This privacy policy sets out how Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, LLC uses and protects any information that you give Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, LLC when you use this website.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, LLC is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, LLC may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 6/29/16.

Privacy:

Browsing our web site

In the normal course of visiting the HPHC.org web site, viewing pages, or downloading information, we will gather and store certain information about your visit automatically. We use this information to help us make the site more useful to visitors -- to learn about the number of visitors to our site and the types of technology our visitors use. Unless it is specifically stated otherwise, no additional information will be collected about you.

This information does not identify you personally. We can automatically collect and store the following types of information about your visit:

  • Your computer's Internet Protocol (IP) address. (An IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you go on the Web.)
  • The domain from which you access the Internet (for example, aol.com, if you are connecting from an America Online account)
  • The Internet address of the Web site, if any, from which you came to our site .
  • The date and time you arrived at our site and how long you spent visiting the site.
  • The name and version of your computer's operating system and browser: for example, Windows 95/Netscape Navigator 4.5. (This information is supplied automatically by your computer.)
  • The pages you visit.

Cookies

Some pages on this web site employ browser session "cookies." A cookie is a small piece of data that a web site transfers to your computer's hard disk to allow the server to distinguish your session from that of others while you are connected. Requests to send cookies are not designed to collect information about you, but only about your "browser session." The cookies make it easier for you to use the dynamic features of our web site. The cookies and the information about your session are automatically destroyed shortly after you close your browser. The information is not permanently stored on your computer. We do not collect personal information about you except as described above.

Use of personal health information (PHI)

Harvard Pilgrim is committed to ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of our members' Protected Health Information (PHI). We collect and disclose such information only according to our strict confidentiality policies and federal and state laws designed to maintain privacy, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule. The HIPAA Privacy Rule took effect on April 14, 2003, and requires Harvard Pilgrim to provide its members with a Notice of Privacy Practices. The notice explains how we use information about our members and under what conditions we are permitted to share that information with others.

In regard to our interactive web services, such as HPHConnect, Harvard Pilgrim treats all data that we receive as confidential. We will not disclose to third parties any identifying data, including name, mailing address, e-mail address and phone number, unless you authorize such disclosure or such disclosure is required by law. To ensure privacy of your data, never share your username and password with anyone. Be sure to consider the content of any questions, the location of your e-mail account and who, besides yourself, may have access to it.

We collect personally identifiable data at:

  • HPHConnect
  • Site Feedback Form
  • Within "Contact Us:", lets users tell us what they think about our web site, this form is e-mailed directly to the Web Manager
  • E-mail member services
  • Ask Web Librarian
  • Ask Specialist/Librarian Satisfaction Forms

Our Secure Partner, covered under Business Associate agreements, who collect personally identifiable data:

  • HealthTrio

Web site security

Security is a priority at Harvard Pilgrim. Appropriate measures are taken to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information about our members, providers, employers, brokers, and anyone else that may want to use our web site.

Only authorized users are allowed to access Protected Health Information (PHI). Harvard Pilgrim enforces a high level of protection, i.e., 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption, for securing transmissions between a user's browser and this web site. Content on this site is protected against unauthorized access.

E-mail security

E-mail sent over the Internet is not secure and should not be used to communicate confidential and/or health information directly to Harvard Pilgrim. Please be aware that Harvard Pilgrim cannot guarantee the confidentiality or security of any information you send to us over the Internet when using e-mail. Harvard Pilgrim shall not be liable for any breach of confidentiality resulting from such use of e-mail via the Internet. Harvard Pilgrim will not use e-mail to communicate confidential and/or health information unless the e-mail is secured in accordance with Harvard Pilgrim's Corporate E-Mail Policy.

Communicating with us

Medical questions or concerns about your care or treatment should be directed to appropriate health care professionals. Harvard Pilgrim will not respond to requests for personal medical advice made through this web site. If you require an immediate response to non-medical questions or problems, please call Member Services at 1-888-333-4742.

E-mail forms used on our site should not be for confidential personal medical issues, but for general topics or product questions. If you to discuss personal information related to HPHC services, you should call HPHC Member Services, and not use e-mail. We will share your comments and questions with our member services coordinators and those employees most capable of addressing your questions and concerns, as covered under Personal Health Information, above. Your e-mail may not be encrypted and may be accessed and viewed by other Internet users without your knowledge while in transit to us. See e-mail Security above.

Copyright/use limitations

EXISTING Copyright © 2011 Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc. All rights reserved. 

The information posted on this web site is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. It may be displayed, reformatted and printed for personal, non-commercial use only. Any copy of information obtained through the web site must include the copyright notice. Removing or altering the copyright notice on any material on this web site is prohibited. Use or misuse of Harvard Pilgrim's trademarks, service marks or logos is expressly prohibited and may violate state and federal law.