HONcode certificate: respect of the 8 HONcode principles by the health website

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Certificate of compliance with the Code of Conduct HONcode

The health Website
USAEyes - Lasik Patient Advocacy Surgeon Certification
is in compliance with the HONcode

Title of the site: USAEyes - Lasik Patient Advocacy Surgeon Certification
Web address: http://www.usaeyes.org/
HONcode PIN number : HONConduct338474
Date of initial review: 26 Jul 2006
Validity of certificate 05 Apr 2012 - Apr 2014
Date of last visit 05 Apr 2012

This certificate confirms the revision of the site by the HONcode Team at the above date.
It respects and pledges to honor the 8 principles of the HON Code of Conduct (HONcode).

* 1. Authoritative 2. Complementarity 3. Privacy 4. Attribution 5. Justifiability 6. Transparency
7. Financial disclosure 8. Advertising policy

Speed access of ethical health information online is critical.

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Do you think the site is not respecting the HONcode?

The Health on the Net (HON) certificate serves as a guarantee that this website, at the date of its certification, complies with and pledges to honor the 8 principles of the HON Code of Conduct as drawn up by the HON foundation.

The responsible of the certified site commits to keep the site in compliance with the HON code principles for the duration of the certification.

Although measures such as a complaint mechanism, the periodical review and the automatic surveillance mechanisms are put in place to guarantee the compliance of the certified website with the ethical principles of HON as much as possible, incidental inaccuracies cannot be completely excluded. In no event the HON foundation and/or its partner(s) can be held liable for any damages resulting from the use or inability to use HON certified websites nor can the HON foundation and/or its partner(s) be held liable for the content of these certified websites, including, but not limited to the information of third-parties or hyperlinks accessible via HON certified websites.

The certified website is responsible for the content of its website, unless otherwise provided by law.

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You will find below the elements identified by the HONcode team at a precise date to justify the respect of the 8 ethical principles.

The content of this certificate has been collected and written by the Health On the Net Foundation (HON) and should not be used without previous permission granted by HON. A request for permission can be sent to: HON.

1. Information must be authoritative

Unless otherwise noted the author of the material on this website is the Executive Director of the Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance Glenn Hagele, who is not a physician.

(05 Apr 2012) -

For the collaborative platform:
Additionally: http://www.usaeyes.org/ask-lasik-expert/ucp.php?mode=terms "You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-orientated or any other material that may violate any laws be it of your country, the country where “Lasik Eye Surgery Q&A” is hosted or International Law. Doing so may lead to you being immediately and permanently banned, with notification of your Internet Service Provider if deemed required by us."

The USAEyes Ask Lasik Expert forum is moderated by the Executive Director of the organization, who is not a medical professional.

(05 Apr 2012) -

2. Presentation of the site
Mission:

USAEyes provides frank Lasik information, lists Lasik doctors who meet specific patient outcome requirements, shows you steps to avoid problems, and answers just about all your Lasik questions.
(05 Apr 2012) -

For the collaborative platform:

The Ask Lasik Expert forum encourages all persons to post their concerns and experiences about vision correction surgery.

(05 Apr 2012) -

Audience: General public.

Spend some time here and you can have confidence in your decisions about Lasik laser vision correction surgery.
(05 Apr 2012) -

For the collaborative platform:

The Ask-Lasik-Expert bulletin board excludes persons under 13.

(05 Apr 2012) -

Purpose of the website

Materials presented in this website are for informational purposes only and are not medical advice.

(05 Apr 2012) -

3. Confidentiality

For the collaborative platform:

The second way in which we collect your information is by what you submit to us. This can be, and is not limited to: posting as an anonymous user (hereinafter “anonymous posts”), registering on “Lasik Eye Surgery Q&A” (hereinafter “your account”) and posts submitted by you after registration and whilst logged in (hereinafter “your posts”).
(05 Apr 2012) -

4. Information must be documented: Referenced and dated

Only data for one sample are displayed among those selected.

Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty using the big-bubble technique for keratectasia after laser in situ keratomileusis.
J Cataract Refract Surg. 2010 Jul;36(7):1156-60
Authors: Javadi MA, Feizi S

(05 Apr 2012) -

For the collaborative platform:

When posted information is not based upon direct personal experience, all forum users must provide references (links, for example) to the health/medical information they provide.

(05 Apr 2012) -

Last updated Monday, April 12, 2010
(05 Apr 2012) -

For the collaborative platform:

Sun Oct 30, 2011
(05 Apr 2012) -

5. Justification of claims

This principle is not applicable for this site

For the collaborative platform:

All participants must only post information which is true and correct to their knowledge.

(05 Apr 2012) -

6. User support and adequation

Mailing address, phone and email are provided.

Contact USAEyes
(05 Apr 2012) -

7. Disclosure of funding sources

The USAEyes website and associated public services are provided by the Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance (CRSQA). CRSQA is a nongovernmental, nonprofit, tax exempt organization.
CRSQA requires fees collected from doctors we for whom we certify patient outcomes. (...) CRSQA does not charge patients for services provided, does not accept charitable contributions, and does not accept commercial advertising All operating funds are derived from patient outcome certification fees.

(05 Apr 2012) -

For the collaborative platform:

All members of CRSQA's governing Board of Trustees, advisory committees, and even staff are volunteers who do not receive a salary for their work and assistance.

(05 Apr 2012) -

8. Advertising policy

CRSQA does not charge patients for services provided, does not accept charitable contributions, and does not accept commercial advertising
(18 Oct 2010) -

For the collaborative platform:

Advertising or posts that identify individual healthcare providers are allowed only by prior approval of USAEyes, and is otherwise are not permitted.
(23 Nov 2010) -

NB: HONcode certifies this website only and not the services it offers.

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