This Privacy Policy explains how Bren OBGYN ("we," "us," or "the practice") handles information collected through brenobgyn.com and related online forms. It covers website and waitlist communications. Protected health information created or maintained in connection with clinical care is governed by our Notice of Privacy Practices.
Who we are
Bren OBGYN is a physician-led women's health practice affiliated with care at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC. Our website is operated for the practice of Kathleen Bren, MD, FACOG.
Practice contact: drbren@brenobgyn.com · (202) 555-0100 · 5215 Loughboro Road NW, Suite 520, Washington, DC 20016.
Information we collect
We may collect:
- Contact details you choose to share (name, email, phone) when you join the waitlist or send a message.
- Brief notes you provide about interest in care, timing, or questions for our team.
- Technical data such as browser type, device, approximate location derived from IP address, and pages visited, collected through ordinary website hosting logs.
We do not ask you to submit full medical histories through the public website. Please do not include sensitive clinical details in online forms or email unless you are comfortable doing so and understand those channels may not be encrypted end to end.
How we use information
We use website and waitlist information to:
- Respond to inquiries and manage the practice waitlist.
- Share opening updates, scheduling next steps, and practice information you have requested.
- Operate, secure, and improve the website.
- Meet legal or professional obligations when required.
We do not sell personal information. We do not use waitlist details for unrelated marketing lists.
Sharing
We may share information with service providers who help us run the site, email, or practice operations (for example hosting or form delivery), under agreements that limit use to those purposes. We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of patients, staff, or the public.
Cookies and similar technologies
The site may use essential cookies or similar tools needed for security and basic function. If we introduce analytics or similar tools later, we will update this policy and, where required, provide additional notice or choice.
Retention
Waitlist and inquiry records are kept only as long as needed to manage opening communications and respond to your request, unless a longer period is required by law or professional standards. Hosting logs are retained according to our providers' ordinary schedules.
Your choices
You may ask us to update or remove waitlist contact details, or to stop non-essential communications, by emailing drbren@brenobgyn.com or calling the office. Clinical record requests follow the process in our Notice of Privacy Practices.
Children
This website is intended for adults seeking women's healthcare information. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children online through this site.
Security
We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards appropriate to a private medical practice website. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. For confidential clinical matters, prefer phone or secure channels we designate after you become a patient.
Changes
We may update this Privacy Policy as the practice opens and our systems evolve. The effective date above will change when we do. The current version will always be posted on this page.
Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy: drbren@brenobgyn.com or (202) 555-0100.
Notice of Privacy Practices
This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.
Our commitment
Bren OBGYN ("we" or "the practice") is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI), to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI in accordance with applicable law. We follow the terms of this notice while it is in effect.
Practice: Kathleen Bren, MD, FACOG · Bren OBGYN · Sibley Memorial Hospital area · 5215 Loughboro Road NW, Suite 520, Washington, DC 20016 · drbren@brenobgyn.com.
How we may use and disclose your PHI
The following categories describe ways we may use and disclose PHI without your written authorization, when permitted by law.
Treatment
We may use and share PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your care. Examples include consulting with other clinicians, coordinating with Sibley Memorial Hospital or Maternal-Fetal Medicine when imaging or delivery services are involved, and communicating with laboratories or pharmacies involved in your care.
Payment
We may use and share PHI to obtain payment for services. As a fee-for-service practice, this may include preparing superbills or documentation you submit for out-of-network reimbursement, billing for professional services, and communicating with insurers when you ask us to do so or when otherwise allowed.
Healthcare operations
We may use and share PHI for practice operations such as quality review, staff training, licensing, accreditation, business planning, and customer service related to your care experience.
Other uses permitted or required by law
Examples include disclosures:
- Required by law, court order, or lawful government request.
- For public health activities (such as reporting certain diseases or adverse events when required).
- Relating to victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, when required or permitted.
- For health oversight activities, including audits and investigations.
- To coroners, medical examiners, or funeral directors as authorized by law.
- To avert a serious threat to health or safety.
- For workers' compensation or similar programs, as applicable.
We may also contact you about appointments, refill or follow-up reminders, and care-related logistics using the phone, email, or other contacts you provide.
Uses and disclosures that require authorization
Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes (if applicable), uses and disclosures for marketing, and disclosures that constitute a sale of PHI require your written authorization. Other uses and disclosures not described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we have already relied on it.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- Inspect and obtain a copy of PHI we maintain about you in a designated record set, with limited exceptions.
- Request an amendment if you believe PHI is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request in certain cases and will explain why in writing.
- Request an accounting of certain disclosures of your PHI made by us, subject to legal limits.
- Request restrictions on certain uses or disclosures. We are not required to agree to every request, except as required by law for certain paid-in-full services.
- Request confidential communications, such as contacting you at an alternate address or phone number, when reasonable.
- Receive a paper copy of this notice upon request, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
To exercise these rights, contact the practice at the phone or email above. We will respond within the timeframes required by law.
Our duties
We are required to abide by the terms of this notice. We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and to make the revised notice effective for PHI we already have as well as information we receive in the future. The revised notice will be posted in the office and on our website, with an updated effective date.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the practice by contacting us at drbren@brenobgyn.com. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Acknowledgment
When you become a patient, we will ask you to acknowledge receipt of this Notice of Privacy Practices. Choosing care with Bren OBGYN after receiving this notice constitutes awareness of these practices.