Handling Sensitive Personal Information and Breach Notification A. As part of its contract with HHSC Contractor may receive or create sensitive personal information, as section 521.002 of the Business and Commerce Code defines that phrase. Contractor must use appropriate safeguards to protect this sensitive personal information. These safeguards must include maintaining the sensitive personal information in a form that is unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized persons. Contractor may consult the “Guidance to Render Unsecured Protected Health Information Unusable, Unreadable, or Indecipherable to Unauthorized Individuals” issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to determine ways to meet this standard.
What Will Happen After We Receive Your Letter When we receive your letter, we must do two things:
Happen After We Receive Your Letter When we receive your letter, we must do two things:
Your Rights and Our Responsibilities After We Receive Your Written Notice We must acknowledge your letter within 30 days, unless we have corrected the error by then. Within 90 days, we must either correct the error or explain why we believe the statement was correct. After we receive your letter, we cannot try to collect any amount you question or report you as delinquent. We can continue to bill you for the amount you question, including FINANCE CHARGES, and we can apply any unpaid amount against your credit limit. You do not have to pay any questioned amount while we are investigating, but you are still obligated to pay the parts of your statement that are not in question. If we find that we made a mistake on your statement, you will not have to pay any FINANCE CHARGES related to any questioned amount. If we didn’t make a mistake, you may have to pay FINANCE CHARGES and you will have to make up any missed payments on the questioned amount. In either case, we will send you a statement of the amount you owe and the date that it is due. If you fail to pay the amount that we think you owe, we may report you as delinquent. However, if our explanation does not satisfy you and you write to us within 10 days telling us that you still refuse to pay, we must tell anyone we report you to that you have a question about your statement. And, we must tell you the name of anyone we reported you to. We must tell anyone we report you to that the matter has been settled between us when it finally is. If we don’t follow these rules, we can’t collect the first $50.00 of the questioned amount, even if your statement was correct.
INTRODUCTION TO YOUR SUBSCRIBER AGREEMENT Thank you for choosing Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) for your healthcare coverage. We appreciate the trust you’ve placed in us and want to help you make the most of your health plan. In this Subscriber Agreement (agreement), you’ll find valuable information about your plan, including: • how your health coverage works; • how BCBSRI processes claims for the health services you receive; • your rights and responsibilities as a BCBSRI member; • BCBSRI’s rights and responsibilities; and • tools and programs to help you stay healthy and save money. We encourage you to read this agreement to learn about all the advantages of being a BCBSRI member. How to Use This Agreement Below are some helpful tips on how to find what you need in this agreement. • As a member, you are responsible for understanding the benefits to which you are entitled under this agreement and the rules you must follow to receive those benefits. • The Table of Contents will help you find the order of the sections as they appear in the agreement. • The Summary of Benefits, included in this agreement, shows the amount you pay out of your own pocket. • Important contact information, such as, telephone numbers, addresses, and websites are located at the end of this document. • Some words and phrases used in this agreement are in italics. This means that the words or phrases have a special meaning as they relate to your healthcare coverage. Please see Section 8 for definitions of these words. • When we use the words “we,” “us,” and “our,” we are referring to BCBSRI. When we use the words “you” and “your” we are referring to the enrolled subscriber and/or member. These words are also defined in the Glossary. • Many sections of this document are related to other sections. You may need to reference more than one section to find the information you need.
Permitted Uses and Disclosure by Business Associate (1) General Use and Disclosure Provisions Except as otherwise limited in this Section of the Contract, Business Associate may use or disclose PHI to perform functions, activities, or services for, or on behalf of, Covered Entity as specified in this Contract, provided that such use or disclosure would not violate the HIPAA Standards if done by Covered Entity or the minimum necessary policies and procedures of the Covered Entity.
Limitation of Vendor Indemnification and Similar Clauses This is a requirement of the TIPS Contract and is non-negotiable TIPS, a department of Region 8 Education Service Center, a political subdivision, and local government entity of the State of Texas, is prohibited from indemnifying third-parties (pursuant to the Article 3, Section 52 of the Texas Constitution) except as otherwise specifically provided for by law or as ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction. Article 3, Section 52 of the Texas Constitution states that "no debt shall be created by or on behalf of the State … " and the Texas Attorney General has opined that a contractually imposed obligation of indemnity creates a "debt" in the constitutional sense. Tex. Att'y Gen. Op. No. MW-475 (1982). Thus, contract clauses which require TIPS to indemnify Vendor, pay liquidated damages, pay attorney's fees, waive Vendor's liability, or waive any applicable statute of limitations must be deleted or qualified with ''to the extent permitted by the Constitution and Laws of the State of Texas." Does Vendor agree? Yes, I Agree Alternative Dispute Resolution Limitations This is a requirement of the TIPS Contract and is non-negotiable. TIPS, a department of Region 8 Education Service Center, a political subdivision, and local government entity of the State of Texas, does not agree to binding arbitration as a remedy to dispute and no such provision shall be permitted in this Agreement with TIPS. Vendor agrees that any claim arising out of or related to this Agreement, except those specifically and expressly waived or negotiated within this Agreement, may be subject to non-binding mediation at the request of either party to be conducted by a mutually agreed upon mediator as prerequisite to the filing of any lawsuit arising out of or related to this Agreement. Mediation shall be held in either Camp or Titus County, Texas. Agreements reached in mediation will be subject to the approval by the Region 8 ESC's Board of Directors, authorized signature of the Parties if approved by the Board of Directors, and, once approved by the Board of Directors and properly signed, shall thereafter be enforceable as provided by the laws of the State of Texas. Does Vendor agree? Yes, Vendor agrees Does Vendor agree? Yes, Vendor agrees No Waiver of TIPS Immunity This is a requirement of the TIPS Contract and is non-negotiable. Vendor agrees that nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as a waiver of sovereign or government immunity; nor constitute or be construed as a waiver of any of the privileges, rights, defenses, remedies, or immunities available to Region 8 Education Service Center or its TIPS Department. The failure to enforce, or any delay in the enforcement, of any privileges, rights, defenses, remedies, or immunities available to Region 8 Education Service Center or its TIPS Department under this Agreement or under applicable law shall not constitute a waiver of such privileges, rights, defenses, remedies, or immunities or be considered as a basis for estoppel. 5 Does Vendor agree? Yes, Vendor agrees Payment Terms and Funding Out Clause This is a requirement of the TIPS Contract and is non-negotiable. Vendor agrees that TIPS and TIPS Members shall not be liable for interest or late-payment fees on past-due balances at a rate higher than permitted by the laws or regulations of the jurisdiction of the TIPS Member. Funding-Out Clause: Vendor agrees to abide by the applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to Texas Local Government Code § 271.903, or any other statutory or regulatory limitation of the jurisdiction of any TIPS Member, which requires that contracts approved by TIPS or a TIPS Member are subject to the budgeting and appropriation of currently available funds by the entity or its governing body. 2
PERMITTED USES AND DISCLOSURES BY CONTRACTOR Except as otherwise limited in this Schedule, Contractor may use or disclose Protected Health Information to perform functions, activities, or services for, or on behalf of, County as specified in the Agreement; provided that such use or disclosure would not violate the Privacy Rule if done by County.
Knowing and Voluntary Agreement Employee represents and agrees that he has read this Agreement, understands its terms, and that he has the right to consult counsel of choice and has either done so or knowingly waives the right to do so. Employee also represents that he has had ample time to read and understand the Agreement before executing it and that he enters into this Agreement without duress or coercion from any source. * * * * *
Permitted Uses and Disclosures by Business Associate 1. Business Associate may only use or disclose protected health information as necessary to perform the services as outlined in the underlying agreement.
