PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
EHP is committed to respecting your privacy. The purpose of this information is to describe how your Protected Health Information (PHI) may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully. EHP’s official Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP), which is included in your enrollment packet and is also available upon request by calling Customer Service, fully describes:
- EHP’s routine use and disclosure of PHI
- Use of authorizations
- Access to PHI
Please take time to review your Notice of Privacy Practices. You can also call Customer Service at 800-261-2393 to request a copy. Please contact the Johns Hopkins Privacy Office at 410-614-9900 if you have any questions regarding the NPP’s content.
Health information means information that identifies you and tells about your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition and provision of health care to you. It also includes information about payment for health care services, such as your billing records. By law, we are required to:
- Ensure that your health information is protected
- Provide to you the NPP describing our responsibilities and privacy practices with respect to your health information
- Follow the terms of the Notice that is currently in effect
Information collected on race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, and sexual orientation is considered confidential and protected health information. We treat this data with the same level of privacy as all other medical records. We will use this information to enhance our services and better understand the needs of our members. This data is only shared with our health care provider partners in an effort to improve your health. This data will not be used to determine your eligibility for benefits or the cost of your health care.
In addition, EHP has implemented internal policies and procedures that address how we protect oral, written, and electronic use of PHI. For your protection, EHP always verifies the identities of both the member and the requestor prior to responding to a request for a member’s PHI. Examples of such contact are:
- Questions about your treatment or payment activities
- Requests to look at, copy, or amend your Plan records
- Requests to obtain a list of Plan disclosures of your health information
EHP secures and limits access to all hardcopy and electronic files. All electronic data is password protected. EHP limits workforce member access to all hardcopy and electronic files. Internal controls are in place to ensure that only those workforce members with a “need to know” have access to information required to perform their specific job function. All workforce members are required to only utilize and/or access the “minimum necessary” information.
EHP takes disclosure of PHI to plan sponsors (employers) very seriously. Our first duty is to protect your privacy. EHP has placed very specific controls on your information to ensure that it is protected. We will only release your health information to the plan sponsor for administrative purposes if certain provisions have been added to EHP to protect the privacy of your health information, and the sponsor agrees to comply with the provisions. EHP will not disclose PHI to the plan sponsor for employment-related actions, or for decisions in connection with any other benefit or benefit plan of the sponsor, unless the individual signs an authorization permitting such disclosure. Download the forms required to permit an authorization of disclosure and learn more about NPP.