Healthcare Website Privacy: What Every Organization Should Know

Healthcare Website Privacy: Understanding Today's Evolving Digital Landscape

For many years, healthcare organizations have focused primarily on protecting patient information within electronic medical records (EMRs), patient portals, and internal clinical systems. Increasingly, however, attention is turning toward another important part of the digital ecosystem: the healthcare organization's public-facing website.

Recent lawsuits, regulatory guidance, state privacy laws, and legal demand letters have prompted many healthcare organizations to take a closer look at the third-party technologies operating on their websites. Analytics platforms, embedded videos, advertising tools, social media widgets, online scheduling services, and other integrations have become an important part of the conversation surrounding digital privacy and governance.

While every organization's website is different, one thing has become increasingly clear: understanding what technologies are running on your website - and what information they may collect - is now an important component of responsible website management.

Why Is This Receiving More Attention?

Healthcare websites have become significantly more sophisticated over the past decade.

Modern websites often include:

• Website analytics platforms
• Advertising and remarketing technologies
• Embedded YouTube videos
• Podcast players
• Interactive maps
• Online appointment scheduling
• Live chat tools
• Patient education resources
• Social media integrations

Many of these services connect directly to third-party providers when a visitor loads a webpage. Depending on how these technologies are configured, organizations may wish to carefully evaluate what information is being shared, whether those services are necessary, and how they align with their organization's privacy policies and compliance objectives.

For many healthcare organizations, the question is no longer simply "Do we use analytics?" but rather, "Do we fully understand every third-party technology operating on our website?"

A Changing Legal Landscape

Over the past several years, healthcare organizations have seen increasing legal and regulatory attention surrounding website privacy.

Organizations across the country have received legal demand letters requesting detailed inventories of the tracking technologies operating on their websites. At the same time, numerous class action lawsuits have alleged that certain website technologies disclosed patient information to third-party companies without appropriate authorization.

One recent example involves Wellstar Health System, which announced a proposed $4.25 million settlement to resolve litigation alleging that tracking technologies on its website and patient portal transmitted patient information to third-party providers. According to publicly filed court documents, the proposed settlement would affect approximately 870,000 individuals who used Wellstar's website or patient portal during the relevant period.

Cases like these do not necessarily establish that every healthcare website presents the same risks or requires the same solutions. However, they do illustrate the growing attention being paid to website technologies and digital privacy practices throughout the healthcare industry.

Understanding Your Website's Technology Stack

One of the most valuable exercises an organization can perform is simply creating an inventory of the technologies operating on its website.

Questions worth asking include:

• What third-party services are currently running?
• Why is each service installed?
• What information does it collect or process?
• Is it still actively being used?
• Are there more privacy-conscious alternatives available?
• Should certain technologies load only after visitor consent?
• Are our privacy disclosures accurate and up to date?

Many organizations discover technologies that were added years ago for marketing campaigns, temporary projects, or legacy integrations that are no longer actively maintained.

Regular technology reviews help organizations better understand their digital footprint and make informed decisions about the tools they choose to deploy.

Consent Management Is Becoming More Common

Another trend gaining momentum is the use of Consent Management Platforms (CMPs).

Rather than simply displaying a cookie notification, modern consent management solutions can allow organizations to:

• Present visitors with meaningful privacy choices
• Categorize cookies and website technologies
• Delay certain third-party services until consent is provided
• Maintain visitor consent preferences
• Support compliance with evolving privacy regulations

Not every healthcare website requires the same level of consent management, but organizations utilizing analytics, advertising platforms, embedded media, or other third-party technologies may benefit from evaluating whether a consent management solution is appropriate for their environment.

Practical Steps Healthcare Organizations Can Take

Organizations don't need to overhaul their websites overnight.

Instead, consider a practical, measured approach:

• Inventory all third-party technologies operating on your website.
• Review analytics, advertising, and embedded media implementations.
• Remove outdated or unnecessary services.
• Evaluate whether visitor consent management is appropriate.
• Review your website privacy policy and disclosures.
• Periodically reassess your website as technologies and regulations continue to evolve.

These simple steps can improve transparency, reduce unnecessary complexity, and help organizations make informed decisions about their digital infrastructure.

Looking Ahead

Website privacy will likely remain an important topic for healthcare organizations as technology, patient expectations, and regulatory guidance continue to evolve.

The goal is not necessarily to eliminate every third-party service from your website. Rather, it is to understand what technologies are operating on your site, evaluate the value they provide, and ensure they align with your organization's operational needs, privacy practices, and compliance objectives.

At Remedy CMS, we help healthcare organizations understand the technologies powering their websites through third-party technology audits, accessibility reviews, analytics assessments, and ongoing website support. Whether you're evaluating consent management, reviewing embedded media, or simply looking to better understand your website's digital footprint, our team is here to help you make informed decisions with confidence.