Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Meliora Integrative Medicine is a physician-led integrative medical practice founded by Rowena Chua, MD, located at 1740 Ridge Ave, Suite 120, Evanston, IL 60201. As a healthcare provider, our handling of your protected health information (“PHI”) is governed primarily by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) and applicable Illinois law. This page focuses on the Site and on the limited categories of information collected outside of clinical care.

Information you provide directly. When you fill out a form on the Site (for example, the contact form, the press inquiry form, the new-patient intake, or the Vitality Score Quiz), we collect the information you submit, which may include your name, email address, phone number, ZIP code, and the content of your message. New-patient intake and patient-portal submissions may include health-related information that is treated as PHI under HIPAA.

Information collected automatically. Like most websites, we collect basic technical information when you visit the Site — for example, your IP address, browser type, device type, referring URL, pages viewed, and approximate location derived from your IP address. We use this information to operate the Site, diagnose problems, and understand aggregate traffic patterns.

Cookies and analytics. The Site uses Google Analytics 4 to measure aggregate traffic and content engagement. We may add additional analytics or advertising pixels (for example, Meta/Facebook Pixel or Pinterest) in the future. These tools may set first- or third-party cookies on your device. You can control cookies through your browser settings and opt out of Google Analytics specifically using the Google Analytics opt-out.

If you become a patient, the information you share with Dr. Chua and the Meliora clinical team — including your medical history, lab results, treatment plans, and communications about your care — is PHI and is handled under HIPAA. Our clinical infrastructure is hosted in environments covered by Business Associate Agreements (“BAAs”), including Google Cloud Platform and Firebase for patient-portal data.

We do not use marketing tools (such as Kit, Resend marketing campaigns, or social pixels) to transmit PHI. Marketing communications you receive from Meliora are limited to non-clinical content unless you have explicitly authorized otherwise. You may receive a separate Notice of Privacy Practices at your first clinical visit; that document, not this page, governs the clinical handling of your PHI.

We use the information described above to:

• Respond to your inquiries and provide the services you request.
• Schedule and deliver clinical care, including communicating about your appointments and treatment plan.
• Send transactional messages (appointment reminders, intake links, lab and order confirmations).
• Send patient-education and marketing emails when you have opted in. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any marketing email.
• Operate, secure, and improve the Site and our internal systems.
• Comply with legal obligations, including those under HIPAA and Illinois law.

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only as needed to operate the practice and the Site, and as permitted or required by law. This includes sharing with vendors that process information on our behalf under appropriate contractual safeguards (for example, hosting providers, scheduling and electronic-records platforms, payment processors, email and SMS providers, and analytics vendors). Where these vendors handle PHI, we maintain BAAs with them.

We may also disclose information when required by law, in response to lawful requests by public authorities, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of patients, staff, or the public.

We use commercially reasonable administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect the information we hold, including access controls, encryption in transit, and audit logging for systems that contain PHI. No system is perfectly secure; if you believe your account or your information has been compromised, please contact us promptly using the details below.

Marketing email. You can unsubscribe from marketing email at any time using the link at the bottom of any message we send. You will still receive transactional communications related to any clinical relationship with us.

Cookies. You can refuse, accept, or delete cookies through your browser. Blocking cookies may affect Site functionality.

Health information rights. If you are a patient, you have specific rights under HIPAA — including the right to access and obtain a copy of your medical records, request corrections, request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures, and receive an accounting of certain disclosures. Contact the practice to exercise these rights.

The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through the Site. Minors who are existing patients are treated under standard clinical informed-consent and privacy frameworks.

The content on melioramed.com — including text, images, the Meliora Method™ framework, videos, and educational tools (the Vitality Score Quiz, Hormone Horoscope, and other interactive experiences) — is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

By using the Site, you agree not to misuse it — including not attempting to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Site, not scraping or systematically extracting data, and not interfering with the operation of the Site or its users. Meliora and its licensors retain all rights, title, and interest in the Site and its content. The Meliora Method™ is a trademark of Meliora Integrative Medicine, LLC.

The Site, and any AI assistant available through the Site (including “Meli”), is provided on an “as-is” basis without warranties of any kind. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Meliora disclaims all warranties and is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Site.

We may update this Privacy Policy and Terms of Use from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Questions about this policy, your information, or your patient rights? Please reach out:

• Meliora Integrative Medicine
• 1740 Ridge Ave, Suite 120
• Evanston, IL 60201
• Phone: (847) 440-4355
• Email: info@melioramed.com

For press and media inquiries, email info@melioramed.com or visit our press room.