AAOS Privacy Policy

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (collectively "AAOS") are committed to maintaining your confidence and trust, and accordingly maintain the following privacy policy to protect the personal information you provide. Some of the personal information AAOS collects is provided online.

What Information May be Collected?

1. Information from AAOS Fellows and Members
   AAOS collects certain personal information from its Fellows and Members to ensure that AAOS records are accurate and up-to-date. This information includes:
• First and last name
• Home or office postal mailing address, including street name and name of city or town
• E-mail address (when provided)
• Telephone number(s)
• Fax number(s) (when provided)
• Personal website address (when provided)
• Birth date
• Gender
• Social Security Adminstration (SSA) number
• Orthopaedic residency program
• AAOS Fellowship/Membership status
• AAOS identification number
• Credit card information (if purchases are made)
• Educational background, including residency sites and dates of certification or recertification by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) or the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (AOBOS)
• Participation in AAOS Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs
• Participation in Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs of some other orthopaedic organizations
• Certain practice characteristics provided in the biennial Orthopaedic Census
• Specialty interests; practice focus Histories of search requests on OKO and reprints requested
• Market segmentation data
• Information regarding the use of the Orthopaedic Knowledge Online (OKO)
• For purchases, a record of all AAOS examinations, books, CD-ROMs, videotapes, audiotapes and patient education materials ordered
  
  At their discretion, Fellows and Members may supply AAOS with certain demographic information about their practices, including age specialties (adult, child), anatomical specialties, treatment specialties, and other census data.
  
  In addition, the AAOS may on occasion collect information about AAOS Fellows and Members from various federal agencies (e.g., the Federal Election Commission).
2. Information from Non-Orthopaedic Surgeons or Orthopaedic Surgeons who are not AAOS Fellows or Members
1. AAOS collects certain personal information from non-orthopaedic surgeons or from orthopaedic surgeons who are not AAOS Fellows or Members who wish to purchase or obtain AAOS materials or to register for a course. This information may include:
• First and last name
• Home or office postal mailing address, including street name and name of city or town
• E-mail address (when provided)
• Telephone number(s) (when provided)
• Fax number(s) (when provided)
• Birth date
• Social Security Administration (SSA) Number
• Orthopaedic residency program
• Credit card information (if purchases are made)
• Age
• Gender
• Profession and job title; institutional affiliation
• Membership in professional organizations
• Survey information (e.g., How did you hear about AAOS/ AAOS products? What periodicals does the purchase decision-maker regularly read?)
• Information regarding the use of the Orthopaedic Knowledge Online (OKO)
• For purchases, a record of AAOS examinations, books, CD-ROMs, videotapes, audiotapes and patient education materials ordered
2. AAOS collects certain personal information online from non-orthopaedists who contact the AAOS to participate in research surveys or to obtain particular orthopaedic information. This information includes:
• First and last name
• Home or office postal mailing address, including street name and name of city or town
• E-mail address (when provided)
• Telephone number(s)
• Information regarding the use of the Orthopaedic Knowledge Online (OKO)
• Personal accounts regarding musculoskeletal care
3. Information from suppliers of good and services to AAOS
   When AAOS pays an individual or entity for services or goods rendered, an honorarium or a stipend, AAOS collects at a minimum the following information:
• First and last name
• Home or office postal mailing address, including street name and name of city or town
• Social Security Administration (SSA) number
• Information regarding the use of the Orthopaedic Knowledge Online (OKO)
4. AAOS does not knowingly collect information from children under age 13.
5. AAOS encrypts sensitive personal data, such as credit card information, while being transmitted on the Internet. Credit card information is transmitted securely using SSL encryption.
6. The AAOS website is not set up to track, collect or distribute personal information about its visitors. It does recognize the home server of visitors, but not e-mail addresses. For example, AAOS can determine which Internet service provider our visitors use, but not the names, addresses or other information about our visitors that would allow us to identify the particular visitors to our sites.

How will this Personal Information Be Used?

1. Personal information may be used for internal AAOS purposes by authorized AAOS staff.
2. Personal information will not be released to third parties except as noted below:
• Upon request, the AAOS may provide the names and postal mailing addresses of its Fellows and Members to orthopaedic specialty societies that are members of the Board of Specialty Societies (BOS) for use in encouraging participation in Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs.
• Upon request, the AAOS may provide the names and postal mailing addresses of its Fellows and Members to state and regional orthopaedic societies for recruitment purposes only. The AAOS shall provide such list only once annually and the state or regional orthopaedic society agrees to use it only once annually. The state or regional orthopaedic society mailing to AAOS Fellows and Members in that state or region is subject to the approval of the AAOS.
• Upon request, the AAOS may provide the names and postal mailing addresses of its Fellows and Members to other not-for-profit organizations whose missions are consistent with the mission of the AAOS, upon the review and approval of the Chief Executive Officer.
• The AAOS makes available the AAOS Membership Directory at no charge on the Internet to AAOS Fellows and Members. A hard copy version of the AAOS Membership Directory is available for purchase to AAOS Fellows and Members This Membership Directory contains the name, postal mailing address, telephone and Fax number, membership status, and year of admittance to the AAOS of AAOS Fellows and Members. Associate Resident Members, Associate Candidate Members and the International Affiliate Members are not included in the AAOS Membership Directory.
• Members of the public, through the AAOS website's Find an Orthopaedist listing, may obtain limited information about the AAOS Fellow or Member, including only the Fellow or Member's name, postal mailing address, and telephone number. Use of this information to compile mailing lists—for any purpose—is expressly prohibited. In addition, the AAOS Fellow or Member may have or create a personal webpage that will be accessible, if AAOS has the information, from the AAOS website's Find an Orthopaedist listing.
• The Private Membership Directory, accessible to AAOS members, displays the same information as Find an Orthopaedist but also includes E-mail addresses if known. Use of the Private Membership Directory for the use of compiling e-mail distribution lists—for any purpose—by an AAOS member or anyone working on his or her behalf, is expressly prohibited.
• Annual Meeting registration lists, including the medical registrant’s name and postal mailing address, are available for sale to exhibitors in advance of and after the Annual Meeting. In addition, certain personal information, including the medical registrant’s name, postal mailing address, telephone, hospital affiliation and practice focus, is available at the Annual Meeting to exhibitors through a "lead system" mechanism.
• CME course registration lists, including the attendee’s name and postal mailing address, are available at no charge to companies providing educational displays and/or providing equipment (for skills courses) after the AAOS CME course.
• AAOS may provide the names, postal mailing addresses, and telephone and Fax numbers of AAOS Fellows and Members to third party organizations with whom the AAOS has contracted to provide courses, goods or services.
• AAOS may provide names, postal mailing addresses, email and purchase history information regarding International Affiliate Members and other non-US physicians to international distribution agents on a case-by-case, per request basis.
3. At the current time, we are aware of no other circumstances under which AAOS will provide or sell personal information collected online to third parties.

Can the Personal Information Be Viewed and/or Corrected?

The AAOS encourages AAOS Fellows and Members to update and correct their personal information regularly online. A review and update section is included on the AAOS web site under the Member Services (www.aaos.org/myprofile) section to make these changes.

How Long will the Personal Information be Retained?

The AAOS retains personal information regarding AAOS Fellows and Members indefinitely.

AAOS retains personal customer data provided for at least five years and as dictated by business and legal requirements.

Permission to Disseminate the Personal Information/Opt Out of its Being Disseminated?

There is currently no mechanism for orthopaedic surgeons, including AAOS Fellows and Members, to opt-out of dissemination to third parties of the personal information described in this policy. It is possible for orthopaedic surgeons to opt out of all (but not only some) AAOS web site functions.

AAOS generally does not disseminate to third parties personal information provided from non-orthopaedic surgeons.

Effective Date:

This policy has been in effect since June, 2000, and was most recently revised in January, 2008. It will continue in effect until further notice from AAOS. Modifications to this policy shall be posted as the “Privacy Policy” linked to the AAOS homepage.