Presbyterian Health Plan | Summer 2019 | Your Story

www.phs.org 9 Always vigilant Protecting your private medical information is important to us, just as it is to you. We’re here to answer any questions you might have about your rights or about our responsibilities and safeguards. Visit www.phs.org to learn more. Our commitment to your privacy Information about your health is deeply personal, and we work hard to protect it. Guarding these sensitive details about your life is our policy and practice. It’s also the law. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act—often called HIPAA—is the federal law that gives you rights over your records. It applies to most doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and many other providers and programs. It also applies to hospitals, health plans, Medicare, and Medicaid. Because of HIPAA, you can: ● ● Ask to see your health records. You can also get a copy of your records for a reasonable fee. This is true even if you haven’t paid your bill. ● ● Add corrections to your health records. ● ● Request that certain people or providers not be given information about your health or treatment. ● ● Decide if you want to allow your health information to be used for certain purposes, like marketing. ● ● Get a report on when and why your information was shared or used. ● ● File a complaint if you think your rights or privacy have been violated. HIPAA spells out other rights too. For example, it allows you to ask to be contacted somewhere other than at home. That means you can ask to get test results where you want them, such as work. Whywe might share records There are some good—and approved—reasons to use or share patient information. We may need it to: ● ● Comply with laws, such as reporting influenza and other public health risks ● ● Coordinate your treatment and care ● ● Pay providers ● ● Analyze the quality of treatment, providers, and institutions But remember: Your health information cannot be used or shared without your written permission, unless HIPAA allows it.