Terms of Use

Last Updated: December 08, 2020
TERMS OF USE
PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF USE (sometimes referred to as "TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE,” "TERMS AND CONDITIONS,” or “TERMS” ) CAREFULLY.

YOUR USE OF THIS WEBSITE AND YOUR DECISION TO CONTACT OR HIRE ANY INDIVIDUAL OR ENITITY LISTED IN THE GNANOW.ORG NATIONAL DIRECTORY IS CONDITIONED UPON YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS, DO USE THE GNA WEBSITE AND DO NOT CALL OR EMAIL ANY ADVOCATE VIA THEIR LISTING ON GNANOW.ORG.

These Terms of Use apply to your access to, and use of, the Greater National Advocates website (sometimes referred to as GNANOW.ORG ). We reserve the right to revise these Terms of Use at any time. If we revise these Terms of Use, we will notify you by updating their effective date. Your use of the GNA website after any changes to these Terms of Use will constitute your acceptance of them. If you do not agree to any revisions to these terms, please immediately stop using the GNA website and directory.


ABOUT GREATER NATIONAL ADVOCATES
Greater National Advocates (sometimes referred to as “GNA” or “GNANOW.ORG” ) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt private foundation. GNANOW.ORG is a marketing and information website that provides resources, promotes, and educates the public about independent patient advocacy. The site also includes a searchable national directory of patient advocates who have submitted their profiles to GNA for publication. GNA does not supervise, train, monitor, or verify the credentials or competencies of the advocates listed on the GNANOW.ORG national directory. Members of the public can search the directory free of charge and contact any of the advocates who have submitted profiles and are listed in the directory. None of the advocates listed on GNANOW.ORG are employed by GNA. None of the advocates pay a fee to GNA to be listed in the directory nor does GNA pay or otherwise compensate any advocate in exchange for being listed. Greater National Advocates does not exercise any control over any aspect of any advocate’s practice.


GNA NATIONAL DIRECTORY DISCLAIMER
The decision to contact, consult, retain, or engage the services of any independent patient advocate listed in the GNANOW.ORG directory should be based on your own thorough and investigation of all facts and circumstances that you deem relevant and important. The information in each patient advocate’s profile was created and submitted by the advocate without any input, modification, or screening from GNA. Greater National Advocates does not guarantee or make any representations regarding the competence, integrity, qualifications, quality of advice, or the ability or suitability of any patient advocate. The patient advocates listed in the GNA Directory are not employed by Greater National Advocates and GNA does not exercise any control over how any patient advocate provides services to the public. GNA does not make referrals to patient advocates or services. Website users have complete discretion in deciding which patient advocate to retain, if any. GNA expressly disclaims and you expressly release GNA from any and all liability for any act or omission occasioned by the information offered or provided within or through the GNANOW.ORG website.


PRIVACY POLICY/ HOW WE MANAGE GNA WEBSITE VISITOR INFORMATION
GNA has no access to the content of any communications between website users and the patient advocates listed in the GNANOW.ORG directory. When a website visitor submits an inquiry to an advocate using the GNA National Directory contact form, the advocate receives an email letting them know the inquiry is available for them to read. The visitor inquiry is stored on a HIPAA compliant portion of the GNA Amazon AWS server. The alert that GNA sends to the advocate does not contain any personal information, it is just an alert message. The contact inquiry is available only to be read by the advocate to whom the email is directed, and the content is not available to any administrators of the GNA website. GNA does not and cannot read or retain user inquiries sent to advocates through the GNA site. GNA has no direct interaction between site visitors and any of the advocates in the directory. User information is not stored on any publicly accessible servers and therefore cannot be accessed by anyone who would use it for reasons other than your intent to find an advocate. When a website visitor calls a patient advocate using the profile number listed in the advocate’s GNANOW.ORG directory profile, the call is immediately forwarded to the advocate’s phone number of choice. GNA does not and cannot access any interaction whatsoever between GNA website visitors and any of the advocates listed in the GNA national directory.

GNA maintains logs of site usage for purposes such as to evaluate our users' interest level in areas of the website, which and how many pages they look at, how long they stay on the website, and what web browsers are used. Site usage data is tracked in aggregate form, not at an individual user level, and is not uniquely identifying. The aggregate level data may be shared with third parties and the public. We do not share or sell any personally identifiable information about website visitors. We have the ability to track the number of email inquiries sent to every advocate listed on the site and the number of phone calls placed to each advocate’s directory phone number but we have no ability to determine whether an advocate has responded to any inquiries from website users.

We may use a software technology called "cookies" to create a personalized web experience for our users. Cookies cannot be used to find your name, email address, or anything that is uniquely identifying about you, unless you provide that information. We may use cookies for those applications that require us to keep track of information to customize results. If you don't have your browser set to accept cookies, certain areas of the website may not function properly. We may use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest. When you click on links and/or ad banners that take you to third-party websites, the third party may collect information about you at their web site. The third party may have its own privacy policies that differ from ours. We encourage you to read the posted privacy statement whenever interacting with any website you visit.

If a website visitor signed up to receive notifications from GNA, we may use a software technology called “web beacons” that let us know which emails have been opened by the recipients. This allows us to know how well customers respond to certain communications and the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns.


ADVOCATES ARE NOT EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS OF GNA
Greater National Advocates does not employ any of the patient advocates listed in the GNA National Directory. None of the advocates listed on GNANOW.ORG receive any compensation, financial or otherwise, from GNA. Greater National Advocates does not exercise any control over any aspect of any patient advocate’s practice. Users of the GNANOW.ORG website and directory are solely responsible for interviewing, performing background and reference checks, verifying credentials and licensures, and otherwise investigating and confirming the accuracy of information contained in any GNA directory listing.


NO DIRECT SERVICES PROVIDED BY GNA
Greater National Advocates is an information service and directory. GNA not perform any direct professional services. GNA is not a representative or an agent for the consumer or for any of the advocates listed in the directory and GNA does not act on either's behalf.


NO PROFESSIONAL ADVICE GIVEN BY GNA
The content (including profile listings, links, advertisements, and blogs) on GNANOW.ORG is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace or substitute any professional, financial, medical, legal, or other advice. You should consult with an appropriately trained and licensed specialist for all concerns that require medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice.


ETHICAL STANDARDS
Greater National Advocates has adopted the Ethical Standards implemented by the Patient Advocate Certification Board (PACB). Each advocate listed on GNANOW.ORG has agreed to subscribe to and abide by the PACB Ethical Standards as a condition for inclusion in the directory. The complete text of the PACB Ethical Standards can be found here: https://gna-dev.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/PACB-ethics.pdf


HOW WE MANAGE GNA MEMBER INFORMATION
When an advocate submits a profile for listing in GNA directories, we use that information to create the advocate’s profile in the GNANOW.ORG directory, such as name, address, email address, and professional information such as qualifications, certifications, demographic region of practice, and fields of specialty. Advocate information is stored on our servers. Once an advocate is listed in the directory, their information becomes available for public consumption on our website. Advocates can edit their own information at any time by logging into their personal GNA advocate dashboard to make changes. GNA retains the right to remove, edit, suspend, or terminate the publication of any profile at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including violation of these terms and conditions.

The materials posted by advocated listed on the GNA website, such as blogs, directory information, and comments, are made available to be seen and read by other users of the website. No such materials are treated confidentially. We will remove your materials from the website at your request, but we cannot give any assurances that such materials are not still available from servers maintained by others (such as search engines or proxy servers) or that others have not already downloaded and stored such materials.

The advocates listed on GNA directories have agreed to receive periodic emails from GNA. When GNA sends emails to patient advocates, we may use a software technology called “web beacons” that let us know which emails have been opened by the recipients. This allows us to know how well customers.


BLOGS
For GNA website visitors: We do not undertake responsibility for screening or monitoring our bloggers' materials. The opinions expressed by the bloggers are their own and are not our opinions or endorsed by us. Bloggers who post articles to our site are not employed by GNA. Each blogger is solely responsible for the content of his or her articles. We explicitly disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy, content or availability of information found on a site that links to or from a third-party site.

For advocates who submit blogs: You warrant that you will not post any materials that would (a) constitute or encourage conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any local, state, national, or international law, including any threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, or indecent messages of any kind; (b) violate or infringe upon the rights of others, including their privacy or publicity rights, or which is protected by copyright, trademark, or other proprietary rights, without first obtaining permission from the person who owns or holds that right; (c) contain a virus or other material of a destructive nature; and (d) violate any law, statute, ordinance, or regulation including but not limited to misrepresentation, fraud, deception, anti-discrimination, and/or false advertising. You grant GNA a perpetual, irrevocable, nonexclusive, worldwide, fully paid, and sublicensable license to use, disseminate, distribute, display, reproduce, post, and publish your blog submission and any name, username, or likeness provided in connection with your submission in all media formats and channels now known or later developed without compensation to you. When you post or otherwise share your submission on or through our website, you understand that your submission and any associated information will be visible to others.


EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
Employers are beginning to include patient and health care advocacy among the list of covered benefits for their employees. In many cases, an employee assistance program or a similar type of plan will pay the professional fees, in full or in part, for independent patient advocacy services. The fact that patient advocacy services are paid for by an employer or by an employee assistance program should not diminish or infringe upon the relationship between the patient and the independent advocate. Employers and advocates both remain bound by HIPAA and state privacy laws regardless of who pays for the advocate’s services. Greater National Advocates does not guarantee or make any representations regarding the competence, integrity, abilities, qualifications, quality of advice, or the ability or suitability of any patient advocate.


LINKS TO EXTERNAL WEB SITES
GNA.ORG may contain links to external websites ("External Web Sites"). Links to external websites may be included in blogs written by GNA advocates and in the individual advocate profile listings. GNA does not control such External Web Sites; therefore, GNA is not responsible for the content of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. Our inclusion of links to External Web Sites does not imply any endorsement of any such third party who advertises their goods or services through the sites. GNA makes no claim or representation regarding, and accepts no responsibility for the quality, content, nature, or reliability of External Web Sites.


INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OWNERSHIP
All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are proprietary to GNA and our licensors. All rights, title, and interests in and to the Sites, including content, materials, trademarks, and other intellectual property contained in the Sites, vest solely in GNA and its licensors. The GNA name and any GNA products and services, slogans, or logos are either trademarks or registered trademarks of GNA in the United States and/or other countries.


PRIVACY AND CONSENT TO COMMUNICATIONS
By filling out any forms on the GNA website or providing information to GNA, you expressly consent to being contacted by us whether by phone, mobile phone, email, mail, or otherwise. Please review our Privacy Policy to which you should refer to fully understand how we collect and use personal information.


TERMINATION
We may terminate or suspend your access at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice.


INDEMNIFICATION
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold Greater National Advocates, Inc. harmless from any claim or demand, including attorneys' fees, arising out of your use of the sites and/or the services or your violation of our Terms of Use, or the infringement by you of any intellectual property or other right of any person or entity.

DISCLAIMER
THE GNANOW.ORG WEBSITE, INCLUDING ALL THIRD-PARTY CONTENT, LINKS, INFORMATION, MATERIALS, RECOMMENDATIONS, SERVICES, AND PRODUCTS PROVIDED ON OR THROUGH THE SITES, ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT USE OF THE SITES AND THE MATERIALS IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. GNA DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT AS TO THE SITES, THE SITE MATERIALS, LINKS, INFORMATION, MATERIALS, SERVICES, AND PRODUCTS AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH ON THE SITES AND/OR SERVICES. IN ADDITION, GNA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PRODUCTS OR SERVICES PROVIDED BY, OR THE CONDUCT OF, ANY THIRD PARTY OR ITS AGENTS OR EMPLOYEES (EVEN IF WE HAVE INTRODUCED YOU TO SUCH PARTY OR PARTIES), INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY PARTICIPATING COMMUNITY OR OTHER HEALTH CARE AND/OR ANY OTHER SENIOR HOUSING AND CARE PROVIDER, WHETHER OFFLINE OR ONLINE. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION FROM GNA OR ANY OTHER PARTY WILL MODIFY THIS DISCLAIMER. GNA EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, OR COVENANTS THAT THE MATERIALS ON THE SITES ARE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, RELIABLE, CURRENT, OR ERROR-FREE. WHILE WE ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE YOU ACCESS SAFE FROM VIRUSES, GNA DOES NOT REPRESENT, WARRANT, OR COVENANT THAT THE SITES OR ITS SERVER(S) ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. IN NO EVENT SHALL GNA BE LIABLE TO USER FOR ANY OF THE PRODUCTS, SERVICES, CONTENT, OR INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH THE SITES OR OTHERWISE PROVIDED BY OR ON BEHALF OF GNA OR BY ANY OF THE ADVOCATES LISTED IN THE GNANOW.ORG DIRECTORY.


LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL GREATER NATIONAL ADVOCATES, INC. BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF PROFITS, OR LOSS OF DATA OR OTHER INFORMATION, FOR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, AND FOR ANY OTHER PECUNIARY OR OTHER LOSS WHATSOEVER) ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY RELATED TO THE SITES AND/OR SERVICES, OUR ACTS OR OMISSIONS UNDER OR IN ANY WAY RELATED TO THE SITES AND/OR SERVICES, OR OTHERWISE UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITES AND/OR SERVICES, REGARDLESS OF THE LEGAL THEORY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF CONTRACT, OR BREACH OF WARRANTY BY US OR ANY ASSOCIATED PARTY, AND EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS, EXCLUSIONS AND DISCLAIMERS OF THIS "LIMITATION OF LIABILITY" SECTION SHALL APPLY TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EVEN IF ANY REMEDY FAILS ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF GNA OR THE ASSOCIATED PARTIES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, WARRANTY, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, WHETHER ACTIVE, PASSIVE, OR IMPUTED), OR OTHER THEORY, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE COMPLETE SITE EXCEED THE GREATER OF USD $50.00 OR ANY COMPENSATION YOU PAY, IF ANY, TO GNA FOR ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE SITE AND/OR SERVICES. THE LIMITATIONS SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION WILL NOT LIMIT OR EXCLUDE GNA OR THE ASSOCIATED PARTIES' LIABILITY FOR GROSS NEGLIGENCE, FRAUD, INTENTIONAL, WILLFUL, MALICIOUS, OR RECKLESS MISCONDUCT. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION