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Privacy Notice

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND SHARED.  IT WILL ALSO TELL YOU HOW YOU CAN GET THIS INFORMATION.  PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. 

The law says we must keep your health information private.  This Notice will tell you what information we collect.  It also will tell you how we use it.  You can call our Member Services Department at 414 223-4847 if you have questions about this Notice.  If you do not have any questions, you do not have to do anything.  

 

How We May Use or Share Your Health Information

There are instances when the law allows us to use and share your health information without your written consent.  The following is a list of those times. In compliance with federal and state laws, we may also make your Protected Health Information available electronically through an electronic health information exchange to other health care providers and health plans that request your information for purposes of Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations; and to public health entities as permitted by law. Participation in an electronic health information exchange also lets us see other providers’ and health plans’ information about you for purposes of Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations.

  1. For Treatment

We may use your health information to provide you with health care treatment or services.  We also use it to arrange social services you may need. For example:

  • Your care coordinator or case manager may share information they got from you or your healthcare providers with others involved in your treatment, including other health care providers. The information they share will be used to help you get the services you may need. 
  • Your health information may be shared with social service agencies.  This information will be used to help you get the services you may need.
  • We may share your Medicaid ID number with transport companies if we need to get you a ride to your health care appointments.
  • We may have to share your health information with health education programs you need or are participating in. 
  1. For Payment Functions

We may use your health information to pay for services you had or to manage benefits. For example:

  • Your provider will submit a bill to iCare for payment of services you received.  This bill shows your name and Medical Assistance number. It may give the services you received and what was wrong with you.
  • Information about you may be shared with the State of Wisconsin. It may be used to see if you can join iCare. It may be used to see if you can get Medicaid or other program benefits.
  1. For Health Care Operations   

Your health information may be used or shared to carry out benefit or service related activities.  This means that your health information may be shared with our staff or others to:

    • Look at the quality of care you had;
    • Learn how to improve our services;
    • Provide case management services;
    • Provide care coordination services;
    • Resolve your complaint or grievance;
    • See how our employees are doing in providing you with service.

 

  1. For Appointments and Treatment Choices

Your health information may be used or shared to remind you of appointments. 

It may also be used to tell you about different ways you can be treated.  Or, it can be used to tell you about other health and services that you might like.

 

  1. To Family and Personal Representatives

We may share your health information with a relative, close personal friend or other person who is involved in your care.     

 

  1. Business Associates

We work with others outside of iCare to provide certain services.  These others are called business associates.  Your health information may be disclosed to them so they can do the job we ask them to do.  They must also protect your health care information.  For example, we work with a company to pay your claims.     

 

  1. As Required by Law

Your health information may be used or shared as required by any federal, state or local law.  This means that we may share information when:

    • Requested by a court for legal reasons;
    • Needed by public health and Food and Drug Administration authorities;
    • Needed for administrative actions, such as Fair Hearings

 

  1. Health Oversight Actions   

Your health information may be given to state or federal agencies to do reviews or to check on our licensure.  This helps the government to see what we are doing to meet civil rights or other laws. 

 

  1. For Law Enforcement

Your health information may be shared if the law says we must. We will also share it if there is a valid court order to help identify or find suspects, persons hiding from the law or missing persons.

 

  1. For Serious Threats to Health or Safety

Your health information may be shared in order to prevent or lessen a serious threat to your health or safety. It may also be shared if there is a threat to the health and safety of the public.

 

  1. For the Country’s Safety

Your health information may be shared for the safety of the country.  It may also be shared for government benefit reasons.

 

  1. To Jails or Prisons

We may need to share your health information with jail or prison staff if you become an inmate. 

 

  1. For Research

Your health information may be used for research needs, but only after steps are taken to protect your privacy.   We will ask for your permission if the researcher asks for information that says who you are or if the researcher will be giving you care. 

 

  1. For Worker’s Compensation or Social Security Reviews

Your health information may be shared as needed to follow the laws related to worker’s compensation.  It may also be shared to help decide if you can get social security benefits. 

 

  1. Coroners, Medical Examiners or Funeral Directors

Health information may be shared to help confirm the identity of a deceased person.

 

  1. Organ Donations

Information may be given to agencies if you need an organ transplant. It may also be shared with agencies if you want to donate an organ.

 

  1. Other Uses

At times we may need to use or share your health information for other reasons.  Other uses and disclosures not described in this Notice will be done only with your consent.  You may cancel your consent, but it must be done in writing.  When you cancel your consent, we will no longer be able to use or share your health information as stated in the consent.  But, we will not be able to take back any use or sharing that was already made with your consent. You will be told as soon as possible after the information is shared. 

 

  1. Uses That Require an Authorization by You

There are certain uses and disclosures that require your written consent.  These uses include:

  • Use or disclosure of psychotherapy notes: unless the notes are being used by the person who created the notes to help treat you, being used by the provider of your treatment to help train mental health providers in better treatment, or being used by the provider to defend themselves in a lawsuit brought against them by you. 
    • Sale of protected health information:  iCare does not sell any member’s protected health information.  
    • Use for Marketing: unless the communication is in the form of either a face to face communication with you, or a promotional gift to you of small value.

 

Your Health Information Rights

All questions about your rights must be in writing.  You can send your written request to Member Advocate/Member Rights Specialist, Independent Care Health Plan, 1555 N. RiverCenter Drive, Suite 206, Milwaukee, WI.  53212.  You can also call our Member Advocate/Member Rights Specialist to help make your request at 414 223-4847.

 

  1. Request Limits:  You can ask us to limit some uses and sharing of your health information.  But the law does not say we must agree to these limits, unless your request is to not disclose protected health information about a health care service you received that was paid for in full by you or by another person (other than an insurance company like iCare) on your behalf. 

 

  1. Request That You Be Informed About Your Health in a Way or at a Location That Will Keep Your Information Private:  Your request will be evaluated.  We will let you know if it can be done.

 

  1. Inspect and Copy: You have the right to view and copy certain health information about you. In some cases you may request a review if you are denied access to these records.  You may be charged a reasonable fee if you want extra copies of records. 

 

  1. Request a Change:  You have the right to request us to change your health information that you believe is not correct or complete.  You must give a reason for your request. We do not have to make the change.  If we say no to your request, we will give you information about why we will not make the change and how you can disagree with it.

 

  1. Report of When Your Information Was Shared:  You can ask for a list of when and why we shared your health information.  This list will only be for reasons other than treatment, payment or health care operations.  Your request should specify a time period of up to six years.  It may not include dates before April 14, 2003.

 

  1. Paper Copy:  You can ask to get a paper copy of this Notice at any time. Send a written request to our Privacy Officer at 1555 N. RiverCenter Dr. Suite 206, Milwaukee, WI  53212.  You may also get a copy of this Notice at our website:  www.icarehealthplan.org.

 

Changes to this Notice of Privacy Practices

We have the right to change the terms of this Notice at any time. The new Notice will be effective for all health information we have.  This notice is posted to our website.  Until changes are made to the Notice, we will comply with this version.   We will notify you if there are changes to this notice and how to obtain the current version of the notice.

Complaints

You may complain to us if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.  Complaints must be in writing.  If you need help filing a complaint, contact our Member Advocate/Member Rights Specialist at 414 231-1076.  You will not be treated any differently if you file a complaint.

You may also file a complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services by writing to Office of Civil Rights, Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20201.

Our Responsibilities

We must:

  • Keep your protected health information private.
  • Tell you about our legal duties and privacy practices about your health information.
  • Stand by the terms of this notice.
  • Tell you if we cannot agree to a limit on how you want your information used or disclosed.
  • Notify you if there has been a breach of your protected health information.
  • Meet reasonable requests you may make to send health information by other means or to other locations

 

Contact Information

If you have any questions or complaints, please contact us at:

           

Effective Date of This Notice:  June 11, 2021

Internet Privacy Statement

 

This Internet Privacy Statement applies to this website owned and operated by Independent Care Health Plan (iCare). This internet privacy policy describes how iCare collects and uses the personal information you provide on our websites. It also describes the choices available to you regarding our use of your personal information and how you can access and update this information.

Relationships are built on trust. One of the most important elements of trust is respect for an individual's privacy. iCare values our relationship with you, and we take your personal privacy seriously.

If you have an unresolved privacy or data use concern that we have not addressed satisfactorily, please contact us at 1-800-777-4376.

Commitment to confidentiality

Confidentiality is a top priority at iCare. We are committed to maintaining the highest level of confidentiality with all of the information we receive from this website's users. This Internet Privacy Statement assures you that the information you share with iCare is kept confidential and fully secure.

Links to other websites may be available to provide you with additional useful information and services. Links that take you off this website are clearly labeled. iCare is not responsible for the privacy policies or actions of those who control other websites. We encourage you to look for and review the privacy policies of any website you visit.

We may also partner with third parties to provide links to third-party websites to offer you additional information and services. You may see both the iCare logo and the third party's logo on these third-party websites. Users of these websites should be aware of who is collecting personal information and who's Internet Privacy Statement applies before providing personal information. iCare may not have control over third-party partners' use of your information.

Collection and use of personal information

Users of this website may have the option to provide certain personal information. This personal information may be required in order to receive specific services. By providing such information, you are agreeing that iCare may store, process, and review such information. And we may use this personal information for the purpose for which it was collected.

We may request certain personally identifiable information from our users at different places within this website. Our definition of personally identifiable information includes any information that may be used to specifically identify or contact you, such as your name, mail address, telephone number, cellular phone number, text message number, fax number, email address, etc. Certain information may not be personally identifiable when standing alone (e.g., your age), but may become so when combined with other information (e.g., your age and address).  Providers have the ability to register for access to the secured Provider Portal. To access the secured area, providers will need to provide additional information such as name, address, National Provider Identifier number, a unique provider identification number (PIN) number supplied by iCare, and tax identification number. The purpose of the registration process is to verify and validate who is requesting access to the secured area of the website. Registration also enables us to tailor the information you receive.

We may use the voluntarily provided contact information to notify website users of updates to existing products and services, new products and services, or upcoming events. Website users who do not wish to receive such notifications via email or SMS (text) can choose to opt-out of receiving such information. It is our policy that email and SMS (text) messages will contain an "unsubscribe" and "STOP" function, along with instructions on how to execute the opt-out function.

Some website users may have the ability to opt-out of receiving email and SMS (text) messages by updating their communications preferences within the secured area of the website.

After completing the sign in process, website users have the option to change their password. If the website user forgets or misplaces their password, iCare will use the security question and response to identify the website user and grant access to the website. To change personally identifiable information, registered providers must contact the appropriate iCare contact as listed on the iCare Contact page.

We recognize that when website users choose to provide personal information, they trust that we will protect their privacy and will provide them with choices about how that information is to be shared. iCare will not sell, trade, rent or disclose the personal information that you provide unless you authorize us to do so or required to do so by law.

There are instances in which iCare may disclose website user's personal information to our agents, third-party partners, affiliates, and subsidiaries to enable them to perform functions on our behalf. These companies are only permitted to share, store and/or use personal information for contracted business purposes.

We may share your personal information when we believe that such action is necessary to:

  1. Fulfill an enforceable government request;
  2. Conform with the requirements of the law or legal process;
  3. Protect or defend our legal rights or property, this website, or other users;
  4. Protect your health and safety or the health and safety of this website's users or the general public; or
  5. If iCare is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, you will be notified via email and/or a prominent notice on our website of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information, as well as any choices you may have regarding your personal information.

User access and choice

Upon request, iCare will provide you with information about whether we hold any of your personal information. If your personal information changes, or if you no longer desire our service, you may correct, update, amend, delete/remove, ask to have it removed from our site or deactivate it by making the change on our member information page or by contacting iCare via the iCare Contact page of this website. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.

We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

Technology use on this website

Information about you and your use of this website is collected through the use of session and persistent cookies. Session cookies are small text files that are stored within your computer’s memory. These files are used to facilitate your navigation throughout this website.

Persistent cookies are small computer files that are transferred to your computer's hard drive. These stored files are used in the generation of data that is fed to a contracted third party for website usage analysis. Reports created using this information will provide iCare with a better understanding of the use of this website.

iCare may work with third-party service providers who may place third-party persistent cookies, web beacons, or similar technologies on your computer as a visitor to our website to collect anonymous information about the use of our websites. This information allows these third-party service providers to customize our content and advertising. We do not permit these companies to collect any personal information about you using these technologies.

This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about how and when you use our services and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our services, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.

If you are concerned about the storage and use of cookies, you may be able to direct your internet browser to notify you and seek approval whenever a cookie is being sent to your hard drive. You can also opt-out from persistent cookies by changing the cookie settings in your browser. For instructions on how to disable cookies in some of the most popular web browsers, visit https://www.usa.gov/optout-instructions, opens new window. You may also delete a cookie manually from your hard drive through your internet browser or other programs. You can also set your browser to refuse all cookies. Please note, however, that some parts of this website may not function properly or be available to you if you refuse to accept a cookie or choose to disable the acceptance of cookies.

This website may respond to web browser "do not track" signals.

To gauge the effectiveness of this website, we may collect information about our website users. This information may include, among other things, your IP address, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), domain names, referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, clickstream data or other data elements. We may use this information to analyze trends, to administer the website, to track users' movements around the site, to assist in the development and implementation of security measures, provide a customized experience for website users and to gather demographic information about our user base as a whole.

Our mobile application may collect additional information such as Device type, Device OS version, Device name, API method, etc. We may use this information to administer the application and to analyze application trends. Geo-location data includes ZIP code entered by the user for use within the Provider/Pharmacy search function.

This website may use Local Storage Objects (LSOs) such as HTML5 or Flash to store content information and preferences. In addition, third parties with whom we have partnered may provide certain features on this website using LSOs. Various browsers may offer their own management tools for removing or managing LSOs. Manage FLASH LSOs, opens new window.

Internal security procedures

Information that you share on the website is kept strictly confidential and fully secure. Your encrypted (encoded) sensitive information is protected using "Secure Socket Layers (SSL)" as it passes between your browser and this website. We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it.

No method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. Only authorized persons are permitted to access your personal information. All authorized persons must abide by security, privacy, and confidentiality agreements.

Email

If you send questions or comments to an email address listed within this website or via a contact form located within this website, we will share your correspondence with an associate most capable of addressing your questions and concerns. We will retain your communications until we have done our very best to provide you with a complete and satisfactory response. Ultimately, we will either discard your communication or, in some cases, archive it. We will not keep your email address for secondary purposes. All information and correspondence you share with us will be handled in the strictest confidence.

We may agree that email has become a standard communication tool used by many different parties. Unfortunately, by design standard Internet email is not secure. For that reason, please do not use unsecured email to communicate information to us that you may consider to be confidential. Secured messaging may be available within the secured area of this website. Once you successfully sign in, you may be able to use this feature to communicate confidential or private information to iCare.

California privacy law

Residents of the State of California, under certain provisions of the California Civil Code, have the right to request from companies conducting business in California a list of all third parties to which the company has disclosed certain personally identifiable information as defined under California law during the preceding year for third-party direct marketing purposes. You are limited to one request per calendar year. In your request, please attest to the fact that you are a California resident and provide a current California address for our response.  iCare is a subsidiary of Humana, Inc.  You may request the information in writing by contacting the Humana Privacy Office, PO Box 1438, Louisville, KY 40202.

Children's privacy

This website is not intended for use by children under the age of 18.

Internet Privacy Statement changes

This Internet Privacy Statement is effective as of June 2021 and was last updated in June 2021. This Internet Privacy Statement is not intended to and does not create any contractual or other legal rights with or on behalf of any party.

If we decide to make any material change to this website's privacy practices, we will post those changes to this Internet Privacy Statement, the home page, and other places that we deem appropriate prior to the change becoming effective. iCare wants you to be aware of what information is being collected, how the information is being used, and under what circumstances, if any, the information may be disclosed. iCare reserves the right to modify this Internet Privacy Statement at any time, so please review it frequently.

More information

This website is maintained by iCare, 1555 RiverCenter Drive, Suite 206, Milwaukee, WI 53212

Questions concerning this website can be directed to iCare Customer Service at 1-800-777-4376.

Leaving iCareHealthPlan.org

By clicking this link, you may be leaving the iCareHealthPlan.org website. Independent Care Health Plan (iCare) only provides these links and pointers for your information and convenience. When you select a link to an outside website, you are leaving the www.iCareHealthPlan.org website.

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