Privacy Policy
Last Updated: September 20, 2026
Shafer Clinic (“Shafer Clinic,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting information that you provide to us through our website and related online services.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect information when you visit or use shaferplasticsurgery.com and its related features, including forms, appointment-request features, communications, cookies, analytics technologies, and our artificial intelligence-powered web assistant (the “AI Assistant”).
By using the Website, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
1. Information We Collect
Depending on how you interact with our Website, we may collect information in several ways.
Information You Provide Directly
You may voluntarily provide information when you:
- Submit a contact form;
- Request an appointment or consultation;
- Request information about our services;
- Subscribe to newsletters or other communications;
- Contact us by email, telephone, text message, or other communication method;
- Submit information through another Website form;
- Communicate with our AI Assistant; or
- Otherwise voluntarily provide information to us.
Depending on the purpose of the interaction, information you provide may include your name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, and other information you choose to provide.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the Website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including information such as:
- IP address;
- Browser type and version;
- Device type;
- Operating system;
- Date and time of access;
- Pages viewed;
- Referring website or webpage;
- General geographic information derived from your IP address;
- Website interaction information;
- Device and browser identifiers; and
- Other technical information reasonably necessary to operate, secure, and improve the Website.
We may collect this information through server logs, cookies, pixels, analytics technologies, and similar technologies.
2. Information Submitted Through the AI Assistant
Shafer Clinic may provide an artificial intelligence-powered web assistant to help visitors find information, navigate the Website, understand Website content, and learn about our physicians, procedures, treatments, services, and other offerings.
When you use the AI Assistant, information you voluntarily enter into the conversation may be processed in order to generate and provide responses.
This may include:
- Questions and messages you submit;
- Information contained in your conversation;
- Pages or Website content relevant to your request;
- Technical information associated with your use of the AI Assistant; and
- Other information necessary to operate and secure the AI Assistant.
The AI Assistant is intended primarily to provide general information based on content made available to it from the Shafer Clinic Website and other authorized information sources.
3. Sensitive and Health Information
Please do not submit medical records, prescription information, laboratory results, diagnostic imaging, insurance information, Social Security numbers, financial information, passwords, or other sensitive or confidential information to the AI Assistant unless you are specifically instructed to do so through an authorized and secure Shafer Clinic process.
The AI Assistant is not intended to function as a secure patient portal or as a system for communicating confidential medical information to your healthcare provider.
If you voluntarily enter health-related or other sensitive information into the AI Assistant, that information may be processed as part of the conversation and may be transmitted to the technology and service providers used to operate the AI Assistant.
For communications involving your medical care, use the secure patient communication channels provided by Shafer Clinic when available.
4. How We Use Information
We may use information we collect for purposes including:
- Responding to inquiries;
- Responding to requests for information;
- Scheduling or facilitating appointments and consultations;
- Providing requested services;
- Communicating with you about your inquiries or requests;
- Sending newsletters or other communications when you have requested or authorized them;
- Providing information about our services, procedures, treatments, events, or offerings;
- Operating and maintaining the Website;
- Operating the AI Assistant;
- Improving Website functionality and user experience;
- Understanding how visitors use the Website;
- Monitoring Website performance;
- Detecting, preventing, and investigating fraud, abuse, security incidents, or unauthorized activity;
- Maintaining the security and integrity of our systems;
- Complying with applicable legal and regulatory requirements; and
- Protecting the rights, property, safety, and interests of Shafer Clinic, our patients, visitors, employees, providers, and others.
5. AI Assistant Data and Conversational Information
Information associated with AI Assistant conversations may be processed to:
- Generate responses to visitor questions;
- Retrieve relevant Website information;
- Operate and maintain the AI Assistant;
- Monitor performance and reliability;
- Troubleshoot technical problems;
- Detect and prevent misuse or security threats;
- Improve the functionality and quality of the AI Assistant; and
- Comply with legal obligations.
The AI Assistant is not intended to provide individualized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Information entered into the AI Assistant should therefore not be considered a secure channel for communicating with your physician or transmitting information that is intended to become part of your medical record.
6. AI Technology and Third-Party Service Providers
The AI Assistant may rely on third-party technology providers, including providers of artificial intelligence models, cloud infrastructure, hosting, databases, security, analytics, and related services.
Information submitted through the AI Assistant may be transmitted to or processed by these providers as necessary to provide and maintain the AI Assistant.
These providers may process information on behalf of Shafer Clinic and may be subject to contractual, privacy, security, and confidentiality obligations.
We do not authorize service providers to use information processed on our behalf for purposes unrelated to providing their contracted services except as permitted by applicable law or otherwise disclosed.
7. Website Content and AI Processing
The AI Assistant may have access to Website content, including information concerning procedures, treatments, services, providers, educational materials, frequently asked questions, and other publicly available Website information.
Access to Website content by the AI Assistant does not mean that the AI Assistant has access to individual patient medical records, electronic health records, clinical systems, or other confidential patient information.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, the AI Assistant is separated from Shafer Clinic’s clinical and patient-record systems.
8. Appointment Requests and Third-Party Services
Certain Website features may direct you to third-party services for appointment requests, scheduling, forms, payment processing, or other services.
For example, the Website may use third-party appointment technology to facilitate appointment requests.
When you use a third-party service, information you provide may be collected and processed by that third party in accordance with its own privacy policy and terms.
Shafer Clinic does not control the privacy practices of independent third-party websites or services.
You should review the privacy policy of a third-party service before submitting information through that service.
9. Communications by Email, Telephone, and Text
If you voluntarily provide your telephone number, email address, or other contact information, we may use that information to respond to your inquiry, communicate regarding an appointment or consultation, provide requested information, or otherwise communicate with you regarding our services.
Where you have provided appropriate permission or authorization, we may also contact you by telephone, email, or text message regarding information, services, appointments, or other communications.
You may request that we stop sending certain communications by following available unsubscribe instructions or contacting us directly.
You should understand that standard email and text messaging may not be secure methods for transmitting sensitive medical information.
10. Newsletters and Marketing Communications
If you subscribe to a newsletter or other marketing communication, we may use the contact information you provide to send the requested communications.
You may unsubscribe from marketing emails by using the unsubscribe mechanism included in the applicable communication.
Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not necessarily stop administrative, transactional, appointment-related, or other communications that are necessary to provide requested services.
11. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We may use cookies, pixels, tags, local storage, analytics tools, and similar technologies to operate and improve the Website.
These technologies may be used to:
- Maintain Website functionality;
- Remember preferences;
- Understand Website traffic and usage;
- Measure Website performance;
- Improve Website content and functionality;
- Support security;
- Analyze interactions with the Website; and
- Support certain marketing or advertising activities, where applicable.
You may be able to control or disable certain cookies through your browser settings.
Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of portions of the Website.
12. Analytics
We may use third-party analytics services to understand how visitors interact with the Website.
Analytics providers may collect information such as IP address, browser and device information, pages viewed, referring pages, approximate geographic information, and interaction information.
Analytics information may be used to measure traffic, understand visitor behavior, improve Website performance, and improve our services and communications.
13. Advertising and Marketing Technologies
Where applicable, we may use third-party advertising, remarketing, social media, or marketing technologies.
These technologies may allow us or our service providers to measure the effectiveness of advertising, understand Website interactions, or present information about Shafer Clinic on other websites or platforms.
The use of these technologies may involve the collection of online identifiers, device information, Website activity, or other information as permitted by applicable law.
14. Information Sharing and Disclosure
We may disclose information to third parties in circumstances including:
Service Providers
We may share information with vendors and service providers that perform services on our behalf, including Website hosting, technology, AI services, analytics, communications, appointment scheduling, security, payment processing, marketing, and other business functions.
Healthcare and Business Operations
Information may be shared as necessary to provide healthcare-related services, operate the practice, facilitate communications, schedule appointments, or perform other legitimate business and administrative functions.
Legal Requirements
We may disclose information when required or permitted by applicable law, regulation, legal process, subpoena, court order, or governmental request.
Safety and Security
We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to investigate or prevent fraud, security incidents, unlawful activity, or threats to the safety or rights of individuals or organizations.
Business Transactions
Information may be disclosed in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, restructuring, sale of assets, change in ownership, or similar business transaction, subject to applicable law.
15. Protected Health Information
This Website Privacy Policy primarily addresses information collected through the public Website and its online features.
Certain health information maintained by Shafer Clinic may be subject to additional privacy protections, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) and other applicable healthcare privacy laws.
Where HIPAA applies, Shafer Clinic’s Notice of Privacy Practices and other applicable healthcare privacy policies govern the use and disclosure of protected health information in connection with healthcare services.
The public Website and AI Assistant should not be used to submit protected health information unless the particular feature has been specifically designated and secured for that purpose.
16. Patient Portal and Clinical Systems
The Website may provide links or access points to patient portals, electronic health record systems, scheduling platforms, or other clinical systems.
Those systems may be subject to separate privacy policies, terms of use, security controls, and healthcare privacy requirements.
This Privacy Policy does not replace or modify the privacy practices applicable to those systems.
17. Information Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, destruction, or misuse.
However, no Internet transmission, electronic storage system, website, or technology service can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
You acknowledge that transmission of information over the Internet involves risks that may be beyond our control.
18. Data Retention
We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, provide requested services, maintain business and financial records, resolve disputes, comply with legal and regulatory requirements, enforce agreements, maintain security, and otherwise fulfill legitimate business purposes.
The retention period for information associated with AI Assistant conversations may depend on the nature of the information, the purpose for which it was collected, technical requirements, security requirements, and applicable legal obligations.
Different categories of information may therefore be retained for different periods.
19. Children’s Privacy
The Website is intended for a general audience and is not directed specifically toward children.
We do not knowingly use the AI Assistant to solicit sensitive personal information from children.
Parents and guardians should supervise children’s use of the Website and should instruct children not to submit medical records, personal identifying information, or other sensitive information through the AI Assistant or other public Website features.
If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us and you would like the information reviewed or removed, please contact us.
20. Your Privacy Choices
Depending on applicable law and the circumstances in which information was collected, you may have rights concerning your personal information.
These rights may include the ability to:
- Request access to certain personal information;
- Request correction of inaccurate information;
- Request deletion of certain information;
- Request information about how personal information is used or disclosed;
- Opt out of certain marketing communications;
- Object to or restrict certain processing; and
- Exercise other rights provided by applicable law.
Certain information may be exempt from deletion, access, or other requests because of legal, regulatory, security, medical-record, or other applicable requirements.
To exercise an applicable privacy right, contact Shafer Clinic using the contact information provided below.
We may need to verify your identity before completing certain requests.
21. Do Not Track
Some web browsers offer a “Do Not Track” setting.
Because there is currently no universally accepted standard for responding to browser-based Do Not Track signals, the Website may not respond to such signals unless required by applicable law.
22. Third-Party Websites
The Website may contain links to third-party websites, social media platforms, appointment systems, payment services, or other external services.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security, content, or policies of third-party websites or services.
Your interactions with third-party services are governed by their respective privacy policies and terms.
23. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, services, legal requirements, or other circumstances.
When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the beginning of this Privacy Policy.
Your continued use of the Website after an updated Privacy Policy is posted constitutes your acknowledgment of the updated policy, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
24. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, the AI Assistant, or the information we collect through the Website, please contact us.
Shafer Clinic
535 Fifth Avenue, 33rd Floor
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212-888-7770
For privacy-related questions or requests, please contact Shafer Clinic through the contact information available on the Website.
25. Accessibility
Shafer Clinic is committed to providing an accessible Website experience.
If you experience difficulty accessing this Privacy Policy or another portion of the Website because of a disability or accessibility issue, please contact our Accessibility Manager at 212-888-7770 so that we can assist you.
This Privacy Policy is intended to describe Shafer Clinic’s general Website privacy practices. It does not replace any separate Notice of Privacy Practices, patient privacy notice, consent form, or other policy that may apply to information maintained as part of the delivery of healthcare services.
