may collect about you, what uses we may make of it, how you can tell us what to do with your information, and what precautions we take against unauthorized access or use of your information. This site is in compliance with all federal regulations regarding privacy and security of personal/health information.

Important Note: The Mayfield Clinic Notice of Privacy Practices is a separate document that governs patient privacy.

IP Addresses. There are several types of information we collect. For all visitors to the Service, we collect and log your IP address. An IP address is a number automatically assigned to your computer whenever you access the internet. IP addresses allow computers and servers to recognize and communicate with one another. We collect IP address information to properly administer our system and to gather aggregate information on visitors to our site and how our site is being used, including the pages visitors are viewing. This aggregate information may be shared with advertisers, sponsors and others businesses. To maintain your anonymity, we do not associate IP addresses with records containing personal information. We will use IP address information, however, to personally identify you in order to enforce our legal rights or when required to do so by law enforcement authorities.

Cookies. We also place small data files, called "cookies," in the browser file of your computer's hard drive. These cookies automatically identify your browser to our server whenever you interact with the Service. Most browsers automatically accept these cookies, but you usually can change your browser setting to prevent the acceptance of cookies. In addition, we usually collect the domain name of the server from which you are visiting. This can provide us with information relating to the sources of our traffic. Collecting this information does not allow us to personally identify you.

Analytics. We use Piwik PRO as our website analytics software and consent management tool. We collect data about website visitors based on cookies. The collected information may include a visitor's IP address, operating system, browser ID, browsing activity and other information. See the scope of data collected by Piwik PRO.

We calculate metrics like bounce rate, page views, sessions and the like to understand how our website is used. We may also create visitors' profiles based on browsing history to analyze visitor behavior, show personalized content and run online campaigns.

We host our solution on Microsoft Azure in United States and the data is stored for 14/25 months.

The purpose of data processing: analytics and conversion tracking based on consent. Legal basis: Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR.

Piwik PRO does not send the data about you to any other sub-processors or third parties and does not use it for its own purposes. For more, read Piwik PRO's privacy policy.

Registration & Medical History Information. We also collect personal information that you choose to share with us in the registration and medical history portions of the Service. This information may include your name, e-mail address, and your answers to questions. Again, this information is only collected with your permission and may be updated or deleted by you at any time. We collect this information, should you decide to provide it to us, to provide services you've requested.

Surveys. At times, you may be asked to complete survey questions that appear on the Service. If you agree to participate in the survey, you will be asked to review and accept certain additional terms and conditions relating to use of the information you furnish, which may include personally identifiable information. These terms and conditions are in addition to the Privacy Policies set forth in this Agreement, including sharing such personally identifiable information with market research firms with which we have a business relationship.

E-Mail Communications & Newsletters 
Our website provides you with the opportunity to receive communications from us. Once you have decided to receive such communications, you may later decide to stop receiving them. To stop receiving communications, click the "Manage Subscriptions" in the footer of the email. You may also send an e-mail message to [email protected].

Information for E-Commerce Transactions 
Some areas of the Service may allow you to conduct e-commerce transactions. In connection with these transactions, we collect data necessary to complete the transaction and that is furnished by you. This information may be furnished to a third party in order to facilitate the transaction.

Aggregate Information 
We use general traffic, site usage, and length of stay information in reports to advertisers and firms with which we have a business relationship. This sort of information is shared only on an aggregated basis and does not personally identify you.

Children's Privacy 
The Service is intended for adults age 18 and over. It is not intended for or designed to attract persons under the age of 18. We do not permit registration by, nor do we collect personally identifiable information from, any person we actually know to be under the age of 18.

Changing or Deleting Information 
The Service gives you the opportunity to change or delete information that has previously been furnished by you to us. To change such information, you can send an e-mail to us at [email protected].

Other Sites 
Our privacy policies apply only to your use of the Service. The Service contains links to other sites, including sites that may indicate a special relationship with us. While we do not disclose personably identifiable information to those operating these linked sites, we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. You should read the privacy policies of each site you visit to determine what information that site may be collecting about you.

Changes to Our Privacy and Security Policies 
Just with the other terms and conditions of this Agreement, we may change the terms and conditions of our Privacy Policies at any time by posting revisions on the Service. You agree to review the Privacy Policies portions of this Agreement each time you use the Service so that you are aware of any modifications made to these policies. By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of the Agreement as posted on the Service at the time of your access or use, including the Privacy Policies then in effect.

Website Terms of Use

MayfieldClinic.com is an online information and communications service and internet site (the "Service") provided by Mayfield Clinic. Use of the Service is governed by the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Please read this Agreement carefully before accessing or using the Service. Throughout this Agreement, Mayfield Clinic is referred to as "we" or "us."

General Terms and Conditions 
By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement. This Agreement is intended to be fully effective and binding upon you and us. We may modify this Agreement at any time, and you agree that such modifications will be effective immediately upon posting of the modified Agreement on the Service. You agree to review the Agreement posted on the Service each time you use the Service so that you are aware of any modifications made to this Agreement. By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of the Agreement as posted on the Service at the time of your access or use.

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT USE OF THIS SERVICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK AND THAT THE SERVICE AND ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON OR PROVIDED THROUGH THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED ON OR PROVIDED THROUGH THIS SERVICE IS INTENDED FOR GENERAL CONSUMER UNDERSTANDING AND EDUCATION ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE AND IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN, NURSE OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER BEFORE YOU UNDERGO ANY TREATMENT OR FOR ANSWERS TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING A MEDICAL CONDITION. NOTHING CONTAINED ON OR PROVIDED THROUGH THE SERVICE IS INTENDED TO BE OR IS TO BE USED FOR MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT.

You understand and agree that, except for information, products, services or merchandise clearly identified as being supplied by us, we do not operate, control, supply, endorse, warrant or guarantee any information, products, services or merchandise available on the Service or through the internet generally in any way. You also understand and agree that we cannot and do not warrant or guarantee that files available for downloading through the Service will be free of infections or viruses, worms, Trojan horses or other code that contains contaminating or destructive properties. You understand and agree that you are solely responsible for implementing sufficient precautions, procedures and checkpoints to satisfy your own requirements for the accuracy of data input and output, and for maintaining a means external to the Service for the reconstruction of any lost data. We do not assume any responsibility for the loss of any information, data or other materials resulting from your use of the Service.

YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT WE DO NOT MAKE ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS OR ENDORSEMENTS OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF TITLE OR NONINFRINGEMENT, OR ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE) WITH REGARD TO THE SERVICE, OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY INFORMATION, PRODUCT, SERVICE, MERCHANDISE OR OTHER MATERIAL PROVIDED ON OR THROUGH THE SERVICE. WE DO NOT WARRANT OR GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, CORRECTNESS, TIMELINESS, OR USEFULNESS OF ANY INFORMATION, PRODUCTS, SERVICES, MERCHANDISE OR OTHER MATERIAL PROVIDED THROUGH THE SERVICE OR ON THE INTERNET GENERALLY. WE MAKE NO WARRANTY OR GUARANTEE THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR FREE. IN NO EVENT WILL WE BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY DECISION MADE OR ACTION TAKEN BY YOU OR ANYONE ELSE IN RELIANCE UPON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED ON OR PROVIDED THROUGH THE SERVICE. The Service is presented by us for the sole purpose of disseminating general health information for public benefit. THE SERVICE AND ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE SERVICE ARE NOT INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE, AND YOU AGREE THAT THEY DO NOT CONSITUTE, THE PRACTICE OF OR FURNISHING OF MEDICAL, NURSING, OR PROFESSIONAL HEALTH CARE ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, CONSULTATION OR TREATMENT OR SERVICES IN ANY JURISDICTION. THE SERVICE AND ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED ON OR THROUGH THE SERVICE IS NOT TARGETED TO USERS IN ANY PARTICULAR LOCALITY, NOR ARE THEY INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE, AND YOU AGREE THAT THEY DO NOT CONSTITUTE, DOING BUSINESS IN ANY JURISDICTION OR THE SOLICITATION OF BUSINESS ANYWHERE BY US OR ANY OF OUR RESPECTIVE PARENT, SUBSIDIARY OR AFFILIATED COMPANIES OR ORGANIZATIONS, NOR DO THEY CONSTITUTE ANY CONTACTS WITH ANY JURISDICTION OUTSIDE OF THE STATE OF OHIO.

If you are located in any jurisdiction in the world where the common, statutory, regulatory or codified law of such jurisdiction would void this Agreement in whole or in any essential part (the essential parts being at least, but not only, the exclusive jurisdiction and venue and exclusive remedy provisions, the warranty disclaimers, the limitations of liability and the privacy guidelines and terms of use), or would make accessing the Service illegal, then you are not authorized to use the Service and, if you do so, you do so entirely at your own risk.

YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT IN NO EVENT SHALL WE BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY OTHER USER OF THE SERVICE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR ANY OTHER MONETARY OR OTHER DAMAGES, FEES, FINES, PENALTIES, LOSS OF REVENUE OR BUSINESS OR LIABILITIES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THIS SERVICE, OR SITES ACCESSED THROUGH THIS SERVICE, AND/OR CONTENT OR INFORMATION PROVIDED ON OR THROUGH THE SERVICE. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THE SERVICE IS TO STOP USING THE SERVICE.

You agree to indemnify us and any of our parent or subsidiary companies or organizations, and any of our successors, assigns or licensees, together with any of their respective officers, directors and employees, against any damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and costs) arising out of a claim by a third party relating to your use of the Service, or any breach or violation of this Agreement or any other term or condition contained on the Service. In the event we determine, in our sole and absolute discretion, that you have breached any of your obligations under this Agreement, then, in addition to and not in lieu or limitation of any other right or remedy we may have, we may advise you that you have violated this Agreement; delete or remove any communications or content furnished or posted by you to the Service; discontinue your registration and remove you as a registered member; block your access to the Service; notify and/or send communications or content to and cooperate with applicable law enforcement authorities; and/or take any other action we deem appropriate. You agree that this Agreement is entered into between you and us in the State of Ohio, United States of America, and is performed within the State of Ohio and governed by and shall be construed in all respects under the laws of the State of Ohio, exclusive of its choice of law or conflict of laws provisions. In any claim or action by you directly or indirectly arising under this Agreement or related to the Service, you and we each irrevocably agrees to submit to the exclusive personal jurisdiction of the Ohio State District Court or if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, then you and we each irrevocably agree to submit to the exclusive personal jurisdiction of the United States Court for the District of Ohio, and whichever of those two courts has jurisdiction, you and we each waives any jurisdictional, venue, or inconvenient forum objections to such court. If any of the provisions of this Agreement are held by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction to be not enforceable, then such provisions shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that this Agreement shall otherwise remain in full force and effect. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and us relating to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and merges herein any prior promises, agreements, or understanding between you and us relating to any of the subject matters of this Agreement. This Agreement may not be modified, in whole or in part, except as described elsewhere in this Agreement. Anything contained on the Service inconsistent with or conflicting with the terms of this Agreement is superseded by the terms of this Agreement. The marks "mayfieldclinic.com," "Mayfield," "Mayfield Clinic," "MayfieldSpine.com," and "MayfieldImaging.com," are marks of Mayfield Clinic. The materials on the Service are copyrighted by us and/or other applicable rights holders. You may download and reprint a single copy of the materials from the Service for your own personal, noncommercial use only, provided you include all applicable notices and disclaimers. Any other use of the materials is strictly prohibited without our prior written permission and the permission of the applicable rights holder(s).

LEGAL CONDITIONS AND TERMS OF USE APPLICABLE TO ALL USERS OF THIS SITE. ANY USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES YOUR AGREEMENT TO THESE TERMS OF USE.

Notice of Privacy Practices

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information.

Potential Conflicts of Interest

Physicians are patient advocates, so any potential conflict of interest is a concern to all of us at Mayfield. We try to avoid potential conflicts but some are unavoidable and others are desirable for the patient. For example, a surgeon's decision to recommend an operation rather than a non-operative approach can represent a financial conflict of interest even though the surgery is the best treatment option. Ownership in treatment or diagnostic facilities may also represent a potential conflict of interest. Participation by surgeons in the research and development of equipment and devices implanted into the body, such as spinal instrumentation and stents, represent additional potential conflicts of interest.

We have some of these types of relationships and believe they benefit our patients. For example, we have developed facilities and services that help us meet the comprehensive treatment needs of our patients. These services include: outpatient spine surgery, interventional pain procedures, x-ray, physical therapy, and durable medical equipment, such as bracing and walking aids. Our goal is to provide you with superior and convenient services. Nonetheless, this can be viewed as potential conflicts.Since its founding in 1937, Mayfield has established a proud record of fulfilling its mission of patient care, research and teaching and has established a world leadership role in the high-tech field of neurosurgery. As such, your surgeon may devote some of his time to traveling and training other surgeons in advanced surgical techniques or the use of implants. In doing so, he may be compensated for his efforts. Your surgeon also may use implants or devices in your surgery that were manufactured by companies for which the surgeon has done research and received some compensation. For example, the Mayfield Headrest, a device to stabilize the head during brain surgery, is used in practically every neurosurgery operating room throughout the world, and was developed by our founder, Dr. Frank Mayfield. These relationships could be viewed as potential conflicts, even though your surgeon believes these are superior alternatives to other approaches.

Please discuss these issues with your surgeon if you have questions or concerns regarding any of these matters. A list of Mayfield's financial relationships, or those of your specific Mayfield physician, is available upon request.

 

last updated > 06.2024