Last updated: May 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how UTCTS Health Review (“we,” “us,” or “our”), the independent editorial publication at UTCardiothoracicSurgery.com, collects, uses, and protects information when you visit our website. We are committed to transparency about our data practices.
1. Information We Collect
Information You Provide
When you use our contact form, you may provide your name, email address, and the content of your message. We use this information only to respond to your inquiry. We do not add you to any mailing list without your explicit consent.
Information Collected Automatically
Like most websites, we automatically collect certain technical information when you visit, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, and the date and time of your visit. This information is collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies and is used to understand how visitors use our site and to improve the user experience.
Cookies
We use cookies — small text files stored on your device — for the following purposes:
- Essential cookies: Required for the website to function properly.
- Analytics cookies: Help us understand visitor behavior in aggregate (see Google Analytics section below).
- Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences.
You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Operate and improve the website
- Respond to contact form inquiries
- Analyze traffic and usage patterns to improve content
- Comply with legal obligations
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.
3. Third-Party Services
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our site. Google Analytics collects data such as pages visited, time on site, and referral sources. This data is aggregated and does not personally identify individual visitors. Google's data practices are governed by the Google Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on.
Hosting Provider
Our website is hosted by a third-party hosting provider. Your data may pass through their infrastructure. Our hosting provider is contractually required to protect data in accordance with applicable privacy standards.
Affiliate Links and Third-Party Websites
Our website contains paid links to third-party products and services. When you click these links and visit third-party websites, those sites have their own privacy policies that govern the data they collect. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites. We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any third-party website before providing personal information.
Contact Form
Our contact form is powered by WPForms. Form submissions may be processed and stored by WPForms in accordance with their privacy policy. We retain contact form submissions only as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry.
4. Data Retention
We retain personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law. Contact form submissions are retained for a reasonable period to allow us to respond and follow up if needed, then deleted. Analytics data is retained in accordance with Google Analytics' standard retention settings.
5. Your Rights — GDPR (EEA Residents)
If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
- Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
- Right to erasure: Request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
- Right to restrict processing: Request that we limit how we use your data.
- Right to data portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format.
- Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the form on our Contact page.
6. Your Rights — CCPA (California Residents)
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides you with the following rights:
- Right to know: Request disclosure of the personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell.
- Right to delete: Request deletion of personal information we have collected from you.
- Right to opt out: We do not sell personal information. If this practice changes, we will update this policy and provide an opt-out mechanism.
- Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.
To submit a CCPA request, please contact us using our Contact page.
7. Children's Privacy
Our website is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information to us, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
8. Data Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
10. Contact
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please use the form on our Contact page. We will respond to verifiable requests within 30 days.
UTCTS Health Review is an independent editorial publication operated at UTCardiothoracicSurgery.com. It is not affiliated with UT Health San Antonio, the University of Texas System, or any university, hospital, or medical practice.