Consent to Use of Web-Site
This web-site is owned and operated by the Blue Shield of California Foundation on behalf of the California Technology Assessment Forum. Please read the following terms and conditions carefully and completely before using this web-site. The terms and conditions contained in this "Terms of Use" set forth a variety of information, including but not limited to, disclaimers of warranty, privacy policy, limitation of liability and indemnification. By using this web-site and the links accessible through this web-site, you expressly agree to be bound by these terms and conditions and any other terms and conditions set forth throughout the web-site. The information, materials and resources contained on and accessible through this web-site are made available to you by Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum, as well as their suppliers and vendors, subject to your agreement to the terms and conditions listed herein. Any activity on this web-site is subject to monitoring by the Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum. By using this web-site, you are consenting to such monitoring and agree that we may use the results of such monitoring without limitation. It is a condition of your use of this web-site that you do not restrict or inhibit any other user from using this web-site.
If you do not agree with these Terms of Use, please do not use this web-site.
Privacy Statement
Your personal information and certain other information about you is subject to our Privacy Policy. For more information, please review our full privacy policy.
Linking Policy
Written permission is required from this web-site's Web Master to create a link from an external web-site to this web-site's home page or any pages within this web-site.
Message Board Content Submitted or Made Available for Inclusion on the Web-Site
You understand that all information, data, text, messages or other materials on the web-site message board ("Content"), whether publicly posted or privately transmitted, are the sole responsibility of the person from whom such Content originated. This means that you, and not Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum, are entirely responsible for all Content that you upload, download, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available via this web-site. The Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum do control the Content posted via the web-site and do not guarantee the accuracy, integrity or quality of such Content. You understand that by using the web-site, you may be exposed to Content that you or others may find offensive, indecent or objectionable; and you may be exposing others to Content that others find objectionable. You agree that you must evaluate and bear all risks associated with the use of any Content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such Content. You acknowledge that you may not rely on any Content submitted to this web-site.
Under no circumstances will the the Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum be liable in any way for any Content, including but not limited to any errors or omissions in any Content or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any Content posted, emailed, transmitted or otherwise made available via the web-site.
You acknowledge that the Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum do not pre-screen Content but that they or their designees will have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to refuse or move any Content that is available via the web-site. Without limiting the foregoing, the Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum will have the right to remove any Content that violates these Terms of Use or is otherwise objectionable.
You may request that any Content that you have posted to the web-site be removed by contacting us at www.webteam@blueshieldca.com. We will attempt to accommodate such requests, but make no guarantees that such requests will be fulfilled, or that they will be fulfilled in any particular amount of time.
You acknowledge and agree that the Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum may preserve Content and may also disclose Content if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process; (b) enforce these Terms of Use; (c) respond to claims that any Content violates the rights of third-parties; or (d) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of the Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum, its users and the public.
The Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum do not claim ownership of Content you submit or make available for inclusion on the web-site. However, with respect to Content you submit or make available for inclusion on publicly accessible areas of the web-site, you grant the Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum a world-wide, royalty free, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable and fully sub-licensable license to make available for inclusion on publicly accessible areas of the web-site and otherwise use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, publicly perform and publicly display such Content (in whole or in part) and to incorporate such Content into other works in any format or medium now known or later developed.
The Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum may be required to disclose information to individuals asserting rights under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and you expressly authorize the Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum to comply with any and all lawful notices, subpoenas, court orders or warrants without prior notice to you.
Member Conduct
You agree that you will NOT use the web-site to:
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(a) upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable; (b) harm minors in any way; (c) impersonate any person or entity, including but not limited to, an official of the Blue Shield of California Foundation or the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum, a Forum leader, guide or host, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity; (d) upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that you do not have a right to make available under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships (such as inside information, proprietary and confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements); (e) upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights of any party; (f) upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or any other form of solicitation; or (g) upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any material that contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment. |
Servicemarks/Trademarks/Copyrights
Blue Shield of California ® is a Registered mark of the BlueCross BlueShield Association. Blue Shield of California Foundation and California Technology Assessment Forum are service marks of the Blue Shield of California Foundation. All materials on this server and this web-site, including the web-site's design, layout, and organization, are owned and copyrighted by Blue Shield of California Foundation or its suppliers or vendors, and are protected by copyright law. All rights are reserved.
It is the Blue Shield of California Foundation's policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and other applicable intellectual property laws, which may include removing or disabling access to material claimed to be the subject of infringing activity. If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, or your intellectual property rights have been otherwise violated, please provide Blue Shield of California Foundation's copyright agent with a Notice containing the following information:
- An electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright or other intellectual property interest;
- A description of the copyrighted work or other intellectual property that you claim has been infringed;
- A description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the web-site;
- Your address, telephone number, and email address;
- A statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
- A statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your Notice is accurate and that you are the copyright or intellectual property owner or authorized to act on the copyright or intellectual property owner's behalf.
Blue Shield of California Foundation's copyright agent can be reached as follows:
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By mail: |
Restrictions on Use of Materials/Information on Web-Site
Only personal use of such materials is permitted, which means that you may access, download, or print such materials for your personal, non-commercial use only. You agree not to change or delete any copyright or proprietary notice from materials downloaded from this web-site or any web-site accessible through this web-site.
Without the prior written permission of Blue Shield of California Foundation, you may not publish, copy, reproduce, distribute, transfer, upload, post, transmit, or otherwise use any materials contained on this web-site, or any materials accessible through this web-site, in whole or in part. Requests for permission to publish, copy, reproduce, distribute, transfer, or otherwise use such materials should be e-mailed to www.webteam@blueshieldca.com.
Disclaimer
Information, services, products, materials and other resources on this web-site are provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" and are without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum, as well as their suppliers and vendors, disclaim all express or implied representations or warranties with regard to the information, services, products, materials, and any other resources contained on or accessible through this web-site. No warranty or representation is made that the information on this web-site is error-free.
All information provided on this web-site is intended only for informational purposes and for your general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment or for the care that patients receive from their physicians. Nothing on this web-site is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician before beginning any new treatment or if you have any questions regarding a medical condition. You should not disregard medical advice, or delay seeking medical advice, because of something you read on this web-site.
This web-site and its health-related information and resources are not intended, and must not be taken, to be the rendering of medical, nursing, or professional health care advice or services, or the practice of medicine, nursing, or professional health care, in any jurisdiction.
Technology assessments prior to January 2003 were conducted by the Blue Shield of California Medical Policy Committee on Quality and Technology, and may be branded with the Blue Shield of California logo and may contain language related to benefit coverage and medical policy. The Blue Shield Of California Foundation and the California Technology Assessment Forum do not evaluate technologies for benefit coverage and any technology assessment determinations included on this web-site do not imply coverage or non-coverage by your insurance company or health plan. Please contact your individual insurance company or healthplan for information regarding health care benefit coverage.
Your use of this web-site is also subject to all additional disclaimers and other notices that may appear throughout the web-site.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above exclusion may not apply to you.
Links to Other Internet Web-Sites
This web-site also includes links to other web-sites created and maintained by third parties. The Blue Shield Of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum do not endorse or control these third parties and make no guarantees about, and disclaim any express or implied representations or warranties about the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, completeness, or appropriateness for a particular purpose of the information or the resources contained on these third party web-sites or any other web-sites. Further, the inclusion of these links is intended neither to reflect the importance of these other web-sites nor to endorse any of the views expressed in, or products or services offered by, these other web-sites. Your access and use of these and any other web-sites, including the information, services, products, materials, and any other resources contained on them, is solely at your own risk.
Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE BLUE SHIELD OF CALIFORNIA FOUNDATION OR THE OTHER SPONSORS OF THE CALIFORNIA TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT FORUM OR THEIR SUPPLIERS AND VENDORS, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM ANY LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LITIGATION, OR ANY OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS, WHETHER BASED ON BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), PRODUCT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS WEB-SITE, WITH THE DELAY OR INABILITY TO USE THIS WEB-SITE, OR WITH THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO MAKE AVAILABLE ANY INFORMATION, SERVICES, PRODUCTS, MATERIALS, OR OTHER RESOURCES CONTAINED ON OR ACCESSIBLE THROUGH THIS WEB-SITE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THE LIMITATIONS SET FORTH ABOVE ARE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THIS WEB-SITE WOULD NOT BE PROVIDED TO YOU ABSENT SUCH LIMITATIONS.
Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum from any liability, loss, claim, and expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) related to your violation of the terms and conditions set forth in this Terms of Use.
Changes to This Web-Site
Information on this web-site may be changed or updated without notice. The Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum have no obligation to update information presented on this web-site, so information contained herein may be out of date at any given time. The Blue Shield of California Foundation and the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum may also make improvements and/or changes in this information at any time without notice.
The Blue Shield of California Foundation may modify this Agreement at any time, and such modifications shall be effective immediately upon posting of the modified terms and conditions. Accordingly, you agree to review the Terms of Use periodically, and your continued use of this web-site shall be deemed your acceptance of the modified terms and conditions.
Any failure of the Blue Shield of California Foundation or the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum to insist upon strict enforcement of any provision(s) of the Terms of Use shall not be construed as a waiver of any provision or right.
The resolution of any dispute related to the Terms of Use or this web-site shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of California, without giving effect to its conflicts of law principles. Any legal action or proceeding between the Blue Shield of California Foundation or the other sponsors of the California Technology Assessment Forum and you related to the Terms of Use or this web-site shall be brought exclusively in a state or federal court of competent jurisdiction sitting in the County of San Francisco, California, or the Northern District of California.
Contacting Us
If you receive any unwanted e-mail from this web-site, please contact us at www.webteam@blueshieldca.com.
If you have questions or suggestions, please contact us at: www.info@ctaf.org, 50 Beale St., San Francisco, CA 94105.