Your information, handled with care.

1. Who we are and what this policy covers

This Privacy Policy explains how Nichole McCloy, LLC, doing business as Fort Worth Lactation & Tongue Tie Specialists (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, shares and protects information when you:

• visit our websites, including fortworthlactation.com, fortworthlactationandtonguetie.com and helpingdfwmamas.com;
• fill out one of our online forms, including insurance and benefits-check forms;
• respond to our ads or submit a lead form on Facebook or Instagram;
• call, text or email us; or
• otherwise interact with us online.

By using our websites or forms, you agree to this policy. If you don’t agree, please don’t use them.

2. Your health records are protected separately

We are a healthcare provider. Once you become a patient, the health information in your patient record is protected health information under the federal HIPAA law and Texas law. Our Notice of Privacy Practices explains how we use and protect it and what your rights are. You receive the Notice when you become a patient, and you can ask us for a copy at any time. If this policy and our Notice of Privacy Practices ever conflict about your health information, the Notice of Privacy Practices controls.

3. Information we collect

Information you give us. Depending on how you contact us, this may include:

• your name, phone number, email address, mailing address and zip code;
• your insurance company or plan type, and, on our secure intake forms only, details such as member ID and policy holder information;
• your baby’s name and date of birth, and other information you choose to share in our forms;
• appointment preferences, such as office, in-home or telehealth; and
• anything you write in messages, emails or texts to us.

Information from Facebook and Instagram lead forms. If you submit one of our lead forms on Facebook or Instagram, Meta sends us the answers you submit. Some fields, such as your name, email, phone and zip code, may be prefilled by Meta from your account. You can review and change them before you submit. Our lead forms do not ask for member ID numbers or health details.

Phone calls. Calls to our office may be answered by an AI receptionist, an automated assistant that answers questions and passes messages to our team. Calls may be recorded, transcribed and summarized so our team can follow up with you. If you’d rather not use the AI receptionist, you can email us or use our online forms.

Information collected automatically. When you visit our websites, we and our service providers may collect technical information. This includes your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you view, how you arrived at our site (for example, from an ad or a search engine) and the date and time of your visit. We collect it using cookies, pixels and similar tools (see Section 5).

Information from others. We may receive information from your health plan when we check your eligibility and benefits. We may also receive information from a doctor or other provider who refers you to us, and from service providers that help us run our practice.

4. How we use your information

• To respond to your request and contact you about our services, including by phone, text and email
• To check your insurance eligibility and benefits
• To schedule and confirm visits and send reminders
• To provide care, bill your health plan and handle payment (as described in our Notice of Privacy Practices)
• To answer questions and provide customer support
• To run, secure and improve our websites, forms and services
• To measure and improve our advertising
• To comply with the law and protect our rights, our patients and the public

5. Cookies, pixels and advertising

Our websites use tools such as the Meta Pixel and Meta’s Conversions API, along with analytics and advertising tools from companies such as Google. They help us understand how people use our sites and how well our ads work, and they help show our ads to people who may be interested in our services.

• We do not use your health information, your insurance details or the answers on our secure intake forms to target ads.
• Our secure intake and benefits forms are hosted by our healthcare practice-management platform, and we do not add advertising pixels to them.
• We set up our advertising tools to limit the information they receive. Those companies handle the information under their own privacy policies.

Your choices: You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. You can manage ads you see on Facebook and Instagram in your Meta ad preferences, and Google ads at Google’s My Ad Center. Where required by law, we treat a Global Privacy Control signal from your browser as a request to opt out of targeted advertising.

6. Text messages

When you give us your mobile number on our forms, lead forms or by phone, you agree that we may text you about your request. That includes your benefits check, scheduling, appointment reminders, forms to complete and follow-up about your care.

• Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply.
• Reply STOP to stop receiving texts. Reply HELP for help, or contact us at hello@fortworthlactation.com or (817) 304-0992.
• Agreeing to texts is not a condition of receiving care.
• No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties, except service providers that help us send messages on our behalf.

7. Emails

We may email you about your request, your care and your account. If we ever send newsletters or promotional emails, you can unsubscribe using the link in any of those emails. We will still send messages related to your care and appointments.

Please don’t send insurance ID numbers or health details by regular email. Our secure forms are the right place for that information.

8. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only as described here:

• Service providers that help us run our practice, such as our practice-management and scheduling system, phone and AI receptionist services, email and text providers, payment processors, billing and insurance verification support, and website hosting. They may use your information only to provide services to us. Where health information is involved, they must sign a HIPAA business associate agreement.
• Health plans, to check your eligibility and benefits and to bill for services.
• Healthcare providers involved in your care, such as your referring doctor or your baby’s pediatrician, as allowed by law and our Notice of Privacy Practices.
• Advertising and analytics partners, limited to the website and ad information described in Section 5.
• For legal reasons: to comply with a law, subpoena or court order; to protect the rights, safety and property of our patients, our team or others; or to investigate fraud.
• Business changes: if our practice is sold, merged or reorganized, subject to this policy and applicable law.
• With your permission, in any other case.

9. How we protect your information

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect your information. We use secure, HIPAA-compliant systems for patient records and intake forms. No website, email or internet transmission is ever 100% secure, so we can’t guarantee absolute security.

10. How long we keep information

We keep information only as long as we need it for the purposes in this policy, or as long as the law requires. Patient records are kept for the periods required by Texas and federal law. Information from people who contact us but never become patients is deleted or de-identified when we no longer need it.

11. Your choices and rights

You can ask us to:

• tell you what personal information we have about you and give you a copy;
• correct information that is wrong;
• delete your information, unless we have to keep it by law; or
• stop sending you texts or marketing emails, or stop using your information for targeted advertising.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under your state’s privacy laws, including Texas law. To make a request, email hello@fortworthlactation.com with “Privacy Request” in the subject line, or write to us at the address below.

We will verify your identity before acting on a request and respond within the time the law requires, usually within 45 days. If we deny your request, you may appeal by replying to our response with “Appeal” in the subject line. Requests about your patient record (such as access or amendment) are handled under our Notice of Privacy Practices.

12. Children’s privacy

Our services are for parents and their babies. Information about a baby or child is provided by a parent or guardian. Our websites are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent us information, please contact us and we will delete it.

13. Links to other websites

Our websites may link to other sites, such as health plan portals, partner care programs or social media. We don’t control those sites, and their own privacy policies apply.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will post the new version on this page and change the effective date at the top. If we make a significant change, we may also give you notice in other ways.

15. Contact us

Nichole McCloy, LLC dba Fort Worth Lactation & Tongue Tie Specialists
3420 Basswood Blvd., Ste. 130, Fort Worth, TX 76137
Email: hello@fortworthlactation.com
Phone: (817) 304-0992