HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) imposes numerous requirements on employer health plans concerning the use and disclosure of individual health information. This information, known as protected health information, includes virtually all individually identifiable health information held by the Plan — whether received in writing, in an electronic medium, or as an oral communication. This notice describes the privacy practices of the Health Care Spending Accounts. The plan(s) covered by this notice may share health information with each other to carry out Treatment, Payment, or Health Care Operations. These plans are collectively referred to as the Plan in this notice, unless specified otherwise.

The Plan's duties with respect to health information about you.

The Plan is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with this notice of the Plan's legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information. If you participate in an insured plan option, you will receive a notice directly from the Insurer. It's important to note that these rules apply to the Plan, not Waco Independent School District ('WISD') as an employer — that's the way the HIPAA rules work. Different policies may apply to other WISD programs or to data unrelated to the health plan.

The privacy rules generally allow the use and disclosure of your health information without your permission (known as an authorization) for purposes of health care Treatment, Payment activities, and Health Care Operations. Here are some examples of what that might entail:

• Treatment includes providing, coordinating, or managing health care by one (1) or more health care providers or doctors. Treatment can also include coordination or management of care between a provider and a third party, and consultation and referrals between providers.
• Payment includes activities by this Plan, other plans, or providers to obtain premiums, make coverage determinations and provide reimbursement for health care expenses. This can include eligibility determinations, reviewing services for medical necessity or appropriateness, utilization management activities, claims management, and billing; as well as “behind the scenes” plan functions such as risk adjustment, collection, or reinsurance.
• Health Care Operations include activities by this Plan (and in limited circumstances other plans or providers) such as quality assessment and improvement activities, customer service, and internal grievance resolution. Health care operations also include vendor evaluations, credentialing, training, accreditation activities, underwriting, premium rating, arranging for medical review and audit activities, and business planning and development.