Privacy Policy

The American Academy of Physician Associates (“AAPA,” “we,” “American Academy of PAs,” “our,” or “us”) respects your privacy to describe how we collect and use the information you provide to us through its internet properties including without limitation, aapa.org, connect.aapa.org, cme.aapa.org, pa-foundation.org, aapapac.aristotle.com, huddle.aapa.org, www.jaapa.com, paportfolio.aapa.org, AAPA profiles on social media sites, and any other digital services (including any SMS service(s) offering), microsites, mobile websites, mobile applications, software, services, products, tools, materials, content, information or properties officially operated or used by AAPA from time to time (collectively, the “Site(s)” or “Services”).

This Privacy Policy describes the American Academy of Physician Associates, Inc. (“AAPA”, “we”, “our”) practices regarding personal information we collect and process in connection with your relationship with us (the “Services”), including information we obtain through visits to and use of the digital properties that link to this Privacy Policy (the “Site(s)”).  We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy to understand how we collect, use, and safeguard personal information about you.

Your use of the Site(s) is subject to the Terms & Conditions, the Community Guidelines, and any legal notices that may be provided by AAPA during the term of these Terms. All capitalized terms used herein that are not otherwise defined in this Privacy Policy shall be as defined in the Terms & Conditions.

  1. Changes to the Privacy Policy

As the AAPA, our membership, and our products and services change from time to time, this Privacy Policy is expected to change as well. We reserve the right to amend the Privacy Policy at any time, for any reason. We will notify you in the event material changes are made to this Privacy Policy by posting the revised Privacy Policy on the Sites. Your continued use of the Site(s) following our posting of any revised Privacy Policy will constitute your acknowledgement of the amended Privacy Policy.

  1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide to Us Directly. We may collect information that identifies or relates to you such as your name, postal address, telephone number, and email address when you interact with and provide such information on our Site(s) such as, but not limited to, when applying for membership, registering for an AAPA event or program, or purchasing AAPA products or services. The types of personal information collected on our Site(s) will vary based on the Services offered on the Site(s), but may include, among other things, your name, contact information, birth date, billing and delivery information, credit card or other financial account information, professional certification information, information related to your employment and education, or information regarding your current professional standing.

Usage and Interaction Data. As you interact with and use our Site(s), we (or third parties acting on our behalf) collect information that relates to or discloses aspects of your browsing history, your interactions with our Site(s) and Services, and/or certain other information about you through the use of cookies and similar technologies. The types of data collected on our Site(s) through the use of these tools and others as the AAPA may add from time to time, may include: your IP address, the search terms you used, whether you are a new or returning user, browser information, computer or device type, operating system, Internet service providers, website usage, information entered into forms or pages on the website, referring/exit pages, platform type, date and time of visits and interactions, number of clicks, ads viewed, location, device and hardware information, etc. Additionally, cookies, tags and other tools placed by third parties may collect other information about you such as, but not limited to, your membership type, membership id, primary specialty, etc. (collectively, “Usage and Interaction Data”). Please review the “Analytics” and “Digital Advertising” sections below for more information about the third parties that may collect Usage and Interaction Data on our Site(s).

Additional Information. AAPA may obtain information from third parties and combine it with (or use it to update) the information that we collect about you as described above.

  1. Information We Do Not Collect

Health Information. We do not knowingly solicit or collect individually identifiable health information about any patients of any health care providers. As a health care provider or other individual involved in health care, you or information you obtain may be subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder (“HIPAA”) and other state or federal laws governing the privacy and security of individually identifiable patient information. You should consider HIPAA and other applicable state and federal laws when using our Site(s) and Services, and we strongly discourage the disclosure or release of any individually identifiable health information about patients on our Site(s) or in relation to our Services.

  1. How We Use Information

We may use personal information we collect from and about you in a variety of ways including (but not limited to):

  • Providing service and transactional communications such as bill reminders, order confirmations, program registrations, and customer service messages
  • Answering your emails or online requests and responding to inquiries
  • Delivering and processing surveys
  • Operating, personalizing, and improving the usability of the Site(s) and Services
  • Fulfilling and/or delivering AAPA products and services
  • Sending marketing and promotional messages, including via email and, where you have opted in, text message
  • For internal business purposes, including analytics
  • To comply with the law and to maintain the security of our Site(s)
  • To detect and prevent fraud
  • With your consent or as otherwise disclosed at the time of data collection or sharing
  1. How We Share Information

We may share the personal information we collect from and about you in the following ways.

Publication of Information for Membership Directories and Registration Lists. As a professional organization, certain of the information you provide may be published on the Site(s) and in print or digital form in a variety of ways to allow other physician associates and the public to find you, including, but not limited to, in directories, membership lists, and other types of registration lists for AAPA programs and events (“Directory Lists”). Directory Lists will not include sensitive information, such as credit card or bank information, or social security numbers. To help keep Directory Lists accurate and up-to-date, AAPA may update the information that you provide if we believe it is outdated based on our independent review or third-party data sources. Users can always ask to update and/or make changes to their information displayed on Directory Lists by updating their user profile preferences in the “My Account” section of the website or by contacting us at [email protected].

  • Fulfillment of Service Requests with Our Business Partners.AAPA may share information with our business partners to fulfill services provided to you, for legislative and regulatory purposes, and/or to provide our business partners an opportunity to offer products or services that may be of interest to you, which helps contribute non-dues revenue to AAPA (please see below for your choices).
  • Also, AAPA may share personal information when we engage service providers and other companies to provide limited services to us or on our behalf including, but not limited to, packaging; mailing and delivering promotional offers, sweepstakes or contests; answering customer questions about products or services; consulting services; data modeling; printing; sending postal mail; processing event registration; processing payment; and organizing events, and may share information about you with those entities.

When Legally Necessary or to Protect AAPA’s Interests. AAPA may disclose information if permitted or required to do so by law or in its good-faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to legal requirements or comply with legal process served on the AAPA; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of AAPA; or (c) protect the safety or security of AAPA personnel or members of the public in appropriate circumstances.

Other Sharing.

  • Information about NCCPA, state license, NPI number, and date of birth may be shared with the American Medical Association for credentialing purposes.
  • We may share information we collect as part of a corporate sale, merger, acquisition, or other transfer of all or part of our assets, including as part of a bankruptcy proceeding.

Usage and Interaction Data. In addition to the above, we may share the Usage and Interaction Data we collect with third parties or permit third parties to place and activate tracking mechanisms like cookies, tags, and web beacons to collect Usage and Interaction Data when you browse and interact with our Site(s) or our email communications. We or other third-party companies may use the Usage and Interaction Data to analyze your use of the Site(s) and Services and/or provide targeted advertisements to you. We do not share other information about you like your name or contact information with third parties with whom we share Usage and Interaction Data. For more information about the use of Usage and Interaction Data, consult the “Analytics” and “Digital Advertising” sections below.

De-Identified and Aggregated Data. We may collect, use and share information that has been de-identified or aggregated without limitation.

  1. Site Use
    1. International Use. The Site(s) are designed for use by individuals in the United States, and information collected from visitors to the Site(s) will be processed in the United States and other jurisdictions. Users from other countries are advised that by their use of the Sites and their disclosure of personal information, their personal information will be transferred to, and stored and processed in, the United States, which may have different data protection laws than their country. Personal information we collect, including through the Site(s) and Services, may be used and disclosed as permitted by United States law, including to law enforcement and/or national security authorities. You may not use the Site(s) if it is illegal to do so in your home jurisdiction.
    2. Children Under the Age of 13. The Site(s) are for a general audience and are not intended for use by or targeted to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13.
    3. Linking to Other Internet Sites. For your convenience, the Site(s) may contain links to other websites, including those of advertisers or social platforms that permit you to log into the Site(s) (e.g., ‘Connect with Facebook’). The Site(s) may also include integrated social media tools or “plug-ins,” such as social networking tools offered by third parties.  If you use these tools to share personal information or you otherwise interact with these features on the Site(s), those companies may collect information about you and may use and share such information in accordance with your account settings, including by sharing such information with the general public.  We are not responsible for the privacy and security practices or the content of third-party websites, apps, and services, and they are not covered by this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to read the privacy policies provided by other websites before you provide personal information to them.
  1. Information Security

AAPA implements commercially reasonable security measures designed to protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure or destruction of data.

  1. Communications & Choice
      1. Access to Account. If you are a registered user of the Site(s), subscriber to AAPA publications, purchaser of AAPA products and services or an AAPA member, you may access, review, and update your information or preferences within the “My Account” page on the AAPA website (aapa.org) or by contacting us at [email protected].
      2. Opt-In. All registered users will be opted-in to receive relevant email communications specifically designated for members or for non-members. Each registered user(s) will have the ability to set, reset and update preferences for their communications within “My Account” located on the AAPA website. We will not send you text messages unless you opt into an AAPA text messaging program; for more information about AAPA text messaging programs, review our SMS Terms & Conditions.
      3. Opt-Out. To opt-out of receiving promotional email messages from us, users may select “Manage My Communications” or “unsubscribe” at the bottom of the email message or update specific preferences within the communication preferences section of your account on the AAPA website. You may opt out of AAPA’s sharing of personal information with third parties for them to market to you by updating your communication preferences. User(s) may also contact us at [email protected] to request assistance. We will process your request as soon as commercially feasible but in any event within 10 days of receiving your request. Please note that any request to “opt-out” may still result in us maintaining a copy of your personal information for archival purposes. Please note if you do business with us, you may not, subject to applicable law, opt out of certain email notifications related to our relationship or transactions with you, such as order or subscription confirmations, based on business transactions (e.g., e-commerce). To opt out of receiving text messages from us, text “STOP” to the five-digit short code (44086, the five-digit number from which text messages are being sent). You will then receive confirmation of your opt-out of AAPA text messaging. For more information about opting out of text messaging, review our SMS Terms & Conditions.
      1. Digital Advertising. To provide you a more relevant and personalized advertising experience, AAPA may work with third party advertising companies to display ads on the Site(s) and elsewhere on the Internet. These companies may use cookies, pixels, or similar technologies that are placed in browsers or integrated into applications to gather information about your visits to or use of the Site(s) as well as your visits elsewhere on the Internet. These companies use this information to provide you with personalized advertising, meaning that they are intended to be more relevant to you based on the information these companies collect about your use of the Site(s) and other sites or apps over time, including information about relationships among different browsers and devices. AAPA adheres to the Digital Advertising Alliance (“DAA”) Self-Regulatory Principles in connection with this personalized advertising activity. To opt out of personalized advertising from our third party companies that participate in the DAA, you can visit the DAA WebChoices tool. Visit aboutads.info to learn more about this type of advertising, and how to exercise choice with respect to participants in the DAA. Note that if you delete your cookies or use a different browser or mobile device, you may need to renew your opt-out choices exercised through the DAA WebChoices tool. In addition, some companies participating in the DAA may also collect data from our applications and others that you use for personalized advertising. You can exercise choice with respect to these companies’ personalized advertising practices via DAA AppChoices, which is available from the major App marketplaces. You may also be able to use your device settings to help limit data collection from interest-based advertising. For iOS devices, you may be able to set “ad limit tracking.” Please click here to learn more information, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202074. You may be able to opt-out of interest-based ads on Android via your device settings open you Google Settings App > Ads > Enable “opt-out of interest-based advertising’. If you change computers or browsers, use multiple computers or browsers, devices, delete your cookies, or reset your device ad-identifier, you may need to repeat this process for each computer, device, and/or browser.
      1. Analytics. AAPA works with third-party companies that collect Usage and Interaction Data and other information about your visits to or use of the Site(s) as well as your visits elsewhere on the Internet. These companies use this information to analyze traffic patterns and usage of the Site(s), and to help AAPA improve and troubleshoot its Site(s) and Services.  For more information about how Google Analytics collects and uses data when you use our Site(s) and how to control information collected, visit google.com/policies/privacy/partners. Similarly, we collect marketing demographics through other sites: Crazy Egg Technology and Tealium.  This information is also received by Crazy Egg Technology and governed by its Privacy Policy. Information collected by Tealium is governed by its Privacy Policy.
  1. Your Nevada Privacy Rights.

Under Nevada law, Nevada residents may submit a request directing us not to make certain disclosures of personal information we maintain about them.

To exercise this right, please contact us:

  • By phone at our Customer Care line at: 703-836-2272, option 1.
  • By email at [email protected]
  1. Data Retention and Account Termination

The information we obtain from or about you may be processed and stored in the United States of America. We may keep it as long as it is permitted or required under the law. If you terminate your account, we may remove your Content from the Site(s) but may retain your data for a period of five (5) years (or longer if required by law) in our active systems to ensure our ability to satisfy the authorized uses under this Privacy Policy. For example, we may use retained data to prevent, investigate, or identify possible wrongdoing in connection with the Site(s) or to comply with legal obligations. Please note that information may exist in backup storage even after it has been removed from our active databases.

Contact Us. If you have any questions or concerns or want to make a complaint regarding personal information or any other information included in this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

AAPA, 2318 Mill Rd, Suite 1300, Alexandria, VA 22314
Customer Care: 703-836-2272, option 1.
[email protected]

Effective on April 12, 2024