Inteleos/ARDMS/APCA/POCUS Certification Academy Website Privacy Policies

Updated October 2024

 

Overview

Welcome to Inteleos® – a non-profit global certification organization that delivers rigorous assessments and cultivates a global community of professionals dedicated to the highest standards in healthcare and patient safety. Inteleos is the umbrella organization to the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography® (ARDMS®), the Alliance for Physician Certification & Advancement® (APCA®), the Point-of-Care Ultrasound Certification Academy (POCUS Certification Academy®; referred as “POCUS”).

Together, Inteleos, ARDMS, APCA, and POCUS are dedicated to creating the standards of excellence in healthcare, representing nearly 115,000 sonographers, physicians, and medical professionals in approximately 70 countries. In 2020, the Inteleos Foundation was established to accelerate the expansion of the mission-driven work of Inteleos ARDMS, APCA, and POCUS Certification Academy.

Scope

Inteleos (“we,” “us,” and “our”) respects individual privacy and values the confidence of our candidates, program participants, certified professionals, and our community. This Privacy Policy sets out the privacy principles that we follow with respect to the collection, use, and disclosure of information that you may provide through Inteleos’ websites: www.inteleos.org, www.ardms.org, www.apca.org, www.pocus.org, www.inteleosfoundation.org, including the corresponding portals that require user-log-in, (collectively, “our websites”), as well as through other channels, such as use of our mobile application, our community platform, and at our events you may attend.

When you access our website and/or register with us, you gain access to our vast knowledge and range of services to help you with your career and/or to provide you with general knowledge of our services. To efficiently deliver these resources and benefits to you, at times we need to share your information across our organization. However, it is always with a focus on keeping your data secure. We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time by posting a revised version on our website. The revised version will be effective as of the published effective date. Consequently, each time you access or use our websites or otherwise engage with us, you accept and agree to the most current Privacy Policy. It is your responsibility to be aware of any such changes. It is your responsibility to review and understand this Privacy Policy prior to providing your personal data to us.

Our websites contain links to other websites which are managed by third parties (including their use of cookies). As a user of links, it is your responsibility to understand those third parties’ privacy policies. Once you leave our websites using links, we have no control over information that is submitted to or collected by any third parties and are not responsible for other websites.

Collection of Personal Information; Lawfulness of Processing 

We collect and process personal data from the users of our websites and portals to provide our products, our services and websites and for other purposes that further Inteleos’ mission and interest to fuel the global health community by ensuring equitable access to quality care. For a full list of how we use the personal information we collect please refer to the information below. Information we collect from you may include but is not limited to, your name, email address, mailing address, phone/fax numbers, date of birth, gender, payment information, education history, employment information, information related to your professional qualifications, designations and memberships and information about your use of our and third-party websites, products and services (“Personal Data”).

Inteleos only collects information voluntarily provided by you, and you are not required to provide us with all of the Personal Data listed above. However, if you do not provide information when requested, you may not be able to fully participate in all our programs and activities. For example, if you do not provide us with information related to your professional qualifications, we may not be able to process your application request or other requests needed to maintain or renew your certification(s).

If you wish to participate in any of the ARDMS/APCA/POCUS certification programs (including application, registration, examination, renewal, etc.), you may be entering into a contract with us, and it will be necessary for us to collect your personal data in order to perform Inteleos’ contractual obligations to you.

How We Use the Personal Information We Collect

We may use your personal information in the following ways:

To provide Inteleos/ARDMS/APCA/POCUS Services and customer support;

To provide access to restricted parts of our websites;

For examination scheduling, administration, and registration purposes;

To determine eligibility for your examination application;

To communicate with you regarding your certification status;

To respond to your requests and inquiries;

To process payments from you or to you (including, but not limited to, annual renewal fees, examination fees, or payments for any products or services that you choose to purchase from us and/or refunds and reimbursements);

To verify your identity during account creation and password reset processes;

To measure the performance of the Inteleos/ARDMS/APCA/POCUS Services and improve their content and layout;

To manage and protect our information technology infrastructure;

To provide targeted marketing and advertising, provide service update notices, and deliver promotional offers based on your communication preferences;

To request your participation in surveys, focus groups, or other initiatives which help us to gather information used to develop and enhance our products and services; and

To contact you at the telephone number given when you set up an account, by placing a voice call or sending a text message and may use auto dialed or prerecorded calls.

We may contact you via electronic means or postal mail to notify you regarding your account, as necessary to service your account.

Unless a longer retention period is allowable by applicable law, we will retain your information for as long as needed to cover any outstanding issues or queries that may arise in relation to your account or certification(s). This period of retention is subject to our review and alteration.

Finally, we may use your information of record to contact you as necessary to enforce our policies, applicable laws, or any agreement we may have with you.

Communications from Inteleos/How to Update Preferences

We respect your communication preferences. Except for transactional emails necessary to perform Inteleos’ contractual obligations, you can adjust your preferences by visiting the profile page in your MY ARDMS/MY APCA/MY POCUS account.

Any promotional emails that we send will include a link at the bottom of the email to unsubscribe. You may not unsubscribe from transactional emails necessary for us to perform our contractual or other required organization obligations, such as notices regarding the renewal or maintenance of your certification(s).

How to Access, Correct, and Delete Information

You may access, correct, or delete your personal information by logging in to your MY ARDMS/MY APCA/MY POCUS account and making adjustments under your profile section. In addition, you may request a copy of the information Inteleos holds about you so you can correct or amend information that may be inaccurate or incomplete by contacting us at the contact information below. We may ask you to provide sufficient evidence of your identity for your own protection so we can ensure that information is being released to the correct person. In some cases, our business requirements and legal obligations may prevent us from being able to delete your information. If we are unable to delete your information, we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.

How We Use Cookies and Similar Technologies

When you access our website or use Inteleos/ARDMS/APCA/POCUS Services, we (including companies we work with) may place small data files on your computer or other device. These data files may be cookies, pixel tags, e-tags, “Flash cookies,” or other local storage provided by your browser or associated applications (collectively “Cookies”). We use these technologies to recognize you as a customer; customize Inteleos/ARDMS/APCA/POCUS Services, content, and advertising; measure promotional effectiveness; help ensure that your account security is not compromised; mitigate risk and prevent fraud; and to promote trust and safety across our sites and Inteleos/ARDMS/APCA/POCUS Services. Most Internet browsers automatically accept cookies. You may, however, configure your browser at any time in such a manner that no cookies are saved on your computer or that an indication always appears when you receive a new cookie. For further information regarding how to control cookies in your browser, please click on this link: www.aboutcookies.org/how-to-manage-cookies.

You are free to decline our Cookies if your browser or browser add-on permits. However, declining our Cookies may interfere with your use of our website and Inteleos/ARDMS/APCA/POCUS Services.
Inteleos uses Google Analytics to compile usage statistics. IP addresses are anonymized for Google Analytics. You may review their privacy policies at http://www.google.com/privacy. You may also review the link below for the Google Analytics opt-out add-on tool https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

How We Protect Your Information

We realize that our customers trust us to protect their personal information. We take that task seriously and maintain reasonable and appropriate physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to help protect your personal information. While we attempt to protect the information in our possession, no security system is perfect, and we cannot guarantee that information about you will remain secure in all circumstances. When you submit information to Inteleos through our website, you should be aware that your information is transmitted across the Internet and that no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. Although we take reasonable security measures to protect your information when we receive it, you also need to ensure you take appropriate steps to protect your information.

How We Share Personal Information with Other Third Parties

Our third-party service providers may only use your Personal Data as necessary to provide the requested services to us, and each service provider is subject to a set of terms consistent with this Privacy Policy. We may disclose your Personal Data to third parties from time to time under the following circumstances:

Examination providers for the scheduling and delivery of our examinations;

You received a certification from us;

You request or authorize the disclosure of your personal details to a third party;

The information is disclosed as permitted by applicable law(s) and/or to comply with applicable law(s) (for example, to comply with a search warrant, subpoena or court order), or in the interest of public health and safety;

Digital credential providers for the delivery of digital badges earned through the credentialing process;

Learning technology delivery and improvement of our learning programs and the tracking of your progress;

Members of the Inteleos/ARDMS/APCA/POCUS corporate family to guide decisions about our products, services, and communications;

Customer Service: for customer service purposes, including to help service your account;

Service Providers: to enable service providers under contract with us to support our business operations, such as marketing, customer service and technology services. Our contracts dictate that these service providers only use your information in connection with the services they perform for us and not for their own benefit;

Legal and compliance consultants, such as external counsel, external auditors, or tax consultants;
Payment solution providers for the secure processing of payments you provide to us;

Advertising partners, including social media providers, for the delivery of targeted advertisements (For further information on how to manage your preferences related to targeted advertising, please see http://optout.networkadvertising.org/;

Fulfillment and postal vendors for the fulfillment of our products and services;

Our volunteers or committee members who perform various functions on our behalf;

When you terminate your certification status or cancel the website/portal account access, Inteleos may continue to share information about you according to our legal and regulatory requirements.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Inteleos may disclose your personal information as required by law or as needed in legal proceedings (including any agency proceedings) and as needed in internal investigations pursuant to Inteleos’ certification program compliance policies when Inteleos believes in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud and matters involving compromised testing incidents and code of conduct violations, or respond to a government request. In addition, in the event of a merger, acquisition, or any form of sale or transfer of some or all of our assets to a third party, we may also disclose your personal information to the third parties concerned or their professional advisors. In the event of such a transaction, the personal information held by Inteleos will be among the assets subject to the transaction.

Professional Associations and Medical Societies

Inteleos may share your personal information with carefully selected professional associations and medical societies that share common missions, goals, and interests with Inteleos. Under these data sharing arrangements, Inteleos may share registrant lists for mailing list use, provide tracker data, and send approved promotional emails to recipients who have opted-in to receive such promotional communications.

Children’s Information

The website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. Inteleos does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. If Inteleos discovers that a child under the age of 13 has provided us with personal data, we will delete the child’s personal data unless a parent or guardian provides verifiable consent to Inteleos.

International Website Access and Cross-Border Data Transfers

Our principal place of business is in the United States. If you are visiting the website from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located and Inteleos is based. In addition, information that Inteleos collects may be stored and processed in and transferred between any of the countries in which Inteleos operates to enable the use of the information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. You agree to such cross-border transfers of personal information.

Social Media Widgets

The website includes social media features, such as the Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn buttons, that run on our website. These features may collect your Internet Protocol address and which page you are visiting on our website and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. Social media features and widgets are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our Site. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing them.

Artificial Intelligence and Software

Products and services powered by machine learning, artificial intelligence technologies and other software are increasingly being used to gain efficiency. We may use such technologies to, for example: proofread and find discrepancies and correct grammatical errors in documents and publications; summarize lengthy documents; assist with market and customer analysis; website chat feature; and prepare the first draft of documents, such as newsletters, blog posts, and marketing materials. When doing so, we will observe all applicable standards to the use of such technologies.

Data Subject Rights

Depending on the laws and regulations applicable to you and Inteleos, you may have certain rights as a data subject. For example, under the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation EU 2016/679; also known as GDPR), you may have:

The right to be informed of the use of your Personal Data;

The right to access and/or to require the correction or erasure of your Personal Data;

The right to block and/or object to the processing of your Personal Data;

The right to not be subject to any decision based solely on automated processing of your Personal Data; and

The right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. If you have a complaint in relation to the processing of your data carried out under this Privacy Policy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. If you are located in the European Union, you can find the details of your local supervisory authority here. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/article-29/structure/data-protection-authorities/index_en.htm

To request information about those rights, please send an email to the contact information below with “Data Subject Request” in the subject line. In the email, please describe, with specificity, the data subject right you are requesting assistance with and under which applicable laws and regulations you are seeking assistance. Please note additional information may be requested prior to initiation of a request. Upon Inteleos’ completion of its review, you will be notified if your request has been granted or denied or if exemptions apply.

How You Can Contact Us about Privacy Questions

You may seek to exercise any of these rights by updating your information online (where possible) or by sending a written request to the contact details listed below:

If you have questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please send your concerns to privacy@inteleos.org

Inteleos – Compliance and Enterprise Risk Department

1401 Rockville Pike, Suite 600

Rockville, MD 20852

240-386-1616