Terms of Use

Thank you for visiting a Cleveland Clinic website.

All health information posted on the site is based on the latest research and national treatment standards, and have been written or reviewed and approved by Cleveland Clinic physicians or health professionals unless otherwise specified.

This website is sponsored solely by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Portions of our site were created with the support of unrestricted educational grants. The granting organization is noted at the bottom of the applicable page(s). This support does not influence the content of the health information on our website.

The information provided on http://www.clevelandclinic.org/ is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between patient/site visitor and his/her physician.

By accessing, browsing and/or using webpages or other digital content in this site, you accept, without limitation or qualification, the following terms of use.

CONSENT. You agree that your use of the Cleveland Clinic website and any uses of any services or materials are subject to your agreement with all of these Terms of Use, Copyright and Reprint Policy, and the Website Privacy Policy. You agree that you will not violate any local, state, federal or international laws in using this website or accessing any Material on this website.

SITE ACCESS. Cleveland Clinic reserves the right to prohibit, restrict or discontinue your access to certain pages within the website if you violate any terms of this agreement. Cleveland Clinic may modify these Terms of Use at any time without notice. The modified terms of use will be effective upon posting on our website. To remain in compliance, Cleveland Clinic suggests that you review the Terms of Use, as well as the other website policies listed above, at regular intervals.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER. IF THIS IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY CALL EMERGENCY PERSONNEL (911) TO GET PROMPT MEDICAL ATTENTION. DO NOT RELY ON ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR ASSISTANCE IN REGARD TO YOUR IMMEDIATE, URGENT MEDICAL NEEDS. THIS E-MAIL IS NOT DESIGNED TO FACILITATE MEDICAL EMERGENCIES. CLEVELAND CLINIC CANNOT GUARANTEE RESPONSE TIMES IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE THIS E-MAIL IN THE EVENT OF A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

SECURITY. All forms that request personal information (name, address, email address, etc.) are secure and provide encrypted transmission over the Internet. Please refer to our Website Privacy Policy for more information concerning encryption technology utilized by Cleveland Clinic.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY. MATERIALS, SERVICES AND OTHER INFORMATION ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” BY CLEVELAND CLINIC FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

CLEVELAND CLINIC MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE, TITLE OR NON INFRINGEMENT.

ALTHOUGH OUR HEALTH INFORMATION CONTENT IS REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, CLEVELAND CLINIC DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY, OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY INFORMATION AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS OR FOR THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF SUCH INFORMATION.

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT CLEVELAND CLINIC DOES NOT OPERATE OR CONTROL THE INTERNET AND THEREFORE CLEVELAND CLINIC DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE USE OF THIS WEBSITE WILL BE ERROR FREE OR FREE OF TECHNOLOGY DOWNTIMES OR UNAVAILABILITY.

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT CLEVELAND CLINIC CANNOT AND DOES NOT GUARANTEE AGAINST VIRUSES, WORMS, OR OTHER UNAUTHORIZED USERS OR HACKERS ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN ACCESS TO THIS WEBSITE OR INFORMATION TRANSMITTED TO OR FROM THIS SITE.

Cleveland Clinic also reserves the right to temporarily or permanently discontinue this site, any page, or any functionality on this website at any time and without notice.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. IN NO EVENT SHALL CLEVELAND CLINIC BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR MONETARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING FEES, AND PENALTIES IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF MATERIALS POSTED ON THIS SITE OR CONNECTIVITY TO OR FROM THIS SITE TO ANY OTHER SITE.

GOVERNING LAW. You agree that any claim or dispute relating to the Cleveland Clinic website or your use or reliance on this website shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio without regard to its conflict of laws provisions. The parties agree to be bound and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the local, state or federal courts located in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

USER NAME AND PASSWORD. In the event you access any Service requiring a User Name and Password, you are solely responsible for keeping such User Name and Password strictly confidential.

CHILDREN. Accept as otherwise indicated, Cleveland Clinic does not knowingly or intentionally collect personal information from children under age 18. The content of our website is directed at adults, and therefore this site is intended for use only by adults over the age of 18. If you are under the age of 18, please consult a parent or guardian for help in using this website.

INBOUND LINKS. You may not, under any circumstances, establish a link to the Cleveland Clinic website without the express written consent of the General Counsel of Cleveland Clinic, including but not limited to deep linking.

EXTERNAL LINKS. Please note that pages of this site may be linked to other sites which may have different terms of use.The Cleveland Clinic does not own, control, manage, supervise, direct or otherwise have any involvement in the business or affairs of ay third party site. Cleveland Clinic is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of the third party site. Once you link to another site, you are subject to the privacy policy of that site. Cleveland Clinic encourage you to be aware when you are leaving Cleveland Clinic site to read the privacy statements of each and every website that you visit before providing any personally identifiable information.

TRADEMARKS AND COPYRIGHTS. All trademarks, service marks, and logos or copyrights displayed and used in this site are the property of their respective owners. Nothing in this site should be construed as granting any right or license to use any Trademark without the written permission of its owner.

PRIVACY. Please read the full text of our Notice of Privacy Practices to understand how any Protected Health Information ("PHI"), as that term is defined in the Notice of Privacy Practices (HIPAA), that you submit via the Cleveland Clinic website will be treated.

BY USING THIS WEBSITE, YOU ACCEPT THESE TERMS.

Last updated: 03/18/2009