Privacy Policy

When you use askCHARGE, we may collect the following categories of information:

• Account information — name, email address, mobile phone number, department, and role within the ED. This information is collected during onboarding and may be updated via your profile.
• Authentication data — mobile phone number or email address used for one-time passcode (OTP) verification, and session tokens. We do not store passwords; all authentication is performed via SMS OTP, email OTP, or institutional Single Sign-On (SSO/CAS).
• Usage data — pages viewed, searches performed, articles accessed, votes cast, issues submitted, and comments posted. This data is used to improve the platform and surface relevant content.
• Device and network information — IP address, browser type, operating system, and whether access originates from the Eskenazi Health campus network. Campus detection is used solely to streamline authentication.
• Uploaded content — images attached to issue reports or knowledge base articles.

Information collected through askCHARGE is used to:

• Authenticate your identity and manage access to the platform.
• Display and deliver knowledge base articles, issue reports, and other operational content relevant to your role.
• Enable search functionality, including AI-powered semantic search to surface the most relevant clinical resources.
• Process inbound emails forwarded to the system and generate knowledge base update proposals using AI analysis.
• Send transactional communications, including OTP verification codes, issue status updates, content digests, and editorial notifications.
• Generate aggregate analytics for department dashboards (e.g., issue resolution turnaround, search trends, article engagement).
• Maintain platform security, prevent abuse, and enforce rate limits.

askCHARGE uses SMS text messaging as a primary authentication method. The following terms apply to SMS communications:

Your phone number is used exclusively for authentication purposes and is not shared with third parties for marketing or promotional purposes. Phone numbers are stored securely and transmitted to Twilio solely for the purpose of delivering OTP messages. Twilio's handling of your data is governed by Twilio's Privacy Policy.

Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of employment or access to Eskenazi Health systems. Alternative authentication methods (email OTP and institutional SSO/CAS) are available if you prefer not to receive SMS messages.

askCHARGE uses artificial intelligence services to enhance the platform:

• OpenAI embeddings are used to generate vector representations of article content for semantic search. Article text is sent to OpenAI's API for embedding generation only. No patient data or protected health information (PHI) is processed.
• Anthropic Claude is used to analyze forwarded emails and generate knowledge base update proposals. Email content sent through the system may be processed by Anthropic's API. All proposals require human editor review before publication.

No patient data, medical records, or protected health information (PHI) is stored in or processed by askCHARGE. The platform is designed exclusively for operational and educational content.

• All data is stored in a secure, cloud-hosted PostgreSQL database managed by Supabase, with encryption at rest and in transit (TLS 1.2+).
• Row-Level Security (RLS) policies ensure that users can only access data appropriate to their role.
• Authentication tokens are managed via secure, HTTP-only cookies. One-time passcodes expire after a short time window.
• Uploaded images are stored in access-controlled storage buckets with file type and size restrictions.
• All API endpoints enforce rate limiting to prevent abuse.
• Security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security are applied to all responses.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. Information may be shared only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers — we use third-party services (Supabase, OpenAI, Anthropic, Twilio, Resend, Mailgun) to operate the platform. These providers process data only as necessary to deliver their services and are bound by their respective privacy policies and data processing agreements.
• Institutional compliance — we may disclose information if required by Eskenazi Health policies, applicable law, or legal process.
• Aggregate analytics — de-identified, aggregate usage statistics may be shared with department leads to improve operations.

Your mobile phone number and email address are never shared with third parties for marketing or advertising purposes.

As an authorized user of askCHARGE, you may:

• View and update your profile information at any time via the Profile page.
• Request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting the ED administration. Note that some content you have contributed (e.g., published articles, resolved issues) may be retained in anonymized form for operational continuity.
• Opt out of SMS messages at any time by replying STOP to any message or contacting the ED administration to switch to an alternative authentication method.
• Opt out of non-essential email communications via your notification preferences.

User accounts and associated data are retained for the duration of your employment or affiliation with Eskenazi Health Emergency Department. Upon departure, accounts may be deactivated and data retained for a reasonable period in accordance with institutional records retention policies. Search logs are retained for analytics purposes and automatically anonymized after 12 months.

askCHARGE is an operational and educational tool and is not designed to store, process, or transmit protected health information (PHI) as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Users are reminded to never enter patient-identifying information into any field within the platform, including issue descriptions, comments, knowledge base articles, or search queries.

askCHARGE implements automated PHI detection safeguards that scan free-text fields for patterns consistent with medical record numbers (MRNs), Social Security numbers, phone numbers, and dates of birth. These safeguards may flag or block submissions that appear to contain patient identifiers. Additionally, uploaded images are scanned for printed text that may contain PHI. These measures are designed to prevent accidental inclusion of patient data, consistent with HIPAA Safe Harbor methodology per 45 CFR §164.514(b).

If patient information is accidentally submitted, contact your department administrator immediately to request deletion.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the platform or applicable regulations. Material changes will be communicated through the platform. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was most recently revised.

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, SMS messaging, or the handling of your information, please contact: