Privacy Policy
Last updated August 26, 2026
This Privacy Policy describes how Macias Dermatology ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and discloses personal information when you visit maciasdermatology.com (the "Site") or communicate with us through it. Our practice is located at 7115 N. Chestnut Ave. Suite 101, Fresno, CA 93720.
By using the Site, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.
This Policy and Your Medical Information
This Privacy Policy covers information collected through the Site. It does not cover your protected health information, which we handle under federal and state health privacy laws, including HIPAA. How we use and disclose medical information is described in our Notice of Privacy Practices, available on our Patient Privacy page. If anything in this policy conflicts with that notice as it applies to protected health information, the notice controls.
Please do not send detailed medical information through the Site or by email. For anything involving your care, use the patient portal or call our office at 559.431.2397.
Information You Provide to Us
You can browse the Site without providing personal information. We collect information you choose to give us, which may include:
- Contact details, such as your name, email address, and phone number, when you email us, call us, or request an appointment or consultation.
- The contents of your messages when you communicate with us.
- Your name and email address if you sign up for our newsletter.
- Messages you type into our website chat assistant, Ana, and the name, phone number, reason and preferred time you enter when you request a call back.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the Site, our hosting provider (currently Vercel Inc.) automatically logs certain technical information, such as your IP address, browser and device type, and the pages you visit. We and our service providers may use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Site, remember your preferences, and understand how the Site is used.
Website Chat Assistant
Our Site offers a chat assistant named Ana. Ana is an automated service that answers questions using the information published on this Site, opens our online scheduling tool, and lets you request a call back. It is not a clinician, does not give medical advice, and cannot access your medical records.
When you use the chat, the messages you type, the page you are on, your language setting, and technical information such as your IP address and browser type are processed to generate replies and to protect the Site from automated abuse. Replies are generated by artificial intelligence services operated by Vercel Inc. and Anthropic, PBC, which process chat content on our behalf under contracts that do not permit them to use it to train their models. Chat transcripts and call back requests are forwarded to the practice's communications systems so our team can follow up, and are kept in line with our record retention practices. The Site itself does not store transcripts.
Please do not share medical details, dates of birth, insurance numbers, or other sensitive information in the chat. For anything about your own care, use the patient portal or call 559.431.2397. If you have a medical emergency, call 911. A call back request is not an appointment; an appointment is confirmed only when our office confirms it with you.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Respond to your messages and appointment requests.
- Send you the communications you have asked for, such as our newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in each email.
- Operate, secure, and improve the Site.
- Comply with legal obligations and protect our rights and the rights of others.
How We Disclose Your Information
We do not sell your personal information for money. We may disclose personal information in these circumstances:
- With service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as website hosting, email delivery, appointment scheduling, analytics, artificial intelligence services that generate chat replies, bot protection, and the systems that store chat transcripts for our staff. They may use your information only to provide those services to us.
- To comply with the law, such as responding to a subpoena, court order, or other lawful request.
- In connection with a transaction such as a sale, merger, or reorganization of the practice, subject to applicable law.
- With your direction or consent.
If we use advertising or analytics cookies whose operation could be considered a "sale", "sharing", or use for "targeted advertising" under state privacy laws, you may opt out as described on our Your Privacy Choices page.
Cookies and Global Privacy Control
Most browsers accept cookies by default, and you can set your browser to remove or reject them. Blocking cookies may affect how parts of the Site work. Our Site also honors the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal. If your browser sends a GPC signal, we treat it as a valid request to opt out of any sale or sharing of personal information for that browser and device, where applicable law requires it.
Your Privacy Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights over your personal information. California residents have these rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act. These rights are not absolute, and in some cases we may decline a request as permitted by law.
- Right to know and access: request access to the personal information we hold about you, including how we use and share it.
- Right to delete: request that we delete personal information we maintain about you.
- Right to correct: request that we correct inaccurate personal information.
- Right to portability: receive a copy of the personal information you provided to us.
- Right to opt out: opt out of any sale or sharing of personal information, or its use for targeted advertising.
- Right to non-discrimination: we will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@maciasdermatology.com or call 559.431.2397. We may need to verify your identity before responding, and we will respond within the time required by applicable law. You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf; we will ask the agent for proof of authorization. If we decline your request, you may appeal by replying to our response. Note that requests about your medical records are handled under our Notice of Privacy Practices rather than this policy.
Children
The Site is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children through it. If you believe a child has provided us personal information through the Site, contact us and we will delete it. We treat information about our pediatric patients as protected health information under our Notice of Privacy Practices.
Security and Retention
We use reasonable safeguards to protect personal information, but no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. We keep personal information for as long as we need it to respond to you, provide the services you request, comply with legal obligations, and resolve disputes.
Third-Party Websites and Services
The Site links to services operated by third parties, including our patient portal, our online payment service, our online store, and our social media pages. Those services have their own privacy policies and terms, and we encourage you to review them. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of sites we do not control.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. We will post the revised policy on the Site and update the date above.
Contact
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, or want to exercise your rights, contact us. Macias Dermatology 7115 N. Chestnut Ave. Suite 101 Fresno, CA 93720 Phone: 559.431.2397 Email: info@maciasdermatology.com