Communications of health information for the purpose of “marketing” generally require your authorization. A communication about a product or service that encourages you to purchase or use the product or service is considered “marketing.” A “marketing” communication requires your authorization, unless the Plan receives no financial remuneration for the communication and the communication relates to (i) a health-related product or service provided by the Plan to you, (ii) your treatment or (iii) case management or coordination for your benefits under the Plan. In addition, “marketing” does not include refill reminders or other communications about a drug or biologic that is currently being prescribed to you, only if any financial remuneration received by the Plan in exchange for the communication is reasonably related to the Plan’s cost of making the communication (i.e., the Plan is not making a profit on the disclosure). The Plan will never sell your protected health information without your authorization.

Any other uses and disclosures will be made only with your written authorization. Additionally, the Plan will not use or disclose genetic information for underwriting purposes. You may revoke any authorization you provide in writing, and we are required to honor and abide by that written request, except to the extent that we have already taken actions relying on your authorization.

You have the following rights with respect to your protected health information, which you can exercise by presenting a written request to the Privacy Officer:

• The right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of protected health information, including those related to disclosures to family members, other relatives, close personal friends, or any other person identified by you. We are not, however, required to agree to a requested restriction; except that we will comply with your request if the request involves a disclosure not otherwise required by law and pertains solely to a health care item or service for which someone other than the Plan has paid in full. If we do agree to a restriction, we must abide by it unless you agree in writing to remove it.
• The right to reasonable requests to receive confidential communications of protected health information from us by alternative means or at alternative locations.
• The right to inspect and copy your protected health information. You may obtain a copy in an electronic format of health information we use or maintain in an electronic health record and direct us to transmit a copy of the electronic health record directly to a third party you designate. We may charge you a fee to copy and mail the information to you or to prepare a summary or explanation, and a reasonable fee for our labor costs for sending the electronic copy of your health information.

• The right to amend your protected health information.
• The right to receive an accounting of non-routine disclosures of protected health information from the Plan, for up to 6 years prior to your request. In addition, you have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of protected health information from electronic health records for treatment, payment, and health care operations, to the extent the Plan maintains such records for you.
• The right to request and receive a paper copy of this notice, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
• The right to receive notification from the Plan in the event there is a breach of unsecured protected health information.

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information and to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to protected health information.

This notice is effective as of January 2022, and we are required to abide by the terms of the Notice of Privacy Practices currently in effect. We reserve the right to change the terms of our Notice of Privacy Practices and to make the new notice provisions effective for all protected health information that we maintain. We will post and you may request a written copy of a revised Notice of Privacy Practices from this office.

You have recourse if you feel that your privacy protections have been violated by us. You have the right to file a formal, written complaint with us at the address below, or with the Department of Health & Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, about violations of the provisions of this notice or the policies and procedures of our office. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.