Privacy & Security

Independent doulas generally aren't HIPAA-covered entities the way a hospital or insurer is, so we don't claim HIPAA compliance. That doesn't mean health information here is treated casually — we handle it the way any responsible health app should, and we take seriously the FTC's Health Breach Notification Rule, which applies to apps like this one even outside HIPAA (see "If something ever goes wrong" below).

A client's profile, appointments, uploaded documents (like birth plans or intake forms), notes their doula writes, and private messages between a doula and their client. Some of this is health-related by nature — that's the point of the app — so we treat all of it as sensitive, not just the parts explicitly marked as health information.

A client's notes, appointments, documents, and messages are visible only to that client's own assigned doula, and to the client themselves — never to any other doula, and never to any other client. This isn't just a policy we follow; it's enforced by the app on every request, and we periodically re-verify it with real tests rather than assuming it still holds.

One exception: Doula Genie's designated administrator (used for account support, security, and the account deactivation/deletion described below) has the same access a client's assigned doula has, across all accounts. That access is limited to the one administrator account — it is never extended to other doulas or clients.

If a doula's account is deleted, our administrator may move her clients to another doula instead of deleting them. That doula then becomes their assigned doula, including their existing appointments, notes, and messages.

Every connection to this app — your browser, our servers, our database, and our file storage — uses encrypted (HTTPS/TLS) connections only. There is no unencrypted path anywhere in the system.

Data at rest is encrypted (AES-256) by our database and file storage providers, as part of their own infrastructure — the same standard used by managed cloud services generally.

Uploaded documents and photos are only ever reachable through this app's own access checks — there's no direct link or shortcut that bypasses those checks, including for us.

If client health information were ever exposed in a data breach, we're committed to notifying affected users within 60 days, consistent with the FTC's Health Breach Notification Rule — the standard that applies to health apps like this one, regardless of HIPAA status.

By default, a client's or doula's information is kept for as long as the account is in use — there isn't an automatic deletion process on a fixed timeline, and there isn't yet a self-service "delete my account" button for your own account. A doula can delete a client's profile (see the next section). For anything else, contact us (below) and we'll act on it directly, in one of two ways:

Deactivation blocks sign-in right away and removes the account from active use, but keeps the underlying information intact — this is reversible, for situations like a temporary pause rather than a permanent departure.

Deletion blocks sign-in and removes the account from the app right away. For 30 days we can restore it, in case it was a mistake. After that, the account's sign-in and its information — notes, appointments, uploaded documents, private messages, and labor alerts — are permanently deleted, and that cannot be undone. Either way, it's a deliberate, confirmed action, not something that happens by accident or automatically.

A client's assigned doula (or our administrator) can delete that client's profile from the client's page in the app. This deletes:

• The client's profile — name, contact details, address, due date, physician, and health details
• Their appointments
• The doula's notes about them
• Private messages between the doula and the client
• Uploaded documents (like birth plans or intake forms) and their profile photo
• Their labor alert history

Deleting a client is a deliberate step: the doula has to type the client's exact name to confirm, and the app checks that name again before anything is deleted. The client and their information disappear from the app right away. For 30 days, our administrator can restore them if the deletion was a mistake; after that, they're permanently deleted and that can't be undone. If a doula only wants to pause things, archiving a client instead hides them from the active client list and blocks their sign-in, and can be reversed at any time.

The client's login. Deleting a client blocks their Doula Genie login right away, so they can no longer sign in. The login itself is deleted along with their information after 30 days. After that, their email address can be invited again, as a brand-new client with none of the old information.

What isn't deleted. We keep a minimal record that a deletion happened — which doula did it and when — with no name, email, or health information in it. Conversations a doula has had with Genie, the in-app assistant, belong to the doula's own account and aren't affected, including any message Genie flagged to us for follow-up, so if a doula mentioned a client there, that text stays. Anything already copied, downloaded, or emailed outside the app isn't affected either.

Backups. However information is deleted — by a doula or by us — copies may remain for a limited time in our database and file storage providers' backup and recovery systems, which they keep so data can be restored after an outage. Those copies expire on their own and can't be reached through the app.

For privacy or security questions, or to request that your account be deactivated or permanently deleted, contact tremayne@housen2cash.com.