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Health & Welfare and Pension Funds

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy of the TEAMSTERS HEALTH & WELFARE FUND of Philadelphia and Vicinity  Regarding the use and Protection of Health Information THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. USE AND DISCLOSURE OF HEALTH INFORMATION The Teamsters Health & Welfare Fund of Philadelphia and Vicinity (the “Fund”) may use your health information, that is, information that constitutes “protected health information” as defined in the Privacy Rule of the Administrative Simplification provision of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), for purposes of making or obtaining payment for your care and conducting health care operations.  The Fund has established a policy to guard against unnecessary disclosure of your health information.  Please note that, under the Privacy Rule, “protected health information” does not include information relating to weekly disability or life insurance benefits. IN ADDITION TO OTHER USES AND DISCLOSURES PERMITTED UNDER HIPAA, THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH AND PURPOSES FOR WHICH YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED: To Make or Obtain Payment.  The Fund may use or disclose your health information to make payment to or collect payment from third parties, such as other trust funds, health plans or providers, for the care you receive.  For example, the Fund may provide information regarding your coverage or health care treatment to other the Funds to coordinate payment of benefits. To Conduct Health Care Operations.  The Fund may use or disclose health information for its own operations to facilitate the administration of the Fund and as necessary to provide coverage and services to all of the Fund’s participants.  Health care operations includes such activities as:
  • Quality assessment and improvement activities.
  • Member Service activities relating to claim eligibility and payment.  Benefit eligibility of a family member may be disclosed to the Member or spouse (or, in the case of a non-mentally handicapped dependent child over the age of 18, to that dependent child). Limited information (such as whether a claim has been received or paid) regarding your claims may be disclosed, upon appropriate authentication, to your spouse, unless you advise us that no information should be released to your spouse except upon an express written authorization. Claims information relating to dependent children under the age of 18 may be disclosed to the parent or legal guardian of that child.  Claims information relating to covered dependents over the age of 18 may be disclosed only to that dependent, unless the dependent authorizes the disclosure of claims information to someone else, including the parent or legal guardian of that dependent.  Claims information relating to a mentally handicapped dependent child over the age of 18 may be disclosed to the parent or legal guardian of that child.
  • Activities designed to improve health or reduce health care costs.
  • Clinical guideline and protocol development, case management and care coordination.
  • Contacting health care providers and participants with information about treatment alternatives and other related functions.
  • Health care professional competence or qualifications review and performance evaluation.
  • Accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities.
  • Underwriting, premium rating or related functions to create, renew or replace health insurance or health benefits.
  • Review and auditing, including compliance reviews, medical reviews, legal services and compliance programs.
  • Business planning and development including cost management and planning related analyses and formulary development.
  • Business management and general administrative activities of the Fund, including customer service and resolution of internal grievances.
For example, The Fund may use your health information to conduct case management, quality improvement and utilization review, and provider credentialing activities or to engage in customer service and grievance resolution activities. For Treatment Alternatives.  The Fund may use and disclose your health information to Fund consultants to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you. For Distribution of Health-Related Benefits and Services.  The Fund may use or disclose your health information to provide to you information on health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. For Disclosure to the Plan Sponsor.  The Fund may disclose your health information to the plan sponsor (the Fund’s Board of Trustees) for plan administration functions performed by the plan sponsor on behalf of the Fund.  The Fund also may provide summary health information to the plan sponsor so that the plan sponsor may solicit premium bids from other the Funds or modify, amend or terminate the plan. When Legally Required.  The Fund will disclose your health information when it is required to do so by any federal, state or local law. To Conduct Health Oversight Activities.  The Fund may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for authorized activities including audits, civil administrative or criminal investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary action.  The Fund, however, may not disclose your health information if you are the subject of an investigation and the investigation does not arise out of or is not directly related to your receipt of health care or public benefits. In Connection With Judicial and Administrative Proceedings.  As permitted or required by state law, the Fund may disclose your health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal as expressly authorized by such order or in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process, but only when the Fund makes reasonable efforts to either notify you about the request or to obtain an order protecting your health information.  For Law Enforcement Purposes.  As permitted or required by state law, the Fund may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for certain law enforcement purposes, including, but not limited to, if the Fund has a suspicion that your death was the result of criminal conduct or in an emergency to report a crime. In the Event of a Serious Threat to Health or Safety.  The Fund may, consistent with applicable law and ethical standards of conduct, disclose your health information if the Fund, in good faith, believes that such disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or to the health and safety of the public. For Specified Government Functions.  In certain circumstances, federal regulations require the Fund use or disclose your health information to facilitate specified government functions related to the military and veterans, national security and intelligence activities, protective services for the President and others, and correctional institutions and inmates. For Worker’s Compensation.  The Fund may release your health information to the extent necessary to comply with laws related to worker’s compensation or similar programs. AUTHORIZATION TO USE OR DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION Other than as stated above, the Fund will not disclose your health information other than upon your written authorization.  This includes uses and disclosures of protected health information relating to psychotherapy, for marketing purposes, and/or sales of protected health information.  An authorization must contain certain language and, for that reason, the Fund has developed an appropriate form that is available in the Fund office or on the Fund’s web site. Such authorizations are limited by the event (such as a claim) and by time.  Blanket authorizations for general disclosures are not permitted under HIPAA’s Privacy Rule.  If you authorize the Fund to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time.  YOUR RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION You have the following rights regarding your health information that The Fund maintains: Right to Request Restrictions.  You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information.  You have the right to request a limit on the Fund’s disclosure of your health information to someone involved in the payment of your care.  However, the Fund is not required to agree to your request, unless the disclosure is for the purpose of carrying out payment or health care operations, is not otherwise required by law, and the protected health information pertains solely to a health care item or service for which payment in full has been made by someone or something other than the Fund.  If you wish to make a request for restrictions, please contact the Fund’s Privacy Officer whose name and address appears at the end of this Notice. Right to Receive Confidential Communications.  You have the right to request that the Fund communicate with you in a certain way if you feel the disclosure of your health information could endanger you.  For example, you may ask that the Fund only communicate with you at a certain telephone number or by email.  If you wish to receive confidential communications, please make your request in writing to Fund’s Privacy Officer whose name and address appears at the end of this Notice. The Fund will attempt to honor your reasonable requests for confidential communications. Right to Inspect and Copy Your Health Information.  You have the right to inspect and copy your health information.  A request to inspect and copy records containing your health information must be signed, made in writing to Fund’s Privacy Officer whose name and address appears at the end of this Notice and must include identify the person designated by you to inspect your protected health information and where to send the copy of protected health information.  If you request a copy of your health information, the Fund may charge a reasonable fee for copying, assembling costs and postage, if applicable, associated with your request. Right to Amend Your Health Information.  If you believe that your health information records are inaccurate or incomplete, you may request that the Fund amend the records.  That request may be made as long as the information is maintained by the Fund.  A request for an amendment of records must be made in writing to Fund’s Privacy Officer whose name and address appears at the end of this Notice.  The Fund may deny the request if it does not include a reason to support the amendment.  The request also may be denied if your health information records were not created by the Fund, if the health information you are requesting to amend is not part of the Fund’s records, if the health information you wish to amend falls within an exception to the health information you are permitted to inspect and copy, or if the Fund determines the records containing your health information are accurate and complete. Right to an Accounting.  You have the right to request a list of disclosures of your health information made by the Fund for any reason other than for (1) treatment, payment or health care operations, (2) disclosures made under circumstances described in this Notice, or (3) disclosures which you authorized.  The request must be made in writing to Fund’s Privacy Officer whose name and address appears at the end of this Notice.  The request should specify the time period for which you are requesting the information, but may not start earlier than April 14, 2003.  Accounting requests may not be made for periods of time going back more than six (6) years.  The Fund will provide the first accounting you request during any 12-month period without charge.  Subsequent accounting requests may be subject to a reasonable cost-based fee.  The Fund will inform you in advance of the fee, if applicable. Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice.  You have a right to request and receive a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have received this Notice previously or agreed to receive the Notice electronically.  To obtain a paper copy, please contact Fund’s Privacy Officer whose name and address appears at the end of this Notice. You also may obtain a copy of the current version of the Fund’s Notice at its web site, www.teamsterfunds.com. DUTIES OF THE FUND The Fund is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information as set forth in this Notice, to provide to you this Notice of its duties and privacy practices, and to notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured protected health information.  The Fund is required to abide by the terms of this Notice, which may be amended from time to time.  The Fund reserves the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all health information that it maintains.  If the Fund changes its policies and procedures, the Fund will revise the Notice and will provide a copy of the revised Notice to you within 60 days of the change. You have the right to express complaints to the Fund and to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services if you believe that your privacy rights have been violated.  Any complaints to the Fund should be made in writing to Fund’s Privacy Officer whose name and address appears at the end of this Notice.  The Fund encourages you to express any concerns you may have regarding the privacy of your information.  You will not be retaliated against in any way for filing a complaint.   CONTACT PERSON The Fund has designated Adam H. Garner, the Fund’s Administrator as its contact person for all issues regarding patient privacy and your privacy rights.  You may contact this person at the following: Adam H. Garner, Privacy Officer Teamsters Health & Welfare Fund of Philadelphia and Vicinity 6981 N. Park Drive, Suite 400 Pennsauken, NJ  08109 856-382-2470 856-382-2401 (fax) EFFECTIVE DATE This Notice is effective March 26, 2013. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE, PLEASE CONTACT THE PRIVACY OFFICER IDENTIFIED ABOVE.